Dell Ultrasharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor Review: Best IPs Panel

Can you imagine A Dell product without the iconic logo of Dell exploding on your face? Well, the change is far away as the PC company continues its journey to make the perfect office monitor. The Ultrasharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U3225Q) is another great entry into the Dell's Elite Computer Monitor Line, and I'm happy to celebrate the subtler branding.

But is it the Best monitor you can buy? Well, it does not use OLED, which is a Hot trend today. But in its “enhance” IPs (in-plane switch) Black panels, over-the-top connections, and classy look, you won't find a better flagship office monitor.

An 'enhanced' Dell Monitor

If you see a high-end Dell Monitor, you see it. It is a 32-inch, 16: 9 monitor with a silver back, stand, and base. There are a few things I can appreciate about this one though.

First is the relatively thin, black bezels. Most Dells (even ultrasharp monitors) have a plastic striped as a bezel bottom to house the Dell logo, always staring at the face. That's not here, which makes for a cleaner look. It has all the other useful bits you want to expect, such as a wide range of adjustments, including its tilt to go to a vertical orientation, straightforward cable management developed in stance, and Vesa support.

Photo: Luke Larsen

But image quality is what makes it unique. Dell won ”IPs Black“For years, an LG technology has improved the contrast of IPs panels, a way of competing as an alternative to OLED, which is often more expensive and can cause issues such as screen burn-in. Meanwhile, Dell is alone in implementing IPs Black, but now other companies like Benq and HP have come along.

The U3225Q, however, includes the next generation IPs Black, which forces the contrast. How much? Well, from 2,000: 1 to 3,000: 1. Those are not OLED levels of contrast, but surely this is a massive improvement in yesteryear IPs. You won't be able to hit the contrast ratio to 100 percent brightness, but U3225Q is still managing to get some settings setting for an IPs panel. I didn't have a U3223QE model last year to compare side by side, but the numbers were speaking for themselves. This is just the best IPS panel I have ever seen, at least in terms of increasing contrast. Its benefit is darker, more rich looking black that just don't look like color. The colors look a bit more alive too.

As for the brightness, U3225Q manages to crank up to 417 nits. Anything over 300 nits is considered bright enough for office work, but the extra 150 nits ensures that it will be bright enough even if your desk will drown by sunlight every afternoon.

Photo: Luke Larsen