After 3 years, my Dell U2713H, which I reviewed and then bought one myself, died, but it’s not the first time. A year ago, the capacitor blew up, and thanks to the premium exchange warranty, I received a replacement unit within days. Then on May, just one month after the 3-year warranty expired, the input display started to go berserk. At first, the screen exhibited visual interference. Then, it failed to detect the input source even though the on-screen menu appeared to look fine. I took a lot of effort to determine that it wasn’t the fault of my graphics card or even the cables. The problem seemed to be sporadic. I managed to get it to work on HDMI, but that failed after a day or two. I then bought a DisplayPort cable, which somewhat worked. Ultimately last month, the display completely died and the power button failed to power up the monitor.
This Dell monitor is not the first casualty. My previous “pro-grade” monitor from Philips before this Dell unit also went haywire after 3 years. What luck. I suppose I have no affinity with monitor longevity. Meanwhile, Dell Singapore PR agency informed me that they had a U2717D review unit for my tryout, so I agreed to take it in to give my comments, to see if there is anything good (or bad) to share.
Dell U2717D UltraSharp 27-inch InfinityEdge Monitor
I was pleasantly surprised at how compact the new Dell 27-inch monitors are. The packaging is compact and lightweight, installation was brief, and I love the new thin bezel that reduces the size and weight significantly. It is practically bezel-free: the black frame you see is actually the matt screen, not the plastic bezel.
After turning on the new monitor, I felt right at home. The display is factory-calibrated, and I basically choose one of my preferred preset modes – sRGB – and I’m back in business. No lengthy adjustments or calibration required.
I probably could have bought any decent monitor and run a colour calibration process, but I am a lazy person (after reading my previous article on the U2713H purchase, I realised I actually gave the exact reason). Ever since my old Dell U2713H started misbehaving, I bought a cheap monitor off Carousell just to tide things over. That monitor display was so difficult to calibrate, and lacked shadow and highlight details. I repurposed it as my secondary display at office which is fine since I don’t do photo editing at work.
To accommodate the thin bezel, the OSD buttons are located facing downwards.
Dell UltraSharp series monitors are pre-calibrated to deliver accurate colour tones, and that is good enough for me since I no longer do professional photography but still desired the accuracy and wide colour gamut for publishing photos for my blog. I don’t buy those so-called “vivid mode” or “movie mode” settings where the display is juiced up, neither do I play games so I don’t need high refresh rates.
Another killer feature for the new UltraSharp is the InfinityEdge bezel, which might not be a big deal if you don’t do multi-monitor setup. But still, it makes the monitor more compact and takes up much lesser area on my desk.
Finally, Dell UltraSharp monitors offer Premium Panel Guarantee and Advanced Exchange Service to ensure my monitor is well taken care of within the warranty period. Premium Panel Guarantee means it will replace your display panel for free if even ONE BRIGHT PIXEL is found. Advanced Exchange Service ensures you receive a replacement monitor for your defective unit.
After experiencing the U2717D and doing some research on alternative brands, I decided to buy back another Dell UltraSharp monitor during the 11.11 Lazada online sale. I found that the U2417H is offering at an amazing deal. I had to give up the larger display and the higher 2560 x 1440 display on the 27-inch compared to the standard 1920 x 1080 on the 24-inch. But as the pixel-per-inch on the smaller screen is lower, the text is larger at 100%, which works better on my aging eye sight.
The main reasons why I still buy back a Dell is because I continue to love their display accuracy, the thin bezel for future multi-monitor setup, and terrific warranty exchange programme. This time, I made sure I get the 5-year warranty option.
The Dell UltraSharp U2717D retails at S$899, while the U2417H retails at S$429.
Official Dell Product Website for U2717D: http://accessories.ap.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=sg&cs=sgdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&sku=210-AHPB
Official Dell Product Website for U2417H: http://accessories.ap.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=sg&l=en&s=dhs&cs=sgdhs1&sku=391-BCPU
