There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
on January 11, 2017
HUGE WARNING!! See at the end of the post
I am a photographer who needs to have true colors and be able to straighten verticals and perspectives. I wanted to try a curved screen so began my journey to replace a 27" iMac screen with a 34" to avoid purchasing two monitors.
After hours of research and returning an LG 34UM88 34" monitor, decided on this one based on reviews from many different sources. Many had written Wow!, Amazing!! but that was not my first impression. After first turning it on, I was underwhelmed. The screen is big, nice curve and easy to hook up, but I thought it was rather dim and contrast was low (whites and blacks were not really white or black but bluish and gray). I didn't want to change the factory setup as supposedly it is calibrated. However, I did start adjusting by going through the monitor presets (Standard, Movie, ComfortView, Multimedia, Gaming, Color Temp and Custom Color).
I found that the ONLY preset that would help to boost the brightness and contrast to my liking was the Gaming Mode, which enables Dynamic Contrast. I am satisfied at this point in that I was able to achieve a true white and good contrast. Although one site Digital Trends reports the contrast on this monitor is less than the previous model (3415).
So, one day later, I am satisfied and now have a view that could be described as outstanding. I don't understand others that have said the monitor was breathtaking right out of the box. Perhaps I received an anomaly, who knows. I don't have a photo shoot for a day, but will post again if anything changes. Especially in answering the question whether a curved monitor is ok to work with for architectural photography that demands straight verticals.
BTW, I cannot find any Light Bleed or dead pixels. Looks like I got lucky. You could spend more and could spend less, but for the price, it is probably a keeper.
Update: DO NOT BUY DIRECT FROM DELL! My experience was terrible with Dell. They did not update their website status at all, promised expedited delivery by the 6th (ordered this on the 16th of Dec), did not tell me they were having a part problem until I called and then said I wouldn't receive it until the 20th. I called and cancelled on the 9th but then received an email on the 11th stating that the monitor had been shipped. The price I paid was $849, but then there were two price drops down to $799 and when I called ask about getting a credit for the difference, was told the monitor would have to be delivered first, then I would have to call and request a credit.
That's when I decided enough was enough. Did I mention that all the reps are hard to understand their English, which only irritated me all the more? I called and today after receiving the "your monitor has been shipped" email and was told it was too late to cancel and that they had no record of my call on Monday to cancel. Yikes!!!!!
Meantime, last Monday when I cancelled (or so I thought), I ordered the same monitor through Amazon and received the monitor two days later. If you search Dell reviews, you will see thousands and thousands of bad reviews for their customer service. My advice? Don't go near them to purchase, go through some other reputable seller like Amazon.
I am a photographer who needs to have true colors and be able to straighten verticals and perspectives. I wanted to try a curved screen so began my journey to replace a 27" iMac screen with a 34" to avoid purchasing two monitors.
After hours of research and returning an LG 34UM88 34" monitor, decided on this one based on reviews from many different sources. Many had written Wow!, Amazing!! but that was not my first impression. After first turning it on, I was underwhelmed. The screen is big, nice curve and easy to hook up, but I thought it was rather dim and contrast was low (whites and blacks were not really white or black but bluish and gray). I didn't want to change the factory setup as supposedly it is calibrated. However, I did start adjusting by going through the monitor presets (Standard, Movie, ComfortView, Multimedia, Gaming, Color Temp and Custom Color).
I found that the ONLY preset that would help to boost the brightness and contrast to my liking was the Gaming Mode, which enables Dynamic Contrast. I am satisfied at this point in that I was able to achieve a true white and good contrast. Although one site Digital Trends reports the contrast on this monitor is less than the previous model (3415).
So, one day later, I am satisfied and now have a view that could be described as outstanding. I don't understand others that have said the monitor was breathtaking right out of the box. Perhaps I received an anomaly, who knows. I don't have a photo shoot for a day, but will post again if anything changes. Especially in answering the question whether a curved monitor is ok to work with for architectural photography that demands straight verticals.
BTW, I cannot find any Light Bleed or dead pixels. Looks like I got lucky. You could spend more and could spend less, but for the price, it is probably a keeper.
