The Dell U4025QW is one of this year’s heaviest hitters in the mixed-use or professional monitor market. It’s a 40-inch 5K2K ultrawide with factory calibration and Thunderbolt 4, but it’s also a 120Hz screen with VRR compatibility. The downside is that it is very expensive, so let’s take a deep dive into it to know if it’s a worthy investment.
Dell U4025QW Specifications
- Screen Size: 40 Inches
- Resolution: 5120 x 2160 WUHD
- Aspect Ratio: 21:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS Black)
- Refresh Rate: 120Hz
- Response Time: 5ms
- Contrast Ratio: 2000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 450 cd/m2 (600 cd/m2 Peak)
- Built-in Speakers: Yes 2 x 9 Watts
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot – No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.4 x 1, HDMI 2.1 x 1, USB-C Thunderbolt 4 PD140W x 1, USB-C Thunderbolt 4 Out x 1, USB-C Upstream x 1, USB 3.2 x 4, RJ45 x 1, USB-C x 2 and USB-A Downstream Hub, 3.5mm Audio Jacks x 1
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 37.27” x 24.50” x 9.95”
- Weight: 26.94 lbs
Design and Features
The Dell U4025QW looks like most of the UltraSharp monitors, but that isn’t a bad thing especially if you consider its features. It has a matte silver shell and stand, so it doesn’t look like your ordinary business model. The screen is bezel-free on three sides, but it still has inner borders and a bottom strip with the Dell logo.
The unboxing experience was straightforward, but there is some assembly required. The base, arm, and main cabinet are separated, but everything is tool free and neatly arranged so you can easily put it together. The box is a standard clamshell type, which can unravel if you open it while it’s upright, so make sure to set it down stably before attempting to unpack the product.
The Dell U4025QW’s package doesn’t include a lot of accessories, but all the necessary cables are already included. You get one each for DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1, USB-C Thunderbolt, USB-C to USB-A, and for power. That’s all you will need to maximize the monitor, except maybe if you want to connect LAN and a speaker to it.
It’s a large and heavy monitor, so some preparation might be necessary before you invest in this monitor. Its over three feet wide and 10 inches deep, so standard desks might not be able to accommodate it especially if your tower is on top too. Its quite heavy at 26.94 pounds, so extra care will necessary while assembling and setting it up.
The Dell U4025QW’s control layout is very easy to use since it only has a joystick and a dedicated power button. It’s located towards the right side of the wide screen, so you might have to reach it to access and use it. You can also use Dell Display Manager, but the main OSD still has more capabilities for fine tuning.
Its main connectivity panel is located at the back so all your main cables can be routed cleanly. You get DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1, a 140-watt Thunderbolt port, a Thunderbolt output for daisy chaining, and four USB 3.2 slots for peripherals. It also has a 3.5mm jack and an RJ45 LAN port for your speakers and networking connectivity.
However, it doesn’t end there since this monitor also has a pop-out USB hub at the front for your convenience. Its located under the bottom bezel, and it includes a USB-A slot and two USB-C ports for accessories and other devices like phones. It has BC 2.1 charging capabilities, so you can plug in and top up your battery while transferring photos and files.
The Dell U4025QW also has a pair of speakers with 9 watts of power to complete its spec sheet. They can get loud and clear, but the bass response isn’t the best. Its usable for movies and media consumption, but gaming deserves a headset.
Display and Performance
The Dell U4025QW boasts a 40-inch IPS Black panel with a 5120 x 2160 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 5ms response time. The backlight has a 450 cd/m2 typical and 600 cd/m2 peak, while the contrast is listed at 2000:1. This model is HDR 600-certified, but it only has edge-lit local dimming so its still limited.
This monitor doesn’t look as sharp as a 4K display, but it actually has a pixel density of 140 PPI versus the 163 PPI on 27-inch UHD screens. That’s not a big difference, and it still offers a ton of room to maneuver for convenience. You will also need a potent GPU to consistently run triple A games at 120Hz with this resolution, but the top-end ones won’t always be necessary.
We didn’t run into any issues with running the monitor via DisplayPort or USB-C Thunderbolt with our desktop PCs and Zephyrus M16 testbed. The monitor fired up without delay, and it went straight to 120Hz without flickering. G-Sync was also automatically active when we checked the settings in the Nvidia Control Panel.
The screen also has a 2500R curvature, but its not as pronounced as we expected when using the screen. Other ultrawides tend to make their curves deeper to amplify the immersive effect, but it not ideal for productivity models like this. Images and walls of text tend to look distorted at times, and flat screens can sometimes look like its bulging towards you if you switch back to it.
The Dell U4025QW covers 100% of sRGB, 95% of Adobe RGB, and 91% of DCI-P3, equating to stunning vibrancy in any situation. Its also pre-calibrated from the factory, so the deltaE average is already low at 0.99. Most users won’t need to calibrate it right away, but we recommend dropping the brightness a bit since it was set to 100% by default.
Calibrating it was a bit difficult since it was already excellent, but we were able to manage to squeeze the deltaE average down to 0.4. We needed a colorimeter and some manual tweaking to achieve it, but that difficultly is mostly because the screen was already optimized from the start. Note that this is only worth it for editing work, but other purposes should be good otherwise.
The screen reached 349 cd/m2 at 100%, but it peaked at 578 cd/m2 when HDR is active. It didn’t reach the claimed specifications, but that’s plenty for normal use. Its contrast reached 1434:1 at 54% brightness, making it a bit better at rendering dark scenes or images. It’s a bit lower than what we’ve seen on other IPS Black monitors from Dell.
Panel uniformity for the test sample had some issues on the lower left corner of the screen. It wasn’t noticeable, but darker scenes, especially a full-black background, made it noticeable. Note that this can vary with every unit made due to tolerances, so there are some better ones out there.
The Dell U4025QW’s pixel response time isn’t the best, but it was hard to notice any blurring or ghosting. Setting the overdrive to its Fast setting along with keeping frames stable at 100 FPS or higher is your best bet. It may not be as fast as the E-Sports monitors out there, but it can hold its own in fast-paced games.
The Dell U4025QW is surprisingly compatible with FreeSync and G-Sync for tearing and stutter-free gaming. UltraSharp monitors did not have VRR compatibility historically, so this is a nice improvement in our eyes. Its input lag sits at 5ms at 120Hz so its smooth and delay-free, unlike many business or prosumer models out there.
Thoughts on the Dell U4025QW
The Dell U4025QW is a fantastic monitor that will satisfy a wider audience than its peers or predecessors. The 40-inch WUHD IPS panel offers immaculate color and an excellently balanced PPI, while the refresh rate and VRR takes care of gamers. Its armed to the teeth when it comes to features, so there is no doubt towards its functionality and flexibility.
Our only concern with it is its high price which is quite close to the two-grand mark. You can catch it on sale with more or less a $200 discount, but its MSRP can be a bit steep especially since Thunderbolt connectivity is already available on cheaper alternatives. However, none of them offer the same amount of skillsets to satisfy meticulous users, so this model is clearly at the top of its game.
Pros:
- Fantastic Color Coverage and Accuracy
- 120Hz with VRR
- Robust Connectivity
Cons:
- Expensive
- Lower Contrast Results and Limited HDR
About the Author: Paolo has been 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; he believes that every citizen has the 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 and create reviews that accentuate the seldom-explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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