Alienware AW2725D QD-OLED QHD 280 Hz gaming monitor review: Rich color, high performance and excellent value

You’ve decided to splurge on one of the best OLED gaming monitors, and you’ve decided that a 27-inch flat panel is just right for your desktop. The question now is, “How much OLED do I need?” It’s possible to spend $800 or more if you go for 4K resolution and a 240 Hz refresh rate. But is that overkill? Can you get the same gaming experience from QHD and 280 Hz?

I’ll attempt to answer that as I review Alienware’s new AW2725D. It’s a 27-inch QHD 2560x1440 resolution Quantum Dot OLED with 280 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR400, and wide gamut color. And it’s $550 at this writing, so let’s take a look.

Alienware AW2725D Specs

One thing all OLEDs share, at least the ones I’ve reviewed, is a super quick panel response. The universally quoted figure is 0.03 milliseconds, and it is not an exaggeration. This is why OLED doesn’t need overdrive and why it’s smoother at a given refresh rate than a comparable LCD. The threshold where motion resolution equals static resolution is around 144 Hz. And since you can’t go beyond perfect, is there a reason for OLEDs to be quicker than 240 Hz?

As you ponder that question, check out the Alienware AW2725D. It breaks into a lower pricing zone at $5,50 and for that sum, you get 280 Hz, QHD 2560x1440 resolution, Quantum Dot technology, HDR400, a wide color gamut, LED lighting, USB ports, a full rack of play aids, and Alienware’s usual premium build quality.

The QD layer means extra color gamut coverage. I measured over 111% of DCI-P3, making it one of the most colorful monitors I’ve yet tested. Accuracy is OK out of the box and excellent after a simple calibration. You also get Creator mode, which lets you pick between DCI-P3 Cinema and sRGB. The picture is very satisfying with or without adjustment.

The panel’s lifespan is assured by a heat-dissipating graphite film behind the OLED layer, along with generous ventilation in the back. It’s passive, meaning there are no fans. In the OSD, you’ll find a panel refresh routine and a health indicator that lets you know when to run it. Alienware backs the AW2725D with a three-year warranty.

Gaming features include AlienVision, which is fast becoming my favorite aiming point system with its flexible and capable editor that includes many shapes and colors and even a night vision mode. Also included are timers, a frame counter and display alignment marks. The LED show extends to Alienware’s famous head icon in back and a large power button. Both can be set to any color and be made to coordinate with on-screen action. Two USB ports underneath the panel’s bottom edge make plugging in peripherals a snap. The only things missing are a headphone jack and internal speakers.

The AW2725D delivers a lot of performance and image quality for $550. It is the best way to avoid dropping $1,100 on a big, fancy, and potentially slower 4K OLED gaming monitor.

Assembly and Accessories

Alienware’s molded pulp packaging has proven itself to be more than capable of protecting computer monitors from the rigors of shipment. I have yet to receive a damaged sample, despite some having gone through multiple trips on the FedEx truck. The AW2725D’s three component parts assemble without tools into the cool new design I’ve seen from Alienware with an upright that appears to float above the base. It’s very solid in practice. The cable bundle includes HDMI, DisplayPort, USB and IEC for the internal power supply.

Product 360

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The AW2725D’s bezel is reasonably narrow at 6mm wide on top, 11mm to the sides and 14mm at the bottom, where you’ll find an Alienware moniker and a large backlit power button. Its color and behavior are controlled in the OSD. Additional lighting is in the back where the Alienware Head is prominently displayed. It too can light up in any color and both LEDs can follow on-screen action using the Aurora control app.

The stand looks delicate thanks to the upright’s floating look and the base’s small size. But it is quite heavy and the three parts mate solidly to form a monolithic package. Ergonomics include 5/21 degrees tilt, 20 degrees swivel, 90-degree portrait mode and a 4.6-inch height adjustment. Movements are firm and sure with no wobble or play. The AW2725D isn’t expensive, but it is premium in every way.

The input panel is kept compact in the center, underneath the stand attachment point. You get two HDMI 2.1 and a single DisplayPort 1.4 with Display Stream Compression (DSC). A USB-B upstream port forms a hub that includes Type C and A ports on the panel’s bottom edge. They’re easy to access from the front, so you can plug in peripherals, like headphones for instance, as there is no traditional 3.5mm jack. There are no internal speakers either.

OSD Features

Pressing the AW2725D’s center joystick, the only control, opens the quick menu and status bar seen in the first photo below. An up-click opens the full OSD, which will be familiar to any user of Dell or Alienware monitors.

