Hands-on with Alienware’s new, curved QD-OLED gaming monitor

If you buy something from a link, it may earn you a commission. Our ethics statement can be found here.

QD-OLED screen technology was one of the big new innovations that came out at the Consumer Electronics Show. Sony plans to release its first QD-OLED TV models soon, and so far, we know that LG Display has some competition. The first product to ship with a QD-OLED screen isn't a TV. It is a gaming monitor.

The Alienware QD-OLED AW3423DW curved gaming monitor is available starting today for $1,299.99. I had a few hours alone with it, testing it out.

I don't have a decision for you today. I have some first impressions that I will expand upon later in a full review, as well as some answers to questions you may have about this monitor.

The first thing I did with the AW3423DW was look at it. The Alienware monitor has the hallmarks of anOLED. QD-OLED tech works differently. While the control of what parts of the panel are illuminated and blacks are truly black, is provided by the new tech, it also aims to boost brightness and color reproduction by pushing blue light through a quantum dot layer.

I am curious if the AW3423DW can get brighter than the other monitors in our office. It's possible that that's a sign that the bright picture on the screen is still retained, since it's known that the brighter the screen, the brighter it is. QD-OLED wants to close the brightness gap.

Alienware's AW3423DW supports up to 1,000 nits at peak brightness and is certified with VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400. One of the highlights of this monitor is the G-sync Ultimate, which is a feature of the graphics card, and ensures life like experience.

QD-OLED screens are different from traditionalOLED panels that have been manufactured by the same company. The blue and yellow compound used in the displays creates white light that is passed through the color filters to produce red, green, and blue sub-pixels. A fourth white sub-pixel is meant to enhance brightness in newer TVs.

QD-OLED emits blue light through quantum dots and converts it into red and green without the need for a color filter. Blue has the strongest light energy. Since you are not losing light to the color filters, QD-OLED TVs should offer greater light energy efficiency.

Image: Samsung Display

They should be able to maintain accurate, vivid quantum dot color reproduction even at peak brightness levels. The already-superb viewing angles of OLED are said to be even better at extreme angles since there is more diffusion happening without the color filter in the way.

The hope is that these panels could exhibit a longer life span than existing TVs since the pixels aren't working as hard. Three layers of blue material could help to preserve longevity, and that's what the display is made of.

I played some games after that. Deathloop picked up on the monitor's 3,440 x 1,440 resolution without missing a beat, even though the monitor was capped at 100hertz refresh rate. It looked and played well, and I was able to appreciate the small details that I hadn't noticed before, because the display's colors and contrast are so much more precise than the one I use at home.

The model's 1800R curve isn't so curvy that I noticed a warped effect around the edges of the display. Sean Hollister had a head-to-head review of the Odyssey Neo G9 against the Lg C1 OLED and it was a big problem. This curve might not be enough for some people.

Alienware's AW3423DW includes two HDMI 2.0 ports, as well as the ability to display up to a 175Hz refresh rate. You will also get a line out for connecting speakers, a line out for connecting accessories, as well as severalusb-a downstream ports for connecting accessories.

Alienware's debut OLED was meant to be used by PCs, but it's technically compatible with modern consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, but with a number of limitations.

The output resolution of the AW3423DW tops out at 2,560 x 1,440 on the Series X, which supports 21:9 aspect ratio. Dell says that the new consoles can't give you the best image because they can't give it at QHD resolution. Since the PS5 doesn't support QHD resolution, you'll probably see a1080p image in a 16:9 aspect ratio. If you really want to appreciate the consoles, you should just get a 4K TV. They were built for that kind of display.

There's a lot about the AW3423DW that seems great if you're on PC. It has the speed, beauty, and accuracy of anOLED screen in a package that is tailor-made for PC users. Instead of a TV interface, it has a standard on-screen display interface with all of the settings you would expect. It has the ability to do a panel refresh. You can adjust the ambient backlighting of the monitor from these settings, as well as adjust the height of the stand.

It may be difficult to figure out if you want this or anOLED TV for your gaming setup. The Alienware AW3423DW's fantastic warranty is one of the most attractive aspects of this $1,299 purchase. Alienware's three-year coverage for burn-in may be a concern for people who are considering buying an OLED. The concern with a computer monitor is valid since there are more static elements in an OS interface, but burn-in has become less of an issue with TVs.

I look forward to spending more time with this monitor, as I have barely scratched the surface here. I hope to have a full review on the site soon.