Alienware AW2725Q Gaming Monitor Review - 4K 240Hz for $899

TweakTown Rating: 98%

Our Verdict

Alienware has released an incredible 27-inch 4K 240Hz gaming monitor that offers a sleek, minimalistic design, impeccable image quality, and an aesthetic worth drooling over. Oh, and did I mention it's much cheaper than the competition?

Pros

• Impeccable image clarity and gorgeous physical design
• Awesome gaming performance
• High-refresh rate and 0.03ms response time
• Pixel density
• Price vs. competition

Cons

• Can't extend OLED care options

Should you buy it?

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Introduction & Specification Details and Close-up

Alienware has unveiled its offering in the latest form of gaming monitors, the 27-inch 4K QD-OLED panel that sports a 240Hz refresh rate and a 0.03ms response time.

A quick look at the Alienware AW2725Q Gaming Monitor

The Alienware AW2725Q ushers in the company's new design on its gaming monitor line-up, which indicates a move away from the white offerings we know and love to what Alienware is calling an Interstellar Indigo. The new aesthetics are meant to pay homage to the deep blue hues that are found within the celestial cosmos, which have been paired with the clean, compact, minimal design. The AW2725Q offers peak gaming performance with its 3840 x 2160 (4K) resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, and 0.03ms (GtG) response time - all across a 27-inch panel, which translates to a juicy 166 Pixels Per Inch (PPI).

The AW2725Q will be going up against MSI's MPG 272URX, a gaming monitor with almost identical specifications but with a different price tag. Alienware will be offering the AW2725Q for $899, while the MPG 272URX has been priced at $1,099. So, let's see how these gaming monitors stack up against each other, where the differences are, and what one you should buy, given your circumstances. Before we get into that, it should be noted that these are high-end gaming monitors that will require a proportionally high-end gaming PC to be fully utilized. Please make sure your gaming PC meets the recommended specifications for getting the most out of either of these displays before running out and purchasing one. With that disclaimer out of the way, let's jump into it.

Specifications

Close-up

Design

With the announcement of the AW2725Q, Alienware is debuting a new design language, and boy, does it look clean. What I can really appreciate about Alienware's physical design is that it really separates itself from the rest of the gaming monitor market with its color choices, shells for the panels, and stands. The AW2725Q creates that same feeling for me as the Interstellar Indigo color choice is one of, if not my favorite color options I have seen on a gaming monitor, especially considering that almost every gaming monitor arrives in just one color - black. Moreover, the aesthetics of the AW2725Q and the AW30 design language echo Alienware's name, as its inspiration is the colors of celestial space combined with sci-fi aesthetics that one would expect from a UFO.

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Starting off with the back of the monitor, Alienware has equipped the AW2725Q with a new 360-degree ventilation system that is honestly quite hard to see as it has been smartly hidden between the two panels. The new ventilation system, along with its updated design, enables the AW2725Q to have no visible vents, adding to the overall minimal aesthetics. Keeping to the back of the monitor, Alienware has opted for smooth curved aesthetics and a small logo on the left-hand side of the monitor.

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The color of this Alienware logo can be changed in the Alienware Command Center, which I will get more into in the Panel Breakdown section of this review. As for connectivity options, Alienware has equipped the AW2725Q with an array of inputs designed to accommodate not only PC and console gamers but also content creators with multiple USB options. Here's what you will get with the AW2725Q: 1x USB-B 5Gbps upstream, 3x USB-A downstream, and 1x USB-C 5Gbps 15W PD. As for video ports, the AW2725Q is equipped with 2x HDMI 2.1 and 1x DisplayPort 1.4.

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Content creators or those in need of extra USB ports will have access to the USB-A downstream ports in two locations - two ports on the back of the monitor next to the video inputs and the second on the underside on the left underside of the monitor next to the USB-C port capable of 15W power delivery charging. Located directly beneath the Alienware branding on the front of the display is the multi-directional joystick that can be used to access the On-Screen Display options.

