Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
The AW2726DM includes 11 picture modes with Standard being the default option. You can calibrate grayscale with two-point precision in Custom Color, which is where I ran my tests.
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
My AW2726DM sample looked a little green out of the box with visible errors at 50% brightness and higher. You can just see the tint in test patterns or in neutral content like hockey games or black and white video. Gamma tracks almost perfectly to the 2.2 reference. That’s a good thing because there are no additional gamma presets.
I only needed to adjust the RGB gains to achieve perfect grayscale tracking. All errors are below 1dE, which is reference level. Gamma got a tad darker because I could only reduce the RGB sliders; they start at their maximums. Picture quality is visibly improved after these adjustments.
Comparisons
OLEDs are generally good out of the box so the AW2726DM’s 4.15dE score is a bit below average. In practice the error isn’t too obvious, but it is visible, so I recommend calibration. Adjusting just the RGB gain sliders made a significant improvement both measurably and visually. It’s impressive that 0.56dE is only good enough for fifth place here. That speaks highly to OLED’s quality and precision as a display technology.
In the gamma test, the AW2726DM maintained a tight 0.17 range of values from highest to lowest. The actual average of 2.25 equates to a 2.27% deviation from 2.2. This is excellent performance.
Color Gamut Accuracy
Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.
The AW2726DM has solid out-of-box color accuracy with a 2.5dE result. You can see the bonus color in red and green, which are oversaturated when referenced to DCI-P3. The points are linear in progression, which keeps all hues looking natural and finely detailed. No picture information is clipped.
Calibration makes a slight difference in the chart with secondary colors closer to their hue targets and a bit more saturation in general. This is a good thing. The picture, like all good OLEDs, looks stunning. I noted that the AW2726DM does not include an sRGB mode. You’ll be enjoying its large color gamut for all content, SDR and HDR alike.
Comparisons
Like the grayscale test, OLED displays excel in the accuracy department, and the AW2726DM is no different. Its final score of 1.74dE means there are no visible errors. It is oversaturated but in a good way. No one will say that it is too colorful. In the volume test, it scores slightly above average for Quantum Dot screens with 111.51% coverage of DCI-P3. Anything over 100% is good, which makes the AW2726DM really good. There is no sRGB mode, so that coverage is a whopping 165.33%. You can’t use it for critical work unless P3 is the reference.
Test Takeaway: The AW2726DM is a tremendously colorful monitor with reasonable out-of-box accuracy and excellent results after calibration. I recommend an adjustment for the best picture. It has higher-than-average color volume but no sRGB mode. It’s fine for critical applications, as long as P3 is the goal.
MORE: Best Gaming Monitors
MORE: How We Test PC Monitors
MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor
