Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB review: 6K monitor packs the pixels, but it’s pricey

Price When Reviewed

$3,199.99

Want a 6K monitor? If so, Apple’s Pro Display XDR is the one sport on the town—and its Mac-centric design makes it unappealing to these utilizing Windows. Dell has lastly delivered an alternate, the Ultrasharp U3224KB, which packs 6K decision in addition to a webcam, microphone, soundbar, and USB-C hub. The monitor’s sharpness is spectacular however comes at a excessive value. 

Further studying: See our roundup of the best 4K monitors to find out about competing merchandise.

What are the Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB specs?

The standout specification is clearly the monitor’s 6144×3456 panel. This is a tad greater than Apple’s Pro Display XDR, which has a decision of 6016×3384. Dell additionally opts for an IPS Black panel, a brand new sort of IPS show panel that delivers a greater distinction ratio than its predecessors. 

• Display dimension: 32-inch 16:9 widescreen
• Native decision: 6144×3456
• Panel sort: IPS Black LCD
• Refresh price: 60Hz
• Adaptive-Sync: None
• HDR: VESA DisplayHDR 600
• Ports: 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Mini-DisplayPort, 1x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C with 140 watts Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 2.5Gb ethernet, 1x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C, 1x USB-C with 10 watts Power Delivery, 1x USB-A
• VESA mount: Yes
• Webcam: 4K HDR 
• Microphone: Included
• Speakers: Included
• Price: $3,199.99

The Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB retails at $3,199.99. That’s a particularly excessive value, although definitely not remarkable—and, with no different 6K possibility in the marketplace apart from Apple’s $5,000 Pro Display XDR, Dell possible feels free to cost what it needs. 

Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB design 

Dell’s Ultrasharp U3224KB has a 6K show, however odds are that’s not what you’ll first discover. The monitor throws in a soundbar and 4K webcam, each of that are positioned above the show. It’s an odd, top-heavy look that instantly stands out, however it works simply in addition to if the soundbar was beneath the show. 

Material high quality is stable with sturdy silver plastics that resist flex and supply a convincing faux-metallic look. I do have a nit to select, nonetheless: I discovered that the plastics within the monitor’s backside left and proper nook had been too versatile and creaked when the monitor was dealt with on this space. I doubt it’s a useful concern however it’s unlucky to see at this value level.

A heavy stand retains the monitor firmly planted on a desk. The base is compact, nonetheless, and its flat profile helps you keep some use of the desk floor that it does occupy. This is preferable to high-end displays that use broad, tripod-style stands, that are mostly discovered on LG and Samsung shows. The stand adjusts for top, tilt, swivel, and may pivot 90 levels into panorama orientation. A 100x100mm VESA mount is included for attaching a third-party monitor stand or arm. 

Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB options and menus

The Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB has a Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and a whopping 140 watts of Power Delivery. That’s essential, as 140 watts is sufficient to totally energy a brand new Dell XPS 15 (and lots of different premium laptops with midrange discrete graphics). 

This port additionally acts as a hub which drives a USB-C downstream port, 4 USB-A ports, and a 2.5Gb ethernet port. This makes the U3224KB a succesful USB hub. Do be aware, nonetheless, that the monitor lacks a USB-B upstream port, which suggests its USB hub capabilities are solely out there when the USB-C port is linked.

Additional video connectivity is on the market over HDMI 2.1 and, surprisingly, Mini-DisplayPort 2.1. Full-sized DisplayPort 2.1 is just not out there. A Dell consultant instructed me the usage of Mini-DisplayPort was attributable to early technical points with VESA’s improvement of a full-sized DisplayPort 2.1 connection. Those points had been resolved, however Dell had already locked in its design, leaving the U3224KB with Mini-DisplayPort. Dell additionally notes {that a} appropriate Mini-DisplayPort 2.1 output may be discovered on the newest AMD Pro graphics playing cards. In any case, this makes for a complete of three video inputs, all three of which assist 6K decision at 60Hz. Be cautious to examine the show output requirements utilized by your PC, as older video playing cards might lack assist for an output that may deal with 6K.

Matt Smith

A joystick is used to manage the monitor’s on-screen menus. Dell’s menus are logically organized and supply a wide range of picture high quality choices together with coloration temperature adjustment and as much as six-axis customized coloration adjustment for hue, saturation, achieve, and offset (within the Custom Color mode). The monitor additionally has presets for the sRGB, Rec.709, DCI-P3, and Display P3 coloration house.

