Dell UltraSharp 27 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U2724DE) Review

The Dell UltraSharp 27 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U2724DE) is an excellent choice as a display for managers and key workers who use a computer with a Thunderbolt 4 port. This $519.99 business monitor has all the connectors you would expect from a standalone laptop docking station, from Ethernet to USB. Its brightness, contrast, and sRGB coverage are superb, and while the pixel density of its 27-inch screen coupled with QHD resolution is lower than what we would look for in a video or photo editing monitor, it should even be able to fill that role in a pinch. While it does not provide Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, the Editors’ Choice-winning Dell UltraSharp 27 4K USB-C Hub Monitor (U2723QE) has the UHD (4K) resolution and high pixel density that the U2724DE lacks.

Good Image Quality and a Slew of Ports

Housed in a silver cabinet with black bezels, the U2724DE measures 15.2 by 22.1 by 7.8 inches (HWD) and weighs 14.6 pounds. It gains an additional 5.9 inches in height when the shaft connecting the cabinet to the base is fully extended—a generous range. You can tilt its top up to 5 degrees toward you or 21 degrees away from you, swivel the screen 45 degrees in either direction, and pivot the panel between landscape and portrait modes in either direction. This gives it a full complement of ergonomic features.

The 27-inch (measured diagonally) panel sports native QHD resolution (2,560 by 1,440 pixels, or 1440p) for a pixel density of 108 pixels per inch (ppi). This is adequate for viewing or editing photos, videos, or intricate diagrams, although short of what we look for in a professional creator-class monitor. All else being equal, the higher a monitor’s pixel density, the sharper its image will be.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The panel’s IPS Black technology renders deep black tones and offers a rated contrast ratio of 2,000:1, which it slightly exceeded in our testing. Although IPS Black can’t match the tremendous contrast of vertical alignment (VA) panels, its contrast ratio is a major improvement over standard in-plane switching (IPS) displays.

Connectivity-wise, you could think of the U2724DE as a Thunderbolt 4/USB docking station in addition to a monitor. It has all the connectivity and power to substitute for a laptop’s docking station, connecting to (and charging or powering) the computer via a Thunderbolt cable, while also providing Ethernet connectivity, several video inputs, and a mega-hub of downstream ports. Its Thunderbolt 4 upstream port provides up to 90 watts of power delivery, and supports DisplayPort over USB alternate mode. A downstream Thunderbolt 4 port for daisy-chaining a second monitor to the setup is included, too.

You’ll also find two full-size DisplayPort 1.4 connectors and one HDMI 2.1 port. The U2724DE’s five downstream USB ports include one USB-C port and four USB-A ports; the USB-C port and one of the USB-A ports—each of which supports power charging—are downward-facing on the the bottom of the monitor’s frame. The rest of the ports, also downward-facing, are in a recessed bay in the back of the monitor.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The U2724DE’s RJ-45 Ethernet jack can provide connectivity when your laptop’s Wi-Fi is spotty or nonexistent, and also supports Wake on LAN (WoL), PXE boot, and Mac address pass-through functions. Dell includes three cables in the box: Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort, and USB-A-to-USB-C.

The monitor, which lacks built-in speakers, has a 3.5mm audio-out port that can support headphones or powered external speakers.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

You navigate the U2724DE’s onscreen display (OSD) and change settings using a small four-way joystick controller with a central button, a configuration that has become commonplace on productivity, professional, and gaming monitors.

Testing the Dell U2724DE: Bright, Contrasty, and Colorful

I tested the U2724DE’s brightness, contrast ratio, and color-gamut coverage using our standard test gear: a Klein K-10A colorimeter, a Murideo signal generator, and Portrait Displays’ Calman for Business calibration software.

Dell rates the U2724DE’s luminance at 350 nits (candelas per square meter), and it slightly exceeded that, tallying 359 nits in my testing. That’s more than bright enough for any business use, including photo and video editing, as well as gaming. The monitor does not support HDR. I measured its contrast ratio at 2,244:1, in excess of its rated 2,000:1 contrast ratio and much higher than a standard IPS panel. (See how we test monitors.)

(Credit: Portrait Displays)

According to Dell, the U2724DE covers 100% of the sRGB color space. In my tests using the default standard mode, it outdid that with 130% coverage (see above). The panel also covered 94.2% of DCI-P3, a color space geared to digital video, short of both Dell’s claim of 98% and the 95% we look for in color-space coverage. Dell does not rate its Adobe RGB coverage; it covered 87% of that space in our testing.

In the subjective, ad-hoc portion of our testing, we view a select group of photos and video clips. Still images looked sharp, with rich and accurate colors and a wealth of detail in both light and dark areas. Videos also looked great; I saw details in one of our test clips that I hadn’t noticed before. The U2724DE deftly handled dark scenes.

Verdict: Making Connections on a Budget

Readers looking for a reasonably priced productivity monitor that is a good match for their Mac or PC with Thunderbolt 4 connectivity should consider the Dell UltraSharp 27 U2724DE. Similar to a so-called docking-station monitor but with Thunderbolt 4 as the main computer-monitor connection, this relatively compact display offers a bright, high-contrast IPS Black screen with full sRGB color coverage.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Art directors and creative pros may want to spring for the Dell UltraSharp 40 Curved Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U4025QW), an Editors’ Choice-winning docking-station monitor that has a spacious 40-inch screen with a resolution and pixel density more suitable for photos, video, and intricate diagrams. Meanwhile, if you are willing to forego Thunderbolt connectivity, the Dell UltraSharp 27 4K USB-C Hub Monitor (U2723QE) provides 4K UHD resolution and high pixel density as well as a comparable feature set to the U2724DE. Alternatively, the Philips Brilliance 279P1 provides 4K resolution and full sRGB coverage in a moderately priced USB-C hub monitor.

But if price is an object, and you’d rather ditch 4K resolution than Thunderbolt connectivity to keep it down, the U2724DE is a respectable choice.