Alienware AW3926QW Review: 39 Inches of Gaming Glory

Let’s talk size first. As a 39-inch ultrawide monitor, the AW3926QW is already unique. Thirty-four inches (measured diagonally) is the standard size for ultrawide monitors, and Alienware has been a pioneer in that space since the launch of the AW3423DW in 2022. Forty-five-inch models have been introduced, but they're reserved for those who really want something almost TV-like on their desk. The AW3926QW nestles right in between, though, with a 39-inch panel—still at a 21:9 aspect ratio. Gamers who want a big display but don’t have room for a 45-inch model aren’t going to be happy with a 34-inch alternative, which looks tiny by comparison. The AW3926QW fills that gap perfectly, still offering an impressively large screen to game on.

It’s not the first to use this size (a handful of 39-inch OLED monitors with 3440 x 1440 resolution exist), but in my mind, it's the first to do it the right way. The larger the screen, the more those pixels get stretched out. You need an actual increase in pixels if you want to retain the same clarity. And that's where the Alienware AW3926QW takes a big step forward.

The panel’s resolution is 5120 x 2160, and the latter of those two numbers is key. It means the AW3926QW’s vertical resolution is equivalent to a 4K widescreen with 3,840 x 2,160 resolution, which in turn means you can view 4K content at its full resolution. That’s not possible on an ultrawide with 3,440 x 1,440 resolution.

As mentioned, some 45-inch OLED ultrawides also offer 5K2K resolution. Because they’re physically larger, however, they’re not quite as sharp as the AW3926QW.

OLED Perks Apply

Size and resolution are the AW3926QW’s distinctive traits, but the AW3926QW offers many less distinctive advantages that, though shared with many OLED monitors of various sizes, are still impressive.

Contrast is fantastic across the board. The AW3926QW can hit a perfect minimum luminance of zero nits, which means it provides an essentially infinite contrast ratio. Dark scenes provide a deep, inky black level yet also display excellent shadow detail.