OLED is gradually becoming the new norm for videophiles seeking the best picture quality, but the often exorbitant pricing of reliable, consumer-grade OLED monitors has kept the tech from becoming as widespread as it could be. This is where Dell has come along to save the day with its new Alienware AW2726DM monitor that punches well above its $350 price point.
And price really is the biggest point to hone in on with this new AW2726DM monitor. Its specs aren’t going to astonish any tech enthusiasts, but they’re specs that you would expect from a monitor that is, at the very least, around $500 USD. Throw in Alienware’s historically strong build quality, sleek design, and 3-year burn-in protection, and the AW2726DM could very well be the perfect entry-level OLED.
I’ve been using the AW2726DM for about a week now, and I’m happy to report that it’s quickly becoming my favorite PC gaming display. It’s incredibly responsive, sharp, and vibrant, and while it’s not putting my 4K OLED TV to shame, it’s definitely a close second. And whenever I remember that it’s so affordable, my affection for it only grows.
Dell’s New OLED Alienware Monitor Is Well Worth the Cost of Admission
There are several different OLED monitors in the Alienware product line, so to be clear, here are the quick-and-dirty specs of the new AW2726DM:
- 26.5-inch OLED screen (gloss finish)
- HDR-compatible
- 2560×1440 resolution
- 240hz refresh rate
- 0.03ms latency
- AMD FreeSync compatible
- 2 HDMI ports (max 120hz refresh rate)
- 1 DisplayPort 1.4 port (for full 240hz refresh rate)
For $350, you get a 1440p OLED monitor with HDR and a maximum of 240 frames per second—a pretty good deal even at face value. Three different input ports make the monitor nicely versatile as well, especially if you want to swap between PC and console on the same display. Granted, the HDMI ports cap you at 120 FPS, but this still makes the monitor a good fit for current-gen consoles, which don’t generally surpass 120 FPS in the first place.
The AW2726DM also comes with a surprisingly premium mount. It’s height-adjustable, swivels, and can rotate 360 degrees, which puts it leagues ahead of the pre-packed mounts included with most other budget monitors. When paired with the slim, low-profile design of the display itself, the whole kit cuts a sleek, discreet silhouette that’ll work with just about any desk setup. Having said that, I still wound up switching the AW2726DM to my own swivel-arm mount; the pack-in mount is nice, but there are definitely better options available, especially if you have a multi-monitor setup.
The AW2726DM is VESA mount compatible.
The AW2726DM Performs Like a Dream
Most non-enthusiast gamers are probably most familiar with OLED through handheld devices like the Steam Deck OLED and Nintendo Switch OLED. These devices have fantastic displays, but they’re nothing compared to a proper OLED gaming monitor like the AW2726DM, which needs to be seen—and felt—to be believed. The combination of the OLED screen, HDR, and 1440p resolution made for an instantly impressive viewing experience, even just clicking around my desktop. But of course, I had to put the display through its paces, which I did with the following games:
- Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra settings, RTX Medium, 98 average FPS)
- Deadlock (High settings, 80 average FPS)
- Resident Evil 4 Remake (Max settings, RTX Max, 70 average FPS)
- Forza Horizon 6 (High settings, RTX off, 101 average FPS)
- Max Payne 3 (Max settings, 125 average FPS)
- Sea of Stars (Max settings, 240+ FPS)
I tried to get a fairly wide spread, from pixel art, prior-gen, and indie games, all the way to cutting-edge, recently released AAA titles. Across all of them, gameplay was smooth, sharp, and colorful, the darker blacks of the OLED going a long way regardless of a game’s visual style. The AW2726DM model I tested isn’t NVIDIA G-Sync compatible, which some users might care about, but I found that it made little difference: I experienced no screen tearing whatsoever, even with V-Sync disabled across the board. To put a fine point on it, the gameplay experience was consistently, reliably smooth, which was a pleasant surprise. With such crisp, colorful picture quality, I was half-expecting the other shoe to drop with performance, but that never happened.
There are a few issues that keep the AW2726DM from being perfect, chief among them being its brightness. With an OLED screen, you have to expect a lower maximum brightness than, say, an LED screen, but this monitor only reaches about 200 peak nits. This is a few hundred lower than leading OLED gaming monitors, and considerably less than leading OLED televisions. This doesn’t have too great an impact if you’re in a dark room, but if you like to play in a space with natural light or a lamp nearby, you might have trouble seeing darker images. This issue is exacerbated by the monitor’s gloss finish—although I generally prefer the glossy screen, it’s obviously more reflective than a matte one, which worsens glare. It also picks up smudges a lot easier. You may want to keep a microfiber cloth handy.
Also, in a perfect world, I would have this monitor with smaller bezels. The bezel width on the AW2726DM is about 1.2cm, which is almost double the bezel width of my nearly seven-year-old IPS monitor. It’s an incredibly small gripe, but given the low-profile design of the rest of the monitor, the bezel size is like a minor blemish on an otherwise beautiful face. It’s also a stubborn reminder of the 26.5-inch diagonal span of the screen, which might feel a little tight for some.
Ultimately, though, raising these criticisms feels almost silly. The AW2726DM will definitely impress anyone looking to make the jump from an LED or 1080p display; I imagine this is its primary target audience, given its low price point. Frankly, $350 simply doesn’t make sense, given the quality of this monitor. In a tough global economy that’s been especially unforgiving on PC component pricing, the AW2726DM is a godsend, one of only a few recent examples of gaming hardware undercharging and overdelivering, rather than the other way around.
The Dell Alienware AW2726DM is available for $349.99 on Dell’s website. GameRant was provided a unit for this review.
