Ever since Alienware launched the very first QD-OLED ultra-wide gaming monitor a few years ago to immense critical acclaim, we’ve all been waiting with bated breath for a 32-inch 4K monitor in the same vein. Our prayers have been finally answered in the form of the new Alienware AW3225QF, a 32-inch, 4K, Quantum Dot OLED that you can use just as easily with your gaming PC and PlayStation 5. The AW3225QF sports the latest-gen QD-OLED panel with a host of burn-in protection features and an improved 240Hz refresh rate all bundled in a convenient 4K, 16:9 aspect ratio. So, basically the perfect monitor, right?
If the $1500 monitor from Dell existed in a vacuum like the AW342DW did back when it came out, then yes. But Alienware isn’t the only option anymore, with Asus, MSI, LG, Samsung and many more now offering a similar monitor. I recently reviewed the $2100 MSI MPG321URX QD-OLED, which impressed in almost every way.
You might be wondering how Alienware has managed to shave almost $600 off the price of its nearest competitor while still being the only one to offer a curved panel. For starters, the AW3225QF doesn’t have USB Type-C video with Power Delivery, which I found problematic as a laptop user. Secondly, the Alienware doesn’t have a KVM switch, speakers, or even a headphone jack.
But mostly I suspect it’s just Dell’s massive economies of scale that allow them to undercut the competition by so much. I’ve been using the AW3225QF for a little over three weeks as my only display and, while it’s fantastic, a few missing things bring it stumbling just shy of the best 4K gaming monitor money can buy.
Alienware AW3225QF QD-OLED 4K Gaming Monitor Review
Let’s get one thing out of the way first and that is how gorgeous the AW3225QF looks. Thank Jesus but the design heads at Alienware didn’t apply the same drab hand to this monitor as they did the Alienware m16 R2 and Aurora R16. The stunning two-tone, white and black plastic casing with glowing 32 and Alien head logos on the back with smooth curved stand really accentuate the already striking curved panel.
The contrast of black border with the white back panel that also has an oblong black section where the stand connects screwlessly to the monitor really gives off a premium and sci-fi vibe. I love, love, love this as it shows off the heart and soul of what it means to be an Alienware product. The curved nature of the AW3225QF makes it one of the thickest OLED gaming monitors I’ve seen so far. The flat monitors have a super skinny profile with a heatsink but the Alienware has to be thicker to accomodate the curve of the panel.
The stand gives you all the movement you need while holding that massive curved 32-inch panel rigidly in place with out wobbles. You can’t rotate it into portrait position though I doubt that curve would lend well to such application. Still, you can tilt, swivel and adjust height with ease. The stand offers smooth motion without requiring a heavy hand. It also includes a channel for passing through your cables to keep things tidy. The stand doesn’t have a massive footprint which is good for those conscious of desk space.
Port selection includes a USB upstream and three USB-A 3.2 gen ports and one USB Type-C downstream with power delivery. I like that Alienware put the Type-C and one USB-A on the bottom bezel for easy access and saves you having to fiddle around the back of the monitor. You also get two HDMI 2.1 ports, one with eARC support for sound bars which is cool I guess— not sure who is using sound bars on their desk but yeah. Both HDMI support 4K 120Hz and VRR gameplay for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Lastly you get a DisplayPort 1.4 for gaming PC’s — sorry, no DisplayPort 2.1 yet.
It’s a real shame that the Type-C port doesn’t support video input because many of us use a laptop for day job and our gaming PC or consoles at after work. When you spend over $1000 on a gaming monitor, you want it to support all your devices and make switching between them easier. The Alienware falls short in that light forcing me to work with dongles to get my Apple MacBook Pro connected via HDMI instead of USB Type-C.
The lack of KVM support also means I can’t share my peripherals between devices which is a big miss. Additionally, the AW3225QF doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone port or speakers which is again, strange for a monitor in this price category. The OSD navigation controls are set in the middle of the bottom bezel where they should always be on monitors this size. Navigating the OSD is easy thanks to the joystick and everything is well laid out and easy to understand. Shame that Alienware doesn’t have a Windows widget app to do the same thing like MSI’s Gaming Center.
Que Da OLED
But you really came here to read about the 3rd Gen QD-OLED panel in the Alienware AW3225QF. Like the MSI, Alienware is using a Samsung-sourced QD-OLED 4K panel with a 240Hz refresh rate. The only difference is that this panel has a 1700R curve, which helps increase the immersion. The panel is a semi-glossy type, which means that while there are some reflections, it’s not as bad as your typical glossy OLED TVs. I had the monitor with its back facing a window with even bigger windows and lights in front of the monitor and had no issue with distracting reflections.
