Dell UltraSharp monitors refresh: P-series with USB-C, mini-LED backlight, and more

[nanoguy]

In brief: Dell is refreshing its UltraSharp and P-series monitors, along with the introduction of a soundbar to serve as a great companion for your audio needs. Dell's latest crop of monitors ranges from a $450 24-inch model that covers most productivity needs to a $5,000 32-inch model that comes close to reference monitors at a relatively affordable price point.

The UltraSharp 32 HDR PremierColor (UP3221Q) is the most notable of the bunch, as it comes with 2,000 mini-LED backlit dimming zones. And while this isn't on the level of OLED or microLED displays, Dell says it's capable of very good contrast with deep blacks and bright whites.

With its 4K resolution, VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification, and 99.8 percent DCI-P3 color coverage, the UP32221Q is clearly aimed at professionals as an alternative to Apple's expensive Pro Display XDR. It also comes with a built in Calman colorimeter, which means you can perform color calibration at any time without the need to connect to a PC beforehand. Thanks to its Picture-by-Picture mode, you can even connect it to two different sources at the same time and set up different color spaces for them.

Then there's the Dell UltraSharp 24 (U2421E) USB-C Hub Monitor and its larger, 34-inch brother -- the U3431WE. As the name suggests, these are meant to double as a USB-C hub that can deliver 90W of power to a laptop, but they can also daisy-chain with two additional monitors.

The U2421E has a 16:10 aspect ratio which is great for productivity, and Dell says it also has 99 percent sRGB color coverage while keeping blue light levels low for better eye comfort.

The U3431WE is a curved ultrawide monitor with a 3440 by 1440 resolution and 95 percent DCI-P3 color coverage. The two monitors start at $449.99 and $1,199.99 respectively, which is a lot cheaper than the $4,999.99 you'd have to pay for the U2421E.

Dell has also refreshed its P-series lineup, which includes the P2721Q (4K, 27-inch), P3421W (ultrawide, 34-inch), and P3221D (QHD, 31.5-inch). These can be paired with Dell's new $55 Slim Soundbar (SB521A), which can be attached magnetically to the bottom of the display while not interfering with the swivelling mechanism.

All new Dell monitors are set to available later this month, with the exception of the UltraSharp 34 Curved USB-C Hub Monitor (U3431WE), which will become available on December 1.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/87004-dell-ultrasharp-monitors-refresh-p-series-usb-c.html

 

[ColdSoup]

U2721DE for $434.99 looks like a better buy than the U2421E. 1440p on a 27" vs. 1080p on a 24".

A nice big ultrawide is a luxury item still, but great if you have an employer that will buy it for you.

 

[VitalyT]

I don't know what DELL is smoking, asking $5000 for the new UP3221Q - a monitor that only supports 60Hz refresh rate, and without HDMI 2.1

By today's expectations, this is just not acceptable. You can get a decent OLED TV now for 1/3 of the money, with HDMI 2.1 and 120Hz@4K, and one that has better HDR support, like 55" LG CX

 

[Edster]

The U2421E has a 16:10 aspect ratio which is great for productivity, and Dell says it also has 99 percent sRGB color coverage while keeping blue light levels low for better eye comfort.

The U3431WE is a curved ultrawide monitor with a 3440 by 1440 resolution and 95 percent DCI-P3 color coverage. The two monitors start at $449.99 and $1,199.99 respectively, which is a lot cheaper than the $4,999.99 you'd have to pay for the U2421E.

When it means respectively, I thought it meant the U24 and U34. But then it referred to the U24 as $4999. I am assuming it is the UP3221Q they are referring to. Because I am sitting here trying to understand what Vitaly was missing when criticizing the $5K monitor as I was at a loss for while.

I guess it makes more sense after I read the first part of the article and see it basically is a professional "best colour" you can get kind of monitor. Doesn't mean it justifies the pricetag, but prosumer products rarely does for a lay person like me.