Update: DO NOT BUY DIRECT FROM DELL! My experience was terrible with Dell. They did not update their website status at all, promised expedited delivery by the 6th (ordered this on the 16th of Dec), did not tell me they were having a part problem until I called and then said I wouldn't receive it until the 20th. I called and cancelled on the 9th but then received an email on the 11th stating that the monitor had been shipped. The price I paid was $849, but then there were two price drops down to $799 and when I called ask about getting a credit for the difference, was told the monitor would have to be delivered first, then I would have to call and request a credit.
That's when I decided enough was enough. Did I mention that all the reps are hard to understand their English, which only irritated me all the more? I called and today after receiving the "your monitor has been shipped" email and was told it was too late to cancel and that they had no record of my call on Monday to cancel. Yikes!!!!!
Meantime, last Monday when I cancelled (or so I thought), I ordered the same monitor through Amazon and received the monitor two days later. If you search Dell reviews, you will see thousands and thousands of bad reviews for their customer service. My advice? Don't go near them to purchase, go through some other reputable seller like Amazon.
Cumbersome menus with some features quirky and easier to use than others but beautiful high resolution screen
TOP 1000 REVIEWERon August 6, 2016
This review is for the 34-inch monitor.
Included with the monitor is the stand, an HDMI cable, cable cover, power cord, a DP cable (mini DP to DP), USB 3.0 upstream cable, CD with drivers, and a quick setup guide. There are no detailed printed instructions as you either have to refer online or look at the guide on the CD. I also think the power cord is a little short and do wish that it is a bit longer than it is.
My work recently upgraded our laptops to a smaller lightweight 13-inch model which is great for travel and fine for use at the office in a docking station but since I do a lot with spreadsheets, various documents and power point presentations, the small screen is an annoyance for working on at my home office. Since I have both a work laptop and a personal one, instead of getting a second monitor for a dual monitor setup, I decided to go (bought direct from Amazon) for this larger 34-inch model that has picture in picture capability along with the ability to switch between different input sources. So in my case, my setup is using two laptops on the monitor in both PIP mode and separately as a single source.
The monitor is easy to connect to the stand but the quick setup instructions and the instructions on the CD could be better written and in some instances not particularly clear especially when it comes to a dual PC setup and setting up a USB keyboard and mouse to be used on both computers.
The monitor has plenty of inputs, especially with the USB ports but unfortunately, the monitor only has one HDMI port making the dual computer setup a bit more complicated than it needs to be. In this case, my new work PC has a DP mini-port and so I used that connection for that. My personal laptop did not have mini-port as an option and so I used the HDMI port for that one. Both laptops are running windows 10. The monitor was recognized by the computers right away without using the included drivers but I installed the drivers and the Dell configuration software anyways, just in case it had any specific setup features that I would need for my setup. I really couldn’t tell any difference though with the windows drivers and the dell ones.
The initial setup of the video ports is a bit quirky, especially with the mini-port. Sometimes during the initial setup, the screen would go blank and I would have to restart the computer and play around with the settings on the monitor and in the windows display to get it going again.
The monitor has four touch buttons at the bottom of the screen to access the menus along with the power button. The buttons don’t light up until you touch them which makes them a bit harder to see which button to push and use than they should be. The button function display on the monitor screen itself and change depending on what menu you are in. The setup menus are ok in terms of how they are arranged but I do think that there is some clutter and awkwardness in how some of the functions are accessed.
For example, the way you have to switch between video sources such as when I want to switch between my two laptops takes several button pushes instead of just one and unfortunately the monitor doesn’t automatically switch video sources when a device (such as my laptop) it turned on. A monitor in this price range should have an auto detect feature.
The picture in picture setup is also a bit of a pain to deal with switching that feature on and off. To access that feature also takes several button pushes and wading through the menus to turn on and off. I also had some initial issues at getting that feature to work properly especially when dealing with the mini-dp source as I kept losing the video signal. The picture in picture side by side feature has three options on how you want to make each side look like. For my purposes, a full side by side is what I use but this does make each page look a bit stretched out. The monitor doesn’t seem to automatically adjust the display resolution as nicely or as smoothly as it should.
Because I am using two laptops, I wanted to save some desk space by connecting a wireless keyboard and mouse for both. The monitor has the ability to do just that but this requires a USB 3.0 A to B cable connected to each PC and only one cable is included in the box, so I had to get a second cable.
