Alienware 27 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor - Review

I often found reviewing computer monitors to be a hard task to complete, because if you can see the image, then it is technically doing everything you need it to do. It is one of the reasons I review so few of them, but when the Alienware 27 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor came across my desk, literally, I was quite simply blown away. 

Right, so there is a lot to unpack in that name, the technical name is the AW2725Q, which is not as fun or explanatory. So, what does the name mean, well first is the brand Alienware. After that you get the screen size, this particular model was 27inches, but there are also 32 and 34 variants. The rest of the name describes the panel type, in this case Quantum Dot Organic Light-Emitting Diode. I did explain more about what Quantum Dot is in this review, but basically it helps make a great display even better. When I took the monitor from the box, I was honestly let down by how it looked, it was not curved, or ultrawide, it was just a basic looking display. The display itself was still more exciting than the stand, the entire package just looks like every other monitor around, and nothing like most Alienware displays I have reviewed have looked like. Of course, how a display looks when it is turned off, is kind of irrelevant, it is how it looks once you turn it on that counts and it was here that I was shocked.

I am not one for tweaking all the settings out of the box, one of my rules for hardware of any kind, is to treat it at first like someone who is not tech savvy might. For a headset that means the audio must sound decent, for a keyboard, all the functions must be placed in the right spot and so for a screen, the image quality must be great. Sadly, that was not the case here, as out of the box the quality of the image that was on display was far and above what I could have expected. That does not mean that you can’t tweak the settings, there is a menu built into the screen to adjust things, but as far as plug and play goes, it is near perfect. A lot of that comes down to the HDR enabled screen, which makes things look as close to real as they can. So, from the moment I powered on the screen, I figured that it was going to be good, then I started to play some games.

Now one of my normal games that I throw up when reviewing hardware, usually headphones is DOOM 2016, because the game has a fantastic soundscape, but it also looks amazing. So, I put time into that game with this screen, and I was impressed, it honestly gave me the same vibes as when I played the game on the Switch OLED, after having played it on the original Switch. The quality of the game did not change, but the images I was seeing were clearer and more vibrant. DOOM is of course just one game, so I wanted to see how others would work, so I put time into Spider-Man, Prince of Persia, Need for Speed: Most Wanted and more. No matter the game, they all looked great, but these were all 3d games, designed to look their best, so I was curious how would the screen perform with games that were older. I played a little bit of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Batman: Arkham City and for a laugh the original DOOM. The display was able to deliver some nice colours on those older games and while the original DOOM is not a shining example of modern tech, it still looked good and of course, it’s always fun to play that again.

Next to gaming, the one area that I was very curious about was with design work, for the site I do a lot of work in Photoshop. It is not hyperbole for me to say that when I loaded up a file that I use daily, into Photoshop on this display, I went into the settings to see what I broke. The simple fact was that the colours were more vibrant and everything just looked nicer. I went so far as to move the program to another window because I was worried my file was corrupted. But nope, the quality of the Alienware screen was just so good, it took something that I look at daily and made it feel brand new.

Something that I was curious about was how it handled video, my TV is 4K and has HDR, so it delivers some pretty amazing visuals, but my main PC monitor does not. Now I could have jumped onto Disney+ or some other streaming service and watched content in 4K, but as I had the monitor during the Switch 2 reveal, I watched that. I did watch other content, but given Nintendo offered around 8 hours of content, that was what I watched the most. Of course, the content was impacted by YouTube’s usual array of compression and other issues, but after the event I was able to watch some uncompressed video, and I was impressed. I also have hours of footage from my recent hands on with DOOM: The Dark Ages, which looked amazing on the screen. The vibrancy of a game like Mario Kart World, just in video form, really popped on this display, I also watched the same footage on my regular screen and my TV. Comparing this monitor to my TV is not a fair comparison, they are different sizes, different panels, but most importantly are used in different settings. If I had to compare them though, the Alienware display wins, because that is how good the Quantum Dot tech is.

With all that I have talked about, it stands to reason there is nothing more I need to say, but there still is. I do feel like a Danoz Direct guy right now, but there is really more. Now the more here is not the super sexy stuff, but it is time we talk about ports, because there are some good and some bad here. Something that I think fits into both groups is the power connector, which in most modern displays is usually done via a small box that lives elsewhere on your desk. That is not the case here, as the IEC-C13 Power Cable, or as I call it a kettle cord, is what is used for power. This is the same cable that you would use for a power supply for a desktop computer. The good about this is that there is no small or large, power brick taking up space on your desk, the bad is that the screen is slightly puffier at the back for it. Out of the two options, I would easily take no power brick as I really dislike them, so while the monitor is thicker, I still approve.

The rest of the ports are your connection ports, there is a single Display Port which rocks both HDCP 1.4 & 2.3, ensuring you can view content in 4k at 240Hz. There are also a pair of HDMI ports, with both offering the same HDCP 1.4 & 2.3 support and screen resolution. That means no matter your connection method you can get the best signal. In a nice touch, one of the HDMI ports also offers eARC/ARC, which allows for Dolby Atmos audio pass through. The only other input port on the screen is a single USB-B (a printer cable) that does 5Gbps up, which allows for you to use one of the three USB-A or the single USB-C. This means you can plug in your USB headset or a USB storage device and as a bonus, the USB-C does power for charging, up to 15W.

Each time I get a chance to review an Alienware display, I always think that I am going to enjoy what it will offer, and I am usually blown away instead. That holds true with the Alienware 27 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor, though that name could do with some work. Just having a 4K screen that offers a refresh rate of 240Hz would have been great, but the Quantum Dot technology just makes everything pop in ways you won’t believe until you see it. If you were to look at getting a screen of the same size and resolution, a quick look at JB HiFi shows cheaper options, but they don’t have the same refresh rate, port count and of course, no Quantum Dot. There is a higher cost of entry for this screen, but that cost is one I would not mind paying, because for what you get, I think it’s one of the best deals around.

The Score

9.0

Review unit provided by Alienware

The Pros

The quality of the screen, before you do any tweaking is near flawless

Games, movies, creative work, everything just looks so good you will pinch yourself

The Cons

Adjusting settings on the monitor requires the use of a tiny little nub

The price is hefty and is going to be a big hurdle for many gamers