Alienware’s new 27-inch OLED gaming monitor packs in 4K at under $1,000

I’ve only been using Alienware’s new 27-inch 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor for a few days, but I only needed a slice of that time to know that it’s a pretty great value. Having reviewed Sony’s $1,099 InZone M10S 1440p gaming monitor a few months ago, Alienware’s monitor is a much easier sell: it’s cheaper at $899.99, and sure, it only has half the refresh rate (240 Hz vs. 480 Hz), but you gain a higher resolution screen on top of a 3-year warranty protecting against burn-in.

The AW2725Q, as it’s called, proves that there are good 4K OLED monitors for under $1,000, and that you might want to think twice about spending a similar amount on a 1440p monitor. Alienware’s model is one of many new displays with similar specs launching after being announced at CES 2025. So, while it’s likely that we’ll soon see the likes of Samsung, Asus, MSI, and others with monitors at similarly attracting pricing, Alienware gets the credit of launching first — right now, in fact.

This display has everything I’m looking for in a gaming monitor, and goes beyond it. I’m accustomed to using 1440p displays, but the AW2725Q makes a great case for being your first, or next, 4K monitor. The price certainly helps, and so does the visual quality. You don’t need me to tell you how good 4K looks, but it shines on this monitor, which has an anti-reflective coating that manages to let its contrast and sharpness come through (the coating looks more glossy than matte). Its variable refresh rate (VRR) feature makes my games look even smoother than I’m used to, and prevents screen tearing. It’ll really shine when paired with the right graphics card, such as Nvidia’s RTX 40- or 50-series GPUs, that can run games at 4K. A small thing I like about the AW2725Q is that it has picture-in-picture (PiP) support, letting you view two inputs simultaneously, and with loads of options for splitting up the screen’s real estate.

Alienware is touting this monitor’s high pixels per inch (PPI) as a major selling point, and while I agree that it’s better than previous OLEDs I’ve tested, it may be a bigger deal to some than others. When I tested the 45-inch bendable OLED monitor, the Corsair’s Xeneon Flex, back in late 2022, it had just 83 PPI, making it hard not to notice the pixelation of words on the screen since the screen was big. It wasn’t so much an issue with gaming, unless the text was very small. The PPI on the new AW2527Q is 166, which is a huge boost, making this smaller screen look sharp no matter the use case. I can’t wait to see this improved PPI on a screen that’s bigger than the AW2725Q.

This gaming monitor boasts support for up to 240 frames per second at 4K resolution through either a DisplayPort 1.4 port (via Display Stream Compression, or DSC) or through either of its 2 HDMI 2.1 ports. It sports Nvidia G-Sync compatibility, support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and features Dolby Vision HDR. Of course, since it’s a 16:9 aspect ratio screen, your console games will fill it just fine, too. (Just to note: the PS5 and Xbox Series X peak at 4K / 120 Hz.)

As mentioned, 4K OLED monitors from other manufacturers will soon release with similar specs, and they’ll likely have the same strengths as the AW2725Q. The viewing angles will be peerless, looking as good from the side as they do head-on, blackness will display as true black, and they’ll ship with desk-conscious stands that don’t take up too much space. All of that is to say, this Alienware monitor is going to be exactly what some people are looking for, and at the right price. But if its design isn’t striking your fancy, just wait, reinforcements are on their way.