Dell UltraSharp 34 Curved USB-C Monitor (U3419W)

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Dell's UltraSharp 34 Curved USB-C Monitor (U3419W) is an ultra-wide business display with great color accuracy and a host of connectivity choices. It's a solid alternative to a multi-monitor array.

Dell's $1,099.99 UltraSharp 34 Curved USB-C Monitor (U3419W) has an ultra-wide screen and includes a USB Type-C port that can charge a laptop, even while the panel is displaying content from it over the same connection. It's a good choice for split-screen use and a viable substitute for a dual-monitor setup. In our tests, the screen shows accurate color while covering the full sRGB gamut. It lacks the kind of gaming-centric features we saw on our recent Editors' Choice pick, the curved Asus ProArt PA34VC, such as AMD FreeSync adaptive-sync technology and a higher-than-ordinary refresh rate, and it doesn't do HDR. But those features are beside the point: This model is a good choice for pros looking for a wide-screen business monitor that handles colors well.

The U3419W is an upgrade from an earlier Editors' Choice model from Dell, the UltraSharp 34 Curved Monitor (U3417W), the main difference being the addition of the USB Type-C port. It's a feature that many new Dell monitors, as well as some from other manufacturers, are incorporating.

The heart of the U3419W is its 34-inch (measured diagonally) panel, with a native UWQHD (3,440-by-1,440-pixel) resolution that works out to a 21:9 ultra-wide aspect ratio. Pixel density comes to 110 pixels per inch (ppi), matching that of the Asus PA34VC. That monitor, like this one, is an in-plane-switching (IPS) panel, and it has the same resolution and aspect ratio. This is a lower pixel density than 4K monitors such as the ViewSonic VP2785-4K (that one comes in at 163ppi), but it is more than enough to ensure image sharpness.

Dell doesn't give a figure for the U3419W's degree of curvature, but it provides an immersive, ultra-wide viewing experience, coupled with the wide viewing angles (178 degrees, both vertical and horizontal) typical of IPS displays.

The U3419W also has ports aplenty. In addition to the USB-C port I mentioned up top, it includes two HDMI 2.0 inputs, one DisplayPort 1.2 input, two upstream USB 3.0 ports, and four downstream USB 3 ports (two on the bottom, two on the side).

The USBs can all be used to charge devices. As for the USB-C, it features a power-delivery rating of up to 90 watts, and thus can perform high-speed charging of, say, a laptop (while, as mentioned, also allowing data transfer over the cable). In contrast, the Asus PA34VC has fewer USB 3.0 ports, but it adds a second USB-C port.

The panel has a narrow bezel, about a quarter of an inch wide all around. Including the stand, the U3419W measures 16.4 by 32 by 8.9 inches (HWD), with the height extending to 20.9 inches when the stand is fully raised. Together, the panel and stand weigh 18 pounds.

Tilt angles range from 5 degrees downward to 21 degrees upward, and the monitor can swivel up to 30 degrees to either side, thanks to a rotating disk built into the base. The U3419W lacks pivot control (to switch from landscape to portrait mode and back), which is unsurprising in an ultra-wide monitor but would be a nice addition for photographers.

As is all too common with Dell monitors, physical controls consist of five minuscule buttons—er, nubbins—along the bottom right edge of the panel. They can be a little tricky to use, and they are far less intuitive than the miniature joystick menu controller we're seeing on a lot of (mostly) gaming monitors.

The button farthest to the right is the on/off button, while the button next to it accesses the main menu. The other three let you navigate the menu system to control brightness, contrast, input source, and a host of other settings. You can switch among six preset Picture modes: Standard, Movie, Game, Color Temperature, Custom Color, and ComfortView.

As an in-plane switching (IPS) monitor, the U3419W counts color accuracy as one of its fortes. According to Dell, this panel is factory-calibrated to cover 99 percent of the sRGB color spectrum, and it even outdid this in my testing, covering a full 100 percent. Below is a color-fidelity or chromaticity chart for the U3419W, which was generated in standard mode using a Klein K10-A colorimeter and SpectraCal CalMAN 5 software. The area within the triangle represents the sRGB color spectrum, and my data points (the circles) are evenly spaced to encompass the entire sRGB gamut.

The U3419W's luminance (that is, its brightness per unit area) is rated at 300 candelas per meter squared (nits); I tested it at a healthy 332 nits. I measured the contrast ratio at 1,142:1, slightly better than its 1,000:1 rating.

The U3419W has few of the features hardcore gamers crave. The panel's refresh rate is a mere-mortal 60Hz, and it lacks adaptive-sync technology and HDR capability. That said, based on our experience running a few games and their associated benchmarks, it should be fine for light gaming. For example, playing back the Final Fantasy XV benchmark was reasonably smooth and showed no major artifacts at 1440p resolution.

Video playback looked good, too, with reasonably bright and true colors, though with such a wide screen, any movie or clip at more ordinary resolutions shows up bracketed by black bars on either side.

A pair of 2-watt speakers is built into the U3419W. They are decent-sounding, if a tad soft. A 3.5mm audio-out port is available should you want to use headphones or connect to powered, external speakers.

See How We Test Monitors

Dell backs the U3419W with a three-year warranty, which is a standard coverage-time length among panels of this class.

With a 34-inch ultra-wide screen, the U3419W provides a spacious workspace, whether you're working on gigantic spreadsheets, perusing several documents side by side, or editing video or photos. Although it's fine for video watching and casual play, it lacks HDR capability, as well as gaming features such as a higher-than-ordinary refresh rate and support for adaptive sync. It doesn't have quite the versatility of the Editors' Choice Asus PA34VC, a professional monitor that tips in some gaming features. But not everyone wants or needs that stuff, and taken as a productivity panel that takes the place of twin displays, the U3419W does well as an elite-level business monitor that also delivers fine color accuracy.

Source: Pcmag.com

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