Alienware AW2726DM 27-inch QHD 240 Hz QD-OLED gaming monitor review: A price breakthrough for desktop OLED

A 27-inch QHD 2560x1440 240 Hz QD-OLED gaming monitor with Adaptive-Sync, HDR10, and wide-gamut color, for $350?

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Alienware AW2726DM
Editor's Choice
(Image credit: © Tom's Hardware)

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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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Alienware AW2726DM
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The AW2726DM has many impressive attributes, but high brightness is not among them. It offers just enough light to do well in a typical indoor setting like an office or media room. It should be kept away from sunny windows, though. Black levels are no different from other OLEDs. They cannot be measured, and neither can contrast. You get the rich and deep OLED picture but not a ton of light output. I noted that variable brightness was not an option for SDR signals. That’s unfortunate because the AW2726DM can top 400 nits (25% window pattern) in HDR mode. The headroom is there, but it isn’t made available for SDR content.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Alienware AW2726DM
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

I kept the brightness slider maxed, but calibration cost me a few nits. I wound up at 185, which is still enough for workday tasks and gaming. Stay away from bright light sources, and you’ll be fine. Black levels are still unmeasurable as is static and ANSI (intra-image) contrast. This is typical OLED performance.

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Test Takeaway: Aside from a little less brightness than others, the AW2726DM performs like any OLED, regardless of price. It has the black levels and contrast of its competition, just not the peak output. But it has enough light for a satisfying experience and a gorgeous picture. The only thing I’d like to see is a variable brightness option for SDR.

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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.

17 Comments Comment from the forums
  • coolitic
    Does this incorporate Samsung's new "QuantumBlack" coating?

    Because I don't see any mention of black-level raise, which is a significant problem on QD-OLEDs. That's something that should certainly be measured as part of reviews, at least for QD-OLEDs.
    Reply
  • Anton_Godlike_Gaming
    The problem is, all the "forced" Dell software that comes with it...
    Reply
  • cknobman
    This almost makes me wish I needed a new monitor right now.
    I think if this was 32 inches at $399 that would have gotten me to bit.
    I really like the 32 inch size.
    Reply
  • Elrabin
    Anton_Godlike_Gaming said:
    The problem is, all the "forced" Dell software that comes with it...
    Forced how? I got the AW3423DWF about 3 years ago and haven't installed anything on my PC to make it work?

    You can optionally install the Dell monitor software for window management, but the Windows 11 one works fine.

    If you're talking about the OSD, why? All monitors have onscreen display menus.
    Reply
  • Anton_Godlike_Gaming
    If you've never installed it intentionally, bravo. Check your hidden folders and non-hidden ones. All Alienware devices install telemetry & controls in the background - thanks to Microsoft.
    Reply
  • thestryker
    coolitic said:
    Does this incorporate Samsung's new "QuantumBlack" coating?

    Because I don't see any mention of black-level raise, which is a significant problem on QD-OLEDs. That's something that should certainly be measured as part of reviews, at least for QD-OLEDs.
    No it doesn't. The black level also isn't the problem so much as the coating reaction to brighter rooms. I have zero issues with mine, but the room it's in is fairly dim and never has any bright lights on when it's being used.
    Reply
  • coolitic
    thestryker said:
    No it doesn't. The black level also isn't the problem so much as the coating reaction to brighter rooms. I have zero issues with mine, but the room it's in is fairly dim and never has any bright lights on when it's being used.
    That's probably why it's so cheap then.

    All the new QD-OLEDs are going to be made with QuantumBlack from now on, so they might as well put the older-generation on clearance.
    Reply
  • thestryker
    It would be nice if you mentioned in the review that the HDMI ports are 2.0 bandwidth. I assumed that is what was being referred to when the statement of needing to use DP for 240Hz was made so I went and looked it up myself to verify.
    Reply
  • thestryker
    coolitic said:
    That's probably why it's so cheap then.

    All the new QD-OLEDs are going to be made with QuantumBlack from now on, so they might as well put the older-generation on clearance.
    Nope that's not why it's cheap, it cuts a handful of corners to drive the price down. The new coating is only for new panels and as of right now there's a total of 1 shipping and that's the new 34" ultrawide.

    If you're interested in the panel info: https://tftcentral.co.uk/articles/qd-oled-generations-infographic-and-faq
    edit: While looking at some other figures I saw that there's a 32" 4k gen 4 panel also shipping with the new coating. That one must be straddling the line where it was too early for RGB stripe, but late enough to get the new coating.
    Reply
  • Elrabin
    Anton_Godlike_Gaming said:
    If you've never installed it intentionally, bravo. Check your hidden folders and non-hidden ones. All Alienware devices install telemetry & controls in the background - thanks to Microsoft.
    Windows 11 pro

    nothing gets installed that I don't authorize.


    AWCC and Dell Monitor Manager are not installed, because i have Microsoft drivers /software updates disabled. Why would you have this enabled on a gaming system? You'd be rolling back from the superior game ready drivers to Microsoft old WHQL drivers constantly.

    https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DjXLHf4Pde7kTeK9DzRW2N.jpg
    Reply