Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor

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The Dell U3223QE seems to be like every previous Dell Ultrasharp monitor. But this one has a trick up its sleeve: It’s among the many first screens to make use of LG’s new IPS Black panel know-how. IPS Black is a brand new iteration of IPS panel tech that guarantees to spice up distinction by decreasing the deepest, darkest shade of black the panel can obtain.  

Dell U3223QE: Specifications 

The Dell U3223QE is a part of the corporate’s Ultrasharp line of enterprise {and professional} screens. Ultrasharp is just not the easiest Dell presents on this subject—that honor goes to Dell’s far much less widespread Ultrasharp PremierColor line—but it surely’s a high-end show by most metrics. It has a 31.5-inch, 4K panel that guarantees to ship as much as 98 % of the DCI-P3 coloration gamut. 

• Display measurement: 31.5-inch 
• Native decision: 3,840 x 2,160 
• Panel sort: IPS Black 
• Refresh charge: 60Hz 
• Adaptive Sync: None 
• Ports: 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort-in, 1x DisplayPort-out, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 90 watts Power Delivery, 1x USB-C upstream, 1x USB-C downstream, 5x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, Ethernet.  
• Stand adjustment: Height, tilt, swivel 
• VESA mount: Yes, 100x100mm 
• Speakers: No 
• HDR: Yes, VESA DisplayHDR 400 
• Price: $1,149.99 MSRP ($919.99 typical) 

The monitor can be a USB-C hub monitor crammed to the gills with connectivity. This consists of a number of USB-C ports, certainly one of which may deal with as much as 90 watts of Power Delivery, 5 USB-A ports, and ethernet. That’s as a lot as you’ll discover on any USB-C hub monitor bought right now.  

Matt Smith / Foundry

Dell U3223QE: Design

The Dell Ultrasharp U3223QE has a easy silver-gray plastic chassis that feels sturdy however lacks flourish. Even the textured end discovered on some less-expensive Dell screens is lacking. At the entrance, you’ll discover slim bezels on 4 sides. The backside bezel is so slim there’s no room for the Dell emblem, so it’s been moved to the stand.  

A sturdy rectangular base retains the U3223QE supported. It’s plain however compact, which is a plus. Competitors like LG and Samsung typically use a wider base. A large base would possibly look extra steady, but it surely’s no higher in follow, and consumes desk house you would possibly need to use. Dell’s easy but efficient stand is the higher selection.  

The stand adjusts for peak, tilt, and swivel—options that customers anticipate at this value. However, it throws in a bonus: It can pivot 90 levels to be used in portrait mode. This is uncommon for a 32-inch monitor, as most stands lack the peak to permit it. 

Matt Smith / Foundry

Dell U3223QE: Features and menu

You management the Dell Ultrasharp U3223QE with a joystick on the lower-right quarter of the monitor’s bottom. I discovered it simple to find, although it could show a attain for some customers. An influence button is positioned close by, however Dell distinguishes it with a concave floor that differs from the joystick. This prevents unintentionally hitting the facility button as an alternative of the joystick. 

The on-screen menu is specified by easy, logical groupings, and the joystick management feels intuitive when scrolling by way of choices. Dell has a transparent edge over rivals like Viewsonic and LG, which are likely to have extra opaque menu groupings. BenQ is the one model that has Dell beat. Some BenQ screens, together with the DesignVue screens that straight compete with Dell’s Ultrasharp, have a bundled distant.  

Menu choices are in depth and clearly geared in direction of extra discerning house owners. The U3223QE presents three preset coloration gamut modes (sRGB, Rec.709, and DCI-P3), plus a wholesome dose of gamma, coloration temperature, and coloration hue changes. These options can be greater than sufficient for all however essentially the most demanding professionals.  

This is a USB-C hub monitor, and it’s not kidding round about connectivity. There’s HDMI and DisplayPort, in fact, plus USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 90 watts of Power Delivery. The monitor also supports DisplayPort MST and has DisplayPort-out, so you’ll be able to daisy-chain a connection to extra DisplayPort screens. 

But wait, there’s extra! The monitor additionally has a second USB-C upstream port that helps USB3.2 Gen 1 speeds and delivers as much as 65 watts of energy. This is helpful for connecting a second USB-C gadget for knowledge solely. There’s additionally a USB-C downstream port for passing by way of knowledge and a complete of 5 USB-A ports that help USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds.  

The U3223QE has an Ethernet port, helps Gigabit Ethernet speeds, and even has a LED mild that signifies whether or not a related gadget is working at 1000Mbps or 100Mbps speeds. 

Dell’s U3223QE is stacked with options however it’s lacking one factor customers might anticipate. Speakers. Dell tends to exclude them from a wide range of screens. That’s okay, as monitor audio system are usually unhealthy, however customers ought to know this earlier than shopping for. 

Dell U3223QE: Image high quality

Alright, let’s get into the meat of it. The USB-C hub is superb, however this monitor’s defining function is the IPS Black panel. Dell’s U2723QE and U3223QE are the primary to convey the know-how to the North American market.  

The first check, brightness, is just not an space IPS Black guarantees to enhance, however the U3223QE does properly all the identical. It hit a most sustained SDR brightness of 449 nits. This is a superb consequence for SDR and among the many highest I’ve noticed in a monitor with a standard edge-lit LED backlight. 

In reality, the brightness is overkill, but it surely’s excellent news for customers on the lookout for a show that may deal with an unusually vibrant setting.  

