Alienware AW2725DF Review

One diminutive letter. But a whole lot of differences. Last week we took a look at the Alienware AW2725QF, the brand’s fresh dual-mode 4K/1080p panel. This week, it’s the turn of Alienware AW2725DF. But if you’re assuming that swapping “Q” for “D” makes it a minor change, well, think again. That’s a different beast entirely.

A 27-inch dual-mode 4K IPS panel is coming out. A 1440p QD-OLED display from Samsung is coming in, which has the same 27-inch diagonal, but that’s literally all. Okay, the style and design of the case are basically the same between the two 27-inch models. But the display technology itself couldn’t be more different.

Of course, one of the most noticeable differences is the pixel density. 1440p on a panel this size gives you about 109 DPI, while 4K gives you 163 DPI. It’s a dramatic difference that you can’t miss. On the Windows desktop, fonts are much less crisp and edged, and there’s less detail overall. You have fewer options for scaling the desktop interface to make that trade-off between readability and usable space.

In-game, however, you could argue that the difference isn’t as obvious or significant. 1440p still provides highly detailed graphics in games, and you could argue that it pretty well bypasses the whole 4K vs. 1080p conflict in games.

Indeed, this monitor can do the same refresh rate at 1440p, namely 360Hz, as its dual-mode sibling achieves at 1080p. The catch is that 1440p has about 75% more pixels than 1080p, so you’ll need about 75% more GPU power to achieve the same frame rate.

In any case, if you have GPU hardware, this OLED is not only equal to an IPS panel when it comes to latency. It easily matches it when it comes to overall speed thanks to its better pixel response.

Dual-mode IPS is rated at 0.5ms. But that’s only 0.5ms for IPS. This QD-OLED is at 0.03ms. On paper, that’s an order of magnitude — give or take — faster. In reality, the difference isn’t that large, but where you see the limitations of this IPS monitor, in terms of response, if you look really closely, that’s basically a solved problem with these current OLED monitors. They’re just that swift.

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The other really obvious advantage is HDR and contrast performance. This QD-OLED panel absolutely destroys the dual-mode IPS alternative in these respects. It’s Samsung’s latest OLED technology and it really does a good job with HDR content. Peaks really hiss, while black levels are basically perfect and controlled at the pixel level.

Honestly, even with full panel dimming, IPS monitors don’t come close to this, and the AW2725QF doesn’t even have that. What’s more, Alienware has calibrated SDR content in HDR mode quite well, actually. So you can basically toggle HDR mode and leave it that way. There’s no need to jump between HDR and SDR modes depending on the type of content.

Well, there is one exception to this rule. By default, SDR mode has a brightness limiter that is designed to ensure that the overall brightness of the panel does not fluctuate depending on the specifics of the image being displayed.

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There’s a bit of that in HDR mode. But it’s quite subtle, and overall the panel looks a bit more crisp and vivid in HDR mode. However, you have a choice. If you want absolute consistency in SDR content, and for the record the sRGB profile is pitch-perfect, then you have that option available.

In any case, when it comes to gaming, it’s tough to find fault with a current QD-OLED panel like this. They’re just so swift, the lighting is so perfect, the viewing angles so flawless. Funnily enough, it’s when you happen to glance at a panel like this from across the room that its OLED-ness, for lack of a better word, really hits home.

While the IPS panel looks a bit translucent due to lithe leakage and imperfect viewing angles, these OLED panels are just so, well, solid. It’s very tough to go back to the flimsy IPS panel once you get used to OLED, that’s for sure.

The only caveat is the characteristic grayness of QD-OLED panels, especially in vivid ambient lithe. It can be seen here just as it is with all other QD-OLED monitors. We don’t think it’s a major issue, but it’s worth keeping in mind if you’re gaming in a really vivid environment for some reason.

Of course, the real catch is the price. Alienware is asking an extra $200 for this OLED over its already pricey dual-mode IPS alternative. The resulting $800 is just too much for a mere 27-inch 1440p monitor, even one this good.

Oh, and one other aspect this OLED panel shares with its dual-mode lookalike is connectivity. And it’s not a particularly good thing. You get DisplayPort and HDMI, as well as a USB hub that includes a USB-C port on the bottom bezel. But there’s no USB-C upstream for single-cable laptop connectivity.

Again, that’s somewhat forgivable for a dedicated gaming display. But it’s still an $800 monitor, and who knows what you might want to do with it in a few years. Even now, you might want to share it with both a gaming desktop and a laptop. Surely for that kind of money, it should have USB-C support for laptops and other devices?

Either way, the price tag remains a killer for monitors of this type. It’s just really tough to fathom paying that much cash for just a 27-inch 1440p panel, even one this good. That’s doubly true when you consider that you can get a 49-inch ultrawide QD-OLED like the Gigabyte Aorus CO49DQ for not much more money. Okay, it won’t be full 360Hz. But in every other way, it’s literally twice the screen for the same price. And that difference in quality just doesn’t make sense for this display.