The Dell U2722D is a refined business monitor with a vibrant IPS panel and fast connectivity options for a seamless and productive experience. However, it’s quite pricey for a 1440p office monitor, so its image quality should rate highly for it to be a worthy investment. Let’s check out and see what the Dell U2722D can do and if it should be your next monitor for remote work or your office.
Dell U2722D Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution: 2560 x 1440 QHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Response Time: 5ms (Fast)
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 350 cd/m²
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot – Yes
- VESA Compatibility: Yes 100 x 100
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.4 x 1, DP Out x 1, HDMI 1.4 x 1, USB 3.2 x 4, USB-C x 1, USB-C 3.2 (PD15W) x 1, RJ45 x 1, 3.5mm Jack x 1
- Dimensions with Stand (WxHxD): 24.07” x 21.07” x 7.28”
- Weight 14.57 lbs
Design and Features
The Dell U2722D has an appealing business-oriented attire that will not look out of place in studios or the boss’s office. The device has a matte silver shell and stand, along with matte black edges that make it look sleek and snappy. The display is bezel-free on three sides, but you will still see inner borders when it’s not in use.
Newer versions like this model have reduced dimensions to make them more attractive while lessening their environmental impact. It only needs a little over seven inches of depth on your desk, unlike the older models which had bulky stands and bases. It’s also not that heavy when fully assembled, so it will be fairly easy to move around if you rearrange often.
The Dell U2722D uses mostly plastics on its body, but it doesn’t feel like it is fragile or cheap like other budget offerings. The monitor itself looks sharp and without any cosmetic defects, and there is no sign of flexing on the plastics. The stand is firm and free from wobbling so the screen won’t sag or shake while you are crunching the numbers.
The Dell U2722D includes an OSD joystick for easy navigation in the sub-menus and presets built into the product. You can also use the Dell Display Manager app which has a few tricks up its sleeve, including syncing your settings between two daisy-chained U2722Ds. it’s a simple and intuitive layout, so even beginners won’t struggle with it for too long.
The stand included with the Dell U2722D is fully adjustable so getting a comfortable view angle is readily doable. You can tilt, swivel, pivot, and adjust the height of your screen according to your needs and wants without any added accessories. You can buy a VESA mount, but that’s only necessary if you have multiple screens or if your desk has limited space.
The main difference between the Dell U2722D and the U2722DE is its connectivity layout since this model is missing USB-C DP Alt Mode and KVM functionality. You get the same DisplayPort 1.4 and DP Out slot, HDMI 1.4, four USB 3.2 slots, and two USB-C slots with it. However, only one has a power delivery rating of 15 watts for mobile devices while the other is only for an upstream connection to your PC.
The Dell U2722D doesn’t have audio options built-in since the brand is marketing their proprietary soundbar for it. We don’t agree with it, but you can use your own audio devices for music and entertainment anyway. We’d only consider buying the Dell SB521A for this monitor if space is a concern or if you want a clean and streamlined desktop.
Display and Performance
The Dell U2722D sports a 27-inch IPS panel with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a 5ms minimum response time. The backlight has a 350 cd/m2 maximum while the contrast ratio is listed at 1000:1 like most IPS panels. This model doesn’t include specs like HDR compatibility, but it advertises wide gamut coverage and pristine image quality for discerning professionals.
1440p is the best choice if you want an upgrade in crispness but find 4K screens at the same size to be too sharp for reading or document processing. This resolution offers a sizable increase in space versus 1080p, plus it is not too demanding when it comes to games. 4K is very popular now, but there’s no denying that 1440p is here to stay judging from the flood of QHD display products in several categories in the market.
The Dell U2722D renders more than 100% of the sRGB gamut and around 96% DCI-P3 to match its claims. The default accuracy is slightly worse compared to the U2722DE since the dE average is at 2.75, although that’s mostly because of its wide gamut coverage. You can use its sRGB filter that has a dE average of 1.13, but it will lower the gamut coverage to 97% sRGB.
Calibrating the Dell U2722D will bring out its true potential for editing use and content creation. The deltaE average dropped to an amazing 0.67 with the help of a colorimeter, although buying it is unnecessary in most cases. We can only recommend going the extra mile like this if you are into color-critical work, but otherwise, the default plus a few tweaks will be sufficient.
Its missed its brightness claim at 327 cd/m2, but that’s more than enough for daily use even if you work in brightly lit rooms. However, its contrast ratio could be better since it topped out at 1018:1 at 50% brightness. This model, like many IPS-based monitors out there, is limited in this regard and it results in poor black luminance.
Panel uniformity for the Dell U2722D sample could use some improvements since there were backlight leaks on the top edges of the screen. This flaw becomes noticeable in dark scenes, but the resulting clouding isn’t as visible when full-color images are on display. Note that this varies between every unit, so there are better ones out there.
The Dell U2722D can’t match its gaming counterparts when it comes to pixel response time since it’s limited to 60Hz. It can hold its own in casual titles, but fast-paced games will reveal some blurring and persistence. It has two overdrive settings named Normal and Fast, but only the former is usable if you don’t want to deal with overshoot.
The Dell U2722D also doesn’t support FreeSync and G-Sync, so VRR is out of the question for the gamers out there. That’s understandable since this is a business model, plus it doesn’t take a lot to run 60 frames per second anyway. Input lag sits at 10ms at 60Hz, so it is still free from lag and delays during regular use.
Thoughts on the Dell U2722D
The Dell U2722D is an excellent choice if you are after a high-quality monitor for business use or remote work. Its vibrant IPS panel is a joy to look at, plus it can be calibrated for suitability with editing work and content creation. We like the design of the monitor, although we wish it still had USB-C DP Alt Mode considering its price.
The deal-breaker here is obviously its price since $500 or more is a lot to ask for a general-purpose 60Hz 1440p display. However, we know the money pays for quality, but we’re not happy with the fact that it doesn’t have DP Alt Mode even if it has the USB-C slot for it. The U2722DE costs a hundred to a hundred and fifty more, so this is the better buy if you don’t plan on using it with a USB-C laptop like MacBooks.
Pros:
- Great Image Quality and Gamut Coverage
- Attractive Design
- Plenty of Connectivity Options
Cons:
- Pricey SRP
- Mediocre Contrast
- No DP Alt Mode
About the Author: Paolo is a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since junior high. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations and he believes that it’s every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews that accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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