The joystick is joined by a set of touch-sensitive controls on the lower-left bezel that may modify the amount, mute the microphone, or deactivate the digital camera. They’re usually invisible however gentle up when a finger or hand comes inside a few half-inch of the lower-left bezel. I don’t suppose most individuals will use them ceaselessly, as controlling these capabilities in Windows is a faster, simpler possibility. Still, privacy-minded customers would possibly like the choice to deactivate the webcam and microphone. 

Matt Smith

The 4K HDR webcam delivers good video high quality. It’s not a match for a “real” digital camera, to make sure, however similar to the standard of 4K standalone webcams just like the Logitech Brio and Dell Ultrasharp Webcam. Video is pretty crisp and supplies a lush, saturated look. A built-in microphone can seize audio and picks up sturdy, clear audio that simply beats most laptop computer or monitor microphones I’ve heard over the previous few years. Together, the digital camera and microphone will make it easier to look and sound your greatest in video calls. 

Audio high quality is respectable, although not superb. Volume is excessive and the presentation is crisp when taking part in much less demanding content material, like a well-recorded podcast, however the sound muddies in music, films, and video games. Still, it’s an enormous step up from the dinky audio system present in most displays. The microphone and soundbar have an echo cancellation function that lets house owners attend a video name with out headphones. 

How is the Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB’s SDR picture high quality?

The Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB is promoted because the world’s first 6K monitor with an IPS Black show panel. So, are the additional pixels noticeable?

Yes, they’re. The 32-inch 6K (6144×3456) panel packs 220 pixels per inch, a roughly 60 p.c enchancment over a 32-inch 4K monitor. This pixel density is just like Apple’s MacE-book Pro laptops and a bit lower than a laptop computer with a 4K show. In truth, it is likely to be extra correct to say the additional pixels aren’t noticeable—as a result of it’s practically unimaginable to see the person pixels on the show. They solely reveal themselves in check photos or underneath magnification.

Whether you’ll profit from the pixel rely is one other matter. Most fashionable apps look nice at 6K decision, however older apps that lack correct scaling are extraordinarily troublesome to make use of with out turning on WIndows’ built-in magnification function, which is cumbersome. Games look implausible, however operating a sport at 6K decision reduces its efficiency, so this gained’t be viable on something however the latest GPU hardware. 4K films and streaming exhibits look nice however, in fact, no extra so than on a 4K monitor.

The full advantages of 6K are principally reserved to content material creators. It’s clearly preferable in case you shoot video at 6K decision, or one thing near it. Alternatively, you possibly can edit video at 4K decision and examine a real 4K preview that takes up solely a portion of the show. Photographers profit, too, because the improved decision makes it doable to edit giant images with much less have to zoom out and in of the picture. 

In quick: 6K decision appears superior, however you’ll battle to totally respect it until you’re working with content material at extraordinarily excessive resolutions. This isn’t an issue, however an statement, and one that ought to make it easier to resolve if a 6K monitor is for you. We reside in a 4K world, so that you’re unlikely to see the advantages of 6K content material until you’re creating it your self. 

There is extra to a monitor than its decision, nonetheless—and the Dell U3224KB scores effectively in most image-quality exams.

Matt Smith

Maximum brightness is available in at a wonderful 524 nits. That’s a lot brighter than most conditions name for (I spent most of my testing with the monitor set to 15 p.c of most). However, I do suppose the brightness is beneficial, as that is exactly the kind of monitor that is likely to be mounted in a convention room or an govt’s nook workplace. The monitor stays comfy to make use of in a shiny room.

Matt Smith

Dell opts for an IPS Black show panel. True to its title, it achieves a luminance as little as .01 nits. That’s an enormous enchancment over a typical IPS panel, which might dip solely as little as .06 to .03 nits (and not using a Mini-LED backlight). 

The result’s a good most distinction ratio of 1,710:1. It’s a really noticeable enchancment over an ordinary IPS show, but nonetheless fairly far behind Mini-LED displays, just like the Acer Predator X32 FP, and OLED displays, just like the Asus ProArt PG32DC. The Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB supplies good depth when utilized in a shiny room however struggles with shadow element in darker scenes, and it might’t hope to match the jet-black look of an OLED show panel.

