Alienware AW2725DF 360 Hz OLED gaming monitor review: OLED for hardcore players

27-inch flat QHD OLED with 360 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR400 and wide gamut color.

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Alienware AW2725DF
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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The AW2725DF brings my 27-inch QHD OLED total up to five, so I added a Mini LED screen for comparison, Cooler Master’s GP2711. It’s VA so it has a fighting chance in the contrast tests. The other monitors are Corsair’s 27QHD240, Acer’s X27U, AOC’s AG276QZD and Asus’ PG27AQDM.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

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Alienware AW2725DF
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

I’m betting many of you have skipped to this section to see if 360 Hz is better than 240 for an OLED. The answer, according to this data, is “barely.” It’s interesting to see the response times vary so much, but remember that OLEDs refresh multiple times per cycle, which is why their motion is so smooth. Looking at the bottom two, the AOC and Cooler Master screens have the same 6ms time, but the AOC OLED is visibly smoother. At the other end, the AW2725DF is super smooth, as in visually perfect. Blur Buster’s patterns running at 960 pixels per second are flawless. Every detail is as visible as if the image were static. It truly can’t get better than that.

In the lag test, 360 Hz ties for the win with two of the 240 Hz screens. I am not sufficiently skilled to perceive the difference between 26 and 19ms, but better players might be. So, if you want the fastest possible OLED, the AW2725DF is currently it. If you’re wondering about the Asus PG248QP 540 Hz monitor, it has a 2ms measured response and the same 19ms of total lag. So, it isn’t faster than the AW2725DF.

Test Takeaway: The AW2725DF is fully qualified for competition with one of the lowest total lag scores I’ve recorded, tied with the X27U and the PG27AQDM. The record still belongs to Alienware’s AW2524H 500 Hz IPS monitor at 15ms. But it won’t be as smooth as any of the OLEDs. I’ve said it before and will continue to say it: OLED is the best panel tech for gaming, thanks to its visually perfect motion processing. The AW2725DF’s 360 Hz helps lower input lag, and its enormous color gamut and incredible HDR further strengthen its position as one of the finest gaming monitors I’ve yet seen.

Viewing Angles

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

My comments on the AW2725DF’s viewing angles are the same as they are for any OLED. The image is nearly identical at 45 degrees off-axis as it is on-center. There is no light output or gamma change, but you can see a slight shift to red. This is easier to see in test patterns than in content. The top view washes out slightly with a 10% reduction in output and no perceptible color shift.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

OLEDs don’t typically have screen uniformity issues like bleed or glow. The AW2725DF is the best yet, with a tiny deviation of 2.39% from the center zone. There is no chance that anyone will see an issue when viewing the 10% field pattern I measured or any other pattern. Color and brightness are visually perfect from edge to edge.

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.

5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • cknobman
    While amazing I wont buy into an OLED monitor until they are $500 or less.
    Not into spending 900+ on a computer monitor for gaming.
    Reply
  • oofdragon
    HYEAH this is what Im talking about!! When they come out with a 144hz in 2024 I just believe they deserve to lose money and end up selling those at a loss after they gathered dust so long on the shelves that they must give it a brutal discount in order to clean inventory. Make it 240hz minimum or gtfo. Now this 360hz may cost $900 but this is also the price of a GPU to run games on it at 360fps, if gaming is something important for you save for it, work double shifts, buy it and enjoy. I don't think there's much of a noticeable difference from a monitor like this vs a 240hz, there are some pennies tombe saved going for the lower Hz if you insist. My next monitor though.. I want it even 480hz! Lol. Like I'm okay selling my 240hz to get the 360hz and when the 480hz is out I'll sell it again. We are going to die anyways people, if the tech is here let us enjoy it.
    Reply
  • amco_krkic
    cknobman said:
    While amazing I wont buy into an OLED monitor until they are $500 or less.
    Not into spending 900+ on a computer monitor for gaming.
    i agree. Been looking into OLED monitors as after 14 years of gaming on 1080p im now looking to invest into a 1440p monitor. 1440p monitors at 165hz (which i believe is the sweet spot for refresh rate along with the res) are all priced at around £250 $300 on average with fast IPS panels. Now yes OLED compared to IPS there is a big difference in colouring, blackness, contrast etc. but i believe the downsides with OLED panels outweigh the positives when comparing them to IPS/Fast IPS/Fast IPS Nano colour, as with OLEDs you can get Screen burn ins, the cheaper OLED monitor panels are no where near as bright as the more premium priced ones which ruins the whole OLED experience as people in most cases are buying OLED for colours, contrast and HDR so even if you do invest into a cheap OLED monitor the low peak brightness will ruin the experience, and the biggest downside of them all when looking into anything is the price. Down the line i will most likely be looking into an OLED gaming monitor to experience the so called ''New era of gaming monitors'' but ONLY when the companies which are manufacturing the OLED panels invest money into better technology to reduce chances of screen burns, right now im only seeing ASUS who have implented this kind of technology on their OLED panels by implementing a panel heatsink but even then it only reduces the temperature by 5% compared to other OLED panels but even then it is not a significant improvement, and also of course i will not be buying an OLED monitor until they are actually AFFORDABLE.
    Reply
  • amco_krkic
    cknobman said:
    While amazing I wont buy into an OLED monitor until they are $500 or less.
    Not into spending 900+ on a computer monitor for gaming.
    so i just settled with an Alienware AW2723DF monitor :LOL:
    Reply
  • amerelium
    oofdragon said:
    HYEAH this is what Im talking about!! When they come out with a 144hz in 2024 I just believe they deserve to lose money and end up selling those at a loss after they gathered dust so long on the shelves that they must give it a brutal discount in order to clean inventory. Make it 240hz minimum or gtfo. Now this 360hz may cost $900 but this is also the price of a GPU to run games on it at 360fps, if gaming is something important for you save for it, work double shifts, buy it and enjoy. I don't think there's much of a noticeable difference from a monitor like this vs a 240hz, there are some pennies tombe saved going for the lower Hz if you insist. My next monitor though.. I want it even 480hz! Lol. Like I'm okay selling my 240hz to get the 360hz and when the 480hz is out I'll sell it again. We are going to die anyways people, if the tech is here let us enjoy it.

    ...you don't have to run games at 360 hz - you can run them at 120 hz, wich is more than enough, and enjoy the proper colours, contrasts, and blacks.
    Reply