Alienware 27" 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Review - Sleek and Sexy
Reviewing monitors as a layman can be a tough gig. It is often hard to point out the difference between a couple of different models without deep diving into tech specs that make no sense to the average Joe. It often boils down to, “hey, this one looks nice”, and any further commentary is just personal preference. But sometimes, as a reviewer, you get lucky. You get to review a monitor that just nails it, making it easy to point out why it should be on your wishlist. The Alienware 27″ 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor is one such beast.
Firstly, let me talk about the look and design. Sleek is the first word that comes to mind. The monitor looked great, with a small border on the screen, a nice curved rear exterior and a remarkably tiny footprint, making it perfect for those with limited desk space. The flexibility and motion range of the stand is impressive, making the perfect viewing angle easy to find regardless of your position. The built-in cable management is tidy and simple, forgoing the often fiddly management found in other high-end monitors. Finally, the whole unit feels sturdy and well-built. This feels like a monitor that could take a bit of a beating (not that you’d want to, but life sometimes does that), which gives me confidence in saying it will have a good chance of lasting a long time. This is a premium product, and it has been engineered and designed as such.
There are a couple of things about the design that are worth mentioning. The controls for different profiles, settings, and the like use a joystick system that seems to be popular with monitor manufacturers these days. Look, I have to say I am not a fan; it is too easy to bump in the wrong direction and go into the wrong setting for my liking. I can understand why they go this route; it makes sense. I just feel the reality needs to be refined a bit more. The other slight downer I want to mention is that there is no 3.5 mm audio plug on this monitor. For most people, that is no big deal, but for people like me who like to have their PC and consoles connected to the same monitor, it forces me to use headphones or an eARC device on the consoles and not my computer speakers. It is a small thing, but one that is worth mentioning to content creators, game reviewers and people who like to use one monitor for multiple devices.
With a Windows PC, the monitor performed better than just about any monitor I have ever used. It worked beautifully in all lighting conditions, handled glare really well and makes the most of Windows’ notoriously finicky HDR support. The monitor comes with its own software that allows users to play with the RGB lighting (which is quite subtle by the way) and build game-specific profiles for the monitor’s settings. It is easy to use, and I can see it being super handy for people whose lighting changes dramatically throughout the day. The ability to have profiles set to different daytime light cycles is a welcome addition. Working on the Alienware 27″ monitor is a treat, with the screen boasting a few built-in settings that take into account eye comfort, so if you are staring at pages and pages of documents and graphs all day, your eyes won’t melt into a puddle.
But where this monitor really shines is with games. On the PC, it really takes everything to the top level, 4K, 240Hz refresh rate, and a 0.03ms response time means things are ultra smooth, and it shows. No matter what game I played, from Clair Obscur, to South of Midnight, to Forza Horizon 5, to Tempest Rising, the experience was smooth, crisp, clear and colourful. In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen colour done justice as well. It is hard to put into words, and something that needs to be seen, but the vibrancy of colour on this monitor is truly something special. It also supports NVIDIA G-SYNC, AMD FreeSync and VESA AdaptiveSync, so no matter which video card your gaming rig rocks, it should be a super smooth experience.
As a console monitor, this Alienware 27″ monitor also performs wonderfully. Be it with a PS5, Xbox Series X or even the lower-specced Nintendo Switch, the monitor performed perfectly. Both the Xbox and Playstation needed me to play with some of their internal settings to get the most out of the monitor, but after 10 minutes of fiddling, things were working perfectly. Obviously, a 27″ monitor isn’t most people’s choice for playing their consoles, but for students, kids and people with limited space know that this monitor perfectly doubles as a wonderful way to play your console games. The fact that it comes with 2 X HDMI ports (one with eARC for digital audio) and a DisplayPort means it is easy to have everything connected at once and simply switch between the devices as required.
Further to connectivity, it comes with 3 USB-A and 1 USB-C port because let’s be honest, you can never have too many. This makes it perfect for keeping things on charge and adding more connectivity to your computer setup without having to get yet another USB hub. Another great thing, for me at least, it uses a standard 3-pin power cord with no massive power bricks to get in the road and take up space. It is a small blessing, but one I am grateful for. There really is a top-to-tail approach to design here that shines through, something you would expect from a premium product, but so rarely has it been achieved in such a complete manner.
The Alienware 27″ 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor is, without doubt, a fantastic monitor. It is on the expensive side of things, so people may look for a cheaper option, but if premium quality, features and picture are what you are after, this is the monitor for you. Well designed, a huge amount of smart features and gaming quality that is second to none make this the best 27″ monitor I have ever used and should absolutely be a consideration for your next monitor purchase.
