Dell’s Alienware has announced a second QD-OLED gaming monitor that’s more affordable than the original AW3423DW that was unveiled in January at CES 2022. Because it has a slightly lower refresh rate and supports AMD’s FreeSync instead of G-Sync, it’s priced $200 lower.
The new display is known as the AW3423DWF and it will be sold as a second option, alongside the existing AW3423DW. The “F” in the product name signifies that it’s an AMD FreeSync version, and it has a thinner, black design, as opposed to the AW3423DW’s black style, to set it apart.
"Hot off unveiling the world's first QD-OLED gaming monitor earlier this year, we're continuing to expand our QD-OLED offerings with the introduction of a new Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3423DWF)," Dell Alienware said in a statement.
The new version has exactly the same 34-inch curved QD-OLED display as the original monitor, offering exceptionally deep blacks and contrast, plus a wide colour gamut and 3440x1440 resolution It also has a 21:9 aspect ratio, and inherits the somewhat controversial triangular pixels found in its cousin.
Other differences include just one HDMI 2.0 port and two DisplayPorts, instead of the two and one on the AW3423DW G-Sync version. It also has a slightly lower maximum refresh rate of just 165Hz instead of 175Hz. Even so, these slight differences are unlikely to disadvantage the AW3423DWF, as its QD-OLED display remains far superior to LCD-based monitors, with a true 0.1ms response time and the ability to genuinely reproduce HDR content.
The Dell Alienware AW3423DWF will go on sale in North America in the autumn, priced at $1,100. The AW3423DW currently retails at $1,300. Pricing and availability in Europe will be announced at a later date.
LG OLED Flex now on sale
For those in the market for a gaming display who want something a tad different, the LG OLED Flex looks like a solid option as the world’s first bendable TV, and it will go on sale for $3,000 in October.
LG unveiled the OLED Flex at IFA 2022, saying it’s really just a bendable version of the LG C2 TV, with 4K resolution, HDR, webOS and TV tuners, plus support for WiFi 6.
It’s flagship feature is the world’s first bendable 42-inch OLED screen, and it’s designed to serve as both a gaming display and a TV. The screen can be curved to suit the user’s preference at the touch of a button on the supplied remote control, going from completely flat to a 900R curvature.
The hefty $3,000 price tag does, however, mean that the LG OLED Flex costs more than twice as much as the LG C2 - so understand that you’ll be paying an extremely big premium for the bendable functionality. That’s generally the case with novel new technologies however. It remains to be seen how many people will actually be tempted by it.
The LG OLED Flex is on sale now in North America and will become available in “most markets” by the middle of next month.
If you're interested in seeing how the Dell Alienware QD-OLED and LG C2 perform, check out our comparison video below:
