In 2022, Dell became the first company to receive the latest IPS Black panels with increased black field depth. Initially, these were 4K UHD standard models, but later, more affordable WQHD solutions emerged, offering an increased vertical refresh rate. Three years later, during a period when the desktop display market underwent significant changes, the manufacturer released another Enhanced IPS Black 4K monitor with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a declared contrast ratio of 3000:1, a phenomenal figure for In-Plane Switching technology. The first such monitor was today’s Dell U2725QE review model from the popular UltraSharp line.
Dell U2725QE Review
Unboxing
Our Dell U2725QE review unit comes in a large, heavy box made of painted cardboard with high-quality printing. The monitor is shown from both sides, with all its main advantages listed.
Getting it out is easy – the box opens like a book. The top part contains the entire package and the stand. Underneath is the monitor itself.
For ease of carrying, the package features two special cutouts on the sides and a plastic handle on top.
The Dell U2725QE box includes:
- One or two power cables (depending on region)
- DisplayPort 1.4 cable
- Thunderbolt 4 cable
- USB-A to USB-C 3.0 cable for PC and peripheral connection
- Safety instructions
- Service and warranty booklet
Design and Ergonomics
The appearance of Dell monitors rarely undergoes significant changes, and the U2725QE is no exception, repeating the features of the same U2724DE, which we tested earlier. Its design is as close as possible to the representatives of ultra-wide solutions from the top business line “U”. It features a 4-sided “frameless design” and slightly higher-quality materials.
The manufacturer reused the familiar stand and central column and chose high-quality matte plastic in light gray shades, avoiding any visible texture—unlike the most affordable models in the “S” series.
The U2725QE model clearly shows the handwriting of Dell designers. It is simply impossible to confuse it with models from other companies.
You can mount the Dell U2725QE on a VESA-compatible 100×100 mm bracket if needed. To do this, simply unscrew the four screws at the central column’s attachment point, then attach the bracket using those mounting holes.
The monitor is unassembled in the package. The relatively heavy stand can be attached in just a couple of seconds without the need for tools. Disassembly is also quick and easy, achieved by pressing a single mechanical locking button.
The figured stand with rounded corners is similar in size to that used in other large models of the brand. There are no complaints about stability. The upper surface of the stand is made of gray plastic, reminiscent of metal. The rotating element of the central stand is shifted back.
The cable routing system is implemented through a relatively small rectangular cutout in the lower part of the central stand. The solution is simple and not very effective. Dell designers have long since abandoned the additional plastic element hiding the interface block.
The monitor stand has advanced ergonomic capabilities for this class of Dell devices. In the case of the U2725QE, you can adjust the panel tilt from -5 to +21 degrees, rotate it by up to 45 degrees to the right or left, and adjust the height to 150 mm. The panel can be lowered almost to the surface of the stand, which is a significant advantage of the model.
You can also rotate the display into portrait mode in either direction. However, this makes panel centering somewhat inconsistent, as you have to realign the case after each position change. Despite that, the stand minimizes rocking. The manufacturer uses metal for all fasteners, the stand’s internal components, and the central column.
All monitor parts are connected with minimal gaps. The case does not twist, crunch, or creak when changing its position on the stand.
For the quality of materials and assembly, our Dell U2725QE review model easily receives the maximum rating, which is not surprising for a representative of the “U” line.
On the upper edge, a translucent plastic segment is located, behind which are the ambient light and color temperature sensors. Dell engineers strategically placed the components to minimize random fluctuations in brightness and color temperature while using the monitor with both automatic control functions enabled.
The monitor’s main connectors are oriented downwards on the cable connection block at the rear. The factory has covered some of the serial connection ports with orange silicone plugs.
Two high-speed USB 3.2 Type-C ports and one Type-A port for working with peripherals are conveniently located on a separate, retractable block on the left side of the lower edge of the case. At least something new!
Despite the presence of ventilation grilles on both the bottom and top of the case, the Dell U2725QE lacks a built-in speaker system. There is only a possibility of installing a branded soundbar using two built-in magnet holders on the bottom edge.
Menu and Control
The monitor is controlled by a recessed power button and a five-position joystick next to it. The status indicator is hidden on the front, but its presence is almost unobtrusive. Thus, the manufacturer attempted to remove all unnecessary elements from the front panel, allowing the user to focus solely on what was happening on the screen.
The control system is convenient, does not require getting used to, and is much more practical than the minor and stiff keys used in many other models of the brand (which are usually more affordable).
When you move the joystick to any position, hint icons appear on the screen, indicating the selected functions with quick access. The functions can be changed later in a special subsection of the menu.
The menu speed is not particularly problematic, and navigation is simple. Dell designers have once again employed the black and blue scheme for the preliminary menu (first introduced in the P series more than five years ago) and the main OSD screen but have removed a couple of dividers. The menu now feels a little different but not more modern.
We noticed the following among the default quick access options: preset mode selection, brightness and contrast adjustment, input source selection, KVM source selection, and PiP/PbP mode switching. If desired, the user can select other functions for quick access via the corresponding section in the OSD Menu.
The monitor menu is split into ten clear sections.
- The first covers brightness and contrast. You can enable auto-adjustments for both brightness and color temperature. There is also an option to sync these settings with a second monitor connected via Daisy Chain (MST), which is useful when using identical models.
- The second is for input management. You can choose which port to use, rename sources, and set how the Thunderbolt 4 port behaves.
- In the Color section, you’ll find preset modes, format choices, and a reset option.
- The Display section allows you to adjust sharpness, select a response time mode, choose how the Type-C port prioritizes speed or quality and set up MST syncing. HDR settings are also available here—enable VESA DisplayHDR 600 to unlock full brightness.
- The PiP/PbP section displays all options for viewing two sources simultaneously, using small visual icons. Next, the USB/KVM section handles port settings and ensures the KVM switch operates correctly.
- The Menu section allows you to select the menu language, adjust transparency, rotate the menu, control the duration it stays on screen, and lock it if necessary.
- The Personalize section allows you to customize the five shortcut buttons and joystick directions. You can also control the power light, enable fast boot, allow USB charging, and reset settings in this section.
- The ninth section includes tools like turning off DDC/CI, running an LCD pixel check without a PC, and viewing the monitor’s factory calibration report.
- The final section displays system information and provides simple guides for setting up KVM and Daisy Chain connections.
Dell U2725QE review test
Color Gamut
The monitor features an IPS Black panel of the WQHD standard, accompanied by an advanced version of W-LED backlighting. This technology utilizes an additional layer of sputtering to modify the backlight spectrum and expand the color gamut. Let’s check the color gamut on this Dell U2725QE review sample.
The initial check was carried out with the display’s factory settings (Standard mode). The screenshots provided demonstrate that the monitor’s capabilities exceed sRGB (for which the manufacturer claims 99-100% coverage) in all significant areas and approach full DCI-P3 coverage.
We were unable to increase the color coverage even after manual adjustment and calibration. This Dell U2725QE review model reached the initial factory level, indicating that Dell squeezed the maximum available from the new high-speed IPS Black panel.
Activating the special Display P3 (or DCI-P3) mode does not affect the maximum capabilities of the matrix. It turns out that the three modes demonstrate very similar results, with the only difference being that the zone of going beyond DCI-P3 is now limited.
For trouble-free work in sRGB and Rec. 709 spaces, which are similar in color space but differ in gamma settings, users can switch to the corresponding emulation modes. They perform close to ideal but allow only limited adjustments—users can change brightness and contrast (which should remain untouched).
Suppose you always work within the full-color gamut. In such cases, you can combat unintended oversaturation using suitable ICC/ICM profiles and software that adequately supports the color management system (CMS). Among them are Adobe products, XnView, FastStone Viewer, Windows photo viewers (versions 7, 8, 10, and 11), Opera, Firefox, Google Chrome, and others.
Brightness, Contrast, and Basic Color Rendering
The monitor has three main modes (Standard, Movie, Game), a mode with a choice of color temperature in the range from 5000 to 10000K, four color standard emulation modes, as well as a preset for manual correction Custom with a full-color gamut. By default, Standard Mode is used with the following settings:
- Brightness: 75
- Contrast: 75
- Response Time: Normal
Let’s examine the results shown in the table below:
We decided to study in detail only the most useful of the presented modes. The brightness of the white field in most of them is at an average or even low level, which your eyes will appreciate.
As for the contrast ratio, the monitor, unfortunately, did not reach the declared level in the TX and showed a result of 2100-2400:1, which, nevertheless, is higher than the actual 1800:1 of its predecessor, the U2723QE. This produces a deeper black color, but completely different indicators affect the exact contrast of the picture.
The monitor’s white point achieves a high level of accuracy, but in DCI-P3 mode, it occasionally shifts into green-yellow halftones.
The Dell U2725QE also handles gamma settings well, maintaining average gamma values that closely match various standards with minimal deviations. The results for the DeltaE deviation level confirm the electronic calibration reports: the monitor underwent precise factory adjustment. If you work in the sRGB, Rec. 709, and Display P3 standards, then the U2725QE does not require additional calibration.
The level of color temperature stability in standard settings and emulation modes was high. The DCI-P3 mode was especially impressive, with phenomenally low deviations. As for the calibration results, the numbers were higher but also within the norm.
