Compare Dell Alienware AW3426DW vs ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQWP-W

The panel is consistently even across the screen, without the gray banding or dirty-screen effect seen on some rivals.

White uniformity is generally fine, but dark-gray backgrounds can show vertical banding or faint dirty-screen texture.

The revised anti-reflective coating noticeably cuts the old magenta tint and distracting glare. Direct reflections still matter more than on some WOLED alternatives.

The glossy finish preserves clear images but can mirror windows and lamps directly facing the screen. Placement matters more than with matte monitors.

The flat stand is generally practical for keyboards and other peripherals, although its broad base and the display's width still need desktop space.

The tripod-style feet make a design statement but occupy more room than a compact monitor base.

The new RGB-stripe structure largely fixes the colored outlines around fine text that bothered older QD-OLEDs, although one tester still noticed some fringing.

The updated subpixel arrangement makes text clearer than on older WOLEDs, but small fonts can still look soft or show colored edges compared with LCDs.

4K 120Hz console signals, VRR and HDR can work with the right settings, but the ultrawide ratio introduces side bars and the lack of audio output complicates hookups.

HDMI supports downscaled 4K/120Hz and key console gaming features; ELMB at 120Hz is a bonus. Lack of speakers and Dolby Vision may require compromises.

The 3440×1440 resolution is easier to drive than 4K, though reaching 280 frames per second still calls for a capable gaming PC.

Very high frame rates take exceptional hardware, so an ordinary PC may not exploit the advertised refresh.

Automatic pixel shifting and a stronger panel help address OLED image retention, but the menu exposes few manual care settings. The warranty provides additional reassurance.

OLED Care settings and the responsive proximity sensor help reduce static-image exposure. They are useful precautions rather than guarantees against burn-in.

Fast response and a simulated smaller-screen esports option are real strengths. Players who prioritize 16:9 layouts or refresh rates above 280Hz may prefer a dedicated esports monitor.

Elite competitive players get ultra-clear motion and extremely low latency, especially when they can exceed 300fps. The 720Hz mode is an optional niche tradeoff.

Useful game presets, dark-scene enhancements, crosshairs and an esports layout cover the essentials. Flagship extras such as strobing are absent.

There is a generous range of controls for esports play, picture adjustment and screen care.

Deep blacks, striking highlights and a wraparound field of view make story-driven and atmospheric games a particular strength.

Vivid OLED color, contrast and HDR make cinematic games attractive, but players staying at lower frame rates may get similar picture quality from cheaper OLED monitors.

Small HDR highlights can be unusually bright and finely defined, although the most aggressive modes may sacrifice detail or overall scene brightness.

Small highlights can look unusually bright and impactful, although brighter settings may exaggerate their luminance or lose some intended tonal balance.

There are no integrated speakers, so games and videos require an external audio solution. Several testers consider that an inconvenient omission.

There are no built-in speakers, so console and other external-device users need headphones or separate audio equipment.

At 280Hz the screen feels extremely smooth and offers a useful step up from older models. It deliberately stops short of pricier 360Hz esports-focused options.

Native 1440p at 540Hz is exceptionally smooth for high-frame-rate games. The optional 720Hz mode adds smaller improvements and cuts resolution to 720p.

The semi-gloss surface keeps images crisp and avoids a grainy matte look even as it improves glare resistance.

TrueBlack Glossy removes coating grain and gives games a crisp, vivid look. Its exceptional clarity is the main reason to prefer this screen finish over matte alternatives.

Color and uniformity hold up well off axis, as expected from a strong QD-OLED panel.

OLED viewing remains wide with little loss of image quality at ordinary off-axis positions, though one test noted a green tint at more extreme angles.

A cutout in the stand keeps power and video cables tidier, though the solution is simple rather than elaborate.

A large cutout in the stand provides a simple path for routing cables behind the monitor.

RGB-stripe pixels improve the clarity of text and fine UI elements, although 110 PPI remains softer than a 4K alternative and one test recommends reducing default edge enhancement.

The native 1440p image looks crisp in games, especially through the glossy coating. It cannot match 4K pixel density for small text.

Wide DCI-P3 coverage delivers brilliant, saturated game and film color, and well-chosen presets can keep standard content natural.

The wide gamut gives games vivid colors and substantially improves on older WOLED generations. Native SDR colors can oversaturate without an appropriate gamut clamp.

At its full refresh rate, input responsiveness is excellent and generally imperceptible in play, though one measurement set found somewhat higher low-refresh latency.

Input lag works especially well in supported gaming or desktop scenarios, helping the monitor feel polished and capable.

The latest OLED stack offers higher brightness without conspicuous power penalties; practical consumption is reasonable for this size and speed.

Electricity use compares reasonably with other extreme-refresh OLEDs, though 280Hz Tandem models use less.