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The top status bar shows signal information and panel health info. At the bottom is a quick menu with five programmable icons that provide access to often-used functions. The full OSD starts appropriately with Game and its 12 picture modes. Standard is the default with solid gamma out of the box, but I found it a tad green in tone. After the game-specific modes, you’ll find Creator with gamut and gamma selections. Its DCI-P3 option refers to the cinema standard with a 2.6 gamma and D63 white point. sRGB is close to spec and is appropriate for colorists and photographers needing that reference.

To find the best image, I went for Custom Color and its two-point white balance sliders. A few tweaks took grayscale and color to pro-level accuracy. The rest of the Game menu includes game aids like timers and a frame rate counter. And there's AlienVision, which is a super cool aiming point editor. It includes multiple shapes and colors plus night vision and even a dynamic reticle that changes color to stay in contrast with the background.

The lighting options have fixed colors for the power LED and Alienware Head. Or you can sync them with your PC using the Aurora control app. HDR options are found in the Display menu where you get six additional modes. Desktop is the default, and it is good, but HDR Peak 1000 is the most dynamic with variable brightness and accurate color tracking. It provides a vivid, colorful presentation that is unmatched by anything except another QD-OLED monitor.

The PIP/PBP mode includes five different screen split ratios plus options for the PIP window position. This feature lets you view two video sources at once. In Personalize, you can set the functions of the joystick directionals and the five icons in the quick menu.

In Others, you can run the pixel refresh routine manually whenever you wish. When the panel health indicator turns red, it runs automatically. Finally, you can view nine screens of factory calibration info that is unique to each AW2725D sample.

Alienware AW2725D Calibration Settings

The AW2725D comes out of the box in Standard mode, and I found that it was a bit green in tone. It has spot-on gamma and color, but bright white shades are slightly off. The best choice is Custom Color where you’ll find RGB gain and bias sliders plus hue and saturation controls for all six colors. With a few changes to gain, I achieved a visually perfect grayscale. Gamma is spot on in any case, but there’s only one choice, 2.2. If you want a darker or lighter presentation, you’re out of luck. My SDR settings are below. Note that there is no variable brightness option in SDR.

HDR signals enable six additional picture modes, of which HDR Peak 1000 is the best. It employs variable brightness for peaks around 460 nits, slightly higher than the class average. Custom Color HDR offers a contrast slider that lets you dial down the overall brightness, plus color hue and saturation controls.

Gaming and Hands-on

As I played a few hours of Doom Eternal’s horde mode, I kept thinking of the word “translation.” The AW2725D, like nearly all OLEDs faster than 200 Hz, translates your thoughts into action with no delay and no blur. About the only other monitor class on this level is an Ultra HD OLED at 240 Hz. So taken on a price/performance basis, the AW2725D clearly wins.

With a decent mouse and keyboard, a monitor like this lets your skills shine, as in, it’s never in the way. There is no delay, and the picture is always sharp as a tack, whether still or moving. Aiming and shooting is consistently precise. The AW2725D’s video processing is without flaw.

The image is stunning in every respect. The extra punch from Quantum Dot color is clear when comparing the AW2725D to a non-QD screen. Though it’s just a 10-15% difference in volume, you can plainly see the extra red and green in gameplay and in the Windows desktop. Photos look brighter and more vibrant. And those perfect black levels don’t hurt. The AW2725D delivers performance on par with all the QD-OLEDs I’ve reviewed and has just a tad more color than most of them.

From a convenience standpoint, the AW2725D’s extra USB ports on the bottom are handy. They are easy to find and are the perfect place to plug in a pair of headphones. Though I wished for a 3.5mm jack to run my trusty Sennheisers, there are plenty of capable USB cans out there. Some may mourn the loss of internal speakers, but considering the sound quality coming from most of them, it isn’t a big sacrifice.

The AW2725D is a great everyday screen for work and play. Its color is a real asset when working on graphics in Photoshop or watching video. I’m a fan of mini home theaters and a screen like this creates a personal experience in a small space for not a lot of money. Add in good desktop speakers or headphones and you can enjoy the latest blockbuster from Marvel Studios while sitting in your favorite gaming chair.

Takeaway: The AW2725D is a great all-around display and a superlative gaming monitor. It has the same premium video processing as any high-end monitor with low input lag and perfect motion resolution. Do you need a higher refresh rate? I’m going to say no. 280 Hz QHD is super responsive and the picture here gives nothing away to higher-res screens thanks to its highly saturated color. For the price, this OLED is going to be hard to top.

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