Alienware also goes Dual Mode, but this time on a 27-inch IPS LCD screen. The proposition is attractive: offering the versatility of Dual Mode on a less expensive IPS panel, with the benefits of LCD brightness. We therefore tested the screen in numerous games to form an opinion.
Technical sheet
| Model | Dell Alienware AW2725QF |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 61.14 cm x 24.37 cm |
| Curved screen | No |
| Screen size | 27 inches |
| Form factor | 16:9 |
| Definition | 3840 x 2160 pixels |
| Display frequency | 180Hz |
| Response time | 0.5ms |
| Maximum brightness | 600 cd/m² |
| Number of HDMI ports | 2 |
| Number of DisplayPort ports | 1 |
| Built-in speakers | No |
| USB | Yes |
| Weight | 7.15kg |
| Product sheet |
This screen was loaned by Alienware for the purposes of this test.
Design
Alienware screens have never been about aesthetic flourishes. Here we are looking at a 27-inch matte-coated panel with relatively thin borders. The chassis remains mainly made of plastic, without this giving it a cheap appearance.
Source: Chloé Pertuis for Frandroid
Source: Chloé Pertuis for Frandroid
On the back, we find the two classic logos illuminated by the AlienFX functionality: an alien head and the number 27, in case you ever forget the diagonal of your screen. LCD panel obliges, the screen displays a certain thickness, but knows how to be discreet with its elegant curves and its general sobriety. In short, we remain on familiar ground at Alienware.
Connections
The screen offers a rather complete range of connectivity with the presence of two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which supports eArc to transfer a Dolby Atmos signal from a console to a soundbar or amplifier. A DisplayPort 1.4 port is also present. These three ports support Dual Mode on PC, in particular thanks to DSC (Display Strem Compression) which makes it possible to reach 360 Hz in 1080p, including HDMI.
For the rest, the screen integrates a USB-A 3.2 downlink hub, as well as a USB-C 3.2 downlink port and a USB-B 3.2 uplink port, all at 5 Gbit/s. Additional solutions to recharge your various mobile devices if necessary.
Foot / support
Alienware continues in its tradition of rather elegant hexagonal supports, but which have the disadvantage of not being flat. Not very practical for saving space on your desk by placing objects there.
The foot itself offers a cable pass-through which is now classic on this type of product, and allows a wide range of adjustments and inclination. It can also be mounted on an arm using a Vesa 100×100 mounting kit.
Image quality
After a first series of Oled screens, Alienware returns to LCD technology with this AW2725QF. It is a 27-inch IPS panel offering two display modes: a native 4K mode (3840 by 2160 pixels) with a frequency of 180 Hz and a second 1080p mode (1920 by 1080 pixels) going up to 360 Hz.
It is quite rare to see 4K on a 27-inch diagonal, we generally find QHD panels (2560 by 1440 pixels). The higher pixel density provides greater finesse of the contours on such a template, at the cost of necessarily more expensive computing power (unless you use upscaling technology of course).
In terms of image quality, we used our Calibrite Display Pro Plus HL probe with Calman Ultimate software to first measure the contrast of the screen. With a value of 1158:1, it remains average for IPS LCDs and will not offer contrasts and deep blacks depending on the scene.
The brightness of the panel is, however, excellent with a peak light of 521 cd/m² in SDR and 695 cd/m² in HDR. On this level the technology is still a step ahead knowing that it can maintain these values even in full screen, while Oled panels go down close to 200 cd/m² in this scenario.
In terms of color space coverage, this Alienware reaches 88% in DCI-P3, satisfactory, but a little disappointing when other LCDs are closer to 100%. It therefore cannot display as many colors in HDR as some of its competitors, notably Oleds.
The factory color temperature is very acceptable with a value of 6406 quite close to the D65 white point at 6500K. At 100% brightness, it is even more precise at 6525. This is a point on which Dell screens are almost always satisfactory, including on gaming models.
Finally, we calculated a Delta-E in SDR of 2.79 on factory settings, with serious deviations in blue and cyan tones. Beyond 3, these deviations are perceptible, so we remain on target. There is also an sRGB mode with a precision of 1.07 which will be perfect for amateur creatives, a good thing. In HDR, this Delta-E is only 1.77 on the base profile, so your colors will be accurate in the HDR content and games that you could view on this screen (and we recommend it).
