My current home computing setup includes a 13” MacBook Pro connected to two 27” monitors. They look great and get the job done. But there is little that compares to the Dell UP2718Q 27” 4K HDR Monitor. With amazing resolution and remarkable color accuracy, it is a monitor built for professionals. It’s truly impressive with a price to match.
The Dell UP2718Q is designed for professionals. That’s clear from the marketing approach the company takes:
Create your masterpiece: Design and edit your best work yet with incredible visuals on Dell’s first 27″ 4K HDR monitor that meets HDR10 standards. View lifelike colors, exceptional clarity and striking details. Plus, with Dell PremierColor, your visuals are enhanced with superior color performance.
The positioning of this as a professional’s monitor is also clear from the $2000 MSRP. That’s right; this monitor has a two thousand dollar price tag. (Although it is currently “just” $1500 on Dell’s site.)
Before going further into the monitor, let me get this out of the way. The monitor may have bleeding edge technology but, to be honest, it looks like a throwback to monitors from the days of old. I don’t mean the days of old as in the huge CRT monitors many of us used to have, but I do mean the first flat panel monitors.
From the boxy rectangular base…
…to the substantial plastic bezel, its design lacks any aesthetic interest. The word that comes to mind is… “boring.”
This simple throwback design belies the monitor’s tech prowess. It has a full battery of connectivity options that include two HDMI ports, a DP connector, an mDP connector, an audio line out connection, USB up and downstream ports, and a USB 3.0 downstream port with charging capabilities. There is also an AC port connection and a stand lock slot.
Inside the box, you find the Dell UP2718Q monitor, a power cable, a USB 3.0 cable, a DP-mDP cable and an HDMI cable.
At this point, this sounds like pretty much any and every monitor that is currently available. It’s when you turn the monitor on that the monitor comes to life. After all, while Full HD monitors are more than enough for most of us, this monitor delivers four times the resolution. The 3840 by 2160 Ultra HD 4K resolution and HDR will surprise and delight you.
That, however, is just the beginning. I’ll let Dell’s marketing rattle of why this is, “The video editor’s choice.”
- Visuals that inspire: Realism like never before: An incredible peak brightness of 1,000 nits (at least three times brighter than today’s standard SDR displays) means you’ll see the deepest blacks and brightest whites for impressive, true-to-life visuals.
- Details even in the dark: Whether you are working in the shadows or the light, you’ll still see small details that would otherwise be lost without a high contrast ratio of 20,000:1 and 384 local dimming zones.
- A broad, brilliant spectrum: Dell PremierColor offers wide color coverage that meets major industry standards—100% AdobeRGB, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec. 709, 97.7% DCI-P3 and 76.9% Rec. 2020—for immaculate, unwavering colors.
- Extraordinary color depth: Enjoy a tremendous level of detail that only the depth of 1.07 billion colors (that’s 64 times more color depth than standard monitors) can provide. Even in dark areas, you’ll see better color gradation and precision in more shades.
- Fine-tune with precision: Customize color parameters to your preference using the Custom Color mode, the SDKi or the optional X-rite Display Pro colorimeter.
- Accurate color, out of the box: Your monitor is calibrated on AdobeRGB and sRGB. An included factory calibration report gives you the confidence that colors will be impressively accurate right from the start.
All this combines with the connectivity options to give you a monitor that’s ready for business.
The Dell UP2718Q also offers some additional functionality that can help with your work.
One is hardware based while the other is software based. The hardware-based functionality comes in the monitor’s ability to tilt, pivot and swivel. You can also adjust the height for comfort.
On the software side of things, there is the KVM functionality that lets you, “view applications between two PCs simultaneously on your screen and manages the content with only one keyboard and mouse with a convenient Keyboard, Video, and Mouse.”
Specifications:
- Diagonally Viewable Size: 27 inches
- Preset Display Area (H X V): 23.49″ x 13.21″
- Panel Type: In-Plane Switching Technology
- Display Screen Coating: Anti-glare treatment of the front polarizer (3H) hard coating
- Maximum Preset Resolution: 3840 x 2160 at 60 Hz
- Viewing Angle: 178° vertical / 178° horizontal
- Pixel Pitch: 0.1554 mm x 0.1554 mm
- Pixel Per Inch (PPI): 163
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (typical), 20,000:1 (HDR)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Backlight Technology: LED
- Brightness: 400 cd/m² (typical), 1,000 cd/m² (peak)
- Response Time: 6ms (gray to gray)
- Connectivity: 1 x DP (ver. 1.4), 1 x mDP (ver. 1.4), 2 x HDMI (ver. 2.0a), 2 x USB 3.0 port – Upstream, 4 x USB 3.0 ports , including 2 x USB3.0 BC 1.2 charging capability at 2A (max)
- Operating system supported: Windows 10, 8.1, 7
- Built-in Devices: USB 3.0 super-speed Hub (with 2 x USB upstream port, 4 x USB 3.0 downstream ports, including 2x USB 3.0 BC1.2 charging port at 2A max.)
- Security: Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
- Audio Output: 1 x Audio line-out
- Adjustability: Height adjustable (145 mm)
- Pivot (90°, clockwise direction)
The Dell UP2718Q 27” 4K HDR Monitor looks rather simple. The base is uninteresting. The monitor itself has a basic black bezel. When you look at it, there’s nothing to suggest that this monitor is anything special, but the 3840 by 2160 Ultra HD 4K resolution is impressive. The color accuracy software built into it is as well. Sadly, as a highly color-deficient individual (color blind), this technological prowess is all but lost on me. Still, if you are a graphic artist, edit a lot of videos, do a lot of photo editing, and the have money to spare, this is a monitor worthy of consideration. Check it out here.
Source: Manufacturer supplied loaner review sample
What I Like: Amazing resolution; Professional-grade color accuracy; Plenty of connectivity options; Variable angle, height, and orientation
What Needs Improvement: Truly a wolf in simple, sheep’s clothing; Pricey