[Momchil]

Dell recently launched these monitors (U2724D and U2724DE) with 120 Hz IPS Black panels made by LG.
I’m wondering if the IPS glow levels are acceptable and does it have visible interlace pattern artifacts … ?

[PCM2]

I’m curious about this as well so would love any feedback people can share. Dell is being a bit useless with samples at the moment, though they’re often difficult to communicate with around this time of year unless it’s related to CES. 😉

[Momchil]

Yesterday I got this monitor (U2724D). Some observations:

The matte coating is like the one on Dell U2721DE (based on the RTings review) – the reflections are mostly well defused, avoiding sharper glare patches, but total reflections are higher than for example Dell S2721DS (which has less overall reflections with a more pronounced reflection outlines). I would say that it “uses a medium or ‘relatively light’ (slightly lighter than some we’d classify as ‘medium’)”. I also have noticed when the monitor is turned off the screen looks gray.
Videos about matte coating:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCUzJD1CvEk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok0VWVYHPA0
And some pictures: https://imgur.com/a/A0mmNiz

Also there is a little graininess most noticeable when looked at higher vertical angle. It looks like it has the same graininess as Dell G2724D.

Much better horizontal viewing angles than G2724D. Vertical viewing angles could be better as the brightness loss from below is appearing from rather small angle (~35°). Similar to the Dell U2721DE (based on the RTings review).

It has some backlight bleeding – most noticeable at top and bottom edges, there is also a moderate amount of IPS glow – nothing to worry about at 0% – 10% brightness as is in relatively same amount from the 4 sides. A bit more than ASUS PA278QV and Dell S2721DS, and it was yellow-ish tint.
Videos:
Desktop with black color as wallpaper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzW5W2qoxWI
Black screen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVEhxTC_neU

Sadly there are dynamic interlace pattern artifacts – a vertical lines could be seen during movement. They are fainter at 120Hz, but still visible and annoying (to me). At 60 Hz they are even more pronounced. I really wish it didn’t have those since it’s a UltraSharp… this is the biggest drawback (to me).

Contrast seems OK, nothing special as advertised (2000:0) at least on my unit or my eyes. On Standard mode the first two squares (lagom test) are indistinguishable. There is a sRGB mode, on which all of the squares are equally visible. The panel also has a decent gray uniformity.

The response times are a bit disappointing or OK at best, as there is a bit of overshoot when using “Fast” overdrive setting even at 120 Hz, while “Normal” has bit of a motion blur with fast-moving objects. At 120 Hz “Fast” looks best and for everything under 100 Hz “Normal” is a more appropriate setting.

The variable refresh rate is working with my GTX 1650 Super over DP. It just says that it’s not validated as G-Sync Compatible by Nvidia, but again it’s working relatively well with a range of a 53 Hz to 120 Hz supporting low frame rate compensation (LFC).

There is a darker edge “lip”, most noticeable at the bottom part of the screen – the last few pixels are becoming darker when looked at an angle or when you are sitting closer to the monitor. Same as the G2724D.
ASUS PA278QV and Dell S2721DS doesn’t have this “issue”. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN94ZegGPTg

The screen is bright enough at max brightness and it goes dark enough at the minimum setting. Also I really like that it doesn’t have a bottom bezel.

For me personally the overall experience is disappointing, due mostly to the dynamic interlace pattern artifacts.
A bit expensive too – I bought it for about 450 euro. Probably will return it.

[PCM2]

Thanks for sharing your extensive impressions and testing of the U2724D. I was suspicious these IPS Black panels would disappoint when it came to pixel responsiveness, given there would need to be some fundamental changes to the technology compared to in the 60Hz versions to really impress in that area. Good to have all this confirmed, but I’m sorry to see you weren’t content with the experience, given the price and also those pesky ‘dynamic interlace pattern artifacts’.

[Jarrett84]

Great, I received it today. Setting it up. Wonder if I should make a new thread? Hehe.

Mod edit: Good idea – I’ve split this off into its own thread about the U2424H.

[Momchil]

I want to add that this monitor have HDMI 2.1 TMDS, so it supports VRR over HDMI with my Nvidia GPU.

About response times – since I’ve used it for some time now, the best overdrive option is “Normal”, “Fast” even at 120 Hz always overshoots and it’s very noticeable while scrolling on webpages or text, but it’s not that visible on the ghosting test (at testufo). Also “Fast” doesn’t really work with VRR, although is active as option, because if the refresh rate drops under 100 Hz or 60 Hz the inverse ghosting is becoming monstrous.

So, for competitive games like CS2 with VRR off at 120 Hz “Fast” is acceptable, but for anything else (especially with VRR on) – “Normal”. Unlike Dell G2724D, where with VRR turned on, the overdrive is changing dynamically based on the refresh rate and it doesn’t have huge inverse ghosting at lower refresh rates.

Video at “Fast”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPe3oA9hZUw
Video at “Normal”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoWApNZeyQg

[PCM2]

Ah yes, that is indeed some obvious overshoot with “Fast”. Thanks for sharing further thoughts and findings.

[Momchil]

I want to add (and maybe correct myself) that the black levels are actually one step ahead (even a small one) than any other IPS monitor I have tested so far. Comparing it to the Dell S2721DS side by side, Dell U2724D has deeper blacks and has just a deeper picture, maybe it’s partly because of the less reflective matte coating.

