[PCM2]

Exactly! 🙂

[RadS]

Hi PCM2, I’m considering buying the Dell U2719D and can’t wait to read your review. Can you give any indication when it is going to be published?

I’m also considering Samsung S27H850 and AOC Q2790PQU.

The intended use is everything from photo editing (amateur – can use Lightroom and shoot in RAWs, but never bothered with calibration), movies, games (RPG/RTS, some non-competitive FPS). Other than that: 27″, 1440p, VESA mount, budget approx. 400 EUR/USD. I’ve had an IPS in the past (Dell P2214H) and I’m quite sure I prefer this panel type over TN. I keep telling myself I don’t need Freesync, but to be honest I’ve no clue, as I’ve never seen it in practice. Build quality is important.

I’m about to pull the trigger on U2719D because of Dell’s quality, factory calibration and design, but the only thing stopping me are doubts about its performance in games (lag, no Freesync).

I would appreciate any comments 🙂

[PCM2]

Hi RadS,

Glad you’re looking forward to the review. The current plan is to review it after the S2719DGF, so I’d expect publication towards the end of February or early March realistically. Provided Dell can swiftly provide a sample when it’s needed (fingers crossed – they were amazingly good at providing the S2719DGF and did mention they should have a U2719D). If you can’t wait until then, given the positive user feedback I’ve received (also by email and social channels) then I think it’s a pretty good bet anyway.

[RadS]

Thanks for the reply. I just bought it. Hoping to receive the monitor on Friday, so that I can do some testing over the weekend.

Speaking of which, what are some tests I can reasonably perform at home without special equipment? I’m thinking I can easily do:
-BLB
-Viewing angles
-Full-screen red, blue, green, black, white
-Dead/stuck pixels
-Gradients etc (basically everything here: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/)
-Lag: Scrolling text in a web browser, moving the cursor against a black/white background. I wish I could do the UFO test, but I guess it’s not possible without a pursuit camera? https://www.testufo.com
-Brightness range: won’t have a proper testing method, but I’m interested to see how low this monitor can go
-Just playing some FPS games

[PCM2]

That sounds like a good suite of tests to use to me. And of course just normal use (which for you would include FPS gaming) is probably the most important! Your feedback would be very welcome here when you’ve had a play with the monitor.

Regarding the UFO Motion Test for ghosting and pursuit photography, it’s actually fairly straightforward to get decent results just using a smartphone or basic camera. You don’t need a fancy rail-based setup. Of course that can help with stability, but with a little practice you’ll be able to use a “free hand” method to take decent pursuit photographs. We don’t actually use a rail of any sort when we take pursuit photos for reviews, just patience and a steady hand. The key thing to remember is to look at the guidelines (as explained in the instructions) to ensure you’re tracking at the correct speed etc. And try to set the exposure correctly on the camera to 4 times the length of the monitor refresh (so 1/15s for a 60Hz monitor like the U2719D), although this isn’t vital in my experience.

[RadS]

So, my Dell U2719D arrived on Friday 🙂

First impressions:
+ 27″ is huge comparing to my 13″ laptop! And that’s despite using a ruler to see exactly how much desk space it would take before buying. But I’m getting used to it. Good thing I didn’t buy a 32″ (I considered that at some point). I can finally get two windows side by side without squinting my eyes 🙂
+ Looks great with its minimalist design and narrow bezels.
+/- Appears to be well-built, though there are two places on the edge of the screen where the gap between the screen and the bezel is unusually small (almost nonexistent). It’s on the bottom of the screen, close to the screws. It appears as if a screw was overtightened, thus pushing the bezel closer to the screen – however that’s not the case, as the screws are further away from these places. Odd, but doesn’t seem to cause any problems.
+ Colors are more vivid. Even icons look nicer – Skype is bluer, Firefox more orange, etc.
+ Brightness drops to a very low, pleasant level, good for evenings (I tend to reduce brightness on all devices close to 10-20% unless I’m on a beach in full sun).
+ Really good connectivity options, I never thought this would be important for me. I’m frequently switching between my private and work laptop, and it’s so much more convenient to have 2 cables (HDMI + USB) instead of 4+ (HDMI, mouse, keyboard, speakers). The 3.5mm audio connector causes less static noise (almost none) on my speakers than the connector in my laptop.

