Review of Alienware AW2725D QD-OLED QHD Gaming Monitor: Vibrant color display, impressive performance, and affordable price point for a top-tier gaming monitor.
The Dell Alienware AW2725D, a monitor boasting a QD-OLED panel from Samsung Display, finds itself in a unique position within its genre. While it offers a peak brightness level suitable for most common usage scenarios, such as offices, media rooms, and game rooms, it falls short when compared to the LG and Asus monitors in the same category.
In terms of peak brightness, the LG and Asus monitors can surpass the AW2725D, making them a better choice in environments with bright sunlight. The peak brightness level of the AW2725D is recorded at 265 nits in Standard mode, which is more than sufficient for typical office, media, or game room settings. However, other screens in the same genre can reach brightness levels over 400 nits, providing an advantage in very sunny conditions.
Interestingly, the black levels of the AW2725D cannot be measured using currently available instrumentation, making it impossible to determine the monitor's contrast ratio. Despite this, calibration and setting the peak brightness to 200 nits does not affect black levels or contrast for the AW2725D. Additionally, ANSI, or intra-image contrast, remains the same after calibration and setting the peak brightness to 200 nits.
It's worth noting that this behavior is typical of OLED performance regarding ANSI contrast. Black squares in the checkerboard pattern during testing do not provide a reading for ANSI contrast on the AW2725D after calibration, a common occurrence with OLED displays.
In conclusion, the Dell Alienware AW2725D offers a peak brightness level that is sufficient for most common usage scenarios. However, if higher peak brightness is essential for your specific environment, the LG or Asus monitors might be a preferable choice.
