Dell Alienware AW3225QF  Monitor Review

The Dell AW3225QF has a slightly curved screen with a gamer-oriented design. The stand and the back housing feature white plastic, while the plastic that covers the panel is black.

The build quality is excellent. The plastic materials are solid and don't flex easily. The stand is sturdy as it doesn't wobble, and the cable management is easy to use. Overall, it feels great, and there isn't any audible noise coming from a fan. One downside is that the joystick control is loose and creates an audible noise when you use it.

Another downside is that the packaging it comes in can cause some scratches and bubble marks on the screen. You can see an example of this in the top right corner of this picture. This isn't so much an issue with how the monitor is made but rather how it's packaged.

The ergonomics are decent. Though its swivel range is somewhat limited you can make any common adjustment for horizontal use. You can also route your cables through the stand for cable management, and there's a cover that goes over the inputs.

The V-shaped stand is solid and holds the screen well. The thickness measurement is from the side of the screen to the back of the stand, and the thickness from the center of the screen to the back of the stand is 8.9 inches (22.5 cm).

The thickness measurement is from the side of the screen to the back, and the thickness from the center of the screen to the back is 2.7 inches (6.9 cm).

There's a single joystick to control the on-screen display, although it's loose. There's also a power button on the right side. If you're looking for a monitor that you can control with a remote and can be used like a TV with integrated apps, check out the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD S32DG80.

• DisplayPort cable
• HDMI cable
• USB-B to USB-A cable
• Power cable
• Cleaning cloth
• Documentation
• Alienware sticker

This monitor has a near-infinite contrast ratio and displays perfect blacks next to bright highlights in a dark room. However, in bright rooms ambient light causes black levels to rise, and deep blacks appear purple.

This monitor doesn't have a backlight, so it doesn't require a local dimming feature. However, with a near-infinite contrast ratio, there isn't any blooming around bright objects, and it's the equivalent of a perfect local dimming feature. We still film these videos on the monitor so you can see how the screen performs and compare it with a monitor that has local dimming.

Settings

• Preset Mode: Custom Color (after calibration)
• Brightness: Max

The SDR brightness is okay. While it doesn't get bright enough to fight intense glare, you can easily see it in a well-lit room. It also maintains its brightness very consistently across different content, which is helpful for tasks such as photo editing.

Settings

• Smart HDR: HDR Peak 1000
• Brightness: 75 (locked)
• Console Mode: Off

The HDR brightness is okay. While small highlights pop, larger highlights are more muted. The EOTF follows the target curve well, though there's a slow roll-off near peak brightness, so highlights don't get as bright as they could. Enabling Console Mode causes the EOTF to have a sharper roll-off.

The 'HDR Peak 1000' mode is brighter than 'Custom Color HDR,' which has a Real Scene brightness of 356 cd/m², and highlights don't get brighter than 450 cd/m². However, the EOTF has a sharper roll-off in 'Custom Color HDR,' so highlights get brighter.

The horizontal viewing angle is outstanding. Although it technically isn't perfect, you won't see any inconsistencies when viewing from the sides or if you sit close to the screen.

The vertical viewing angle is outstanding, and you won't notice any inconsistencies if you're looking down at the monitor while standing.

The gray uniformity is fantastic. There's no notable dimming at the monitor's edges or dirty screen effect. Like any OLED there are thin gray vertical lines in dark scenes. However, most people won't notice them unless they're looking for them.

The black uniformity is outstanding, with a uniform black level across the screen.

The Dell AW3225QF has remarkable accuracy before calibration. The 'Creator' Preset Mode acts as its sRGB mode and locks colors well to the sRGB color space, so they aren't oversaturated. The white balance and most colors have minimal inaccuracies, and even the color temperature is extremely close to the 6500K target. Although it's very slightly overbrightened throughout, gamma follows the target curve well. However, this is only true with M2B102 and later firmware, as gamma is worse on earlier firmware versions.

The 'Creator' mode only locks the RGB settings, so you can still access other settings. Other modes, like 'Custom Color', have worse accuracy.

The accuracy after calibration is incredible, though it's very similar to before calibration.

The SDR color gamut is outstanding. It displays the full range of colors in the common sRGB color space and a wide range of colors in Adobe RGB, though green is quite inaccurate.

The HDR color gamut is fantastic. It displays a wide range of colors in DCI-P3 and Rec. 2020 and is quite accurate in both spaces.

The HDR color volume is excellent. Bright colors look vivid, and dark colors look accurate in a dark room. However, in bright rooms very dark colors lose saturation, and don't look as dark as on WOLED displays.

The Dell AW3225QF has excellent text clarity. Enabling Windows ClearType (top photo) improves the boldness of letters. These photos are in Windows 10, and you can also see them in Windows 11 with ClearType on and with ClearType off. If you want a QD-OLED with sharper text, you can also check out the 27-inch Dell Alienware AW2725Q.

Due to the triangular subpixel layout, there's some color fringing around letters and at the edge of windows. It's hard to see unless you look closely at the monitor. Some people notice this more than others.

The direct reflection handling is adequate, though bright objects are still somewhat distinct. The panel isn't perfectly even, so some reflections are warped, as you can see in the test image above. However, this is something that you may only notice depending on the positioning of the light source and the content on the screen, and it can also vary between units.

The black levels are disappointing in a bright room. QD-OLEDs like this one lack a polarizer, which is one of the main reasons why blacks look purple in a bright room. This means you need to use it in a dark room to get perfect black levels.

This monitor doesn't reflect too much light. It instead makes some objects look warped and stretches them across the screen, which can still be distracting in a really bright room.

The Dell AW3225QF has fantastic gradient handling, and you won't see any banding.

