When it comes to monitors, innovation is in
short supply. Retina displays are yet to make their debut on the desktop, and
while TVs have started to embrace OLED and 4K, desktop monitors have been using
much the same technology for years. Thank goodness, then, that Dell has ripped
up the rulebook for its UltraSharp U2913WM, an ultra-widescreen, 21:9 aspect
ratio panel.
The mere sight of it is enough to make you
stop and stare. It’s no taller than the display of a 23in iMac, but it yawns
almost 7in wider and swells the resolution to 2560 x 1080. Stretching 29in from
corner to corner, it’s almost comically wide – so wide that the adjustable
stand only rises up and down; the panel’s simply too broad to swivel round into
a portrait orientation.
Dell
UltraSharp U2913WM
Thankfully, there’s no fiddling required to
get the most from the unusual screen resolution. We attached it to our
latest-generation 23in iMac with a mini Display Port to Display Port cable, and
OS X immediately recognized the correct resolution and added the U2913WM as a
secondary display.
It’s difficult not to be just a little bit
impressed. Dell has employed a good-quality IPS panel in the Ultra-Sharp
U2913WM, and it instantly shows. The matte anti-glare screen finish leaves it
leaves it lacking a little punch next to Apple’s glossy displays, but the
combination of high contrast and good color fidelity make for sterling image
quality.
Put to the test with X-Rite’s i1Display 2
colorimeters, it was right up there with far pricier displays. Straight out of
the box, it reached a maximum brightness of 349cd/m2 and has a superb 1170:1
contrast ratio. If there’s a minor criticism to be made, it’s that color
balance is slightly warm. We recorded a color temperature of 5920K just under
the ideal of 6500K, but overall color accuracy was very good indeed, as the
measured average Delta E of 2.1 proves.
Broad
mined: The 21:9 format is great for games and films, but the desktop many an
acquired tasted
When you tap the touch-sensitive buttons
along the bezel, the elegant on-screen display lets you squeeze even more from
the panel. Select the factory-calibrated sRGB mode, and while brightness and
contrast dip to 325cd/m2 and 1084:1, color temperature rises to 6222K and the
average Delta E figure sinks to just 1.1. All that remains is some backlight
unevenness in the Dell’s upper left and right corners, but that’s almost
completely curved by its Uniformity Compensation feature.
Fire up the likes of Portal 2 and the panel
almost completely fills your files of vision, making for an immersive,
cinematic experience. Made screen movies shot in a 2.39:1 or 2.40:1 are an
almost perfect fit at 2.37:1.
This width isn’t always so welcome,
however, given the large number of TV shows and films that use the 16:9 aspect
ratio, the extra width all too often goes wasted, with thick black bars
appearing at the screen’s edges. Nor is it entirely convincing for everyday Mac
use. It doesn’t take long to acclimatize to the unusual aspect ratio, but the
1080 pixel height isn’t ideal – set side by side with a 27in, 2560 x 1440
monitor, the U2913WM gives a less versatile expanse of desktop for creative
applications such as InDesign or Photoshop.
There’s
no such shortage of connectivity: D-SUB, DVI and MIDI inputs are found
alongside the full-size DisplayPort, and an integrated USB 3 hub provides two
side-facing ports and another two at the rear
There’s no such shortage of connectivity:
D-SUB, DVI and MIDI inputs are found alongside the full-size Display Port, and
an integrated USB 3 hub provides two side-facing ports and another two at the
rear. There’s also a Display Port pass-through for daisy chaining further
monitors, but as Macs don’t yet support Display Port 1.24, it’ll only work with
compatible PCs. The Ultra Sharp U2913WM is a delight-fully kooky alternative to
a 16:9 display. For $675, the ultra-widescreen IPS panel delivers excellent
image quality, and it’s packed with features. It’s not a great all-rounder,
though – definitely more suited to gaming and entertainment than it is to
everyday applications, and with good-quality 27in, 2560 x 1440 monitors
creeping down to the $750 mark, the U2913WM won’t be everyone’s idea of a
perfect fit.
|
Dell
UltraSharp U2913WM Specs
§ Ultra-widescreen
IPS display
§ Pro:
Huge amount of space – Fantastic image quality
§ Con:
There are more versatile options out there
§ Price:
$675
§ Verdict:
4/5
|