Upon initial testing:
– There’s one bright pixel in the upper-right part of the screen. I’m not sure what to do about it. I could still return the monitor now (14 days in EU) or maybe even later (IIRC Dell has a good warranty policy for the U series?). But to be honest I don’t even see it from ~70cm, even with glasses, and even when I’m looking for it. I just know it’s there because I set the whole screen to black for backlight bleed testing and stared at every part of it from 15cm away 😛
+ The gradient test here shows every single box for each color, which is great: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/contrast.php
+ The factory calibration report shows Delta E <1 for all measurements, which is great…
+/- …however I just checked that I’ve spent the last few years staring at a laptop with a lousy screen that has Delta E closer to 6 (sic!) according to some tests. And now some of my favorite photos look different than I thought they do. This is sort of funny. I guess I’ll have to fix them and then make sure all my family’s printers and other screens are more or less calibrated in order to make the photos look consistent 🙂
+ Backlight bleed is there, but it doesn’t bother me that much. I always have a light on somewhere in the room when using the computer at night, so it’s even less noticeable. I only see it when intentionally looking for with all lights off and whole screen set to black.
+ No obvious problems with backlight/brightness uniformity…
– …except a sort of “vignette” effect on the edges of the screen. There’s a clear gradient of decreasing brightness that stretches some 5cm from all edges. It’s only noticeable on white background, but then lots of websites have white background.
– My old laptop can’t handle any game at 1440p, but that’s OK, I’ll be getting a new gaming rig in a couple of months. But that means I didn’t get to test its gaming performance, other than good old Rise of Nations @720p
– I don’t need the pivot functionality and wish there were at least some noticeable steps so that I could set the monitor horizontally without using a level.
+ Viewing angles are excellent, as expected from IPS.
– IPS glow is there, as expected from IPS. It’s sort of visible from a normal viewing distance in the corners on black screen.
?? Gamma tests give weird results, for example here: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/gamma_calibration.php. It looks like gamma is somewhere in the 1.2 range according to this tests (and others I found online), but Windows 10 gamma calibration shows good results and photos also look good. I’ll need to figure this out.

I’ll share some photos later next week along with the results of the input lag test you’ve just posted (thanks!).

[PCM2]

I appreciate the detailed feedback and I’m glad that most of your findings are very positive. The issues you’ve highlighted I feel are quite normal and outweighed by the positives. The uniformity issue with lighter content, for example, is very typical to see. And dead or stuck pixels are unfortunately a common sight as well. If it doesn’t bother you then hopefully it will remain that way, but if it does become bothersome in the future you could indeed get Dell to replace the monitor. They don’t necessarily need to know you’re sending the monitor back for that specific issue, you could just say you’re not happy with the uniformity or you have a tint of some sort. I’m just telling you that as sometimes they need to fill out a little sheet and it’s easier for them if the “fault” can be listed as a uniformity issue or tint rather than a dead or stuck pixel, as it’s a guaranteed replacement usually vs. depending on the location and number of pixel defects.

The gamma issue sounds like an interpretation issue with that test, I don’t find it very reliable to be honest and often get disagreements there vs. what my colorimeter or indeed own keen eyes are telling me. I assume you don’t have an ICC profile applied and aren’t using f.lux or something either?

[Scoob]

Hello
PCM2, love the site and the reviews

I have almost the same exact needs as RadS does

The intended use is everything from photo editing (amateur – can use Lightroom and shoot in RAWs, but never bothered with calibration), movies, games (RPG/RTS, some non-competitive FPS). Other than that: 27″, 1440p, VESA mount, budget approx. 400 EUR/USD. I’ve had an IPS in the past (Dell P2214H) and I’m quite sure I prefer this panel type over TN. I keep telling myself I don’t need Freesync, but to be honest I’ve no clue, as I’ve never seen it in practice. Build quality is important.

I’m about to pull the trigger on U2719D because of Dell’s quality, factory calibration and design, but the only thing stopping me are doubts about its performance in games (lag, no Freesync).

Except I do a lot heavier Photoshop Lightroom work that make a 27″ Vesa mount IPS panel a must, but still like to game. However gaming is less important than the photo editing. Will the U2719Dx fit the bill or should is there other choices better. A friend has the 2717D and the input lag on that thing makes it worthless for gaming IMO.

To recap
Less then 500 USD
27″
IPS or similar
Vesa mount
Be able to game decently

Thank you sir

[PCM2]

Hi Scoob,

Thanks for your kind words. All I can suggest is that you wait for our upcoming review of the U2719D. Hopefully the input lag has been sorted out. I haven’t received any specific complaints from gamers who I have recommended the monitor to in that respect, but obviously that’s only subjective assessment. If you can’t wait, just make sure you can buy it from somewhere with a good returns policy and see for yourself how it is.

[Scoob]

Thank You PCM2

Needed right away, so I bought the U2719dx at amazon using your link. Should be here saturday. Thanks for your help and looking forward to the review.

[PCM2]

I appreciate the support and I hope it hits the spot for you!

[iazriel]

I received Dell S2719DC 2 days ago. SDR performance with some minor tweaking in custom mode is stellar. Accurate, vivid colors, excellent brightness and contrast, I really liked it over my previous Asus MX27UQ, images and videos pop out better. But the biggest problem comes with HDR and sadly it’s a monitor issue and not a Windows one.

