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For years, OLED gaming monitors solely resided in a premium price category. The cost has come down a little, but progress has been slow and incremental. And if you want great game performance, 240 Hz is a minimum. Image enhancers like Quantum Dot color have been cost increasers, too. Until now, you’d need $500-600 in your budget for a 27-inch QHD resolution QD-OLED with 240 Hz and Adaptive-Sync. Alienware decided that you should only have to spend $350 when it unveiled the AW2726DM.
To be fair, this isn’t a fully loaded display. There aren’t extras like sRGB modes, USB ports, LED lighting, or internal speakers. But you do get a fully adjustable stand and solid build quality. The AW2726DM has a three-year burn-in warranty that you are unlikely to ever need. And most importantly, it has the performance to compete with the best gaming OLEDs I’ve reviewed, at any price.
During both tests and gameplay, I noted very low input lag, and panel response quick enough to eliminate motion blur above 200 FPS. Since the AW2726DM is QHD, it isn’t difficult to drive to its 240 Hz maximum. When playing games, I experienced the same feel as I do with displays costing twice as much. At best, you’re looking at around $500 for a comparable screen from another brand. The only thing I truly missed was an sRGB mode. And that is only a workday issue. If you don’t edit graphics for publishing like I do, you won’t care about that. You’ll only notice how colorful it is.
If you have $350 to spend and you’ve been wishing for an OLED monitor, the Alienware AW2726DM is your ship that has just come in. Don’t look for USB ports, internal speakers, or RGB lighting, but do look for premium game performance, because it’s here and you definitely want to check it out.
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