The stand supports the broad screen securely with little wobble, even during menu navigation and some vibration-heavy testing.

The substantial stand keeps the display stable with minimal wobble.

Self-lit OLED pixels produce strikingly deep blacks in dark rooms, while the new coating reduces the old purple-black tint under room lighting. Strong direct light can still wash blacks somewhat.

The panel produces outstanding OLED blacks and retains more depth under ambient lighting than many competing panel and coating combinations.

Height, tilt and swivel adjustments are smooth and flexible enough for most workstations, but portrait rotation is not a stand option.

Height, tilt, swivel and pivot give flexible viewing positions, though some reviewers would welcome more height travel.

The monitor earns enthusiastic recommendations as an approachable high-end OLED ultrawide, with connectivity and some specialist features trimmed to contain the price.

An ambitious OLED gaming monitor that earns strong praise for pairing exceptional speed with a rich image. Its high price and specialist refresh rates limit its appeal.

3440×1440 suits immersive gaming and side-by-side windows without 4K's graphics demands, but it cannot match the text detail of higher-density 4K screens.

Native 1440p looks good for 27-inch gaming and makes extreme frame rates more achievable than 4K. The 720p boost mode is much blurrier, and 4K remains sharper for fine text.

Small illuminated Alienware accents are customizable and subtle. They will disappoint anyone seeking dramatic desk-filling RGB effects.

ROG lighting is configurable and visually distinctive, although some consider the projected desk logo unnecessary.

True Black, Peak 1300, Peak 1300 Bright and Dolby Vision give users several looks to choose from. None perfectly balances peak punch with accuracy in every scene.

Several HDR presets offer different compromises between output and accuracy; Console HDR receives particular praise for balancing them.

Two HDMI 2.1 inputs and DisplayPort cover core video needs, while limited USB, no audio jack and no video-capable USB-C leave the hub side basic.

Full-bandwidth DisplayPort and two HDMI 2.1 inputs are strong gaming choices, but the missing USB-C and KVM reduce its appeal for laptop and dual-computer users.

Per-pixel illumination avoids the bright halos and blooming that can surround highlights on LCD and mini-LED displays.

OLED pixel-level illumination avoids the halos and backlight bleed that can affect locally dimmed LCDs.

Extremely fast OLED transitions keep motion clean, with little smearing, overshoot or visible ghosting even in fast games.

Near-instant transitions leave very little ghosting, trailing or overshoot even at extreme refresh rates.

A direct power cord avoids a bulky external brick, helping keep the desk and floor tidier.

The internal power supply avoids an extra desk or floor power brick and simplifies cable clutter.

Fast OLED pixels and 280Hz refresh deliver exceptionally crisp movement, even if 360Hz alternatives offer a small competitive edge.

Fast-moving targets and fine details remain remarkably legible, especially at 540Hz. The 720Hz setting raises clarity further for players willing to give up sharpness.

The fifth-generation Penta Tandem QD-OLED panel is central to the appeal, providing brighter HDR, deeper-looking blacks under ambient light and far more legible text than older designs.

Fourth-generation Tandem WOLED improves brightness, gamut and ambient-black performance over older WOLED designs while retaining extremely fast response times.

Native 3440×1440 PC gaming is this display's strongest role, pairing wide-screen immersion with excellent motion and rich HDR.

The monitor offers exceptional 1440p performance, wide PC sync support and usable full-speed connectivity even with some older graphics cards.

Improved text rendering and strong factory color modes help with editing, but color-critical Adobe RGB workflows may need outside calibration.

The wide color gamut helps with images, although Adobe RGB specialists must profile the display rather than rely on a built-in mode.

Near-instant OLED pixel transitions keep fast action clear and make the monitor feel exceptionally responsive.

Near-instant OLED pixel transitions provide clean, responsive motion across refresh rates with little overshoot.

Dark-shade handling is usually good and can be improved with presets, though some HDR modes crush or coarsen the very darkest steps.

Near-black shades can be crushed in several gaming and HDR presets, even though other testing found dark-scene detail pleasing. Adjustments improve visibility but can alter the whole image.

Some dark scenes, menus and a video-editing app showed VRR flicker or gamma shifts, although several users did not find it distracting during games.

Dark scenes can flicker when frame rates swing. The anti-flicker option reduces the problem but does not completely remove it and may limit the top refresh rate.

Multiple HDR modes are available, but limited brightness-curve adjustments and locked controls restrict fine tuning.

Brightness and additional image settings remain adjustable in HDR when the appropriate option is enabled, allowing useful control over the effect.

Preset calibration is strong, but locked white-balance controls and limited per-mode adjustments frustrate some advanced tuning workflows.

Precision color and gamut adjustments can yield very accurate sRGB performance.

