We don't need any fluff here: the Alienware AW2725Q is one of the best gaming monitors you can buy. It's a 4K OLED on a 27-inch panel, and it comes with a blistering 240Hz refresh rate. With those specs, it's really hard to go wrong, especially when you're the brand that kicked off the OLED gaming monitor trend in the first place.

But that's nothing special. Alienware isn't the only OLED player in town anymore, and the AW2725Q is an aggressive recognition of that fact. Although the monitor misses out on some extra features, it manages gobsmacking image quality and a price that undercuts the competition by hundreds of dollars.

Alienware sent us the AW2725Q for review. It had no input on the contents of this article.

Alienware AW2725Q pricing and availability

The pricing across all OLED monitors has dropped significantly in the past year, and the AW2725Q puts that on full display. It's $900 ($830 on sale at the time of writing), and although that's still expensive, it's much less than what we saw a couple of years ago. This is a 4K display with a 240Hz refresh rate, after all, and it's packing a fourth-gen QD-OLED panel from Samsung Display. A couple of years ago, you would spend $1,200 for the LG UltraGear OLED 27, which was locked to 1440p and had much worse brightness.

Alienware's pricing doesn't just hold up compared to prices a few years ago, either. Asus offers its take on this panel with the PG27UCDM, which clocks in at $1,200. MSI's 272URX, which also uses the same panel, comes in at $1,100. Gigabyte and Samsung have yet to release their takes on this panel, but I don't imagine they'll undercut what Alienware is offering here, even if you pay the full list price for the AW2725Q.

Availability shouldn't be an issue, either. This monitor is already much cheaper than the competition, but despite that, it's in stock on Alienware's website at the time of writing, and even on sale. I only mention that because I don't suspect the monitor will sell out any time soon, considering it's already cheaper than the competition and Alienware is marking it down even further.

The only other thing to keep in mind is size. If you don't mind scaling up to a 32-inch display, you can find some decent deals with third-gen QD-OLED panels. The MSI MAG 321UPX is $850 -- the MPG 321URX uses the same panel but is $900 -- And the Gigabyte Aorus FO32U is on sale for $710 at the time of writing, though it's locked to a 165Hz refresh rate. Even with those options, Alienware's pricing is excellent on the AW2725Q, and I don't imagine you'll have any issues tracking down a unit if you're interested in picking one up.

A familiar design and standard port selection

DisplayPort and USB-C are lacking

Alienware has always had a unique design for its gaming monitors, and the AW2725Q is no different. It shares the same design language with the wildly popular Alienware 34 QD-OLED, with little in the way of flat edges, making the monitor as a unit look almost plump and pillowy. Alienware leaned even harder into that design with the AW2725Q, particularly with the stand, which features soft corners and a slight dome on the top.

Form is one thing, but the AW2725Q is impressive because it nails function, too. You get a cable routing channel that runs through the adjustable stand, and it's even been upgraded compared to previous Alienware designs. The channel opens at the bottom of the stand in the back, but the cables exit toward the middle of the stand in the front. Basically, the cable management channel all but guarantees that your connections are completely hidden from sight. Everything is blocked by the stand. It looks clean immediately, and that's by design.

Once you've routed your cables through, you have a few options for connecting everything. You get dual HDMI 2.1 ports, along with a DisplayPort 1.4 connection. Alienware also includes a USB hub built into the monitor, with two of the 5Gbps ports situated next to your display connections. There's an additional USB-A and USB-C port, both also supporting up to 5Gbps, under the front lip of the monitor. I don't love the position of these ports, as they force the cable to dangle right below the front of your monitor, but I suppose that's the price you pay for convenience.

This is an ideal port selection, but my main criticism of the AW2725Q overall comes down to the USB-C port. It's not an input, so you can only use it for connecting external accessories, and it only offers up to 15W of power delivery. That's enough to charge your phone, sure, but I would've liked to see more power delivery through the monitor to power a laptop or external device like the Steam Deck. Moreover, Alienware doesn't include a KVM switch, so you can't share your peripherals across inputs if you connect everything directly to the monitor.

There's a good argument for more power delivery, too. Like previous Alienware designs, the power supply is built into the AW2725Q. I like this design, as it keeps the cable bulk to a minimum and ensures you don't need space for a hefty power brick. But that also means the monitor is actively cooled.

The AW2725Q exceeded even my lofty expectations

This is a gorgeous panel, but Alienware made it even better

The AW2725Q is gorgeous. Sure, it's packing a fourth-gen QD-OLED panel from Samsung Display, so you already know that you'll get vibrant colors and silky, deep blacks. But even at the extremely high standard of image quality that QD-OLED panels have, Alienware has surpassed my expectations. The AW2725Q is expertly tuned out of the box, and it produces some jaw-dropping images.

You can see my results below. The color coverage stands out immediately, with Alienware covering 99% of DCI-P3 with the default color profile. That's exceptional. Most OLED displays get into the high 90's for DCI-P3, but the fact that the AW2725Q reaches 99% out of the box is something really special.

