Dell 210-BKSF

The Dell UltraSharp U2724D is a 27-inch 1440p IPS monitor with excellent color accuracy, a rare 2000:1 contrast ratio thanks to IPS Black, and top-tier connectivity including 85W USB-C power delivery. It's a strong pick for photo editing and productivity, especially at discounted prices around $304. Just be ready to deal with Dell's software for settings, since there are no physical buttons.

The 120Hz refresh rate and 5ms response time put this panel in a comfortable middle ground. It's not going to compete with a 240Hz esports monitor, and our database puts its performance at the 58th percentile, which is about average for this category. But for a productivity-first display, 120Hz makes everything feel noticeably smoother than the 60Hz panels most offices are still using. G-Sync Compatible support means Nvidia GPU owners can enable variable refresh rate without much fuss, which helps if you fire up a game after hours.

Where this monitor really shines is color and connectivity. The color performance lands in the 94th percentile, which is one of the best on the market for a non-OLED panel. The 10-bit color depth and 1.07 billion colors mean smooth gradients without banding, and the 350 nits of brightness is solid for most indoor environments. HDR10 is technically supported, but at 350 nits without local dimming, it's more of a checkbox than a feature. Don't buy this expecting real HDR performance. The connectivity story is even stronger at the 97th percentile, with Thunderbolt, dual USB-C, HDMI, DisplayPort, and 85W of power delivery. That 85W is enough to charge most laptops while driving the display over a single cable, which is a huge quality-of-life win for desk setups.

Stacked against the competition, the U2724D occupies a specific lane. The ASUS ROG Strix XG27UCDMG and MSI MAG 271QPX QD-OLED E2 are OLED panels that will absolutely crush this Dell in contrast, response time, and HDR performance. But they cost significantly more and come with OLED burn-in considerations for productivity work. The LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B and Samsung Odyssey G60SD are similarly gaming-focused, with higher refresh rates but weaker color accuracy out of the box for professional work.

Where the Dell wins is the combination of color accuracy, connectivity, and ergonomics at a lower price point. The 97th percentile connectivity score means it has more ports and better power delivery than most competitors in this range. If you're a photographer, video editor, or someone who just wants a sharp, color-true display for daily work with occasional gaming, the U2724D makes more sense than a gaming OLED. If you're primarily a gamer who wants the fastest response times and deepest blacks, the OLED options from MSI or ASUS are the better call.

Value is where the U2724D gets interesting, and a little frustrating. In the US, prices range from $304 to $800 across 19 listings. That's a $496 spread for the exact same monitor, which is absurd. If you find it near the $304 mark, it's a steal. At $800, you're paying too much and should look elsewhere. Canadian buyers face a similar situation, with prices from CAD 489 to CAD 933. The best deals tend to show up at Amazon and Newegg, but it's worth checking both before pulling the trigger. For an older 2024 model that's been out for a while, the discounted prices make this a genuinely strong value proposition, especially when you consider the color accuracy and connectivity you're getting. Just don't pay full retail.

The Dell UltraSharp U2724D sits in that sweet spot for a 27-inch 1440p monitor that does double duty as a workhorse and a decent gaming panel. It's not the flashiest screen on the shelf, but it's built around Dell's IPS Black technology, which gives it a 2000:1 static contrast ratio. That's roughly double what you'd get from a standard IPS panel, and it shows. Blacks look deeper, text looks crisp, and the whole thing feels more premium than the spec sheet suggests. Prices bounce around a lot depending on where you look, from about $304 to $800 in the US, so shopping around matters more than usual here.

People searching for a color-accurate monitor for photo editing or office work will find a lot to like. The U2724D covers 100% sRGB, 100% Rec. 709, and 98% DCI-P3, which is a genuinely strong color gamut for this price bracket. It's also TÜV certified for visual comfort, which sounds like marketing speak but actually translates to a screen that's easier on your eyes during long work sessions. And yes, it works fine with Macs over HDMI or DisplayPort, though the USB-C situation has a caveat we'll get to.

At 27 inches with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, you're getting roughly 109 pixels per inch. That's the classic sweet spot for productivity. Text is sharp without needing display scaling, and you get plenty of screen real estate for side-by-side windows. The 120Hz refresh rate is a nice bonus for smoother scrolling and casual gaming, even if this isn't marketed as a gaming monitor first.

Skip the U2724D if you're primarily a competitive gamer who wants the fastest response times and real HDR performance. The 5ms response time and 350-nit brightness without local dimming won't satisfy anyone chasing high-refresh OLED panels like the MSI MAG 271QPX or ASUS ROG Strix XG27UCDMG. Also skip it if you hate software-based controls, since there are no physical buttons for adjusting settings. And if you specifically need USB-C video input for a single-cable setup with a device that doesn't support DisplayPort or HDMI, this monitor will frustrate you. For those use cases, look at a gaming-focused OLED or a monitor with full USB-C video support.

Should you buy the Dell UltraSharp U2724D? If you're looking for a 27-inch 1440p monitor for photo editing, office work, or general productivity, and you can find it at a discount, the answer is a clear yes. The color accuracy is genuinely excellent, the IPS Black contrast is a real improvement over standard IPS, and the 85W USB-C power delivery makes it a fantastic single-cable solution for laptop users. The 120Hz refresh rate is a nice bonus that keeps everything feeling responsive.

But there are real annoyances. The lack of physical adjustment buttons means you're stuck using Dell's software to change settings, which multiple owners have called out as frustrating. The USB-C port not supporting video input is a strange omission for a monitor marketed around connectivity. And the HDR support is basically marketing fluff. If those trade-offs don't bother you, this is one of the better productivity monitors you can buy right now, especially at the lower end of its price range.