A capable panel, but its features
drive up the price
Prior to this month’s Labs test, the Dell
U2711 has enjoyed an incredible two-and-a-half-year run a sour 27in monitor of
choice on our Elite list, ever since we first cast our eyes over it way back in
Issue 81. The Dell U2713H is its successor (the U2712 never saw the light of
day) and looks set to continue the tradition of Dell’s high-quality panels with
few compromises.
As with the other 27in screens on test, it
boasts a 16:9, 2,560 x 1,440 resolution, matching an AH-IPS (advanced
high-performance in-plane switching) panel with an LED backlight.
There
are plenty of extras hidden beneath the slim chassis
As we’ve come to expect from Dell monitors,
the U2713H’s stand is excellent. Robust and sturdy without becoming a desktop
colossus, it offers a large 114mm of vertical adjustment, alongside tilt and
swivel features, plus the ability to rotate the panel into landscape mode.
Meanwhile, the matt-black bezel means the screen remains discreet, while
retaining a look of quality.
There are plenty of extras hidden beneath
the slim chassis too, not least the inclusion of four USB 3 ports (four
downstream, one upstream), effectively making the U2713H a handy desktop USB3
hub. A9-in-1 card reader is also integrated into the chassis.
The
OSD is sensibly laid out too, with brightness and contrast controls easily
accessible, alongside a variety of image presets.
There’s a change over its predecessor when
it comes to inputs, though, with the increasingly redundant VGA port replaced
with both Display Port and Mini Display Port inputs, alongside the requisite
DVI-D and HDMI ports. There’s also a Display Port output, enabling you to
daisy-chain the monitor to other Display Port devices.
Meanwhile, the OSD is operated using an
array of touch-sensitive buttons on the right of the bezel. The OSD is
displayed in the bottom-left corner, with the context of each button displayed
alongside, ensuring you’re never left wondering about the purpose of any
particular button. The OSD is sensibly laid out too, with brightness and
contrast controls easily accessible, alongside a variety of image presets.
Performance
The panel itself, like the NEC PA271W and NEC
PA301W, offers a wide color gamut capable of 100 per cent of sRGB color space
and, unlike many of the other panels on test, 99 per cent of the larger Adobe RGB
color space, which is principally used in professional image editing.
Despite these lofty credentials, though,
out of the box and running at its standard preset, the U2713H was extremely
disappointing when it came to color accuracy. While indeed more than capable of
supporting the Adobe RGB color space, the average d E94 deviation of 7.1 was
bettered by almost every other panel on test, while its maximum dE94 of 21.2
was again unacceptably high.
The
NEC PA271W
The average gamma was also well off the
ideal value of 2.2, rising up to 2.89 for light greys, obliterating white
details. Oversaturated, overly bright and crushing (making it hard to distinguish
between different shades of black and white) both black and white detail, the
Dell U2713H doesn’t impress when you first get it out of the box.
Thankfully, though, the U2713H comes pre-calibrated
from the factory, including a color calibration report that goes over everything
from color accuracy to gamma, and brightness uniformity. Switching it to its
sRGB preset immediately improved its image quality tremendously. Average gamma
levels of 2.3 were far closer to the ideal 2.2 (although the light grey gamma
remained a little high at 2.32), while the average dE94 plummeted to a far more
pleasing 1.4, delivering accurate and natural colors across the board.
Color temperature remained a little warm at
6.208K, but the overall result was very pleasing when paired with the U2713H’s
805:1 static contrast ratio at this preset. Usefully, it was also possible to
adjust the brightness when using the sRGB preset, which isn’t always possible
on other displays.
Software-calibrating the panel using our
Xrite colorimeter and accompanying Blue Eye Pro software also saw any minor
color inaccuracies disappear, as the average dE94 dropped to just 0.3. The
color temperature of 6,524K was right on the money too, although the gamma
levels at light grey continued to prove slightly problematic, this time
dropping 0.06 below the ideal 2.2.
The contrast ratio also slipped down
slightly to 700:1, but this remains highly competitive, and it’s helped by a
very even backlight, resulting in an attractive display that’s capable in both
games and video. However, the light anti-glare coating caused blacks to shift
into greys at more acute angles, although this is by no means a problem only
suffered by this panel.
Conclusion
The U2713H might be disappointing out of
the box, but switching to the sRGB preset improves the situation tremendously,
making for well-balanced image quality.
It’s also equipped with Dell’s excellent
Premium Panel Guarantee, ensuring a swift replacement should even one bright
pixel develop (although there remains a five-dead-pixel requirement). However,
even with its sRGB preset, the U2713H is still incapable of matching the color
accuracy possible with the slightly cheaperViewSonicVP2770-LED.
The
U2713H
In comparison to its U2913WM stable mate,
the U2713H also disappoints, with poorer color accuracy, contrast ratio and
gamma levels, even when running at its improved sRGB preset. Considering that
the budget-priced Digi mate I PS-2701 WPH is also able to comfortably compete
with the U2713H in the sRGB color space, despite costing some $395 less, it’s
really only the Dell’s excellent stand and Adobe RGB support that lifts it up.
Unless the latter is essential for color-critical work, there are better sRGB
displays available for less money
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Information
§
Price: $905
§
Manufacturer: www.dell.com
Specifications
§
Screen size: 27in/68.5cm
§
Aspect ratio: 16:9
§
Screen area: 311.5in2/2,009cm2
§
Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440
§
Pixel density(ppi): 108
§
Size [W x H x D): 538.9 x 639.3 x 200.3 mm
§
Panel technology: IPS
§
Backlight type: LED
§
Stated static contrast ratio: 1000:1
§
Stated response time (grey to grey): 8ms
§
Inputs: DisplayPort, DVI-D, HDMI, VGA
§
USB: 4xUSB 3
§
Adjustment: Tilt, height, swivel, rotate
§
Warranty: 3 years
§
Dead pixel policy: Zero bright pixels, 5 dead
pixels
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