The Dell Alienware AW2721D is an impressive 1440p gaming monitor. It has a 240Hz maximum refresh rate, an exceptional response time that results in minimal motion blur, and an incredibly low input lag that makes gaming feel responsive. It also has native G-SYNC support and is compatible with FreeSync to reduce screen tearing. It uses an IPS panel with wide viewing angles, but that comes at the expense of a lower contrast ratio, so blacks look more like gray when viewed in the dark. There's a local dimming feature to improve black levels, but it's not very effective. While it supports HDR and gets fairly bright for HDR content, its low contrast ratio means that the HDR experience is only decent. On the plus side, it gets bright enough to use in well-lit rooms, although it has mediocre reflection handling, so you may have issues with glare if you place it in front of bright lights.
Our Verdict
The Dell AW2721D is a great monitor for mixed usage. Gamers should be pleased with its exceptional response time, incredibly low input lag, and VRR support. It also has a high resolution and wide viewing angles that are great for productivity. Its wide color gamut and high peak brightness make images look crisp and clear, which is great for viewing and creating media. It supports HDR, although the HDR experience is only decent, and its low contrast ratio and bad black uniformity make it less suited to dark rooms.
- Exceptional response time.
- Wide viewing angles.
- High resolution and large screen size.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Mediocre reflection handling.
The Dell AW2721D is great for office use. Its high 1440p resolution and large size are well-suited to multitasking, with enough space to open multiple windows side-by-side. It also has wide viewing angles, which makes it easier to share content with a co-worker. Despite getting quite bright, its reflection handling is mediocre, so direct light can be distracting. That said, it has great ergonomics, allowing for many adjustments to suit your ideal viewing position.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Great ergonomics.
- High resolution and large screen size.
- Mediocre reflection handling.
- Poor black uniformity.
The Dell AW2721D is an impressive gaming monitor. It has a 240Hz refresh rate and an exceptional response time, resulting in clear motion. It also has an incredibly low input lag, so gaming feels responsive. It supports G-SYNC and is FreeSync compatible. Unfortunately, its IPS panel has a mediocre contrast ratio, so blacks look more like gray in the dark.
- Low input lag.
- VRR support.
- High refresh rate and an exceptional response time.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Mediocre reflection handling.
The Dell AW2721D is a great monitor for multimedia. Its high 1440p resolution makes images look crisp, and it's a good size for watching movies and TV on your own. Its wide viewing angles are good for watching with a friend. It performs well in bright rooms thanks to its high peak brightness, but it has mediocre reflection handling, so direct light sources might be distracting. On top of that, it has a mediocre contrast ratio, so it's not the best option if you prefer to watch in the dark.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Excellent brightness.
- High resolution and large screen size.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Mediocre reflection handling.
The Dell AW2721D is a great monitor for media creation. Its large screen size provides plenty of space, and its 1440p resolution makes images look crisp and clear. It has wide viewing angles, making it easy to share content with another person, and great ergonomics, allowing you to adjust it to your ideal viewing position. It also has an outstanding color gamut, including great coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used by professional content creators.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Great ergonomics.
- High resolution and large screen size.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Mediocre reflection handling.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Poor black uniformity.
- Bad local dimming.
Changelog
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Updated Aug 11, 2025:
We changed the Screen Finish from 'Semi-Gloss' to 'Matte' to better reflect how its coating interacts with light.
- Updated Apr 18, 2023: Confirmed that 1440p works on this monitor with the PS5.
- Updated Nov 23, 2022: Clarified in the Variable Refresh Rate section that this monitor's replacement, the Dell Alienware AW2723DF, has native FreeSync support.
- Updated Nov 18, 2022: Lowered the Build Quality score from 9.0 to 8.5 because it feels like other Dell Alienware monitors, and it isn't a significant improvement from other models.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Dell Alienware AW2721D, which is only available in a 27 inch size. There are similar monitors under Dell's Alienware label, and you can see the differences between them below.
| Model | Size | Panel | Resolution | Refresh Rate | Curved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AW2521H | 25" | IPS | 1080p | 360Hz | No |
| AW2521HF | 25" | IPS | 1080p | 240Hz | No |
| AW2521HFL | 25" | IPS | 1080p | 240Hz | No |
| AW2721D | 27" | IPS | 1440p | 240Hz | No |
| AW3821DW | 38" | IPS | 3840 x 1600 | 144Hz | Yes |
If someone comes across a different type of panel or their Dell Alienware AW2721D doesn't correspond to our review, let us know in the discussions and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in September 2020. You can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Dell Alienware AW2721D is an impressive and versatile gaming monitor that's well-suited for a variety of uses. It has one of the widest color gamuts and one of the highest brightness in HDR among the gaming monitors we've tested, and it has better build quality than some of its direct competitors, like the ASUS ROG Swift PG279QM. For more options, check out our recommendations for the best gaming monitors, the best 1440p gaming monitors, and the best monitors.
The Dell Alienware AW2721D is better overall than the Dell Alienware AW2521HF, although they have different sizes and resolutions. The AW2721D is slightly bigger at 27 inches with a 1440p resolution, while the AW2521HF is a 25 inch 1080p monitor. The AW2521HF has a slightly better response time with less overshoot and much better reflection handling, but the AW2721D supports HDR, gets brighter, and has a wider color gamut.
The Dell Alienware AW2721D and the Dell Alienware AW2521H are both great monitors that perform similarly in many ways, but they have different resolutions and sizes. The AW2521H is one of the rare monitors with a 360Hz max refresh rate, while the AW2721D has a max refresh rate of 240Hz, but the difference likely won't be noticeable to most gamers. That said, the AW2521H has a slightly better response time with less overshoot and better reflection handling. On the other hand, the AW2721D has a better color gamut and brightness for HDR, and it feels more well-built.
The Dell Alienware AW2721D and the Dell S2721DGF are both great gaming monitors with similar performance. That said, the AW2721D has a higher max refresh rate and slightly better picture quality overall. They have similar response times, although the S2721DGF experiences less overshoot. The S2721DGF has much better reflection handling and better ergonomics, but the AW2721D feels better built, gets significantly brighter in SDR and HDR, and has much better accuracy out-of-the-box, although this can vary between units. The S2721DGF may represent a better value to some people.
The ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q and the Dell Alienware AW2721D are both 27 inch, 1440p gaming monitors with native G-SYNC support. Although the Dell has a higher refresh rate and lower input lag, casual gamers might not notice the difference. The Dell supports HDR, whereas the ASUS doesn't, and it also has more USB ports.
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.
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