Dell S2721QS, 4K 60Hz, 2021, 99% sRGB, 8bits+FRC, $249 on Amazon.
OK, this is the first one I bought from my list of 15, because it was the least expensive 27' 4K 8bits+FRC monitor, and I wanted to see what I could get out of a budget Dell display.
It arrived from Amazon quickly. I immediately plugged it and... Noticed something odd.
On the default settings there is a visible color shift across the screen. It's bluish on the left, yellowish on the right. No! 😫
I asked my friends and family to have a look at the screen displaying a full screen white image, and they all saw the defect. So it's fairly obvious, not anodyne in any way.
I fiddled with the menu, nothing really helped. There isn't much in terms of customization anyway except for a User Colors setting, i.e. RGB sliders, Brightness and Contrast adjustments.
Otherwise, the screen is really nice. It's bright - way too bright on the default settings - crisp, compared to my old HD monitor, with a very smooth and stable image. The stand is adjustable, but it's kind of wobbly.
Time for calibration.
Not too bad. Not too great.
After calibration the color shift is somewhat less visible, but I can still see it! Darn! 😖
Let's measure the uniformity:
So three negatives points for this Dell S2721QS model:
- Color shift across the screen
- Shoddy uniformity
- Wobbly stand
I don't like the suboptimal uniformity of this Dell, and I'm even more bothered about the color unbalance. There is definitely a yellowish blob tint on the right and a cyan tint on the left. These two problems compound badly to make the screen look cheap/bad.
Dell, Dell, did I get a lemon? Possibly some units are better than others? Maybe. I don't know if I want to try and order another one just to see. Probably not.
I will be using this panel for a little bit, overall though I would not recommend this model, and I think I will ultimately be returning it.
Do you have a S2721QS? Does it look good to your eyes? Do you see a color shift like I do? I'd be interested in knowing what's your experience.
