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Dell seems to be waging a war on the monitor bezel. Our first look at the company's InfinityEdge technology came in the form of the Dell UltraSharp 24 InfinityEdge U2417H 24in Monitor, which was a decidedly capable screen. Our second look comes in slightly larger form, with the Dell S2718H 27in model. This isn't another unit from Dell's high-end UltraSharp range, but it has a few extra tricks up its sleeve, such as HDR and a more meaty built-in speaker system than most screens.
The S2718H is more of an everyday monitor than the U2417H. For a start, although it's a 27in model, the resolution remains 1,920 x 1,080, where 2,560 x 1,440 is more normal for this screen size. This is still an IPS panel, so image quality should be good, but whilst the 1000:1 contrast rating is typical for this screen type, as is the 6ms gray-to-gray response time, the brightness of 250cd/m2 is merely average.
One unusual inclusion is support for AMD's Freesync technology. You normally expect to see this on screens aimed specifically at gaming, and with high refresh rates available, but this screen has a recommendation of 60Hz at its native resolution. Another slightly surprising choice is the input selection, with just HDMI and VGA available – no DisplayPort. This probably won't be an issue with the target market, but not every graphics card offers HDMI, so an adapter would be required.
Sadly, there's no USB hub included either, although the detatchable speaker unit is rated at 12W, which is relatively loud for monitor sound. The stand can be adjusted for tilt 5 degrees forward and 21 degrees back, but no swivel or height changes are possible. This is clearly an everday screen, but the price is very competitive for 27in, at just over £250 inc VAT. Let's find out if the S2718H has what it takes for a value recommendation.
Specification:
Screen size: 27-inch, 16:9 aspect
Native resolution: 1,920 x 1,080
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Panel type: IPS
Contrast ratio: 1,000:1
Brightness: 250cd/m2
Response time: 6ms grey-to-grey
Display inputs: HDMI, VGA
USB hub: No
Tilt: Yes
Raise: No
Swivel: No
Other: Headphone jack, audio input minijack, built-in 12W speakers.
Retail Price: £256 (inc. VAT)
n ice looking panel for the money
Imho is overpriced for a FHD 60hz even if the panel is a decent ips. You can find similar panels at 1440p or 100(+)hz
waste @ 1080p
What about the sRGB gamut? This one is over %99.
This looks like a decent “compromise monitor” for console users. PS3 games really do not scale well to 4K at all. So, if someone has a PS3 and PS4 Pro in the same room, the PS3 content will look acceptable on a 1080p monitor and even though they can’t use the PS4 Pro in 4K they can at least play games in HDR. Shame about the stand not being vertically adjustable though. Seems to be an issue with lots of Dell monitors these-days.
Just returned this monitor after a few days trying to live with it. The build quality isn’t great and brightness was much less uniform on mine compared to this review model. The so-called HDR is a joke. If it was £75 cheaper it would be easier to more generous but I think most people expect more from a monitor at this price point.