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A last win for the AW2725Q is the stand. Alienware has changed the design of the stand with the AW2725Q, making it much rounder and smoother while also retaining a small footprint for the base. This is greatly appreciated as I believe forked stands for monitors can introduce an unpredicted issue for gamers - mice with low sensitivity and small desk space may result in the mouse colliding with one of the stand's feet.

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Having a small square or circle base prevents this and is much more accommodating for gamers with small desks. Additionally, the stand comes with a hole to simplify cable management. However, I would still recommend picking up a wall or desk clamp monitor arm for increased versatility and desk real-estate, as the AW2725Q comes with 100 x 100mm VESA support.

Overall, Alienware has killed it with the physical design of the AW2725Q. The monitor looks absolutely stunning and stands alone in its physical aesthetics in a sea of gaming monitors that look all too similar. Incredible work here, Alienware.

Panel Breakdown

QD-OLED panels are currently the best of the best when it comes to gaming monitors, and the new 27-inch panels from Samsung are the new contender on the market with offerings of intense pixel density per square inch. Any 27-inch panel supporting a resolution of 3840 x 2160 offers 166 Pixels Per Inch (PPI), which translates to intensely sharp image clarity.

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For context and a basic rule of thumb when buying any gaming monitor, you should be looking for a display that offers anywhere between 100 and 140. Any smaller than 100 PPI the image will begin to show a significant drop in sharpness and clarity. Any bigger than 140 PPI, the image will look tiny, and while this is sometimes necessary in certain situations such as graphics design, video editing, etc, it's not typically seen in a gaming monitor due to the use case of the panel.

However, with the new QD-OLED panels from Samsung, it is now possible for extreme image clarity, incredible colors with the QD-OLED pixel technology and its infinite contrast ratio, intensely quick response times ideal for first-person-shooter titles, and buttery smooth refresh rate - all packed into a single display. Ah, the beauty of QD-OLED. The AW2725Q has been designed with content creation in mind, which is ideal for a gamer who also likes to clip up their gameplay and post videos online. Alienware has equipped the AW2725Q with DCI-P3 99% color coverage and Delta E<2 accuracy, along with Dolby Vision support for multi-media viewing.

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For users that want to tweak their monitor settings, Alienware has overhauled its On-Screen Display (OSD) options, which can be accessed via the multi-directional joystick. However, if that isn't to your liking, Alienware has released the Alienware Command Center, which can be downloaded via the website and used to tweak your monitor settings with your mouse. This is much easier than navigating through the OSD options with the joystick, and the app works as intended. However, the USB downstream cable must be plugged into the designated PC provided in the box.

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Moving back to the QD-OLED panel, much like all QD-OLED panels we see available on the market, they are equipped with a graphene film heatsink that is designed to dissipate the heat generated by the panel. This technology is intended to reduce the likelihood of burn-in. If you are concerned about burn-in occurring, Alienware and its parent company, Dell, provide a free panel exchange during the warranty period, which extends 3 years from the date of purchase. The replacement will be shipped to you the next day after an Alienware technician diagnoses the panel.

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To reduce the likelihood of burn-in, Alienware has equipped the AW2725Q with Pixel Refresh, which the company recommends be conducted every four hours. This process takes anywhere between 6 to 8 minutes. Unfortunately, there is no option to extend the usage time of Pixel Shift to 16 hours, which is a feature present on the MSI variant.

I would like to see Alienware and any gaming monitor company develop a better solution to maintain QD-OLED panel health. Perhaps utilize the USB connection to the PC to be able to detect when a full-screen application is launched and then present the Pixel Refresh reminder when the user has alt-tabbed out of the game, or show the reminder in a small window somewhere on the screen.

For those who want a comparison between Alienware's inkjet QD-OLED panel creation technology and MSI's 272URX panel. There is none. I asked Alienware directly, and they said it's simply a different development process that produces the same results. So, just different names for the same thing.