Unfortunately, the single source USB feature was a bit quirky as well. The manual included on the CD do not document the setup of the feature very well and the instructions tend to jump around a bit on the setup of this feature making it a bit more complicated than it needs to be for setting this up. The feature does not seem to work well with my older Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse. I could get each laptop to recognize the wireless keyboard/mouse and they would work on each but once I used the switching feature which is also more button pushes on the monitor setup screen than it should be, the set would stop working.
Strangely, a Logitech wireless mouse that is as old as the Microsoft set worked fine with the switching feature through the monitor on both laptops with no issues. In that case, after connection the USB 3 cables to each laptop, I just plugged the USB wireless dongle into the monitor and hit the switching button on the menu and it switched. Maybe the Microsoft keyboard and mouse is too old and just won’t play nice with this or there is some other issue, I am not sure, but I plan to get a newer wireless set to see if this will work or whether this works only with a wired USB keyboard/mouse. I will update my review once I try a newer wireless USB keyboard/mouse. Regardless, I wish was a dedicated switching button or more streamlined menu controls for those switching features (i.e. the video source, pip and single source USB) to make it less awkward and time consuming to get through the menus to switch what device you want to use. The feature is a nice one but just doesn’t work as smoothly as it should and the cluttered menus make it more work than it should be to use. I do think a small remote control with larger on screen menus that allows easy switching of the PIP, video source, and USB switching would be a possible solution to the menu awkwardness, especially for those features.
Once I got past the initial menu awkwardness of getting the monitor set up and getting the source switching and PIP to work like it was supposed to, the screen resolution is beautiful, especially on a single source at maximum resolution. I changed the screen size to 200 percent normal for this monitor. The screen display on full resolution is sharp and clear with great color and although there is a slight curvature in the screen, it isn’t noticeable when I am sitting in front of it but it definitely makes the edges of the screen easier to see. I am not noticing too much backlight bleed. There is some but it is no worse than any other monitor I have ever had, from Asus to Samsung. In this case, I don’t use the laptops or monitor for gaming and I mainly use this for work or being on the net but with the right graphics card, this should beautifully show most games. With my laptops and the built in graphics cards that are in them, they are no way pressing the full capabilities of this monitor. With a high end graphics card, this monitor would outdo most, except for the latest 4K capable ones.
I am actually quite surprised that the monitor has speakers built in as most monitors these days don’t. The speakers are pretty good considering the size. They won’t blow you away by any means but they are decent speakers considering they are built in. Although for better bass and sound, if that is important, I would go with separate speakers. The volume adjust is also a bit hidden in the menu on the monitor though and takes several button presses to get to.
I do wish that the multiple ports on the back of the monitor were better positioned as they are facing down as opposed to facing out and can be a bit of a pain to get the cables inserted as opposed to ports that face the back. There is one USB separate from the rest of the ports that is easy to access but unfortunately there are no USB ports on the side of the monitor.
The stand has tint, height and angle adjustments and is solid, stable and holds the monitor well but the monitor is also wall mountable if you prefer to use a different stand.
I like fact that this has a good three-year warranty and Dell will replace the monitor even if one pixel goes bad. I have had no issues so far with any problems with bad pixels.
At a current price of 700 bucks, I do think this is a bit pricy but this monitor was also much higher in price a few months ago. So although I think it is a bit high, it is a bit more reasonable in price than before and is a beautiful screen combine with a lot of useful features, although some of the features are a bit quirkier than others and some of the menu options are in awkward locations and a bit more time consuming to access and use than they should be. At this price, a second HDMI should have been included on the monitor though. This works fine for the home/office, especially if you deal with a lot of spreadsheets and eye straining things like that. This allows me to have a dual monitor setup with the split screen (PIP feature) without using a desk clogging two monitors. Even with the clumsy setup and menu features, this is a good quality monitor that serves the purpose well and, so far, I am satisfied with it.
4 stars
Included with the monitor is the stand, an HDMI cable, cable cover, power cord, a DP cable (mini DP to DP), USB 3.0 upstream cable, CD with drivers, and a quick setup guide. There are no detailed printed instructions as you either have to refer online or look at the guide on the CD. I also think the power cord is a little short and do wish that it is a bit longer than it is.