The new OLED panels are brighter and faster, covering 100% of sRGB, 97% of DCI-P3, and 94% of AdobeRGB colour spaces. This makes the AW3225QF perfect for colour-accurate work, video, and photo editing. With infinite contrast, the perfect blacks make for exceptional colour vibrancy and pop. This panel is also VESA DisplayHDR 400 TrueBlack certified with support for Dolby Vision HDR, so whether you are gaming or binge-watching Shogun on Disney+, everything looks phenomenal.
The monitor has a secondary HDR mode that concentrates peak brightness to only 1% of the screen at any one time, rather than illuminating the whole screen. When playing Diablo IV, dungeons were oppressively dark, but lone flickering torches shone brightly, and flashes of magical explosions lit up the dark realistically. In Star Wars:Jedi Survivor, Cal’s lightsaber looks brilliant against the darker environments. If you can afford ray-tracing in your games, they will look absolutely stunning in HDR on the monitor.
Using DisplayHDR 400 will give you a more even HDR experience, but if you want the brightest possible highlights and contrast, then go with the other HDR mode at the expense of some color accuracy. However, in most content, it takes a discerning eye to see the differences, and at the risk of burn-in, I’d avoid the other HDR mode, especially in gaming, which has more static elements on the screen.
Working in Windows and MacOS was quite a pleasant experience, especially in HDR, which made everything much brighter. I never noticed any text fringing, which OLEDs are notorious for. However, if you pixel peep, you can find it, especially on the Windows desktop. Mac users should note that you will only get 4K 120Hz over HDMI, which really isn’t a problem but worth noting. Moving between bright and dark windows never caused annoying fluctuations in overall brightness, thanks to improvements in power management. For those of you doing professional work, Alienware includes some dedicated presets for DCI, sRGB, and Adobe RGB color spaces.
Speaking of burn-in, like every other OLED we’ve seen this year, the AW3225QF comes with OLED Care 2.0, which is a suite of features that protect against burn-in. These include Pixel shift, panel refresh, and some other tricks. Most of these work in the background without disturbing you, but every so often, you’ll need to let the panel do a full refresh, which renders it unusable at the time. To give you even more peace of mind, Alienware offers a 3-year warranty that includes burn-in, so there’s nothing to worry about.
The display on the AW3225QF is flawless in terms of performance, just like the MSI MPG321QRX and every other OLED that uses this Samsung panel. Everything you run on it not only looks amazing but also feels fantastic, thanks to the much faster 240Hz refresh rate. However, at 4K resolution, you’ll need a powerful gaming PC to push those frames, but you can adjust settings to achieve it. The display supports both Adaptive Sync and VRR on consoles, so screen tearing and stuttering won’t be an issue. Motion clarity is exceptional, as shown by the lack of ghosting in faster-paced games and the UFO test.
If you enjoy shooters and have a powerful setup, playing at 120fps in 4K on an OLED is an incredible experience. You can lower the resolution to QHD or FHD to gain even more frames, but this may result in a slightly blurry and smeary look when not at native resolution. The added curve of the screen reduces eye strain when looking around the screen, although it doesn’t significantly enhance the feeling of immersion in games. It’s a nice feature but not essential.
At this screen size and aspect ratio, the curve doesn’t really enhance the experience, and I would have preferred a flat screen at a lower price point, perhaps $200-300 less. Interestingly, the AW3225QF has a special Console Mode in the OSD, which enables playing games at 4K 120Hz with special HDR tone mapping and Dolby Vision.
Verdict
Just like its predecessor, the new Alienware AW3225QF is a fantastic monitor for gaming, productivity, and media consumption. Everything I did on this screen looked phenomenal, with or without HDR. I enjoyed diving into a game after a long day of productive work and getting lost in the mesmerizing colors and details. The design is still on point, unlike some other Alienware products. I really wish Alienware had included a Type-C Thunderbolt for single laptop connection and a KVM switch. That would have made this perfect, but as it is, the hassle of dealing with a laptop/PC situation is a turn-off.
If you only have a PC and gaming consoles, then that’s obviously not a concern, but these are still basic features I would expect on a monitor priced over $1000 in 2024. Objectively, the more expensive MSI monitor is the better pick thanks to Type-C video and KVM switch, but overall, the $600 price difference makes the Alienware AW3225QF an absolute steal. Additionally, Dell habitually offers great discounts at various points of the year, which could score you this monitor for even less, making it the best value 32-inch 4K QD-OLED in Australia.
Alienware Australia kindly loaned the AW3225QF to PowerUp for the purpose of this review
