What you need to know
- Alienware announced a new edition to its QD-OLED gaming monitor line, a 2024 CES Innovation Award Honoree.
- The Alienware 27 360Hz QD-OLED Gaming Monitor boasts a world-first QHD(1440p) resolution with a 360Hz refresh rate.
- This new monitor finally allows super competitive gamers to upgrade from 1080p monitors for games like Valorant and Counter-Strike and keep their 300+ frames for smooth competitive action.
- Alienware 27 360Hz QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW2725DF) stars at $899.99 (US) and $1,199.99 (CA).
- Set to release on January 11th in North America.
CES 2024 is set to showcase a ton of new devices for every facet of the tech industry. But Alienware is once again making waves with the first ever, according to them, QHD 1440p monitor with a 360Hz native refresh rate. Not only that, but it uses Alienware's QD-OLED technology to give all the benefits of OLED to gamer enthusiasts.
A lot of competitive games such as Counter-Strike and Valorant are still played on 1080p monitors due to the need to have super high refresh rates. With PCs getting more powerful, the ability to push games like Counter-Strike and Valorant upwards of 300+ fps at 1440p should be more possible. While professional esports players likely won't make the move from BenQ's ZOWIE line of monitors, Alienware is the first to run the figurative 4-minute mile here, and we should see other monitor manufacturers start to offer 1440p 360Hz monitors soon.
Why is the Alienware 27 360Hz QD-OLED Gaming Monitor important for Gaming?
As already explained, this type of monitor is targeting the high-end competitive gamer. Being the first monitor able to hit 360Hz at 1440p is a huge milestone for the monitor world. While this first iteration might not be the best implementation, it should allow other monitor manufacturers as well as Alienware to improve and offer better alternatives in the future. I could see by the end of this year, most professional Esports teams and leagues upgrade to 1440p monitors with 360Hz refresh rates as long as the 1440p resolution offers a significant in-game advantage over 1080p.
Let's take a look at some of the features and specs of the Alienware 27 360Hz QD-OLED Gaming Monitor. First off, this is not the first Alienware QD-OLED monitor. Take a look at this video of one of the other QD-OLED monitors to see the benefits of this OLED technology.
Looking for the straight specs for the Alienware 27 360Hz QD-OLED Gaming Monitor? Here's what you're getting.
| Alienware 27 360Hz QD-OLED Gaming Monitor | AW2725DF |
| Panel Type: | QD OLED |
| Brightness | 250 cd/m2 (SDR), 400 cd/m2 (HDR TrueBlack 400), 1000 cd/m2 (HDR peak) |
| Response Time(typical) | 0.03 ms (gray-to-gray) |
| Connectivity | 2 x DP 1.4 (HDCP 1.4 & 2.3)(Supports up to QHD 2560 x 1440 360 Hz, HDR, VRR) |
| Row 5 - Cell 0 | 1 x HDMI 2.1 (HDCP 1.4 & 2.3)(Supports up to QHD 2560 x 1440 144 Hz TMDS, HDR, VRR as per specified in HDMI 2.1) |
| Row 6 - Cell 0 | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Type-B upstream port (Rear) |
| Row 7 - Cell 0 | 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Type-A downstream port (Rear) |
| Row 8 - Cell 0 | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Type-C downstream port which supports BC1.2 power-charging (Bottom) |
| Row 9 - Cell 0 | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Type-A downstream port (Bottom) |
| AMD FreeSync™ Technology | Yes, AMD FreeSync™ Premium Pro |
| HDR Support | VESA HDR TrueBlack 400 |
| Flat Panel Mount Interface | VESA (100 x 100 mm) |
| Width | 609.11 mm 23.98 inches |
| Depth | 243.69 mm 9.59 inches |
These are some great specifications. 0.03 gray-to-gray response time is fantastic for FPS games and while 400 cd/m2 (HDR TrueBlack 400) brightness is not as good as 1000 cd/m2, when it comes to twitch shooters the brightness doesn't matter much.
So who is this monitor for? I wouldn't recommend this monitor for an Xbox Series X|S or PS5 gamer, as they can only output up to 120 FPS. Really, only top competitors in FPS games would get a benefit from the beast of a monitor.
If you're excited to pick up this monitor and show up all of your friends in Valorant, you won't need to wait long. The Alienware 27 360Hz QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW2725DF) will launch on January 11, 2024, at $899.99 (US) / $1,199.99 (CA).
