I think Alienware's stunning new 4K monitor is a 5-star win for gamers

When it comes to being one of the best 4K monitors on the market at the moment, the Alienware AW2725Q stakes a strong claim: it offers a specs list and a build quality that's likely to have broad appeal, especially for gamers.

I've spent several weeks testing out the Alienware AW2725Q, and I'll talk you through all the features and specs you need to know about – from how long it's going to take you to set up, to the sort of visuals you can expect from games, movies, and your apps.

Of course, the Alienware AW2725Q is just one among many, many monitors currently available. If you think this unit might not be for you, and want further advice, try our guides to the best monitors for home working and the best monitors for the MacBook Pro.

Price & Availability

The Alienware AW2725Q is available to buy now. The widgets embedded in this page will direct you to the best prices you can currently get for the monitor online, but at the time of writing it's selling for around £799 / $899 / AU$1199. If you're in the UK, you can pick it up directly from Dell.

Design & Setup

I've had to set up some cumbersome and poorly constructed monitors in my time, but thankfully the Alienware AW2725Q is not one of those.

The stand slots and snaps into the back of the actual monitor, while the base slots and snaps into the stand. So, even if you've got no one around to help you, the monitor should only take a few minutes to set up.

As for the design, it's rather simple and rather bulbous. It's by no means ugly – quite the opposite, in fact – but it doesn't aim for the super-thin, super-minimal aesthetic approach that so many other monitors do.

It wears its curves rather proudly (not the panel itself, though, as that's flat), and is finished in a dark blue colour, with a glowing Alienware logo around the back.

Once set up on its stand and with the height maximised, the AW2725Q measures 609.51 x 516.01 x 210mm, which should help you figure out if you've got room for it.

There's plenty of flexibility in terms of height adjustment, tilting, swivelling, and even rotating – so you can turn it all the way through 90 degrees if you need to.

Ports-wise, it's a decent selection, with two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4 port, three USB-A ports, one (non-input) USB-C port, and one USB-B upstream port.

There are lots of settings to explore on the on-screen display, including a variety of configuration modes, and they're all easily accessible via a joystick under the chin of the unit.

Picture & Features

This 27-inch 4K monitor brings with it a QD-OLED panel that dazzles most of the time, running at a 3,840 x 2,160 pixel resolution, and offering a 240Hz refresh rate and a 0.03 millisecond response time.

If you're a gaming enthusiast, those raw specs should have you interested, as should the relatively high pixel density on offer here. Quantum Dot OLED also means extra punchy colours, in addition to mega contrast, which is just what the Alienware offers.

In my testing, those decent specs translate into a very decent picture too, especially for gaming. With titles like GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2, lag was non-existent and motion was smooth (with the usual caveat that some of this is going to depend on your graphics card!).

That QD-OLED display really shines when it comes to the deepness of the blacks. On-screen elements are sharp and extremely well-defined, while the vibrancy and HDR performance is stunning.

Brightness tops out at 250 nits, which is about the norm for panels like these. So it's not best in class, or as punchy as the best OLED TVs of today, but it's more than fine.

The monitor scores highly for colour accuracy and colour coverage too, which is reassuring in terms of creative work, not only for gaming.

It's safe to say this is a monitor I really enjoyed looking at for an extended period of time: no matter what you've got on screen, the Alienware AW2725Q is capable of showing it off fantastically well.

It's also worth noting that there's specialised tech here to minimise the chances of burn-in on that OLED panel. At the time of writing, Alienware is offering a 3-year warranty on this monitor for extra peace of mind. Burn-in is no longer the problem it once was for OLED screens, but it's still reassuring to have that safety net in place.

Unfortunately, there are no built-in speakers here, and there's no headphone jack either. It's very much for people who will have a separate soundbar or speaker setup, or who are going to be using headphones all the time. I always like to see monitors come with integrated speakers, even if they're not very good ones, if only to act as a backup.

Alienware AW2725Q review: Verdict

There's no doubt that the Alienware AW2725Q is an excellent monitor, particularly for gaming. However, don't make the mistake of thinking that this is just for gamers, because it works very well for video content and normal day-to-day computing – and that versatility adds to its appeal.

What bothers me most about this monitor is something many other people wouldn't even think of: as someone who's used to a much larger and wider curved gaming monitor, the flat 27 inches offered by this display feels a bit ordinary by comparison. That's more about me than this monitor, though, and your mileage may vary.

Assuming a 27-inch size is the sweet spot for you, however, and the aesthetics of this monitor appeal, it's an excellent choice. It does plenty to stand out from the pack, and to seal the deal it's also available at a very competitive price when weighed up against some of the other QD-OLED screens of a similar size.

Alternatives

Right at the start I mentioned that Alienware AW2725Q is in a crowded field, and you've got a lot of alternatives to pick from if this model isn't for you. For example, check out the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8, which is a real gaming powerhouse.

Then there's the BenQ PD3225U, which is slightly bigger than the Alienware model, and geared more to creatives rather than gamers.