My work recently upgraded our laptops to a smaller lightweight 13-inch model which is great for travel and fine for use at the office in a docking station but since I do a lot with spreadsheets, various documents and power point presentations, the small screen is an annoyance for working on at my home office. Since I have both a work laptop and a personal one, instead of getting a second monitor for a dual monitor setup, I decided to go (bought direct from Amazon) for this larger 34-inch model that has picture in picture capability along with the ability to switch between different input sources. So in my case, my setup is using two laptops on the monitor in both PIP mode and separately as a single source.
The monitor is easy to connect to the stand but the quick setup instructions and the instructions on the CD could be better written and in some instances not particularly clear especially when it comes to a dual PC setup and setting up a USB keyboard and mouse to be used on both computers.
The monitor has plenty of inputs, especially with the USB ports but unfortunately, the monitor only has one HDMI port making the dual computer setup a bit more complicated than it needs to be. In this case, my new work PC has a DP mini-port and so I used that connection for that. My personal laptop did not have mini-port as an option and so I used the HDMI port for that one. Both laptops are running windows 10. The monitor was recognized by the computers right away without using the included drivers but I installed the drivers and the Dell configuration software anyways, just in case it had any specific setup features that I would need for my setup. I really couldn’t tell any difference though with the windows drivers and the dell ones.
The initial setup of the video ports is a bit quirky, especially with the mini-port. Sometimes during the initial setup, the screen would go blank and I would have to restart the computer and play around with the settings on the monitor and in the windows display to get it going again.
The monitor has four touch buttons at the bottom of the screen to access the menus along with the power button. The buttons don’t light up until you touch them which makes them a bit harder to see which button to push and use than they should be. The button function display on the monitor screen itself and change depending on what menu you are in. The setup menus are ok in terms of how they are arranged but I do think that there is some clutter and awkwardness in how some of the functions are accessed.
For example, the way you have to switch between video sources such as when I want to switch between my two laptops takes several button pushes instead of just one and unfortunately the monitor doesn’t automatically switch video sources when a device (such as my laptop) it turned on. A monitor in this price range should have an auto detect feature.
The picture in picture setup is also a bit of a pain to deal with switching that feature on and off. To access that feature also takes several button pushes and wading through the menus to turn on and off. I also had some initial issues at getting that feature to work properly especially when dealing with the mini-dp source as I kept losing the video signal. The picture in picture side by side feature has three options on how you want to make each side look like. For my purposes, a full side by side is what I use but this does make each page look a bit stretched out. The monitor doesn’t seem to automatically adjust the display resolution as nicely or as smoothly as it should.
Because I am using two laptops, I wanted to save some desk space by connecting a wireless keyboard and mouse for both. The monitor has the ability to do just that but this requires a USB 3.0 A to B cable connected to each PC and only one cable is included in the box, so I had to get a second cable.
Unfortunately, the single source USB feature was a bit quirky as well. The manual included on the CD do not document the setup of the feature very well and the instructions tend to jump around a bit on the setup of this feature making it a bit more complicated than it needs to be for setting this up. The feature does not seem to work well with my older Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse. I could get each laptop to recognize the wireless keyboard/mouse and they would work on each but once I used the switching feature which is also more button pushes on the monitor setup screen than it should be, the set would stop working.
Strangely, a Logitech wireless mouse that is as old as the Microsoft set worked fine with the switching feature through the monitor on both laptops with no issues. In that case, after connection the USB 3 cables to each laptop, I just plugged the USB wireless dongle into the monitor and hit the switching button on the menu and it switched. Maybe the Microsoft keyboard and mouse is too old and just won’t play nice with this or there is some other issue, I am not sure, but I plan to get a newer wireless set to see if this will work or whether this works only with a wired USB keyboard/mouse. I will update my review once I try a newer wireless USB keyboard/mouse. Regardless, I wish was a dedicated switching button or more streamlined menu controls for those switching features (i.e. the video source, pip and single source USB) to make it less awkward and time consuming to get through the menus to switch what device you want to use. The feature is a nice one but just doesn’t work as smoothly as it should and the cluttered menus make it more work than it should be to use. I do think a small remote control with larger on screen menus that allows easy switching of the PIP, video source, and USB switching would be a possible solution to the menu awkwardness, especially for those features.