The True Black mode tends to preserve accurate scene brightness, while peak modes can dim bright scenes or overbrighten dark ones. Careful mode choice matters.

Default HDR modes can track content closely, but turning brightness up can overbrighten highlights, while other modes roll off or darken details.

Alienware Command Center provides convenient desktop control of display settings, with reported stability improvements over earlier versions.

ASUS DisplayWidget gives convenient control of monitor options from the computer and avoids repeated trips through the on-screen menu.

Dolby Vision adds useful flexibility for compatible games, consoles and movies, although PC support is spotty and mode behavior sometimes needs attention.

Dolby Vision is missing, even though HDR10 works over supported console inputs.

Many PC titles benefit from the wider view, but unsupported games, menus and cutscenes still introduce black bars, cropping or smaller active images.

Smaller simulated screen areas and 4:3 or square ratios offer practical flexibility for esports and retro titles.

The newest QD-OLED image quality at around the original $800 launch price impresses many testers, though some would pay more for richer connectivity.

The cutting-edge screen earns praise, but several tests suggest 280Hz or 500Hz OLED alternatives can provide much of the experience for less.

The included three-year coverage for OLED burn-in is a valuable reassurance for long-term ownership.

Three-year coverage including burn-in offers peace of mind for such an expensive OLED display; regional terms should still be checked.

Tool-free stand assembly is quick, while the physical adjustments make positioning straightforward.

The stand assembles through a straightforward slot-and-secure process.

DisplayPort 1.4 with compression handles native gaming well, but enthusiasts miss the newer DisplayPort 2.1 bandwidth and uncompressed option.

High-bandwidth DisplayPort is useful for high-refresh PC setups, and older DP 1.4 graphics cards can still drive the full mode with DSC.

There is no integrated KVM switch for sharing peripherals between computers, a notable compromise compared with more fully equipped competitors.

There is no built-in KVM switch, limiting convenient sharing between two connected computers.

Factory sRGB calibration can be exceptionally accurate, particularly in Creator mode. The default wide-gamut setting may oversaturate standard SDR material.

Colors can look highly accurate in calibrated or sRGB modes, but default wide-gamut SDR settings can oversaturate. Fine tuning helps with serious color work.

A simulated 25-inch active area makes fast competitive play easier to focus on while retaining 280Hz. A few testers saw dimmer output or questioned whether the smaller image was worth it.

A simulated 24.5-inch screen helps players who prefer a compact competitive field of view.

Adaptive Sync, G-SYNC, and FreeSync keep gameplay fluid and largely tear-free. A few accounts distinguish this smoothness from occasional OLED VRR flicker.

VRR support works across a broad refresh range, with consistently fast OLED response; its main caveat is possible flicker during frame-rate swings.

The Dark Stabilizer can reveal enemies and objects in shadowy games without lifting blacks completely. Higher levels sacrifice some dark-scene atmosphere.

Dynamic shadow boost can raise dark-area visibility without brightening the entire image as aggressively as a simple fixed boost.

OLED contrast and brighter highlights produce outstanding HDR overall, with the usual tradeoff between full-scene brightness and extreme peaks.

Tandem OLED delivers impressive HDR contrast and highlight brightness, often ahead of older OLED models. The highest-brightness configurations can sacrifice accurate tone tracking.

The joystick is responsive and the menu generally easy to navigate, although its numerous layers and sometimes jagged text draw occasional complaints.

The joystick-driven menu is fast and extensive, though its styling is ordinary and a few settings require learning their interactions.

Desktop brightness is fairly steady, but high-peak HDR modes can dim brighter full-screen scenes. The modes trade consistency against dramatic small highlights.

Uniform Brightness mode can stop distracting window-size-related luminance changes, but maximum brightness or certain features can reintroduce noticeable shifts.

The five-layer panel is noticeably brighter in SDR and produces vivid, high-impact HDR highlights. Large bright HDR scenes remain more constrained than small specular effects.

The newer Tandem OLED panel is among the brightest high-refresh OLEDs tested, in both SDR and HDR. Some modes sacrifice peak output for steadier or more accurate brightness.

Near-perfect OLED contrast lends depth to dark games and HDR scenes, especially compared with conventional LCD panels.

Per-pixel lighting makes bright and dark objects coexist without halos, lending games a dramatic sense of depth.

Pixel-level control makes bright and dark areas coexist cleanly without the blooming associated with zone-based backlights.

Local dimming performance works especially well in supported gaming or desktop scenarios, helping the monitor feel polished and capable.

The newer QD-OLED panel combines vivid color, richer contrast, stronger brightness and cleaner text into an impressive all-round image.

The Tandem OLED panel brings vivid colors, strong brightness, and inky blacks that make games look striking. Even at 1440p, the overall picture impresses.

