Dell releases a $500 HDR monitor! But it’s not actually HDR..

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Dell has released their new HDR U2518D monitor which boasts of a ‘Dell HDR’ feature, only for $500. Seems pretty good doesn’t it? Well it actually isn’t. It’s more of a marketing gimmick. It uses a software-based HDR mode that responds to content which is in HDR10. Although it can make HDR10 content look nicer, but it doesn’t offer the true HDR experience.

The maximum brightness of this panel is 350 nits, which is around the same as most regular monitors. Other HDR panels sport a modest 1,000 nits, like Dell’s own UP2718Q. HDR10 content uses Rec.2020 colour space, while this monitor uses the older Rec.709 colour gamut, so it does NOT reproduce some of the colors HDR10 content would have. Combine this with the lower brightness, you clearly wouldn’t get a good HDR experience.

Before dropping $500 (or any amount for that matter) on a HDR monitor, look at the specifications for the monitor which you would be getting. HDR monitors vary greatly in specifications.

Specifications of DELL HDR Monitor

Diagonal Viewing Size:
63.44 cm
25 inches
Backlight Technology:
LED
Aspect Ratio:
16:9
Resolution:
2560 x 1440 at 60 Hz
Viewing Angle:
178° vertical / 178° horizontal
Contrast Ratio:
1000 to 1 (typical)
Brightness:
350 cd/m2 (typical)
Response Time:
5ms (gray to gray)
Flat Panel Mount Interface:
VESA (100 mm)
Adjustability :
Height adjustable (130 mm),
Tilt (-5° to 21°)
Swivel (-45° to 45°)
Pivot (90°, clockwise & anti-clockwise directions)
Color Gamut (typical):
99% sRGB, 99% REC709, 79.3% DCI-P3
Color Depth:
16.7 Million colors

Connectivity

 

1 x DP (ver. 1.2)
1 x mDP (ver. 1.2)
1 x DP (ver. 1.2) out with MST
1 x HDMI (ver. 2.0)
1 x USB 3.0 port – Upstream
4 x USB 3.0 ports , including 2 x USB3.0 BC1.2 charging capability at 2A (max)

Now I hope it is quite easy for you to choose which is the best monitor for you according to your requirement.

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