Once I got past the initial menu awkwardness of getting the monitor set up and getting the source switching and PIP to work like it was supposed to, the screen resolution is beautiful, especially on a single source at maximum resolution. I changed the screen size to 200 percent normal for this monitor. The screen display on full resolution is sharp and clear with great color and although there is a slight curvature in the screen, it isn’t noticeable when I am sitting in front of it but it definitely makes the edges of the screen easier to see. I am not noticing too much backlight bleed. There is some but it is no worse than any other monitor I have ever had, from Asus to Samsung. In this case, I don’t use the laptops or monitor for gaming and I mainly use this for work or being on the net but with the right graphics card, this should beautifully show most games. With my laptops and the built in graphics cards that are in them, they are no way pressing the full capabilities of this monitor. With a high end graphics card, this monitor would outdo most, except for the latest 4K capable ones.
I am actually quite surprised that the monitor has speakers built in as most monitors these days don’t. The speakers are pretty good considering the size. They won’t blow you away by any means but they are decent speakers considering they are built in. Although for better bass and sound, if that is important, I would go with separate speakers. The volume adjust is also a bit hidden in the menu on the monitor though and takes several button presses to get to.
I do wish that the multiple ports on the back of the monitor were better positioned as they are facing down as opposed to facing out and can be a bit of a pain to get the cables inserted as opposed to ports that face the back. There is one USB separate from the rest of the ports that is easy to access but unfortunately there are no USB ports on the side of the monitor.
The stand has tint, height and angle adjustments and is solid, stable and holds the monitor well but the monitor is also wall mountable if you prefer to use a different stand.
I like fact that this has a good three-year warranty and Dell will replace the monitor even if one pixel goes bad. I have had no issues so far with any problems with bad pixels.
At a current price of 700 bucks, I do think this is a bit pricy but this monitor was also much higher in price a few months ago. So although I think it is a bit high, it is a bit more reasonable in price than before and is a beautiful screen combine with a lot of useful features, although some of the features are a bit quirkier than others and some of the menu options are in awkward locations and a bit more time consuming to access and use than they should be. At this price, a second HDMI should have been included on the monitor though. This works fine for the home/office, especially if you deal with a lot of spreadsheets and eye straining things like that. This allows me to have a dual monitor setup with the split screen (PIP feature) without using a desk clogging two monitors. Even with the clumsy setup and menu features, this is a good quality monitor that serves the purpose well and, so far, I am satisfied with it.
4 stars
on January 17, 2017
This is such and amazing monitor. I wasn't sure which ultra wide to go with and it took me several months to pick one out. I'm really happy I went with this one. I haven't seen any issues with color bleed. You can switch between HDMI and MDP on this monitor. So I hooked up my xbox one and 360 to it and I never use my big TV anymore. I bought it for around $700 and it is worth every penny. You can also have like five different windows on one screen. I keep it at three to make it look good. Please do yourself a favor and buy this monitor, you wont regret it.
on January 12, 2017
If you're debating between this and an LG monitor, stop right here. Buy the DELL. I owned several of the LG equivalents and was having all kinds of problems. lines on the screen, glitchy bars, flickering on and off, with several monitors. I was reluctant to try the dell because it's curved and what if its made at the same factory as the LG. It's not. It's a way better design, easily mounts on the wall and the boot time is incredible, it's fast. The LG, you would wait for days for the thing to find a signal or to just turn off. Not to mention, 3 year warranty. No brainer.
on July 5, 2016
Please note that these reviews are intermingled such that reviews of the smaller models are posted in the same string as the reviews for the 34 inch curved monitor which I now own. The 34 inch curved model has been a great purchase for my needs. I have a progressive eye disease. For many years, I used a 24 inch monitor but my eyes could not keep up. I needed something larger and this monitor serves me well. When you look for it, you notice the curve if you look for it; however, is not something that stands out to me. Instead, it is just a very comfortable monitor which allows me to see all edges without an effort.
For many years, I was an on-line gamer. I got away from gaming due to my decreasing vision. However, the monitor is giving me my confidence back. I have now upgraded to a fast graphics card and tunable gaming mouse so who knows. If I decide to ever game again, I know this monitor is more than capable to allow me to be highly ranked again. I always select my components to be gamer worthy and this monitor fits the bill. I can tell you that the young men who recently came to my home to install google fiber sure were impressed by this big boy.