Clearer text reduces reading fatigue for some owners, but the menu lacks a dedicated low-blue-light mode and flicker-sensitive users should take care.

A low-blue-light menu is provided, but those modes cannot be used alongside every brightness setting.

The understated dark-indigo shell looks sleek and office-friendly, though opinions divide on its blue color and lack of the older Alienware styling.

Silver styling, cutouts, translucent rear housing and blue lighting stand out from typical gaming screens, attracting enthusiastic praise.

The chassis feels solid and well assembled, with a stable stand despite a restrained plastic exterior.

The sturdy stand feels premium, although the transparent rear shell flexes more than conventional ROG designs.

Well-calibrated Creator modes track their targets closely, while some default or boosted modes can appear slightly too dark or too contrasty.

Greyscale tracking is acceptable overall but varies with preset and factory settings.

The central joystick and straightforward physical controls make ordinary setup and adjustment quick.

AI picture tools are available as helpful extras for players who like assistance adjusting game visuals.

The 21:9 canvas creates a wide, cinematic view and extra horizontal working space. Not every game or console output fills it cleanly.

Unlike some higher-priced rivals, this model omits a black-frame-insertion option for further reducing perceived blur.

The gently curved 34-inch screen gives games a wider, immersive feel without the distortion of more aggressive curves. A few people would prefer an even deeper wraparound.

One detailed hands-on sample arrived with its protective film intact and no shipping-related micro-scratches.

Device compatibility works especially well in supported gaming or desktop scenarios, helping the monitor feel polished and capable.

Switching to 720Hz is convenient and appealing for niche esports scenarios, but the 720p image is soft, with a larger loss of detail than the speed improvement can usually justify.

Black-frame insertion improves motion clarity at 120Hz or 270Hz, but requires fixed refresh, disables VRR and HDR, and can add inconvenience or latency.

Firmware updateability is useful in some scenarios, but there are compromises to consider depending on how the display is used.

Genre presets and Creator mode offer accessible ways to tune the picture, although the default options sometimes work better than extensive adjustments.

Most real-world gradients look smooth with little banding, but near-black fades can reveal coarser steps in some HDR settings.

With no headphone or audio-out connection on the monitor, wired audio must run directly from a computer, console or another device.

Passive cooling avoids fan noise; one side-by-side tester measured more warmth at maximum output but found better temperature behavior at matched brightness.

The 720p boosted mode looks soft, while some pixel-mapping choices behave inconsistently with Windows timing.

The extremely fast OLED pixels reduce smearing and ghosting, keeping movement crisper than typical LCD screens at comparable refresh rates.

Around 110 pixels per inch is sensible for 27-inch gaming, though text and fine desktop details look less crisp than on 4K displays.

The unique finish and high-end presentation feel special, with a minor caveat about the plastic rear housing.

The Neo Proximity Sensor is praised for blanking the screen when you leave and restoring the image promptly when you return, reducing idle static-image exposure.

Mode changes can require occasional manual intervention, and a few reports describe signal interruptions or mismatched color settings.

A wider field of view and gentle curvature add real immersion in compatible PC games, with black bars or unsupported scenes remaining occasional frustrations.

The downstream USB-C port can top up small devices at 15W, but cannot replace a charging laptop dock.

The small hub is handy for peripherals and light charging, but two downstream ports and one upstream connection are basic for the class.

Bottom-edge USB-A and USB-C ports are easy to reach without feeling behind the monitor, though permanently attached cables can be visible.

Standard 100×100mm VESA support makes swapping to a monitor arm simple, useful for saving space or custom setups.

Common 24, 25, 50 and 60 fps video plays without obvious skips or cadence judder.

G-SYNC, FreeSync and VESA VRR provide broad PC support and smooth frame pacing across suitable devices.

The uniform-brightness setting keeps the image steadier when content changes, at the cost of limiting maximum output.

The harder new surface is less susceptible to fine scratches during cleaning than earlier generations of QD-OLED coatings.

The 720Hz mode is conveniently accessible from a dedicated control and can return to native operation without complicated setup, though some pixel-mapping configurations need attention.

Fanless ventilation avoids the whir that can accompany some actively cooled OLED competitors.

PiP/PbP options are genuinely useful for split-screen viewing and working across two inputs, with convenient positioning controls.

The two HDMI 2.1 inputs provide high-refresh and downscaled-4K console flexibility.

Reliability over time is useful in some scenarios, but there are compromises to consider depending on how the display is used.

One test found a PWM frequency that may bother especially sensitive viewers, even while typical gaming looked fine.

The stronger coating should stand up better to routine wiping and incidental contact than earlier scratch-prone QD-OLED surfaces.

The 34-inch width offers a sweet spot for immersion and multitasking, though its limited height may feel smaller to owners of taller 32-inch displays.