Matt Smith / Foundry

Of course, distinction is the check monitor fans have been ready to see, and it’s excellent news. IPS Black does what it claims to. The monitor achieves a most distinction ratio of two,190:1. That’s roughly double what the very best standard IPS desktop screens can present. 

I recorded a minimal luminance of .9 nits with the monitor at 50 % of its most brightness. Most standard IPS panel screens show a luminance between .16 and .28 in comparable circumstances.  

Put merely, the IPS Black panel can obtain a deeper, extra convincing shade of black than earlier IPS panels. 

Matt Smith / Foundry

Color gamut, the utmost vary of colours a monitor can show, is one other win for the U3223QE. It delivers as much as 99 % of the DCI-P3 gamut and as much as 89 % of AdobeRGB, plus 100 % of sRGB.  

These figures are distinctive for any monitor. The U3223QE outperforms most of its IPS friends and nips on the heels of OLED.  

Matt Smith / Foundry

I wrap up the graphs with coloration accuracy, the place the U3223QE as soon as once more scores a strong victory. The monitor had a mean coloration error of 1.01, which is a good (although not distinctive) consequence. The U3223QE is just not beating its competitors, however the overwhelming majority of householders will discover the monitor’s coloration efficiency enticing. 

As talked about, the U3223QE consists of preset coloration modes for the sRGB, Rec.709, and DCI-P3 coloration gamuts. Rec.709 is just not a gamut I check for, however the sRGB and DCI-P3 modes had been correct and carried out throughout the coloration and luminance vary anticipated. The DCI-P3 mode was essentially the most coloration correct of the bunch with a mean coloration error of .83.  

Matt Smith / Foundry

There is only one important weak spot to notice: luminance uniformity. Despite all its strengths, that is nonetheless an edge-lit LED panel, and meaning the sides of the show are notably brighter than the center in darkish scenes. My evaluation unit additionally had a pair minor blotches of brightness, an issue typical of IPS screens.  

To its credit score, the IPS Black panel appeared to make these spots dimmer and fewer distracting, however they’re nonetheless there. This is an space the place Mini-LED and OLED options will put the U3223QE to disgrace. 

The U3223QE is a superb performer by the numbers. It’s additionally a subjectively unbelievable expertise out of the field. The mixture of a large coloration gamut, correct coloration, and above-average distinction creates a lavish, vivid expertise with a beautiful sense of depth. Feed it high-quality content material, reminiscent of uncompressed 4K or a cutting-edge 3D sport, and also you’re in for a deal with. 

Dell U3223QE: HDR high quality

Okay, so the Dell U3223QE is an excellent SDR monitor. HDR, although? Forget about it. 

Yes, the monitor can obtain a superb most brightness of 507 nits. And sure, it has the colour gamut to offer some additional oomph to HDR content material. The IPS Black panel’s added distinction also needs to, in principle, be useful.  

It’s not sufficient. Though vibrant, the U3223QE’s edge-lit backlight can’t deal with variations in luminance properly sufficient to make HDR stand out. It can typically look much less enticing than SDR, even when displaying vibrant scenes. 

I additionally observed odd habits within the U3223QE’s backlight. It appeared to ramp up noticeably in brightness when fed a vibrant full-screen picture however then settle again down over a number of seconds. This was distracting and in addition precipitated my SpyderX colorimeter to report main coloration errors in HDR testing.  

Don’t purchase this monitor for HDR. For now, those who want great (or even decent) HDR should flip to a dearer Mini-LED monitor just like the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX or Viewsonic XG321UG.  

Dell U3223QE: Motion efficiency

The Dell Ultrasharp U3223QE is just not meant for gaming and has an earthly 60Hz refresh charge. Fast movement seems to be okay and video games able to hitting a constant 60 frames per second really feel easy sufficient, but it surely’s no comparability to even a 144Hz monitor, nevermind 240Hz and past. Adaptive Sync help is lacking, too. 

That’s a bummer, although not as a lot a difficulty because it appears. Competitive avid gamers don’t use a big monitor, anyway, as they like smaller 24.5-inch screens. Driving 4K at a excessive refresh charge can be a problem, so best avid gamers keep on with 1080p. Still, hardcore Valorant and Counter-Strike gamers ought to make no mistake. This isn’t the monitor for you. 

If you like extra atmospheric video games, nonetheless, or titles with restricted quick motion, the U3223QE is a good decide. The monitor’s distinctive coloration, good distinction, and sharp 4K decision make it properly suited to technique titles like Civilization VI or open-world video games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.  

Dell U3223QE: Final ideas

The Dell Ultrasharp U3223QE is a good debut for IPS Black know-how. It guarantees improved black ranges and distinction, and that’s precisely what it delivers. It additionally retains the good coloration efficiency high-end IPS panel screens are identified for, and, to sweeten the deal, offers crisp 4K decision.  

But there’s extra to the U3223QE than the panel. It’s additionally a unbelievable enterprise, productiveness, {and professional} monitor loaded with image-quality choices and a king’s buffet of connectivity. You can plug in a high-end laptop computer over USB-C and achieve prompt entry to 5 extra USB-A ports, DisplayPort-out, and ethernet.  

Lackluster HDR efficiency and the dearth of any gaming-focused options do maintain the monitor again barely. Gamers are going to need to purchase a gaming-specific monitor. However, in the event you solely sport often, or aren’t too involved about movement readability, the U3223QE will work effective. 

The value is the kicker. Dell sells the U3223QE for $919.99 online. That’s not cheap however, given every thing on provide right here, it’s good worth, and makes for a simple suggestion.