One area where the AW3226DM performs surprisingly well is its viewing angles. Traditionally, VA panels have sat somewhere between IPS and TN technology, offering noticeably better contrast than IPS but often sacrificing some viewing angle performance. TN panels tend to suffer the most, with colour and brightness shifting quite dramatically when viewed off-centre, while IPS remains the benchmark for wide viewing angles and colour consistency. Fortunately, Dell's implementation of this VA panel is excellent. Even when viewing the monitor from fairly extreme horizontal or vertical angles, colour shift and brightness loss are kept to a minimum, allowing the image to remain clear and vibrant. Unless you're viewing the display from an unusually awkward position, the viewing experience remains consistently impressive, making it suitable not only for gaming but also for sharing content with others around the desk.
HDR + GAMING
HDR performance is another pleasant surprise considering the AW3226DM's $299 USD price tag. Supporting both Dolby Vision and VESA DisplayHDR 400, the monitor is capable of producing noticeably more dynamic images than a standard SDR display, while its typical HDR brightness of 450 nits helps highlights stand out without appearing overly washed out. Combined with the VA panel's excellent native 3000:1 contrast ratio and 95% DCI-P3 colour coverage, games and HDR-enabled media benefit from punchy colours and convincing depth. Although it won't rival the pixel-perfect blacks of an OLED display, HDR content still looks vibrant and engaging, particularly in colourful racing games and cinematic titles where the wider colour gamut can really shine.
Outside of gaming, the AW3226DM also proved to be an excellent all-round performer. The 31.5-inch QHD resolution provides plenty of desktop space for multitasking, while still maintaining a comfortable pixel density that keeps text and images looking sharp. Photo editing also proved enjoyable thanks to the wide colour gamut and vibrant VA panel, producing rich, accurate-looking colours that are more than suitable for enthusiast content creation. Of course, gaming is where this display truly comes alive. The combination of the 240Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time and Adaptive Sync technologies results in an incredibly fluid experience, with fast-paced titles benefiting from exceptionally smooth motion. During our time playing Assetto Corsa Rally, the monitor performed flawlessly, delivering crisp visuals, excellent motion clarity and responsive gameplay that made it easy to appreciate the high refresh rate.
BACKLIGHT BLEED
One aspect we did notice during testing was a degree of backlight bleed, particularly during very dark loading screens and black backgrounds. This manifested as lighter patches around sections of the display that became visible when the rest of the panel was displaying near-black content. While it is certainly noticeable in specific scenarios, it largely disappears during normal gameplay, browsing and everyday desktop use. It's also worth noting that a certain amount of backlight bleed is considered normal on LCD monitors, including VA panels, with the severity varying slightly from unit to unit due to manufacturing tolerances. Unless you frequently use the monitor in a completely dark room while viewing predominantly black content, it's unlikely to be something that significantly detracts from the overall experience.