For many years, I was an on-line gamer. I got away from gaming due to my decreasing vision. However, the monitor is giving me my confidence back. I have now upgraded to a fast graphics card and tunable gaming mouse so who knows. If I decide to ever game again, I know this monitor is more than capable to allow me to be highly ranked again. I always select my components to be gamer worthy and this monitor fits the bill. I can tell you that the young men who recently came to my home to install google fiber sure were impressed by this big boy.
on February 15, 2017
I originally was skeptical that I would ever care for such a wide screen or a curved screen. However, after getting 2 of these at work I realized I had to get one for the home office or I was losing out on too much screen functionality. The resolution is nice, although I wish it was a full 4k instead of only about 2k. If you are looking at the Dell 34" monitors I would have to say go with the U3417W instead of the U3415W the 15 is not near as curved and the stand is better on the 17. Furthermore with the 17 there are USB ports on the side for easy access. If there must be cons listed, I would complain about the weight and the light bleeding at the edges but unless you are doing graphical work it is easily overlooked and forgotten.
on March 21, 2016
As a wedding photographer, I have been using dual monitors for many years. I enjoyed the ability to edit on one and work on additional tasks on the other - such as watching a movie, prepping another file, or working between two applications. I have set up the monitor to allow it to mimic dual displays, letting me have two applications running simultaneously so I can work between the two of them. The one application that does not really like this monitor is quickbooks - it either minimizes to desktop or takes up the whole screen, but it's an antique application and I hate it anyway so that doesn't bother me.
I am able to fairly easily color calibrate the monitor with my Spyder 2. While I cannot separately adjust red/blue/green, the 6500K color setting is pretty close and the Spyder software takes it from there.
I very much enjoy having one monitor on my desk instead of two, but it did take some getting used to. Images in photoshop and lightroom seemed distorted until I was able to separate the monitor into two partitions and my eyes adjusted to the new ratio.
I am able to fairly easily color calibrate the monitor with my Spyder 2. While I cannot separately adjust red/blue/green, the 6500K color setting is pretty close and the Spyder software takes it from there.
I very much enjoy having one monitor on my desk instead of two, but it did take some getting used to. Images in photoshop and lightroom seemed distorted until I was able to separate the monitor into two partitions and my eyes adjusted to the new ratio.
on March 6, 2017
Love it!. As advertised. No issues with order or delivery. Got a few of these for work a couple years ago and convinced the wife she needed one at work. The price was almost half of what they were a couple years ago. A little more price reduction is probably needed but these monitors (similar to the LG one) will probably become a desktop standard in a couple more years. Try one and you will like it if you are doing very much with data. Not sure about it for gaming; not my thing.
on October 24, 2016
First things first - if you want a 21:9 monitor, this is the best deal you can get right now and I absolutely recommend buying it.
Keep in mind however that there just isn't much support for 21:9 right now. There are various workarounds, but that can make things kind of tedious if you just want a straightforward experience.
Other than that, there's only a few minor shortcomings that might make you reconsider the investment.
Cons:
1) There is in fact light bleed and IPS glow, but the issue isn't anywhere as bad as some of these other reviews make it out to be (at least on the monitor I received). In fact, I literally can't even see it unless my screen is displaying black, and even then it's only noticeable if I stare directly at it.
2) This monitor is pretty pricey. For the same price you could easily invest in a 2k monitor with a 144hz refresh rate (if you're into gaming that is).
3) The built in speakers are pretty lackluster, but they're not awful and I'll use them when I don't feel like using my headphones.
Pros:
1) This monitor is beautiful. Both the monitor as a whole and the display are extremely pleasant to look at. While you could pay the same amount for a high refresh rate gaming monitor, I often find those to look extremely tacky. Not to mention, having the extra width on this UltraWide monitor really is nice and immersive.
2) It's great for productivity. Both for school and for my graphic design work; it's made life much easier. I also do some animation and video editing, and being able to see more of the timeline is something that really sold me on this size display.
3) The curve doesn't distort images in any way and does in fact improve my viewing experience. The corners of large, flat displays seem so distant now.
4) IPS panels are as good as people say they are. Sure the glow and bleed is a minor annoyance, but until OLED becomes available, and for a reasonable price, this is the best you'll be able to find.