However, gray level accuracy leaves something to be desired with a gamma curve not respected and EOTF curves generally imprecise. In HDR, dark areas will be too light, regardless of the mode. The two preferred modes for luminance accuracy are Dolby Vision Dark and SmartHDR Desktop / HDR600.
EOTF HDR600
EOTF Dolby Vision Dark
Unfortunately, the limitations of IPS LCD technology are felt as we observe quite unsightly blooming effects around light-colored text. At this level, Mini-Led panels are still one step ahead as they are divided into several hundred backlighting zones to be turned off or on depending on the content displayed on the screen.
Stake
4K gaming is generally offered on 32-inch panels these days. Being able to play in such a definition in 27 inches is a real advantage in terms of the finesse of the image as we noted in the introduction. The sharpness of the image is very pleasant and the aliasing is much less pronounced than in QHD thanks to this additional pixel density.
The in-game experience is therefore very satisfactory, especially with the brightness of HDR in the titles that we were able to launch like Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Outlaws And Alan Wake 2. We are certainly missing very bright details above the 1000 cd/m2 that can be found on Oled screens, but here the scene as a whole is brighter. So it’s a good compromise.
Darker scenes, however, suffer from this poor contrast, with shallow blacks as seen on other IPS models.
A competitive mode at 360 Hz
Thanks to two presses of the main button located under the panel, the screen switches to its second mode in 1080p and 360 Hz definition, a quarter of the definition for double the frequency. In this mode, competitive and nervous games are favored (Valorant, CS 2, Overwatch 2, Rocket League). However, you will need to ensure that your machine can reach such a frame rate at all times. It is in particular your processor which will be put to the test at this definition and on this type of games.
Source: Chloé Pertuis for Frandroid
Source: Chloé Pertuis for Frandroid
For seasoned eyes, it must be admitted that the gain in fluidity is there: the clarity of the movement of the targets, of the various debris and sparks, is much greater as long as you are used to 120, 144 or even 165 Hz. We We tested in all the games mentioned and it’s a real pleasure. Additionally, 1080p scales perfectly with 4K (4 pixels become one). You can apply antialiasing to sharpen the edges or even a feature like Nvidia’s DLDSR to regain sharpness.
Note that it is possible to synchronize or not the settings between the two modes (4K and 1080p). You may therefore want a certain colorimetry or brightness depending on the profile, or systematically apply the same settings. Quite practical. However, there is no mode to simulate a 24-inch diagonal as is the case with LG.
The screen offers three overdrive settings, which improves its response time. As a reminder, this is the time it takes for each pixel to change brightness. We thus calculate the transition time between different gray values, from black to white. In 4K / 180 Hz mode, the screen displays a very acceptable response time of 3.5 ms, with overdrive allowing this value to be lowered to 2.8 with the inclusion of some reverse ghosting artifacts.
In the 360 Hz mode, we go down to 2.2 ms in the “Fast” setting and 1.5 ms in the “Extreme” setting, but the latter generates far too many streaks and unsightly artifacts to be usable. “Fast” seems to us to be the best setting for both modes.
A pronounced flicker depending on the scene
A flicker was noted (flicker) relatively pronounced when the game is below the variable refresh range (48 FPS). In games like Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth Wukong, Alan Wake 2it varies depending on the games and the scenes represented, but very present for users who are sensitive to it. We will advise you to apply graphics and/or upscaling settings in order to have a performance level above 48 FPS.
This is a phenomenon that we observe on many VRR screens, including Oled, but for the latter, our tests were however more conclusive. Games remain relatively smooth below this value, but the screen may start to flicker, especially during dark or high-contrast scenes.
Price and availability
This Alienware AW2725QF screen can only be found on the Dell website at a price of 614 euros at the time of writing. Here we are at the price of 27-inch 4K gaming screens on the market, some reaching 700 euros.
Except that this Alienware benefits from a rather satisfactory 360 Hz mode as well as a very solid HDR mode. This is therefore a very good price in this segment, particularly for the versatility it provides.
