Dell S2721QS review: the best monitor

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  • Dell’s S2721QS achieves excellent results in color accuracy, brightness and sharpness for its surprisingly affordable price.
  • The ergonomic stand has a solid base and adjusts for height, tilt, swivel and can even rotate 90 degrees.
  • It is currently our first choice for the best computer screen globally in 2021 to date.

Dollar for dollar, the Dell S2721QS is the best computer monitor you can buy. He deserves this praise by delivering

4K
resolution at a low price of $ 359.99 – and it’s not uncommon for it to be sold for less on Amazon.

The Dell S2721QS is a superb monitor by most measures, with color, brightness, and contrast that can rival monitors in the $ 500 price bracket. This Dell also has exceptional build quality and a sturdy ergonomic monitor stand.

Honestly, the only problem with the monitor is its popularity. It can be difficult to find in stock. However, Dell does sell a similar and slightly cheaper monitor, the S2721Q, which doesn’t have an ergonomic stand included but does include a VESA mount (so you can buy and clip your own). It is more frequently available online.

1 Dell 2721qs port


Matthew Smith / Business Insider


Design

The Dell S2721QS looks familiar from the front. It features thin borders on the top and sides, while a wider border at the bottom offers space for the Dell logo and, presumably, internal hardware.

An ergonomic stand is included. It offers a wide range of adjustment, including height, swivel, tilt and swivel, and the heavy base of the stand keeps the monitor in place. The stand has a simple and elegant look that is perfect for a home or professional office. A small hole in the base allows cable management. Mac fans will be delighted to learn that the color of the silver used on the stand is almost identical to the silver of Apple’s Mac Mini, so the two pair well on a desktop.

On the back, the Dell S2721QS has a gray-white plastic chassis with a woven design reminiscent of recent Dell XPS laptops. It is distinctive and attractive, even if it does not match the ergonomic silver stand. The sturdy and durable chassis gives a good first impression.

Configuration and interface

Dell has refined the out-of-the-box experience to one point. The S2721QS is packaged with the stand right at your fingertips. The instructions ask you to assemble the stand, attach it to the monitor, and then use the stand as a handle to remove the monitor. It’s a little touch that prevents fingerprints from your new screen.

There isn’t much to adjust once the monitor is assembled and plugged into your PC. The Dell S2721QS lacks precise control over color gamut, hue, saturation, gamma, and other advanced features. Dell reserves these features for its professional-grade Ultrasharp line, although some of its gaming monitors provide them as well. This is an area where the S2721QS falls far short of the competition.

Monitor options are accessed through the traditional array of four buttons, each of which corresponds to on-screen controls. Navigating the menu is intuitive, thanks to its logical layout and the simple list of clearly labeled options. The menu will look familiar to you if you’ve already set the input source to a monitor, and should be easy to learn even if you haven’t.

1 dell 2721qs


Matthew Smith / Business Insider


Image quality and features

Resolution is the defining characteristic of the S2721QS from Dell. 4K (3840 x 2160) on a 27-inch screen is equivalent to 163 pixels per inch. That’s double the pixel density of a 27-inch 1080p monitor and 50% denser than a 27-inch 1440p monitor.

The result is an exceptionally sharp image that at times looks more like a printed image glued to the screen. Pixels are virtually invisible, especially in programs and content designed with 4K resolution in mind. MacOS Big Sur looks fantastic, thanks to the work Apple has done to ensure its interface includes high-resolution assets for 4K and 5K monitors.

Still, the S2721QS isn’t just about resolution. It also performed well in color tests, covering 100 percent of the sRGB color gamut and 87 percent of DCI-P3. Although its color gamut is not wide enough for some professionals, this monitor can display colors well in most everyday content, including movies and games.

The Dell S2721QS also has a realistic look. This was thanks to its color accuracy, white point and gamma values, which were all close to ideal. The monitor has a respectable contrast ratio of 1150: 1, which is among the best results in this category. Movies and games seem vibrant and deep, but never seem cloying or overdone

Brightness can reach 438.4 nits, which is an exceptional result for any monitor, regardless of the price. This, combined with the anti-reflective coating of the monitor, makes the S2721QS comfortable to use even in brightly lit rooms.

Dell uses screen brightness to claim HDR support, but like almost all monitors sold today, it underperforms in HDR. The monitor’s brightness and contrast ratio, while excellent for the price, falls far short of a mid-range HDTV. HDR movies viewed on this screen can provide more detail in highlights than in SDR, but even this difference can be hard to notice.

What about the game? The Dell S2721QS is a 60Hz monitor, so it doesn’t have the smooth, high refresh rate presentation found on 144Hz alternatives, like the competitively priced LG 27GL83A-B. The S2721QS supports AMD FreeSync for tearing-free gaming, but only in the 40Hz to 60Hz range, which means FreeSync won’t work if frame rates drop below 40fps.

However, the Dell has good clarity of movement for a 60Hz monitor, so it looks pretty crisp on the move. Hardcore Call of Duty or Rocket league gamers will want a faster refresh rate, but most gamers will appreciate the monitor’s crisp and vibrant 4K image. This is especially true in games that lack fast-paced onscreen action, like Final Fantasy XIV and Civilization VI.

Should we buy it?

Absolutely yes. The Dell S2721QS is the best option for most buyers. That’s because unless you’re a die-hard gamer or pro working with color-critical content, buying a more expensive monitor can be a waste. Alternatives that are twice as expensive will not offer a noticeable improvement in day-to-day use.

1 dells 2721qs back


Matthew Smith / Business Insider


Which model should you get?

As previously reported, the Dell S2721QS has a sibling, the S2721Q, which does not include support. It sells for $ 329.99 instead of $ 359.99, but has a VESA mount that is compatible with common monitor mounts. It is a good alternative if you cannot find the S2721QS in stock.

What are your alternatives?

Gamers should take a long look at LG’s 27GL83A-B. Typically priced at $ 379.99, this 1440p monitor has a refresh rate of 144Hz and picture quality comparable to the Dell S2721QS. Players who play quick titles, like Call of Duty or Rocket league, will prefer the LG.

Buyers willing to spend a bit more on high-end features should consider another LG, the 27UL850-W. This 4K monitor features a USB Type-C port with a power supply of up to 60 watts, which charges most laptops when connected to the monitor. Its image quality is only on par with the S2721QS, however, despite a higher price tag of $ 500.

This underlines why the Dell S2721QS is great value for money. No competitor in its price range offers image quality comparable to 4K resolution.

The bottom line

The Dell S2721QS is unbeatable performance value. The monitor’s sharpness, brightness, and color gamut are remarkable, but it achieves these results without compromise elsewhere. You can sit this monitor side by side with competitors who are twice as expensive and don’t know the difference.

Benefits: Crisp 4K resolution; solid build quality; bright color, good contrast; first-rate brightness; Excellent value

The inconvenients: HDR support is not great

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