The Dell S2721QS means business, delivering a 4K resolution in a 27-inch form factor for well under $300, and you can often find it on a sale for much less. This monitor is designed for productivity hounds looking for a great screen for multitasking, with accurate pictures without taking up a lot of space in your workspace.
There are many great features beyond the modern style, such as its high-quality build and the inclusion of AMD FreeSync for enthusiast gaming or fast-paced movies. The S2721QS promises to be a perfect monitor for anyone looking for that modern aesthetic, a versatile stand, and great productivity features, especially if you often work with many windows or multiple PCs.
About the Dell S2721QS
- Display size: 27-inch
- Native resolution: 3,840 x 2,160
- Panel type: IPS
- Refresh rate: 60Hz
- Adaptive Sync: AMD FreeSync
- Stand adjustment: 110mm height adjustment, 25 degrees tilt, 60 degrees swivel, 90-degree pivot.
- VESA mount: Yes, 100mm x 100mm
Design & Features
The Dell S2721QS has a clean and simple design. The display is surrounded by a black trim on the front and back and sits on a silver stand, with the high-end materials that make up this monitor matching the premium monitor’s quality.
Due to the monitor’s 21:9 aspect ratio and 27-inch display size, you may find it to be a very wide monitor, which might require some adjustments on your desk. However, once it’s fitted in place, the width is very easy to get used to. Pixel density on this monitor comes to 109 pixels per inch (PPI), which is common among ultrawide monitors and more than enough for casual photo and video editing.
The S2721QS uses an IPS panel, known for wide angles and bright visuals. However, VA panels often have a higher contrast ratio than IPS panels, and that makes them popular among gamers as it boosts a player’s ability to distinguish enemies in dark scenes. But for productivity and business use, IPS monitors deliver better clarity.
While Dell doesn’t sell this monitor as a gaming monitor – such monitors get Alienware branding – such as the Alienware AW3420DW or have gaming in their product names – it still offers superior contrast, AMD FreeSync support, and a 60Hz refresh rate that makes it all suitable for enthusiast-level gaming.
Connectivity on this monitor is pretty decent, with two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort, but there’s another iteration with USB-C ports – the Dell S2722QC monitor. You can connect the monitor to up to three input sources, switching, and it has a picture-in-picture feature that allows you to switch between devices seamlessly.
Performance
Even without USB-C, which is the main highlight of Dell’s latest monitor, the Dell S2721QS fares pretty well in image quality.
With a 4K (3840 x 2160) IPS panel, the S2721QS boasts an incredibly sharp image, especially considering it delivers this resolution at a diagonal size of only 27 inches. However, you’ll need to lean heavily on Windows display scaling, which doesn’t work too well, but that’s not the monitor’s fault; MacOS image scaling works better.
Still, 4K videos, images, documents, and general use look incredibly crisp, but older programs may look a bit smaller or blurry. Still, you’ll only find a much sharper image on Apple’s 27-inch iMac 5K or a 24-inch 4K monitor.
According to Dell, the S2721QS has a peak luminance of 350 nits, but it clocks 368 in tests. That’s bright enough for most office tasks, as well as photo and video work. Being an IPS panel, this monitor has wide viewing angles and a contrast ratio rated at a good 1,000:1 and covers 99% of the sRGB color space.
As a productivity monitor, we find the S2721QS to be an ideal size, shape, and resolution for any use. Provided you have the space to accommodate this 27-inch monitor, the fine details are rewarding enough. The Windows desktop is generous, and the thin bezels almost make it seem taller than a typical 27-inch screen.
As a result, work tasks are a pleasure with so much height available. You won’t have to scroll unnecessarily since you can fit an entire word processing page or spreadsheet on the screen while keeping the fonts at a readable size. You can sit about 3 feet away and still have no issue discerning the finest details in photos or moving images. As a bonus, the color is nice for all content, even though it isn’t strictly accurate.
Dell S2721QS Review: Verdict
When shopping for the best PC monitor, sometimes you have to make a few compromises to get a good price. With the Dell S2721QS, you don’t have to sacrifice much, especially if you’re not going to do any serious gaming on this monitor. You get a nice performing monitor with tilt, swivel, height, and portrait adjustments.
Plus, you can connect two PCs or a PC and a gaming console and view both on the Dell S2721QS simultaneously. This is a monitor that’s made with productivity at its core, especially for multitaskers who need stuff done. That said, if you need some forward-looking features, the Dell S2722QC monitor is a better choice as it gets USB-C ports in addition to the 4K resolution.
Overall, if you want a simple, affordable, no-frills 4K display, the Dell S2721QS is a great choice. It brings a reliable, colorful image along with some extra features at a very reasonable price.
Recommended Configuration
Dell S2722QC Monitor - 27 inch 4K USB-C , UHD (3840 x 2160) Display, 60Hz Refresh Rate, 8MS Grey-to-Grey Response Time, Built-in Dual 3W Speakers, 1.07 Billion Colors - Platinum Silver
$260.24 in stock
21 used from $205.91
The Review
Dell S2721QS
The Dell S2721QS is a 27-inch 4K monitor that brings IPS-level colors and some useful features, including picture-in-picture for connecting dual systems and AMD FreeSync support.
PROS
- Crisp 4K image
- Excellent build quality
- Accurate colors
- Helpful productivity features
CONS
- Simple connectivity
- Basic feature set
Review Breakdown
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ARS SCORE
