Dell Ultrasharp 27 4K U2720Q review

 
This is entry-level? With a beautiful 4K panel focused on color accuracy, a very user-friendly amount of adjustability and an ergonomically pleasing design, the fact that the Dell UltraSharp 27 4K USB-C Monitor (U2720Q) only costs $539 is shocking. Targeting creative professionals and people that place a high value on productivity, the monitor has a healthy amount of ports, which create a productivity-enhancing atmosphere for those working with high-end color graphics, photos and video.

Dell UltraSharp 27 4K pricing and configuration

Coming in at $539 with all it’s great design features, ergonomics, ports, and high color accuracy is a pleasant surprise. When you add the display manager software and the ability to tile the screen which helps the user be more productive by having multiple applications at their disposal. You add the seamless transitions auto restore function which remembers where you left off, so applications will go back to where you left them, even after you’ve unplugged, there is a lot to love. 

Now imagine having all that but, on a larger scale and you have the next level model Dell UltraSharp 43 4K USB-C Monitor: U4320Q $839.99 (42.5 inches) which provides all of the same great color, depth, accuracy, clarity, and features but also adds some other awesome features like being able to connect and view up to four different computers at the same time on one panel. 

Dell UltraSharp 27 4K design

The U2720Q has business elegance mastered with a minimal InfinityEdge bezel on the all-black front. It’s so striking that, when you power it on, you know it’s business time.

On the slightly angular bottom edge is a row of small control buttons where you can make several different adjustments, including brightness, color, video source selection, and power. The rear is grey and has a slight curvature.  

Ergonomics is the name of the game with the U2720Q. Speaking with Dell’s development team, I learned how they took into consideration the average heights of individuals from all over the globe when designing this monitor. 

The panel is capable of 5.1 inches of height adjustment, with a tilt range of 5 degrees down to 21 degrees up. You have swivel control of 45 degrees to either side, with the ability to pivot the screen 90 degrees (from landscape to portrait and back) in either direction, making it a panel that adjusts to each user’s needs and comfort levels. 

A vertical shaft leads to the rectangular base with a round hole about four inches from the bottom where you can run cables through to keep everything nice and tidy. If you would prefer to wall mount the monitor, there is a square array of VESA mounting holes spaced 3.9 inches apart on the back of the panel.

With its stand extended to its full height, the U2720Q measures 20.7 x 24.1 x 7.3 inches and weighs 21.2 pounds. Its rectangular base has a 9.5 x7.4-inch footprint.

Dell UltraSharp 27 4K ports

The UltraSharp comes with a healthy amount of ports. On the right of the panel, there is a USB 3.0 Type-A port and a USB Type-C port. The latter is capable of power delivery to your laptop or other devices. Towards the bottom of the monitor, you get another USB Type-C port and a pair of USB 3.0 Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, DisplayPort 1.4, a 3.5mm audio jack, secure lock slot and an AC power port. 

Dell UltraSharp 27 4K display quality

The U2720Q is a 27-inch, 4K IPS panel with a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and 163 of Pixel density (PPI). It's sharp, crisp, and the colors were accurately saturated while I was editing videos in Davinci Resolve 16 or photos in Capture One Pro. While playing Eve Online, I warped from space station to space station just to take in how beautifully it rendered on the Dell U2720Q. 

While watching the 4K UHD World of Warcraft movie trailer I was captivated by the color saturation. The greens, blues, reds, were absolutely stunning. The shine of the black and gold armor of the humans was salacious, to say the least. The CGI details of the Orcs so beyond realistic, even the details of the wrinkles on their faces were as clear and defined as their muscles as they were hacking at away with battle axes and swords. This is how you want to watch a movie, completely immersed in an endless color palette. 

The U2720Q is a VESA DisplayHDR 400 certified panel which Dell claims is factory calibrated at 99% sRGB to an accuracy of Delta-E < 2 for accurate colors right from the start. The wonderful mad scientists in our lab ran it through its paces and the Dell Ultrasharp scored a brightness average of 308.8 nits, which is OK but lower than we expect from a $500 monitor.

In comparison to its competitors, the Razor Raptor 27 scored 296 nits before we adjusted the contrast on that unit and it scored 326 nits but at the expense of some image quality. The Samsung Space Monitor SR 75 scored a maximum average brightness of 264.4 nits, which disappointed and the Dell U2720Q outscored easily. 

During our color reproduction test, it scored a vivacious 148.5% of the sRGB color gamut. The Razor Raptor 27 scored an excellent 162.1% of the sRGB color gamut, followed by the Samsung Space Monitors score of an sRGB rating of 140.8, betwixt the U2720Q and the Razer Raptor. In another test, the U2720Q scored DCI-P3 of 105.2%, and a Delta-E average of 0.24%, which are excellent results. 

Software

The Dell Ultrasharp 27 4K U2720Q works right out of the box and doesn’t require any additional software, meaning it’s truly plug-and-play. I unboxed it, connected it to my laptop, and started to enjoy its gorgeous color reproduction within minutes. Dell also bundled some helpful utilities to enhance your viewing experience. For instance, Dell Display Manager software takes things up a notch and provides many customization options and gives you the ability to create hotkeys for different monitor settings. 

Within the software, you can use Easy Arrange to tile your applications on the display which improves workflow. You can quickly snap your favorite application into one of 38 layouts to suit your multitasking needs. The software also allows you to create multiple personalized templates if you don't want to use the preexisting layouts. 

You can also change the monitor color, brightness and contrast settings from within the software, which does away with the need to use the aforementioned buttons at the bottom of the monitor. Or you can simply set up the auto-configuration to automatically adjust settings based on the types of content you are working on.

The software will also allow you to control up to 16 Dell monitors and adjust each individually for whatever they're being used for. Also, you can have multiple computers connected to it and easily switch between them, which I found very useful.

Bottom Line

The Dell Ultrasharp 27 4K U2720Q is a business workflow beast. The monitor offers many connection options with its wide array of ports. It even has the ability to charge your laptops and devices as you move around the office. Its accurate color reproduction is a thing of beauty and makes the monitor a great option for any office, small business, or content creators seeking a leg up. 

This mid-tier monitor is an excellent choice that I definitely recommend. It’s not a high-end gaming monitor but you will get some solid gaming results with it, and it renders beautiful sharp images and video. It’s also not a major studio monitor, but if you’re looking to be able to create content on that next level and compete with larger businesses, it will not only help you produce color accurate work but improve your workflow.