HomeGames & TechDell UltraSharp 27-inch 4K monitor U2718Q review

Dell UltraSharp 27-inch 4K monitor U2718Q review

The Dell UltraSharp U2718Q is a 27-inch monitor designed to help content creators get more done. It achieves this thanks to a backlit LED IPS panel capable of 4K UltraHD which means a resolution of 3840×2160. That means the screen has as many pixels as four HD (1920×1080) screens making it perfect for multi-tasking as you can run multiple apps without the need to Alt+Tab between them or use multiple screens.

The U2718Q comes in a rather large box that contains the monitor base, stand, screen and a bunch of cables. The cables included are a power lead, USB hub lead and a Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort lead. Everything is easy to unpack and the monitor is quick to assemble. First impressions are that the screen looks massive and it’s a real treat if you’ve been working with a smaller monitor.

Once assembled the monitor feels solid and it weighs just over 6.5kg. The official dimensions from Dell are 61.13cm x 20.03cm x 41.02cm including the stand. The design of the monitor is fairly simple and utilises Dell’s usual silvery grey and black. The stand has a cable hole to help you keep things neat and tidy. Once on your desk you can adjust the height of the monitor as well as tilt, swivel and pivot it to your preferred position. It’s also possible to rotate the screen into a portrait orientation if needed.

© Dell

The three cables are all that’s needed to get going and it’s nice to see that there is no power brick. Once powered up the monitor impresses even more thanks to Dell’s InfinityEdge bezel. These are tiny and gives you a screen that extends almost edge-to-edge. The small bezel would also help greatly in a multi-monitor setup. The screen looks good from almost anywhere thanks to 178º viewing angles and anti-glare coating to reduce those pesky reflections.

In addition to a power socket, the monitor features several inputs. These are HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 and Mini DisplayPort 1.2. There’s also a built-in USB 3.0 hub with four sockets (2 on the back and 2 on the left side) and an audio line-out jack.

On the bottom right of the monitor are some physical buttons to turn the screen on and off as well as to navigate the on-screen menus. These are all easy to use and it’s possible to change settings with just a few presses.

© Dell

There’s no denying that the screen looks absolutely stunning but I do find that larger screens tend to show off the UHD content better. The screen is capable of showing 1.07 billion colours with a contrast ration of 1300:1 and brightness of 350 cd/m². The screen is also calibrated by Dell to 99.9% sRGB meaning you can expect very accurate and realistic colour representation.

The Dell UltraSharp U2718Q also features High Dynamic Range (HDR) capable of displaying HDR content when connected via HDMI. Sadly there’s still quite a lack of HDR content at the moment but this is improving. You really need to enable and disable HDR depending on what you’re using the screen for. Having HDR enabled when using SDR content can look pretty terrible. Many PC games and apps don’t yet support HDR but I found good success using the screen with an Xbox One S.

One thing to be aware of is that the response time is only 8ms but this can be reduce to 5ms with overdrive enabled. If you’re looking for a gaming screen the response time is likely to leave you with noticeable lag.

© Dell

Overall the Dell UltraSharp U2718Q is a solid choice for PC users on a budget who are looking for a 4K monitor. It’s most suited to users who need the extra real estate for their apps to increase their productivity. It’s great for users working with all kinds of apps and maybe the occasional game. Users looking for a screen primarily for gaming would be best to look elsewhere.

The Dell UltraSharp 27-inch 4K monitor U2718Q was reviewed using a review unit supplied by Dell.

Manufacturer: Dell Official Website: www.dell.co.uk

Greg Ellwood
Greg Ellwoodhttps://8ce250469d.nxcli.io
Greg is the Deputy Editor of Entertainment Focus. He writes about Games, Tech and TV. You can find him on Xbox/PSN/Steam as Tahllian.

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