Review: Dell’s 32-inch UltraSharp monitor has a high-contrast IPS Black screen - Ars Technica

Enlarge / Dell's UltraSharp U3223QZ 4K monitor.

Scharon Harding

Specs astatine a glance: Dell UltraSharp U3223QZ

Panel size	31.5 inches
Resolution	3840×2160
Refresh rate	60 Hz
Panel benignant and backlight	IPS Black, LCD
Ports	2x USB-C upstream, 1x USB-C downstream, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x DisplayPort 1.4 out, 5x USB-A downstream, 1x 3.5 mm, 1x RJ45
Size	28.06 × 9.06 × 19.6-25.48 inches with stand (712.6 × 230 × 497.84-647.27 mm)
Weight	26.23 lbs (11.9 kg)
Warranty	3 years
Price (MSRP)	$1,280

I get it; not everyone finds monitors arsenic breathtaking arsenic I do. For astir people, a small other colour oregon a larger scope of tones don't truly differentiate 1 surface from another. So I don't blasted Dell for stuffing the UltraSharp U3223QZ 4K show with fluff similar motion-activated controls, monstrous speakers, and a webcam with beingness detection. But aft weeks with the monitor, I recovered nary of those other features arsenic breathtaking arsenic the monitor's IPS Black panel.

The U3223QZ has a batch to prove. For one, it debuted astatine the aforesaid MSRP arsenic the 5K Apple Studio Display (starts astatine $1,600). Since then, Dell has made the terms much competitory ($1,280 arsenic of writing), but it's inactive costly for a 31.5-inch monitor. Dell's U3223QZ is besides 1 of the fewer monitors to usage IPS Black technology, which is expected to output astir doubly the opposition arsenic the emblematic IPS monitor. I confirmed this with a colorimeter and, much enjoyably, with my eyes.

The bonus features connected the U3223QZ person their pluses. The speakers are louder than mean and the webcam tin automatically log you successful and out. But for galore people, it makes consciousness to prevention wealth and bargain the mentation of this show without the webcam... and without a dedicated Microsoft Teams button.

Design

If you privation an IPS Black panel, 31.5 inches is your largest option. All the panels are 4K, meaning the larger U3223QZ sheet has a little pixel density (139.87 pixels per inch) than its smaller sibling, the 27-inch Dell UltraSharp U2723QE (163.18 ppi). If that bothers you, we'll punctual you of Apple's likewise priced Studio Display. It crams 5K solution into a 27-inch (traditional) IPS sheet (217.57 ppi), making the 2 UltraSharps' pixel density look paltry.

Enlarge / The heavy powerfulness fastener and protruding 5-way joystick astir backmost were casual to differentiate.

Scharon Harding

The U3223QZ has Apple-friendly hues and shapes, including bladed bezels, a silver, trapezoid-like base, and a creaseless integrative backside successful gray. A assortment of connectivity options assistance link up to 2 computers simultaneously, but I preferred utilizing USB-C with powerfulness delivery. That meant less cables moving done the stand's opening, which besides helps with basal cablegram management.

Thicker lines

The U3223QZ has the bladed bezels of Dell's UltraSharp monitor lineup, but it inactive gives disconnected chunky vibes. That's because, successful summation to slim bezels, the sheet is framed by thicker apical and bottommost borders to accommodate the 1.3-inch speakers and camera (top) and the interaction controls (bottom). It is the astir visually striking show to grace my table successful a while.

Due to method issues, I checked retired 2 U3223QZ units. Both reappraisal units had cloth moving crossed the speakers, and it seemed beauteous tight, but that's inactive a batch of cloth that could snag implicit a agelong play (the show has a three-year warranty). Each of my reappraisal units besides had a pesky spread betwixt the panel's chassis and the speaker.

Enlarge / That tiny abstraction by the talker is simply a tiny contented but 1 that nags me. 

Scharon Harding

Meanwhile, the bottom-left country of the show has interaction controls for launching Microsoft Teams, starting oregon ending a call, adjusting the volume, and toggling the mic and camera connected and off. The buttons lone airy up erstwhile a manus is adjacent oregon erstwhile the mic's mute oregon camera shutter is activated, which is simply a bully happening due to the fact that the agleam lights are somewhat distracting.

The controls are not programmable, which is simply a shame for idiosyncratic who doesn't usage Teams.

Enlarge / I would ditch the Teams fastener successful a heartbeat.

Scharon Harding

The U3223QZ's basal supports -5 to 21-degree tilting, swivels 30 degrees to the near oregon right, and allows a 5.88-inch tallness adjustment. Admirably, the show gets little than most, with conscionable 1.5 inches betwixt the table and the monitor's chin astatine the lowest setting. For comparison, the Samsung S80UA 4K show I person sits astatine slightest 2.75 inches supra the desk.