Dell U2717D UltraSharp 27 InfinityEdge Monitor Review

Dell UltraSharp Series has been one of the most popular choices of display monitors over the years and Dell is known to refresh the lineup every one or two years. The U2717D UltraSharp 27 InfinityEdge is this year's latest 27" model which features a 2560 x 1440 resolution IPS panel with ultra-thin bezel for better viewing pleasure and mainly, to replace the U2715H from a couple of years back.

Dell Malaysia has sent us the U2717D UltraSharp 27 InfinityEdge Monitor a couple weeks ago to have us experience their latest offering, special thanks to them for making this review possible.

(The U2717D is retailed at RM2,389)

Specifications

Dell Dell UltraSharp 27 InfinityEdge Monitor U2717D

The U2717D features a true zero bezel design that should further enhance your viewing experience, especially if you're planning to have multiple monitor setup, a big improvement over the previous U2715H with similar zero bezel design on both sides and the top, but with visible bezel at the bottom edge.

It's not really a new feature but it's good to see that the Dell U2717D comes with a cable routing hole on its monitor stand to manage any cable clutter.

Ergonomic features such as the tilt and height adjustments have good adjustment range, it's a little stiff to the touch but it'll do pretty much enough to satisfy your viewing needs with ease.

Adjustable swivel is another common feature on the UltraSharp series monitor and it's always good to have such feature when you're using it for office work or multiple monitor setup.

Unlike most monitors we've seen before, the U2717D monitor can be oriented not only to 90° clockwise but 90° anti-clockwise as well. A pretty sweet feature, especially when you need a longer vertical view for reading documents, designing posters, or just simply to access the I/O ports located under the monitor.

The monitor base comes with a tool-free locking design to make disassemble and reassemble work much easier if you tend to move the monitor around.

Behind the monitor, you'll find the universal VESA mount in case if you plan to upgrade your workstation with plenty of monitor arms.

The I/O panel located at the back of the monitor consists of 1 x MHL-ready HDMI port, 2 x DisplayPort which includes both in and out for Multi-Stream Transport (MST, aka Daisy Chaining) configuration, 1 x mini DisplayPort, Audio out jack, and a built-in USB 3.0 hub with 4 x USB 3.0 ports (2 at the back of the monitor).

The other 2 x USB 3.0 ports of the built-in USB 3.0 hub can be found on the left of the monitor.

In case if you wanted to prevent someone from stealing your monitor, Dell has been thoughtful enough to include a Kensington Lock slot at the back.

The control buttons of the U2717D can be found at the bottom right of the monitor. Other than the power button, the remaining buttons is a little too small to our liking, as it's causing a slight discomfort to the finger tip when pressing for multiple time during configuration adjustments. But they are physical buttons and is always better than touch-sensitive buttons in our opinion.

Backlight Bleed Test
We've switched our desktop background to a solid black color to check the backlight bleeding of the U2717D in a dark environment. The following photo taken shows the visible bleed on the monitor:

Backlight bleed can be seen on the monitor on the top left and bottom right edges being the most visible, followed by a minimal bleed on the top right. The remaining area looking fine, we can see the actual difference between a professional grade IPS panel to the 'gaming grade' IPS panel used on gaming monitors.

Preset Modes

The U2717D is equipped with a series of presets for different purposes but instead of highlighting all the presets available, we will be focusing more on those that actually makes visible changes when it's applied to a targeted scenario.

Paper Preset

Compared to the bright white view on the standard present on the left, we can see that the paper preset actually soften the view with a lowered brightness and slightly warm color on the screen to make viewing documents more comfortable to the eye.

sRGB Preset

It might not seem to have too much different at first - standard on the left and sRGb on the right, but you'll start to notice the colors be more vibrant and sharper when photo viewing, photo editing or similar tasks are involved.

Movie Preset

With the movie preset applied (right), we can see some major changes in the colors of the background, actor's skin tone and the color of their outfit that appears much closer to the actual colors for a better viewing experience.

Game Preset

We have Tom Clancy's The Division on screen as we give the game preset a test and you can notice that darker areas on the standard preset (left) looks brighter and much more visible, giving you a slight upper hand to deal with the enemy who tries to ambush you from the shadows.

On-Screen Menu

The on-screen display menu consists of every adjustable setting that you will need to calibrate the monitor to your personal preference, including MST configuration, brightness, and contrast, input source selection, color configuration, etc..

Viewing Angles

The viewing angle is very good indeed, as expected from Dell's claim of using a premium IPS panel on the U2717D. The contrast shift was minimal or none as we move around the monitor to search for that color and gamma shift, to no avail.

Verdict

The Dell U2717D packs pretty much everything we need for office work, a little gaming session, photo editing, movie and other entertainment purposes, i.e tiltable screen, adjustable height and swivel, USB 3.0 ports, lots of presets for different purposes - you name it.

As good as it might get with all the praises, the Dell U2717D isn't a totally perfect monitor as we did notice some issue plaguing it. Noticeable ghosting while gaming, very tight USB 3.0 ports on the side of the monitor, tiny buttons that sometimes hurts your fingertips, and the corner backlight bleed are a few of the problems that we've experienced throughout these few weeks with the Dell U2717D.

While the price of RM 2,389 appears to be pretty steep, its overall performance and quality that we've experienced made it really worthy of that price tag, especially if you're looking for a monitor for design purposes and office use. Do note that the Dell 2717D UltraSharp 27 InfinityEdge isn't marketed as a gaming monitor and ultra-smooth gaming experience isn't something to expect from it. It's gaming counterpart, the S2716DG will definitely do a much better job, albeit with a slightly higher price tag as well.

Pros