This is a key level. The Dell’s distinction ratio is behind equally priced options, however these options don’t supply 6K decision. Shoppers will want to select between sharpness and depth. 

Matt Smith

The Dell U322KB produced a coloration gamut that spans 100 p.c of sRGB, 99 p.c of DCI-P3, and 92 p.c AdobeRGB. That’s a wonderful consequence and beats most comparable displays. Only the Asus ProArtwork PG32DC, which has a top-quality 4K OLED show panel, exceeds the Dell U3224KB—and it’s nonetheless a detailed name. The Dell ought to supply a broad sufficient coloration gamut to deal with any job. 

Matt Smith

Color accuracy is stable, too. The Dell U3224KB does fall behind some options, just like the ProArtwork PG32DC, however the degree of coloration error produced by these shows is so small that it’s unlikely to be an issue for even probably the most discerning customers. 

I additionally recorded a gamma curve of two.2, which is exactly on track, and a default coloration temperature of 6800Okay, which is only a tad cooler than the goal of 6500Okay. These are good outcomes.

Understanding the U3224KB’s picture high quality would possibly really feel advanced, however it’s reasonably simple to simplify. The monitor appears nice, however it solely beats 4K rivals when 6K content material is on the market. 

How is the Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB’s HDR picture high quality?

The Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB helps HDR and carries a VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification. It carried out as promised with a most sustained full-screen HDR brightness of as much as 669 nits. That’s a robust consequence that exceeds OLED displays. However, it does fall behind Mini-LED displays just like the Acer Predator X32 FP, which might hit not less than 946 nits. 

High brightness helps the U3224KB present a extra vivid picture and add luminance element in HDR content material. Bright highlights, like a sundown or headlights in a darkish alley, are noticeably extra detailed than in SDR. However, the U3224KB’s modest distinction ratio is a limitation and in the end dulls the monitor’s affect in HDR. The monitor struggles when a small, shiny object seems in an in any other case darker picture, wanting flat and washed-out in comparison with a Mini-LED or OLED various. 

The U3224KB additionally falls effectively behind different displays in its value vary. It’s just a few hundred {dollars} inexpensive than the Asus ProArtwork PG32DC, an OLED monitor that’s barely dimmer in HDR content material and delivers a much more sensible picture in darkish scenes. The Acer Predator XP32 FP, which retails for $1,500, demolishes the U3224KB’s HDR efficiency with greater marks in each shiny and distinction. The Dell appears first rate by itself, however it’s hopelessly outmatched by price-competitive options.

Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB movement efficiency

Matt Smith

Motion efficiency isn’t a spotlight for Dell’s Ultrasharp U3224KB, and it exhibits. The monitor has a 60Hz refresh price and guarantees a minimal gray-to-gray response time of 5 milliseconds. Neither determine is nice: Today’s greatest displays attain as much as 500Hz and obtain sub-millisecond gray-to-gray response instances.

Fast-moving objects present little readability as they zoom throughout the display screen. The obscure define of the thing is tangible however particulars, like the colour of an individual’s eyes or the feel of their clothes, are vague. Panning the digital camera in a 3D sport will trigger vital blur that makes it troublesome to deal with any explicit object, character or enemy. While the U3224KB’s general efficiency is just not spectacular, it’s typical for a 60Hz monitor.

Adaptive Sync is lacking, as effectively, so the monitor can’t coordinate its refresh price with the video output from a tool. This will trigger display screen tearing and/or micro-stutter points in some video games. 

Is the Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB value it?

The Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB is an distinctive monitor with a razor-sharp 6K picture, helpful webcam and microphone, and versatile USB hub, however its general picture high quality and have set might not maintain up in opposition to 4K options. Despite its spectacular decision, the U3224KB’s distinction ratio and HDR efficiency fall behind equally priced choices just like the Asus ProArtwork PG32DC.

Still, a easy truth stays: The Dell Ultrasharp U3224KB is a 6K monitor. Apple’s Pro Display XDR additionally supplies 6K decision however its value, design, and deal with the Mac make it a non-starter for these utilizing Windows PCs. Creators on Windows who need 6K decision will discover the U3224KB is their solely possibility. For now, not less than.