Color accuracy is another strong point. The AW2725Q comes factory-calibrated, and it shows. I measured a color error of under 1 when measuring against sRGB, which is right where I'd expect a QD-OLED panel to land. Even better, Alienware includes options to clamp the color gamut to sRGB or DCI-P3 so you can quickly get the most accurate colors if you're doing creative work.

On the brightness front, the AW2725Q fell just a hair short of 1,000 nits in HDR, which Alienware claims the monitor can hit. I won't split hairs over 40 nits, and I suggest you don't, either. That's especially true here, considering Alienware is able to maintain above 800 nits up to a 4% window and comes close to 500 nits for a 10% window. I suspect the brightest highlights of the AW2725Q reach far above 1,000 nits, but with this level of pixel density, I'm not able to get down to a per-pixel level to confirm that.

Regardless, this is stellar performance out of a panel I already had high expectations for. I'd be happy with this performance even if the AW2725Q was as expensive as the PG27UCDM. The fact that it's $300 cheaper is just the cherry on top.

Unmatched gaming pixel density

The clarity is unmatched

Gaming on a 4K OLED is peak, and I don't think I need to convince anyone of that. However, most 4K OLEDs we've seen up to this point have used a 32-inch panel, such as the ROG PG32UCDM. Going down to a 27-inch display significantly changes the gaming experience, for better or worse depending on what types of games you play.

But, first thing's first. You're getting the standard slew of gaming certifications on the AW2725Q, including a G-Sync Compatible badge, as well as FreeSync Premium Pro and AdaptiveSync certifications. Variable refresh rate shouldn't be an issue, regardless of what platform you're on. One of the HDMI ports even supports eARC if you're hooking up a console to the display.

It's really the size of the screen that makes a difference here. A 32-inch OLED is perfect if you primarily play cinematic games along the lines of Cyberpunk 2077, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Alan Wake 2. Make no mistake, these games still look great on the AW2725Q with its insane level of pixel density. The smaller size doesn't wrestle away your peripheral view quite like a 32-inch monitor does, though.

Where this display really earns its stripes is in more competitive games along the lines of Marvel Rivals or Counter-Strike 2. The smaller size means it's much easier to take in everything on screen at a single glance, rather than hunting for details like you do with a 32-inch display. It's not just a benefit in strictly competitive games, either. Titles like Path of Exile 2 feel much better to play on a 27-inch monitor than they do on a 32-inch one.

I fall on the side of a larger 32-inch display, but that's just because I play more games that benefit from a larger screen size. It's not a mark against Alienware here. The insane pixel density on the AW2725Q is enough to sell the monitor on its own, let alone the near-instantaneous response times of OLED and the speedy 240Hz refresh rate.

Warranty and burn-in prevention

Alienware really led the whole industry on burn-in protection with the original 34 QD-OLED, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the warranty and support on the AW2725Q is excellent. For starters, you get a three-year warranty on the display, and that covers burn-in. Although brands like Asus and Gigabyte now offer a three-year warranty, Alienware was the first to do so, and I'm glad to see that it's remained intact.

The warranty works, too. I actually owned a 34 QD-OLED for a while, and I took advantage of the warranty for a broken joystick. Just as a regular customer, Dell shipped me a new monitor within a couple of days, I sent the broken one back, and all was well. That's just one example of Dell's excellent support for Alienware OLEDs, but you'll find similar stories commonly elsewhere, too.

Still, the goal is to avoid burn-in if you can, and to that end, Alienware has some protection built into the monitor. Unlike MSI and Asus, who include a ton of burn-in prevention options in the settings, Alienware takes a hands-off approach. There's taskbar detection and a pixel refresh, but the protection happens in the background. The main thing you need to worry about is the panel health indicator, which will pester you when it's time to refresh the pixels.

On top of firmware features, Alienware is also using a graphite film on the back of the monitor, which serves as a heatsink. This is pretty standard on OLED gaming monitors today, but it helps shift heat away from the organic materials to prevent burn-in as much as possible.

Should you buy the Alienware AW2725Q?

You should buy the Alienware AW2725Q if:

• You want a no-compromise 4K gaming experience
• You have a PC that can handle 4K at a high frame rate
• You've been considering the PG27UCDM

You should NOT buy the Alienware AW2725Q if:

• You have a weaker gaming PC
• You want DisplayPort 2.1
• You need additional features like USB-C power delivery and a KVM

In a lot of ways, the AW2725Q is the ideal monitor. It doesn't include the wide swath of features you'll find on an Asus or MSI monitor, but it also comes in at an extremely aggressive price. I like that approach. Extra features are nice to have, but if you won't use them, they aren't worth paying a premium for. Alienware is severely undercutting the competition with the AW2725Q, all while delivering excellent image quality that you'll only find north of $1,000 otherwise.

Although extras aren't always necessary, they can sting when you're paying $900 for a monitor, even if that's significantly less than the competition. That's particularly true of the KVM switch and limited USB-C power delivery. Those aren't dealbreakers for me, but they may be for you.