 

[Ludak021]

Well, what Dell was thinking is "welp, people are buying Apple monitor stand for a thousand bucks, hell we can sell them the whole monitor with a stand for five g"

 

[Uncle Al]

Definitely has possibilities but I'll have to wait for the prices to come down a bit before I seriously consider them .... still, the quality is very, very good ..... Well done Dell!

 

[Squid Surprise]

I don't know what DELL is smoking, asking $5000 for the new UP3221Q - a monitor that only supports 60Hz refresh rate, and without HDMI 2.1

By today's expectations, this is just not acceptable. You can get a decent OLED TV now for 1/3 of the money, with HDMI 2.1 and 120Hz@4K, and one that has better HDR support, like 55" LG CX

If you can find a professional reference monitor for less, please share the link... these aren't meant for "regular people" - over 60Hz is only necessary for gaming.

 

[Bao Nguyen]

I don't know what DELL is smoking, asking $5000 for the new UP3221Q - a monitor that only supports 60Hz refresh rate, and without HDMI 2.1

By today's expectations, this is just not acceptable. You can get a decent OLED TV now for 1/3 of the money, with HDMI 2.1 and 120Hz@4K, and one that has better HDR support, like 55" LG CX

Your comparison is just simply ignorant. The LG TV is a very overpriced piece of consumer product, think gamers and movie watchers. On the other hand, the Dell monitor is a very affordable professional monitor, think photographers, videographers, animators, graphic designers, etc.

 

[Mister_K]

I guess it makes more sense after I read the first part of the article and see it basically is a professional "best colour" you can get kind of monitor. Doesn't mean it justifies the pricetag, but prosumer products rarely does for a lay person like me.

Quite frankly this isn't even a prosumer product (well its good enough but overpriced compared to others). Prosumers do not use soundbars and for anyone in creative industry you might as well go with Flanders, TVLogic and these days OLED is quite widely accepted specially for HDR delivery.

 

[Mister_K]

Your comparison is just simply ignorant. The LG TV is a very overpriced piece of consumer product, think gamers and movie watchers. On the other hand, the Dell monitor is a very affordable professional monitor, think photographers, videographers, animators, graphic designers, etc.

Actually it is not overpriced. It is quite common in post to use an OLED monitor specially LG, at least to have your previews display on it while still having something like what I listed in my other comment for your main workspace.

For developers you need vertical pixels, for graphic designers you need multiple accurate colour spaces (if you do print), musicians don't need accurate colour and will not be using Soundbars.

So yeah great monitor, overpriced though. Dell is falling behind (still in top 10) and LG panels are still one of the best without going Flanders, alternatively EIZO too.

 

[toooooot]

I am currently looking to buy a second, 4k monitor, to play games my PC can run at 4k.
The one priced at ~500 looks nice. I only wonder if I can get a similar quality in between 300-400, which is what I am ready to spend.

 

[Sorileus86]

Think I'll stick to my 4K LG OLED tv, cheaper, and with more options then dells $5k offering O.o...Seriouslly..who would pay 5k for a damn monitor. Could make 2 really nice gaming PCs for that :O lolz.

 

[Bao Nguyen]

Think I'll stick to my 4K LG OLED tv, cheaper, and with more options then dells $5k offering O.o...Seriouslly..who would pay 5k for a damn monitor. Could make 2 really nice gaming PCs for that :O lolz.

You'd be surprised to know that companies would use these monitors to save costs. They can be scheduled to recalibrate automatically, they can set profiles to match each printer color which is quite crucial for printing businesses for example. They're obviously not gaming monitors but for professionals.

 

[zamroni111]

I don't know what DELL is smoking, asking $5000 for the new UP3221Q - a monitor that only supports 60Hz refresh rate, and without HDMI 2.1

By today's expectations, this is just not acceptable. You can get a decent OLED TV now for 1/3 of the money, with HDMI 2.1 and 120Hz@4K, and one that has better HDR support, like 55" LG CX

Why use HDMI? This monitor has display port and thunderbolt ports.
Tv screen usually has much higher response time compared to monitor. The chroma processing is also not optimized for text display.