Image rights: Dell.D
ell’s stellar reputation in the monitor
game is not ill–deserved and, perhaps,
ought to be even stronger than it is.
The company consistently puts out market–
leading panels at mostly affordable prices.
The 27–inch P2720DC, as you might imagine,
is no exception — and the screen itself is only
part of a winning combination.
Take, for instance, the stand. Simple to
attach out of the box, not overly distracting,
and perfectly inconspicuous next to an iMac
or above a MacBook, it’s a fabulous piece of
engineering. It tilts, swivels, and rises up and
down with a mechanically–compensated
action that makes everything particularly
easy — and if you want to go vertical you can
rotate it with a fingertip.
The P2720DC also scores a host of points
for connectivity, sporting daisychain–ready
DisplayPort 1.2 (meaning you can string two
of these together) as well and HDMI 1.4 and
a USB Type–C port which does all the things
USB Type–C should. Not just connecting, but
also offering USB expansion via two side–
mounted USB 3.0 ports and a pair of slightly
trickier USB 2.0 ports, and passing through
65W of power to your MacBook even when
the monitor itself is turned off. Great if you’re
sick of cables and expansion dongles.
And then there’s the IPS panel. Although
the viewable area doesn’t quite reach the
edges of the super–slim bezel, the P2720DC
puts out an absolutely expansive 1440p
image with the impeccable viewing angles
that only IPS panels can provide. It’s brightenough, contrast–heavy and utterly
consistent from corner to corner,
behind a matte front plastic that does
a particularly good job of dampening
unwanted reflections. That said, it’s
not ultra high–end — as beautiful as
the image is, the panel can only handle
60Hz at most — and it does lack the
lurid glossy bravado of, say, an iMac
5K panel.
Realistically, that’s neither a
positive or a negative. For general use,
this neutral and measured image won’t
feel offensive or even exciting — this
isn’t a monitor that wants to take over
your desk, it’s one that wants you to
get on with your work. We’re more
than happy with its color output at
99% sRGB, and it sailed through our
bank of tests. It may be stuck to 60Hz,
but that’s a smooth 60Hz with a tight
refresh rate and not a shred of blur.
There are certainly cheaper
monitors on the market, some of
which might even reach 4K
resolutions, but skimping on your second (or
indeed third) screen is like buying a cheap
mattress. It’s something you’re going to use
for many hours every day, and Dell’s effort
here is an incredibly comfortable one.
THE BOTTOM LINE. The P2720DC is
quality engineering with a whole host of
expansion options and a pin–sharp 1440p
panel in a package that’s the perfect desktop
expansion for a MacBook. ALEX COXDell P2720DC USB–C monitor
Sit back and admire the view
$479.99 From Dell, dell.com
Features 2,560x1,440, 60Hz, DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, USB Type–CDELL P2720DC
USB–C MONITOR
Contrasty and colorful
Consistent brightness
Great stand and ports
Only 1440p at 60Hz
AWESOMEScreen positioning
is easy to adjust and
there’s plenty of range.
Reviews
44 APR 2020 maclife.com