To achieve 100 nits brightness, a white point color temperature of 6500K, and other improvements, we switched to Custom Mode and set the following settings:
- Brightness: 33
- Contrast: 75
- RGB Gain: 93/95/97
- Response Time: Fast
Manual adjustments enabled us to reduce the brightness to the desired level and set the white point to approximately 6500K with minimal deviations. In this mode, the installed high-speed IPS Black panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate delivers the maximum available color gamut.
After applying the created correction profile, the final color accuracy increased to 0.15 DeltaE94 on average and 1 at maximum – a result that allows you to be confident in the accuracy of color rendering.
With standard settings, the measured gamma curves are slightly higher than the reference, resulting in a slight decrease in image contrast on the screen. There is no RGB imbalance; deep shadows are distinguishable at an average level.
Calibration, combined with the creation of an individual color profile in Custom mode, enabled us to restore standard color rendering and provide the system with all the necessary information about the display’s capabilities at maximum panel settings. Gamma curves and the gray balance returned to normal, and DeltaE94 deviations decreased to the required level. You can safely work with color without encountering problems while maintaining full access to all monitor settings.
The sRGB and BT.709 (also known as Rec. 709) modes are tuned as required by both standards. The presets differ in their set brightness and gamma. There can be no complaints, given the resulting DeltaE deviations.
There may be no such thing for the DCI-P3 and Display P3 modes. Let us remind you that they have identical color gamut but different gamma, brightness, and color temperature settings. If we focus on what we have encountered before, the Dell U2725QE delivers very accurate configuration and fully meets the requirements of both modes. Feel free to use any of the available emulation modes, and we will proceed.
Color Temperature
As for the color temperature sensor, it functions just as accurately as the automatic brightness control, but it lacks additional settings. As a general rule, extra lighting sources in the room reduce the monitor’s CT proportionally. In rare cases, it may be higher than the base 6500-6700K for our Dell U2725QE review model.
The bottom line is that the sensors work correctly and quickly. We strongly recommend using them, especially if your monitor has not been calibrated yet.
We have a separate line for additional color temperature modes in the corresponding subsection of the menu. They allowed us to make two main conclusions: the accuracy of the names corresponding to the actual results obtained is exceptionally high, and with an increase in color temperature, the level of stability of the grayscale CT decreases to the level of “below average.” However, if you need them, feel free to use them when necessary and consider the features we identified.
Gradients Uniformity
The pseudo 10-bit (8-bit + FRC) Enhanced IPS Black matrix installed in the monitor demonstrated relatively high-quality gradients, both with default settings and after manual adjustments.
The monitor exhibits no issues in emulation modes of various color spaces, and we did not observe any visual differences from 60 Hz analogs – the quality is comparable. Therefore, you do not need to worry about the increased speed of the monitor, as it has not compromised image quality.
However, after calibration with relatively minor edits to the video card LUT, the gradients suffered noticeably. A significant number of sharp transitions appeared in the 5-44% region, accompanied by obvious parasitic shades (yellow, purple), which confirms the use of FRC (dithering) in all its glory.
Contrast and Brightness Range
We first set the monitor to Standard mode to study the stability of contrast and the range of brightness changes. Then, we adjusted the Brightness value from 100% to 0% in 10-unit increments. Using the HCFR program, we measured the values shown in the table below. This program allows us to assess the black level more precisely (up to three decimal places) and, as a result, determine the contrast ratio more accurately.
The resulting working brightness range at standard settings was 31-405 nits, with an average contrast ratio of ~2120:1. Brightness decreases most significantly in the range of 100-70%, after which the rate of decline slows down.
White Point Accuracy
If you don’t care too much about white point accuracy, switching to Custom mode allows the Dell monitor to expand the brightness range to 36-475 nits while also increasing the contrast ratio to 2500:1 on average, which is at least 2.5 times higher than most IPS monitors on the market. In this case, the monitor also exceeded its SDR brightness rating.
With a minimum of 31-36 nits, the monitor will help reduce eye strain as much as possible when working in low ambient light or complete darkness at night. Everything is in order here – no unnecessary questions arise.
With HDR enabled and VESA DIsplayHDR 600 mode selected via the monitor settings, the U2725QE switches its backlight system to local control over 8 large zones. Peak brightness approaches 700 nits, both at full-screen coverage and in small areas of 10-25% of the screen (APL).
