Our Verdict
The Alienware AW2720HF is a good monitor for most uses. Its 27 inch screen is great for gaming, media consumption, and productivity; however, its 1080p resolution may be too low for some. Response time and input lag are superb, and its 240Hz refresh rate delivers images with fluid motion. Sadly, it doesn't perform well in dark rooms and it doesn't support any HDR format.
- 240Hz refresh rate.
- Wide viewing angles.
- FreeSync support.
- Impressive reflection handling.
- Sub-par contrast ratio.
- Terrible black uniformity.
- No HDR support.
The Alienware AW2720HF is a good office monitor. Its ergonomics and viewing angles are great, and it's well-suited for bright rooms due to its impressive peak brightness and reflection handling. There's plenty of screen real estate for efficient multitasking, but text doesn't look as sharp with its 1080p resolution.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Impressive reflection handling.
- Sub-par contrast ratio.
The Alienware AW2720HF is a great gaming monitor. It has a low input lag, a fast response time, and a high refresh rate to provide a smooth and responsive gaming experience. Its FreeSync support helps to minimize screen tearing and the 27 inch screen is great for immersion, but dark room performance is disappointing due to the monitor's sub-par contrast ratio and bad black uniformity.
- 240Hz refresh rate.
- Wide viewing angles.
- FreeSync support.
- Impressive reflection handling.
- Sub-par contrast ratio.
- Terrible black uniformity.
The Alienware AW2720HF is a decent monitor for media consumption. Although the 27 inch screen is great, the picture won't look as sharp or detailed due to the lower 1080p resolution. The monitor handles reflections well and its wide viewing angles are great for sharing content, but its sub-par contrast ratio makes blacks look like gray when viewed in the dark.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Impressive reflection handling.
- Sub-par contrast ratio.
- Terrible black uniformity.
- No HDR support.
The Alienware AW2720HF is a decent monitor for media creation. It has a large 27 inch screen that lets you have multiple windows opened at the same time, but its 1080p resolution may be a bit too low for some. With its wide viewing angles, you can easily share your work with colleagues, and the monitor's great ergonomics lets you adjust the monitor to your optimal viewing position effortlessly.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Impressive reflection handling.
- Sub-par contrast ratio.
- Terrible black uniformity.
- No HDR support.
The Alienware AW2720HF doesn't support HDR.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 02, 2022: We recently reviewed the Dell Alienware AW2523HF and added in the Refresh Rate section that it has a higher refresh rate.
- Updated Mar 13, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Mar 11, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Mar 11, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Dell Alienware AW2720HF and it's only available in this size and resolution. The Dell Alienware AW3420DW has a similar design, but it's an ultrawide monitor with a 1440p resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and native support for G-SYNC instead of FreeSync.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Alienware AW2720HF doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, such as the gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit of the Alienware AW2720HF was manufactured in December 2019, and you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Dell Alienware AW2720HF is one of the few 240Hz monitors with an IPS panel on the market, as most of them have had TN panels so far. Its build quality and ergonomics stand out, but it lacks HDR support and doesn't perform as well as the Acer Nitro XV273X, which is also a 240Hz IPS monitor.
You can also see our recommendations for the best gaming monitors, the best ultrawide gaming monitors, and the best 240Hz monitors.
The Dell Alienware AW2521H is better than the Dell Alienware AW2720HF. The AW2521H has a much higher 360Hz refresh rate, it gets brighter, supports HDR, has a quicker response time at 60Hz, and has slightly lower input lag. However, the AW2720HF has better ergonomics and better reflection handling.
The Acer Nitro XV273 Xbmiiprzx is a significantly better monitor than the Dell Alienware AW2720HF in most uses. While they both have an IPS with a 240Hz refresh rate, the Acer has a better contrast ratio and black uniformity, as well as better viewing angles and color accuracy. The Acer also supports HDR; however, the Dell has a much better build quality and ergonomics.
The BenQ EX2780Q is marginally better than the Dell Alienware AW2720HF. The BenQ has a higher resolution, better contrast ratio, and significantly better black uniformity. Also, the BenQ supports HDR, but the Dell has a higher refresh rate, a faster response time, and its ergonomics are much better, as it can be adjusted however you like.
The Dell Alienware AW2720HF is much better than the ASUS TUF VG27VQ for most uses. The Dell has a much higher refresh rate and faster response time, and ergonomics are also significantly better. Viewing angles and reflection handling are better on the Dell, but the ASUS has much better contrast ratio and black uniformity due to its VA panel.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
Test Results
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