The Dell Alienware AW2725DF runs a Samsung Display QD-OLED panel at 360Hz, which puts it among the fastest OLED monitors tested. Tom's Hardware praised the high refresh rate and adaptive-sync support, and TFTCentral noted the panel's rated 0.03ms G2G response time and fully adjustable stand. Reviewers also pointed out that the screen wobbles during adjustments and that the cooling fan is audible. Hardcore gamers chasing ultra-high refresh rates are the fit; anyone who wants a rock-steady stand or silent operation is not.
Full review
Third-generation QD-OLED at 360Hz
The AW2725DF runs a third-generation Samsung QD-OLED panel at 360Hz, a large step over the 27-inch OLEDs that preceded it, with a rated 0.03 ms grey-to-grey response. Tom's Hardware scored it 5 out of 5, describing incredible response and smoothness alongside a stunningly colorful and accurate picture. For competitive play that combination - OLED pixel response plus a refresh ceiling most graphics cards cannot saturate - is the entire argument for the monitor.
Color that carries outside of gaming
The QD-OLED gamut covers essentially all of sRGB and the great majority of DCI-P3, and per-pixel emission gives the near-infinite contrast that makes dark scenes work without a halo. PCMag rated the monitor 4.5 out of 5. It is bright enough for HDR highlights but not for a sunlit room, and reviewers agree HDR looks better in some content than others - DisplayHDR True Black 400 is a real certification about black level, not a promise about brightness. The anti-glare coating cuts reflections and collects fingerprints.
The stand wobbles and the fan is audible
Two complaints recur across reviews. The stand adjusts in every axis but the screen wobbles noticeably when nudged, and the adjustments themselves are stiff enough that you move the whole monitor doing them. And there is an active cooling fan for the panel, which Tom's Hardware described as barely audible but which is nonetheless present in a quiet room. Neither is a dealbreaker; both are the sort of thing a reviewer notices in the first hour and an owner notices for years.
One HDMI port that is not really 2.1
Connectivity runs to two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs, one HDMI, and a hub with three USB Type-A ports and a Type-C. Dell lists the HDMI as 2.1, but it runs at the older TMDS bandwidth rather than the newer FRL rates, which matters if you intend to feed it from a console rather than a PC. There is no analog headphone jack and there are no internal speakers, which is a genuine irritation on a desk built around a single cable to the display.
Only worth it if the frames exist
Laptop Mag, which scored it 4 out of 5, made the sensible point that 360Hz is not for most people: the refresh rate only pays off in titles your system can actually push near that frame rate, which in practice means competitive shooters and lighter games rather than the newest single-player releases. If your machine lands in the low hundreds of frames per second, a cheaper 240Hz OLED delivers effectively the same experience. The AW2725DF is the right buy for someone whose bottleneck is the display rather than the graphics card.
Strengths
- +360Hz refresh rate with adaptive-sync support including AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA AdaptiveSync
- +Samsung Display QD-OLED panel with 2560 x 1440 resolution and 1000 nits peak brightness
- +0.03ms G2G response time for gaming
- +Fully adjustable ergonomic stand with tilt, height, swivel and rotate adjustments
Watch-outs
- −Screen has noticeable wobble during adjustments
- −Active cooling fan audible when listening closely
Rating sources
“Fully adjustable stand with tilt, height, swivel and rotate adjustments”
Our 4.6 score is the average of the 4 scored reviews above; 1 more reviewed it without printing a score and is not in the average. More about methodology.
