Alienware is cooking up something interesting. The brand already produces some of the best gaming monitors you can buy, including the legendary Alienware 34 QD-OLED, but now it’s diving into uncharted territory. The AW2725QF is a 27-inch 4K gaming monitor that comes with a dual refresh rate feature, allowing you to switch between 4K at 180Hz and 1080p at 360Hz at the press of a button.
We’ve seen this feature before on the LG UltraGear Dual Mode OLED, but Alienware’s take is different. For starters, it’s available on a 27-inch monitor — LG’s is a 32-inch monitor — and it’s switching between 180Hz and 360Hz. The size plays a big role here, too. Given that the Dual Mode OLED is 32 inches, the drop down to 1080p is very noticeable. On the AW2725QF, the switch between 4K and 1080p shouldn’t be as drastic given the smaller size of the screen.
Although Alienware is taking dual refresh rate tech in a different direction, it’s important to note that this isn’t an OLED monitor. It’s an IPS monitor, so you shouldn’t expect the exceptional color and infinite contrast you get out of an OLED display. Thankfully, that means the AW2725QF comes in at a much cheaper price — Alienware is asking $599 for the display.
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We don’t know if the monitor uses any local dimming, but Alienware says it achieved DisplayHDR 600 certification. That means it can handle basic HDR, though we’ll have to wait until the monitor is here to see if the quality holds up. In addition, the monitor is certified with Dolby Vision HDR and VESA’s Adaptive Sync for variable refresh rate.
A high refresh rate is focused on PC gaming, but Alienware didn’t forget about consoles. You get two HDMI 2.1 ports — alongside a DisplayPort 1.4 connection — that can handle 4K at 120Hz for consoles. Alienware also includes a dedicated Console Mode color profile, which it says “optimizes color performance and customization,” whatever that’s supposed to mean.
Alienware is launching its new monitor in China first on August 15. It’s rolling out to the rest of the world, including the U.S., on September 12. It shouldn’t be long before we’re able to see if it holds up.