Response Time and Refresh Rate
The Dell U2725QE is reported to have a panel with a response time of 5-8 ms (depending on the overclocking mode), measured using the Gray-to-Gray method—a classic for work monitors from Dell, which modern 120 Hz solutions have also adopted. The default value is Response Time – Normal. There is a second possible option – Fast. Let’s compare them:
The factory set the Response Time settings (Overdrive, in general terms) so that the average response time between different shades of gray measures 21.3 ms. Gaming models with a frequency of 144-180 Hz typically achieve 7-10 ms, making this response time relatively slow by comparison.
Suppose you activate the second available Fast mode. In that case, the average actual time drops to 12.5 ms with a fairly strict RGB 5 tolerance. (In some cases, such a tolerance significantly increases the obtained values, but it allows you to determine the real speed of the display much better.) There are weak artifacts, but in real work, it will not be so easy to detect them. This result is visually more pleasing, and in the numbers, everything is not as bad as with the default settings. The RT-Fast mode is your salvation from a completely blurry picture in motion.
Separately, we note that the Dell UltraSharp U2725QE monitor officially supports VRR systems, indicating full support for open Adaptive-Sync and, of course, implying trouble-free operation with NVIDIA G-Sync in Compatible mode (without an official certification), which we confirmed during this Dell U2725QE review. There were no problems; everything worked, but only within the range of 48-120 Hz.
The Dell monitor also exhibits no issues with frame skipping at its maximum vertical refresh rate of 120 Hz, without any noticeable skipping.
Viewing Angles
As a rule, there are no questions about the viewing angles of large 4K monitors based on IPS panels, and our Dell U2725QE review unit was no exception to the rule:
The image above shows everything perfectly. The viewing angles are comparable to those of other similar solutions. We did not observe any noticeable advantages over the previous generation of IPS panels. However, Dell claims that the image stability has improved compared to the first IPS Black solutions.
With minor changes in the viewing angle in the horizontal plane, the picture on the screen remains unchanged. If you increase the angle to 30-45 degrees, the image becomes less contrasting, the saturation of some colors decreases, and the shadows become slightly lighter. With changes in the vertical plane, the picture on the screen deteriorates significantly and more pronouncedly, especially in areas with dark content and along the edges of the panel.
Brightness and Color Temperature Uniformity
The uniformity of the monitor backlight and color temperature across the screen field was checked at 35 points, with the monitor brightness set to 100 nits. All calculations (deviations) were based on data from the central point. The monitor does not utilize a backlight unevenness compensation system, which is quite common for monitors of this class.
With the brightness set, the average deviation from the central point was 9.6%, and the maximum deviation was 20.8%, which is a typical result for IPS solutions with a similar diagonal.
The bright and uniform zone takes up most of the space, while the darkest part is the entire upper edge of the panel.
The photo above shows a white field with minimal corrections in a graphics editor to more clearly represent what is happening on the screen in terms of the uniformity of the light field.
The difference in total brightness and contrast gain (CG) is even more pronounced on dark gray canvases, where all the identified features of the backlight become more apparent.
Now let’s look at the black background, assessing its “uniformity” using two photographs taken at different distances from the screen (~70 cm and ~150 cm) so that you can determine the impact of the now boring Glow effect and find out the absolute uniformity of the backlight without taking it into account.
Let’s now examine how evenly the color temperature is distributed across the screen.
In the Dell U2725QE review, we manually set the CT to obtain 6500K and maintained the brightness of the white field at the central point at 100 nits. The monitor showed a high result, with an average deviation of 1.3% and a maximum deviation of 4.5%.
The difference between the minimum and maximum values was less than 400K, and the only problem areas were the two upper corners of the panel. Otherwise, the color temperature changes smoothly, so such changes are not noticeable.
Final Line
The Dell U2725QE is an interesting contender for the title of a semi-professional monitor for working with color (photo, video editing, graphics, design, programming). The manufacturer has done almost everything in its power: there is an extensive range of brightness adjustments, full compliance with three or four basic standards, high accuracy of factory settings, deep black, and decent uniformity in light areas.
It features a vast selection of modern connection interfaces and various options for convenient work with multiple sources, thanks to the KVM and MST (Daisy-Chain) functions. The monitor offers various USB and Thunderbolt ports with high bandwidth for connecting peripherals, and as a pleasant addition, it increases the vertical refresh rate to 120 Hz. The picture is much smoother; however, you should not count on high response rates and minimal blur, as the U2725QE differs significantly in this parameter from real gaming models currently available on the market.
But there is something to complain about: the enhanced Glow effect due to the deeper black color, which, however, never reached the declared level, as well as backlight defects on the black field – it remains hopeful that there are better examples or not to focus on this when buying (especially since over time such defects can reduce their visibility or even disappear).
The recommended retail price of the U2725QE is $759, but you can purchase it for $709.99 on B&H Photo and £576 on Amazon.co.uk. What do you think about the Dell U2725QE review? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
