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

It’s a 280 Hz panel with QHD resolution, Adaptive-Sync, HDR10, wide gamut color, and a very attractive price.

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Alienware AW2725D
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(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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We’ve seen OLED refresh rates climbing steadily from 144 Hz up to 480 Hz in a few cases. But after playing on many 240 Hz QHD panels, I’ve concluded that you don’t need more speed than that because motion resolution can’t get better than perfect. By that, I mean that moving objects are rendered with the same clarity as static ones.

Alienware AW2725D

(Image credit: Dell)

The Alienware AW2725D’s 280 Hz is more than fast enough for any gamer at any skill level. Though you can buy lower input lag at 360 and 480 Hz, there are very few players who can differentiate between 17 and 10 milliseconds. If you want the faster one, expect to pay $700-800.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

For $550 at this writing, the AW2725D delivers tremendous color volume and a bright image with over 460 nits for HDR and 265 for SDR. You get reasonable accuracy out of the box and pro-level performance after a few tweaks. And it’s flexible with lots of color modes, a full set of gaming aids and USB ports placed within easy reach. Add in Alienware’s excellent build quality and you have a winner that pulls the OLED price of admission a little lower. If you have $550 in your monitor budget, keep if on your shopping list.

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Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.