HDR has 4 presets. Desktop, Movie, Game and Reference. The first three modes are pseudoHDR modes and do not offer anything spectacular. The Reference mode is the real deal. It produces excellent brightness, has very good color reproduction and generally lives up to the HDR600 standard. But, what it also does, is enabling the 4 vertical local dimming zones of the monitor. This isn’t bad but I encounter a major issue. Testing Shadow of War and Mass Effect Andromeda on PC and Uncharted 4 on PS4 Pro over HDMI (USB C does not support HDR on this monitor) the local dimming zones in dark or near dark scenes go crazy. Sadly the led zones flash like crazy if brightness in certain areas falls below a certain amount and cannot handle low light. For example, in Shadow of War, inside a cave, half left of the screen is lit up via a torch. Image is very nice and vivid no issues. Right side is dark and shadowy. The right local dimming zones act like crazy as I move the camera and there are minor variations in brightness, flashing constantly and destroying the experience. I don’t know if this is the effect called blooming but unfortunately, although this is an excellent SDR monitor, HDR is pseudosupported (Desktop, Movie, Game presets) or is supported poorly due to local dimming failure issues (Reference preset).

You can also reproduce this problem with Windows Explorer with dark mode on in Windows. You will see in zones without any text or folders, just dark mode, there would be an abnormal led behavior.

There is always the case I have a faulty monitor but I doubt it to be honest…

[PCM2]

Thanks for providing your feedback on the S2719DC, aizriel. Certainly sounds like a disappointing HDR implementation. It really just goes to show, even if a monitor supports VESA DisplayHDR 600, it doesn’t automatically mean the HDR experience is going to be particularly good. It does of course mean local dimming needs to be implemented and certain specific criteria need to be met, but those criteria are often met under very artificial testing conditions. As you observe in more realistic dynamic settings with plenty of mixes of bright and dark, there can be some ugly issues that rear their head.

As I haven’t tested this monitor myself I can’t say if what you’re observing is normal, but if a mere 4 dimming zones are used like on the ‘DM’ version and they are as reactive as you’re describing, then I think it’s probably how things are. Sounds more like an off-putting 4-zone dynamic contrast experience than proper HDR unfortunately.

[iazriel]

Exactly. I also tested the Samsung C27HG70 the other day which has 8 dimming zones. Things were better HDRwise surely, but I hated the SVA panel quality-wise so again meh… It’s a pity for Dell S2719DC, cause everything works excellent apart from this local dimming issue. I found out the pseudoHDR Game mode is somehow respectable, but it adds artificial sharpening to the image and it doesn’t use local dimming so, again, compromises.

I ordered the BenQ PD2710QC in order to compare it. Since HDR won’t be used, I would like to have the best SDR experience at least with accurate colors and excellent picture quality. We shall see how this goes.

[iazriel]

So after some reddit chat, I probably have a defective panel. Other owners of this monitor don’t have this specific issue, plus the fact that it happens only in one dimming zone, leads me to the defective panel option. I shall see if I will replace it, or keep the BenQ one after all, HDR on this monitor is really good for an entry level HDR600 certification but generally HDR for PCs on a “friendly” price is still miles away from true HDR which occurs in much more expensive PC monitors or my OLED TV.

[PCM2]

Interesting. Let me know if you do end up replacing it with another S2719DC. It sounded like you enjoyed the monitor aside from that defect, although you’re quite correct that the HDR experience won’t compare to an OLED screen or one with a huge number of dimming zones.

[iazriel]

I got an interesting answer from Dell:

Our HDR (High Dynamic Range). monitors utilize our proprietary Dell HDR. This “Dell HDR” is the term used to describe our Dell line of monitors that can receive and process an HDR signal. But they do not adhere to the retail HDR specifications.

If it is of any help when and if you review this monitor 🙂

[PCM2]

What was that in relation to – what did you ask them? It’s quite usual for HDR monitors (especially VESA DisplayHDR 400 level – some VESA DisplayHDR 600) to use a manufacturer-specific implementation. So they respond to HDR10 content, but they don’t necessarily aim to map the colours with absolute accuracy to the DCI-P3 gamut or tone map exactly as called for by the HDR10 specification. Reasons to do this include if the colour gamut falls short of ~90% DCI-P3, the manufacturer wants things to maintain some of the (over)saturated look of SDR or contrast performance and bit-depth isn’t adequate enough for the “full experience”. But I’m not sure how this would relate to the dimming zones not working correctly or as intended (given that other users haven’t observed what you did on your unit)?

[iazriel]

Well, long story short:

https://www.dell.com/community/Monitors/S2719DC-HDR-local-dimming-flickering/m-p/7247390#M119653

If you can make something more out of it, I will be glad to hear it.

[PCM2]

Right. The first reply from the Dell rep looks like a boilerplate response. It is essentially pre-planned and pre-written out of a list of possible responses to a given topic. That is done because, understandably, reps are not really an expert on all (or in some cases any) areas of a particular product. They have good knowledge of the manufacturer procedures and what they could possibly do to diagnose and correct a fault with the product. As he has said, you’d need to be able to show the issue with a video so they better understand it.

[Author]

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