"The new best way to land QD-OLED on a budget?": Alienware just unveiled a new gaming monitor promising high-end specs at one seriously low price

Alienware's QD-OLED monitors are sought after by many PC gamers for their exceptional color and contrast, not to mention their premium performance. However, they don't usually come cheap, leaving a large tranche of PC gamers looking for more affordable options.

Dell recognized this market gap and has decided to fill it with the new Alienware AW2726DM. It's a 27-inch QD-OLED gaming monitor with a 2560x1440 (QHD) resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, and FreeSync Premium support.

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How does Alienware's new QD-OLED gaming monitor compare to other budget gaming options?

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Alienware's new AW2726DM is easily the most affordable QD-OLED gaming monitor currently available. The next most affordable option is the Alienware AW2725D at $549.99, notably pushing the max refresh rate up to 280Hz with a few other differences.

Here's how the monitor specs compare.

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Row 0 - Cell 0	Alienware AW2726DM	Alienware AW2725D
Size	26.7 inches	26.7 inches
Panel	QD-OLED, anti-reflective	QD-OLED, anti-reflective
Resolution	2560 x 1440 (QHD)	2560 x 1440 (QHD)
Refresh rate / Response time	240Hz / 0.03ms	280Hz / 0.03ms
Adaptive sync	AMD FreeSync Premium, VESA AdaptiveSync	AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, NVIDIA G-Sync compatible, VESA AdaptiveSync
Brightness	200 nits (SDR)	250 nits (SDR) / 1,000 nits (HDR)
Ports	2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 3.5mm audio out, lock slot	2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, USB-B up, USB-A down, USB-C down, lock slot

Alienware cuts costs by about $200 by removing official G-Sync Compatibility certification, dropping panel brightness and refresh rate just a bit, and removing some of the ports.

👉 IPS LCD vs OLED vs NEO LED vs tandem OLED vs QD-OLED vs QLED vs AMOLED vs Mini LED: Which is the best display?

Regardless, the 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time, paired with a QHD resolution at 27 inches, should be a huge hit for PC gamers who want to take the QD-OLED plunge for incredible color and contrast.

Elsewhere, AOC's Q27GAZD is a 27-inch QD-OLED gaming monitor with QHD resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, G-Sync compatibility, and a $379.99 price tag at Amazon.

Windows Central's take on Alienware's new budget QD-OLED gaming display

QD-OLED display tech is a superior version of OLED that leans into quantum dots (microscoping molecules that produce color when hit with light) to improve brightness levels without harming the exceptional color and contrast associated with OLED.

Having more monitors take advantage of this tech is always a good thing, but they've traditionally been priced too high for the average PC gamer to take advantage.

That's been slowly changing over time, and the fact that a big name like Alienware — which offers a three-year warranty with burn-in protection — is introducing a more affordable option shows how OLED is slowly becoming the new norm across the PC gaming industry.

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Cale Hunt brings to Windows Central more than nine years of experience writing about PC gaming, Windows laptops, accessories, and beyond. If it runs Windows or in some way complements the hardware, there’s a good chance he knows about it, has written about it, or is already busy testing it.

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