PROS
- Best-in-class image quality
- Elegant design
- Versatile feature set
- Great value
CONS
- Maximum stand height quite low
- Only 92ppi
KEY FEATURES
- 24-inch IPS LCD panel
- 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) resolution
- 60Hz refresh rate
- 6ms response time
- Height, rotate, pivot and tilt adjustment
- VESA mount
- Inputs: 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, 1 x USB 3.0
- Outputs: 1 x DisplayPort, Headphone, 4 x USB 3.0
- Manufacturer: Dell
- Review Price: £240.00
WHAT IS THE DELL U2417H?
Dell’s UltraSharp monitors have long been one of the de facto choices for those seeking a stylish and feature-rich display with good image quality – and the Dell UltraSharp U2417H shows just why that reputation is justified.
This 24-inch display may only pack in a modest 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution, but there’s loads to like elsewhere. A stylish slim-bezelled panel, fully adjustable stand, plenty of connectivity and a 99% sRGB IPS panel combine to make it ideal for those seeking quality without verging into pro territory.
DELL U2417H – DESIGN AND FEATURES
This is a great-looking monitor. Dell has been using a muted silver and black livery for its UltraSharp monitors for years, and it still works superbly on the U2417H.
Helping this new model stand out from the crowd is the use of an incredibly slim bezel. It’s just 5.3mm wide on the top and sides, and 8.3mm along the bottom – and even most of that is hidden below the top surface of the LCD, so the bezel almost completely disappears when the display is off.
The bottom portion of the bezel in particular is among the most slender I’ve seen, something which is made possible by the monitor’s controls being situated on the underside of the frame rather than the front.
This monitor isn’t just a pretty face either; it also has plenty of extra features. Its stand offers height, rotation, pivot and tilt adjustment, making it easy to position just how you want and access the connections on the rear. The panel can also be removed from the stand and its 100 x 100mm VESA mount used in conjunction with any other compatible stand. You don’t, though, get automatic image rotation when the screen is pivoted into a portrait orientation. Some alternatives, such as models from ViewSonic, do offer this.
Connectivity is also plentiful. You get a DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort and HDMI for video inputs, as well as a second full-size DisplayPort that’s an output for daisy-chaining a second monitor. There’s also an audio output so you can plug in speakers or headphones to listen to the audio being piped over the digital display connections – there are no built-in speakers.
You also get a four-port USB 3.0 hub, with two outputs on the back and two on the left edge where they’re easy to reach.
In terms of the display itself there’s not too much to shout about in terms of extra features. The “IPS-type” panel – it’s actually Samsung’s PLS technology – runs at 60Hz and has a reasonable 6ms response time, while the 1080p resolution is entirely typical for a display of this size. It also has an anti-glare coating made by 3M, and a modest maximum brightness of 250nits.
Instead, this display is all about its image quality, which I’ll get to shortly.
DELL U2417H – SETUP AND OSD
In the last few years Dell has done its bit for the environment by transitioning to using cardboard almost exclusively for packaging its products, saving us from yet another source of expanded polystyrene and other plastics. That’s in evidence here again, as the U2417H arrives in a box that uses a clever folded cardboard handle and cardboard internal bracing to protect the monitor.
The components are still wrapped in a thin sleeve of cushioning plastic, but this still makes for far less plastic overall. Plus it’s easy to stomp on and shove in the recycling bin.
Setup is also blessedly simple. The sturdy metal-reinforced stand screws into the base via a captive thumb screw, and the panel clips neatly into place on the top of the stand.
Pivot the display around into portrait mode and its easy to find all the sockets you need and get all your cables plugged in. In the box you get the power cable, DisplayPort-to-Mini DisplayPort cable, USB 3.0 upstream cable, factory calibration report, and various setup guides and other documentation.
The panel arrives pre-calibrated and out of the box the image quality is fantastic, so there’s little need to jump into the monitor’s menus, but do so and you won’t find any gremlins. The menus are logically laid out, quick to respond and easy to use.
DELL U2417H – IMAGE QUALITY
So we come to where this display really shines: its image quality. Right out of the box it looks fantastic. The IPS panel and its anti-glare coating mean it looks great from any angle and in any light, while the panel itself creates vibrant, realistic colours.
Putting that into numbers, I measured a contrast ratio of 1,065:1, sRGB colour space coverage of 99.6%, colour temperature of 6,615K and a gamma of 2.32, all of which are excellent numbers. The average Delta E of 0.63 is also particularly good, as is the maximum of just 2.66, indicating this display is very good at being able to pick out every individual shade of colour, reducing the likely appearance of colour banding.
In comparison the cheaper LG 23MP68VQ, which is a good but not excellent monitor when it comes to pure image quality, could only manage 0.85 and 5.52 respectively.
To get the very best from this display I switched from the Standard to the User color mode and set the RGB values to 100 x 98 x 100. That resulted in an even lower average Delta E of 0.61 and maximum of 2.59, as well as a near-perfect colour temperature of 6,588K (only 88K off the 6,500K target).
As for the uniformity of this display, its brightness varied by just 1.5% on average, with a peak variance of -3.03% on the left edge – it’s not uncommon for displays to vary by as much as 10%, so this is a truly excellent result.
Put simply, if you’re after a display for any sort of job that involves working with colour – image and video editing being the most obvious – this display is about as good as it gets. You can get higher resolutions and larger screens (plus, of course, 100% AdobeRGB screens), but not at this price.
Away from work, the display also looks great for all general desktop use, including watching video and playing games. The 60Hz refresh rate and lack of any fancy extras such as AMD FreeSync means this certainly isn’t going to be the best choice for truly competitive gamers, but for any single-player games and more casual multiplayer ones it’ll be fine. I measured input lag at 9.6ms, which is fine for these sorts of games.
The only other point to note is that like many 1080p, 24-inch displays, this monitor’s pixel density is just 92ppi. That means that it does look just a little more obviously grainy and pixelated compared to the 110ppi that’s typical of 27-inch monitors with a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution. There’s no way around it, other than buying a slightly smaller display with the same resolution, but worth bearing in mind.
SHOULD I BUY THE DELL U2417H?
This is quite simply the best display in its class. Its combination of a great design, fantastic image quality, good connectivity and a versatile stand make it ideal for all business and home use.
The slightly low maximum height that the stand reaches means taller buyers may still have to resort to using a monitor riser, and clearly it’s not a display meant for hardcore gamers. But otherwise it’s very near perfect and great value to boot.
VERDICT
Quite simply the best non-gaming 24-inch monitor you can buy.
Sourse: trustedreviews.com