Your graphics card needs to support Display Stream Compression (DSC) to reach the maximum refresh rate over DisplayPort and HDMI. If you're looking for a monitor that doesn't require DSC to reach 4k @ 240Hz, check out the Gigabyte AORUS FO32U2P, which has DisplayPort 2.1 bandwidth with compatible graphics cards.

Although it doesn't have a dedicated DSC toggle, you can set Console Mode to 'Legacy Devices' to limit the refresh rate to 120Hz and enable Dynamic Super Resolution (DSR) in NVIDIA Control Panel. With Console Mode set to 'On' or 'Off,' DSC is active, which doesn't allow you to enable or disable DSR in the Control Panel.

There have been a few reports of HDMI connection issues, but we didn't experience the same issues with various computers, including those with RTX 3060, 4070, and 4080 graphics cards. That said, your experience may vary.

The Dell AW3225QF supports all common VRR formats over both DisplayPort and HDMI, including FreeSync, despite not having official certification from AMD. Additionally, G-SYNC over HDMI works properly.

The Dell AW3225QF has remarkable motion handling across its VRR range. There's minimal blur or smearing with fast-moving objects, and it remains consistent as the refresh rate drops. Any blur at low refresh rates is persistence blur.

The refresh rate compliance is remarkable. It makes full-color transitions before drawing the next frame because of its near-instantaneous response time.

The CAD at the maximum refresh rate is fantastic. Fast-moving objects look extremely crisp, and there isn't any blur trail or noticeable inverse ghosting.

The CAD at 120Hz is remarkable. There isn't any noticeable blur trail or inverse ghosting.

The CAD at 60Hz is outstanding. Pixels transition colors almost instantly, and any lack of crispness is persistence blur.

This monitor doesn't have an optional black frame insertion feature to reduce persistence blur further.

The Dell Alienware AW3225QF has noticeable VRR flicker in darker parts of scenes. However, flicker is minimal in brighter parts of scenes, and isn't present at all if your PC maintains fairly consistent frame rates.

The backlight isn't technically flicker-free because it has a slight dip in brightness that corresponds to the monitor's refresh rate.

Settings

• Console Mode: On

The Dell AW3225QF has low input lag for a responsive feel, even if the input lag at 60Hz and 120Hz is slightly higher than expected. The input lag is the same even with firmware M2B107.

We tested input lag over HDMI because Console Mode is only available over HDMI, though we expect input lag over DisplayPort to be the same. The input lag changes depending on which Console Mode setting you use, as you can see below:

The Dell AW3225QF is fully compatible with the PS5 and PS5 Pro. While you don't need to enable Console Mode for full compatibility, Dell suggests using it for the best experience with consoles. 

As of firmware M2B105 the monitor supports 1440p signals with the PS5.

The monitor works well with the Xbox Series X|S and supports 4k up to 120Hz thanks to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. While you don't need to enable Console Mode for the best compatibility, Dell suggests using it for the best experience with consoles. It also supports Dolby Vision with the Xbox with firmware M2B103 and newer. 

If you want to connect the monitor to the Xbox at 1440p you need to enable the console's HDMI override setting to get 1440p @ 60Hz, which also disables VRR. Even with a 1440p @ 60Hz signal you can't switch it to 120Hz, and the same issue occurs even with firmware M2B105. 

While the monitor doesn't support HDR at 1080p or 1440p, this is a limitation of the Xbox, not the monitor.

One of the HDMI ports also serves as an eARC port you can use to connect a soundbar or receiver. It properly works as of firmware M2B105, which was released in April 2024, as there were compatibility issues before the update. If you have issues with its eARC support, try updating the monitor's firmware.

This monitor supports Dolby Vision on firmware M2B103 or newer.

The USB-C port doesn't support DisplayPort Alt Mode or Thunderbolt, so you can only use it to charge devices or connect peripherals, like a keyboard or mouse. If you're looking for a monitor that can deliver up to 90W of power over USB-C and supports DisplayPort Alt Mode, check out the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED.

The Dell AW3225QF works well with macOS. HDR looks good in games, but Dolby Vision doesn't work. Additionally, SDR looks better on the desktop, so it's better to turn HDR off for general work use. If you're using a MacBook, windows go back to their original position after reopening the lid or waking the laptop up from sleep.

The Dell AW3225QF has a few extra features, including:

• Alienware Command Center: Application to control the RGB backlighting and other basic functions like power consumption and color profiles. This software is only available on Windows, but you can still change the backlighting colors through the OSD if you have a macOS device. Unfortunately, there's a bug with the RGB lighting. If you change inputs or even power the monitor off and on again, the lights turn on, even if you had them set to off in the Alienware Command Center or in the OSD.
• AlienVision: Provides different crosshairs and vision modes. Your game's anti-cheat tool won't detect this, giving you a competitive advantage.
• Dark Stabilizer: Makes dark parts of scenes brighter so you can see your opponents more easily in games.
• Game Enhance Mode: Provides timer, frame rate counter, and display alignment features.
• PIP/PBP: Allows you to display images from two inputs at once, and you can customize the location and size of the windows.

As expected for an OLED panel, it has a few settings under OLED Panel Maintenance to help reduce the risk of burn-in. 

• Pixel Refresh: The monitor runs a pixel refresh cycle after every 4 hours of usage, and it takes 6-8 minutes to complete.
• Panel Refresh: This is a more complicated process that refreshes the whole panel and takes about an hour to do, but it only runs after 7,000 hours of usage, or you can manually enable it.

There's also a Panel Health indicator that displays a colored dot to show the status for when you need to run a pixel or panel refresh cycle. While there's no setting for pixel shifting, the monitor automatically performs pixel shifting, although it isn't clear how often.

You can find more information about the monitor in the User's Guide.