5) If you can find games and movies that support 21:9, or if you don't mind spending the time to make certain titles cooperate, this will be a much better experience than a 4k monitor at 16:9. Besides, even with a GTX 1080, you aren't gonna be pushing 60 frames on most newer games if you're playing at 4k.
6) This thing is future proof. With 21:9 being supported more and more, and with 1080p still being used as the standard for most content, this 1440p display will serve you well for years to come.
There's plenty more to talk about but those were the things that stood out to me the most, not to mention I'm sure people would appreciate a snappy review over a short story.
If you have any questions I'm happy to answer them; just leave a comment and I'll reply as soon as I can.
Keep in mind however that there just isn't much support for 21:9 right now. There are various workarounds, but that can make things kind of tedious if you just want a straightforward experience.
Other than that, there's only a few minor shortcomings that might make you reconsider the investment.
Cons:
1) There is in fact light bleed and IPS glow, but the issue isn't anywhere as bad as some of these other reviews make it out to be (at least on the monitor I received). In fact, I literally can't even see it unless my screen is displaying black, and even then it's only noticeable if I stare directly at it.
2) This monitor is pretty pricey. For the same price you could easily invest in a 2k monitor with a 144hz refresh rate (if you're into gaming that is).
3) The built in speakers are pretty lackluster, but they're not awful and I'll use them when I don't feel like using my headphones.
Pros:
1) This monitor is beautiful. Both the monitor as a whole and the display are extremely pleasant to look at. While you could pay the same amount for a high refresh rate gaming monitor, I often find those to look extremely tacky. Not to mention, having the extra width on this UltraWide monitor really is nice and immersive.
2) It's great for productivity. Both for school and for my graphic design work; it's made life much easier. I also do some animation and video editing, and being able to see more of the timeline is something that really sold me on this size display.
3) The curve doesn't distort images in any way and does in fact improve my viewing experience. The corners of large, flat displays seem so distant now.
4) IPS panels are as good as people say they are. Sure the glow and bleed is a minor annoyance, but until OLED becomes available, and for a reasonable price, this is the best you'll be able to find.
5) If you can find games and movies that support 21:9, or if you don't mind spending the time to make certain titles cooperate, this will be a much better experience than a 4k monitor at 16:9. Besides, even with a GTX 1080, you aren't gonna be pushing 60 frames on most newer games if you're playing at 4k.
6) This thing is future proof. With 21:9 being supported more and more, and with 1080p still being used as the standard for most content, this 1440p display will serve you well for years to come.
There's plenty more to talk about but those were the things that stood out to me the most, not to mention I'm sure people would appreciate a snappy review over a short story.
If you have any questions I'm happy to answer them; just leave a comment and I'll reply as soon as I can.
on March 4, 2016
I have been looking at these 34" curved widescreen monitors for a few months now and finally took the dive on one. I went with the Dell due to its low price point and high quality reviews on Amazon and Newegg. I was originally using 3x 23" 1080p IPS Acer monitors (5760x1080) in Nvidia surround and I can't believe what a difference this is to those. I am so much more impressed by this monitor over my previous setup. For anyone thing about going with 3 monitors, I ask you to rethink and consider going with a 34" Ultrawide instead. For one, most games these days are supporting the 3440x1440 resolution by default. The triple monitors were nice for flight/racing sims and MMO's but unless you feel like disabling surround everytime you're not playing one of those, it becomes a hassle.
Like others have said, there is some light bleed but it is not noticeable during gaming or movies unless you're trying to look for it or its a very very dark scene and not enough that I would take a star off the product. The monitor I wanted was the Acer X34 w/ G-Sync, but for costing $600 more, I couldn't see how it was worth it. In the end, I'm very pleased with my purchase. Now to save for a second one. The photo doesn't do it justice, you'll just have to get one yourself to really appreciate it.
Like others have said, there is some light bleed but it is not noticeable during gaming or movies unless you're trying to look for it or its a very very dark scene and not enough that I would take a star off the product. The monitor I wanted was the Acer X34 w/ G-Sync, but for costing $600 more, I couldn't see how it was worth it. In the end, I'm very pleased with my purchase. Now to save for a second one. The photo doesn't do it justice, you'll just have to get one yourself to really appreciate it.