I guess the advertised ~2000:1 contrast ratio doesn’t mean the monitor would have two times better contrast than ~1000:1 – it might be slightly better perception of the contrast (brightness difference between white and black pixels). To me it ‘feels’ that it has deeper blacks than Dell S2721DS which ‘feels’ like a cheaper ‘glossy’ monitor compared to this.

If it wasn’t for the inversion artifacts I would keep it for sure, but right now I just can’t decide between this and Dell S2721DS. If I keep this I may regret it because of the artifacts, if I keep the 75 Hz one I may regret it because it’s even slower (“Normal” have extra motion blur, while “Fast” is overshooting) and it has lighter matte coating, combined with the inferior black levels can be bothering at times.

On the other hand 75 Hz Samsung LS27A600UUUXEN (which I returned a while ago) black levels looks closer to the Dell U2724D and I’m still considering it even though it has a bit more graininess, but with less blurry/overshooting overdrive option (working only with VRR turned off).

I’m also considering dual monitor setup, 75 Hz one and a proper 165 Hz+ gaming monitor, even though I prefer the convenience of a single monitor, maybe that’s the only solution.

Dell U2724D tries to combine best of both worlds, but I’m still not sure if it’s actually succeeding or it fails. I wish they had released a 75 Hz version without inversion artifacts. I would keep that one for sure. But right now … it’s a tough decision.

[Momchil]

Added some comparison pictures between Dell U2724D and Dell S2721DS: https://imgur.com/a/tOKXrQ5

[PCM2]

Thanks Momchil, you’ve turned this thread into a really useful resource for people interested in the U2724D and IPS Black more generally. I like that you’ve set some realistic expectations of what to expect and as you point out static contrast is just a measure of the relative depth of black and brightness of white, it doesn’t really tell you about the actual experience. 🙂

[iPLAY]

Hello community,

During the New Year holidays, I purchased the G3223D monitor, which I was not satisfied with. The color temperature uniformity and gray uniformity were very poor. The left side had a more reddish/warmer tint compared to the right. Additionally (I also noticed a bit of eye strain when working for an extended period. Uniformity compensation were unusable option and Console mode option was the only mode with Gamma adjustment. Compared to U2724D, G3223D had a thicker Matte coating, which personally didn’t suit me.)
Anyway, Dell acknowledged the complaint, and after a 50-day wait (yes, 50 days, as Dell initially sent a damaged model with scratches and a damaged port as a replacement), I opted for the U2724D as the replacement.

Before purchasing the U2724D, I read Momchil’s experience. (At work, I also use a setup with 2x S2721DS).

On my U2724D, I didn’t notice any dynamic interlace pattern artifacts. The Matte coating is optimal for me. It reflects a bit more than G3223D but the image is sharper (not looking at the PPI differences 93 vs 109). I think that the U2724D has less graininess compare to G3223D.
I agree with Momchil that it has much better horizontal viewing angles than G3223D, maybe same as the S2721DS. As for backlight bleeding, my unit has very little, not noticeable during work and games.
In terms of “moderate amount of IPS glow – nothing to worry about at 0% – 10% brightness as is in relatively same amount from the 4 sides.” – I agree with this, but since I never sit in total darkness room and am always directly in front of the monitor, I have no issue with that.
Contrast is also good, noticeably higher than G3223D and S2721DS. I use the Display P3 Color profile with the corresponding ICC profile in Windows, optimal for me as a graphic/web designer. Gray uniformity is very good, no complaints.

Regarding response time, it’s essential to consider that the U series is intended for productivity. I was looking for a monitor with these specifications, but most were max. 75 Hz. With the addition of 120Hz, games like COD, Battlefield 2042, Halo Wars 2, etc., run more smoothly compared to 75 or 60Hz. VRR works with AMD GPUs like the RX 6700XT. I haven’t tested Normal vs Fast respons time in games much, but in Battlefield 2042 and COD:MWII and MWIII as a casual gamer, it works without issues and smooth. Here is a video with UFO test: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xQ8oFkMkzj-_yKOQDFytCIfhTRjhOKjD/view?usp=drive_link
Momchil mentioned also a “darker edge lip,” perhaps it’s just me, but I haven’t noticed anything unusual.

In conclusion, the overall impression of the monitor is very good. Color temperature uniformity, gray uniformity, brightness & contrast are very good. There are also many Preset color profiles built-in. Gamma in the Standard preset, Display P3 preset, and Custom color preset is 2.2. (I haven’t checked other profiles). The 120Hz refresh rate is a great addition to the U series, and most importantly, I don’t experience eye strain during extended work (using Figma, Adobe CC tools, etc.). The 27″ QHD resolution provides a very nice PPI. I paid €355 for it (actually, I paid 355€ for the G3223D and ended up with the U2724D), and I am very satisfied.

[PCM2]

Thanks for such a fantastic and informative post sharing your experiences with the U2724D, iPLAY. A valuable addition to this thread and something that will be very welcome to the community here. And the video you linked to is also helpful. Added to the videos Momchil provided it paints the picture that it’s certainly not up there with modern ‘Fast IPS’, but it’s far from terrible and clearly superior to most VA models on the market for those transitions. I’m glad you’re satisfied with the monitor. 🙂

[Author]

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