Performance

As with all of my gaming monitor reviews, I set out to play a variety of titles to determine which genres play best on that specific monitor. For the 272URX, I played the following titles for a minimum of three hours each: League of Legends, God of War: Ragnarok, Cyberpunk 2077, Valorant, Apex Legends, Age of Mythology: Retold, Black Myth: Wukong, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and DOOM Eternal.

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Want the answer in a nutshell? Delicious, immersive, vibrant, and a buttery smooth experience. The AW2725Q, and any other 27-inch QD-OLED panel of this generation, is going to provide an intensely immersive gaming experience that works for both slower RPG-esc titles where you can stop and smell the graphical roses with a higher resolution / lower refresh rate and also fast-paced, intense competitive titles that can push that can take advantage of the 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time.

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Titles that I enjoyed the most on the AW2725Q are as follows: God of War Ragnarok, Cyberpunk 2077, DOOM Eternal, The Wither 3: Wild Hunt, and Black Myth: Wukong. All of the aforementioned titles looked incredible, and while being "slower" in terms of gameplay, the colors and vibrancy of the AW2725Q made them feel alive. The 166PPI made each of them feel graphically rich, even compared to a 32-inch variant with the same resolution.

As for the fast-paced titles, such as DOOM Eternal, League of Legends, Valorant, and Apex Legends, the 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time were adeptly utilized by my RTX 4090, which was able to push each of the titles to the maximum capabilities of the display. Not a single title disappointed on the AW2725Q. In each game, I felt dangerous with the 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time, making headshots feel like a breeze without a cost being made on visual fidelity.

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I would typically recommend the 27-inch size over 32-inch for gamers leaning more toward competitive titles over RPG titles, but given the 166PPI of these 27-inch 4K panels, I may need to rethink my recommendation, as the density of these pixels in any game makes it look stunning enough to warrant sacrificing the extra screen size (32-inch). However, I would still recommend a 32-inch model for gamers that also flexes into word-processing applications, video editing, and multi-media watching, as the extra 5 inches does make all the difference in those departments.

I can't knock the AW2725Q at all when it comes to the games I tested, and as I wrote in my MSI MPG 272URX review, I challenge anyone to find me a game that doesn't look fantastic on these displays. This is truly peak gaming, with a simple decision needed to be made on size and pixel density preference.

Final Thoughts

So, should you buy the AW2725Q for $899? If you are looking to make the jump from a 1440p (QHD) gaming monitor to 4K and aren't interested in the 32-inch models but want to keep the same image fidelity, the AW2725Q is a fantastic option, as you won't be making any concessions. But how does it compare to the MSI MPG 272URX, which is priced at $1,099?

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Simply put, there are hardly any differences between these two displays that warrant the price difference. The main difference between the two displays is the physical aesthetics, QD-OLED care options, and connectivity options, with the MPG 272URX coming with DisplayPort 2.1a versus DisplayPort 1.4 on the AW2725Q. While DisplayPort 2.1a is the cream of the crop when it comes to connectivity, it isn't a deal breaker for gaming, especially if you are just looking to take advantage of the 4K resolution at 240Hz, which DisplayPort 1.4 is fully capable of.

Additionally, the MPG 272URX comes with a USB-C port capable of 98W power delivery charging versus the 15W USB-C port on the AW2725Q. You could argue that 98W is overkill for a monitor, especially considering that most devices being charged off a gaming monitor will be smaller devices such as smartphones, tablets, etc., all of which won't take full advantage of the 98W charging.

So, the decision really comes down to whether or not you want those extra connectivity options or prefer the aesthetic of the MPG 272URX over the AW2725Q. Personally, I find the AW2725Q more visually attractive than the MSI variant, and the connectivity options available on the Alienware are enough to maintain a charge for the range of devices I own. I'd save the $200 and go with the AW2725Q and use the leftover money to get a reasonably priced desk clamp.

Incredible work here, Alienware. You have just undercut the competition with what I consider the most beautiful gaming monitor design currently on the market.