If you haven’t heard of quantum dot OLED, here’s the gist. The Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED is designed to deliver superior color performance along with the ultra-wide viewing angles and perfect blacks that OLED panels are known for. And Alienware adds the industry’s fastest 0.1ms response time and 175Hz native refresh rate for the smoothest gameplay possible. I had a chance to spend a bit of hands-on time with the Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED, and it’s easily a candidate for our best gaming monitor list.
Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED release date and price
The Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor will arrive March 29. Unfortunately, Dell is holding off on announcing a price until closer to launch, but we would expect the Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED to command a premium. Dell currently sells a 38-inch curved gaming monitor for $1,459, and that model doesn’t use OLED; a 55-inch OLED gaming monitor from Dell will run you $2,499. But since QD-OLED is a new technology, it’s difficult to predict the price of this particular model.
Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED: What is quantum dot?
Quantum Dot display technology, pioneered by Samsung, pairs the crispness and pixel-perfect contrast of OLED with the boosted brightness and expanded color that quantum-dot technology delivers. The result is (ideally) a best-of-both-worlds display that offers the impeccable quality of OLED without sacrificing the brightness and color that QLED panels offer. On the 34 Curved QD-OLED Alienware says that quantum dot tech delivers superior color performance with a higher peak luminance and greater color gamut range compared to white OLED (WOLED). The trick? QD-OLED directly converts blue light in the primary colors of read and green through a Quantum Dot pixel layer. For more, see our what is QD-OLED explainer.
Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED specs
Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED performance
If you’re looking for serious color performance, you’ll be pleased to know that the Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor is rated to cover 99.3% of the demanding DCI-P3 color gamut. In addition, factory calibration of Delta-E <2 means that the colors should be accurate out of the box. In addition to an infinite contrast ratio, this monitor should offer 1000 nits of peak brightness, and it has a VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 400 certification. During an in-person briefing ahead of CES 2022, I was amazed by the eye-popping colors and ultra-wide viewing angles on this monitor when watching a trailer for Destiny 2. I didn’t notice any washout, even as I stood off to the side and let others marvel at the panel.
Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED gaming
As you might expect, the Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED has Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate certification, which means you should expect low-latency gameplay along with support for HDR and cinematic color. Alienware says that this monitor boasts the industry’s fastest 0.1ms GtG (gray to gray) response time and a 175Hz refresh rate when you use DisplayPort. That drops to 100Hz over HDMI. Regardless, you should expect fluid gameplay and fast reaction times no matter what you’re playing when you pair this monitor with one of the best gaming PCs or best gaming laptops.
Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED design and ports
It just wouldn’t be an Alienware monitor without a glowing Alienware head and the company’s futuristic Legend 2 design. But the real attention grabber is the display itself, which uses a 1800R curved panel. You also get customizable stadium loop OLED AlienFX lighting along, improved cable management and an OSD 5-axis joystick for adjusting settings. You can customize the Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED viewing experience pretty much any way you like, as the height adjustable stand has tilt, swivel and slant capabilities.
Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Creative Mode
I can pretty much guarantee you that creative pros will gravitate towards this QD-OLED monitor, and Alienware is catering to that crowd with a dedicated Creator Mode. You can toggle between the DCI-P3 and sRGB color space and adjust gamma settings on the fly.
Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED outlook
The Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor looks like it could be the ultimate monitor for gamers for those willing to pay a premium. But it also has the makings of being a stellar monitor for creative pros who want the best color performance and accuracy for editing videos and photos. But Alienware isn’t the only company showing off stellar gaming monitors at CES 2022. Samsung announced the Odyssey Neo G8, the world’s first 4K 240Hz monitor. We thoroughly test all of the best gaming monitors in our labs, and we very much look forward to evaluating this display to see if the first quantum dot display is worth the hype.
