The Dell S2721QS is a simple yet elegant 4K monitor that works well for a variety of purposes. Its 27-inch curved screen allows you to work comfortably with multiple windows open side-by-side and provides an incredibly immersive gaming experience in atmospheric games like RPGs.
It has an IPS panel with excellent color reproduction and good viewing angles. It has good response times, low output lag, and supports FreeSync to minimize screen tearing. Unfortunately, there are also downsides – mediocre contrast and mediocre ergonomics. We will consider all the features of the monitor in the following Dell S2721QS review.
Design
The Dell S2721QS monitor comes in a large, thin white box, and when you unpack it you see a great stand first. Its design is slightly different from the P and U series monitors such as the Dell U2720Q . The back of the “foot” is slightly rounded, and the sides are beveled inward anteriorly. It is also lighter in color and has a thinner profile.
The ergonomics of the monitor exclude the possibility of screen rotation. But this is not a big loss for its price. You keep excellent height adjustment, tilt and rotation to portrait orientation – the most important parameters. Because the monitor is designed for home “office” use, these adjustments are especially appreciated as they help maintain a healthy posture.
The rest of the Dell S2721QS display design is unremarkable. Sluggish, but not bad. The back of the monitor is made of durable white plastic, which makes it look like a huge piece of chewing pad. It looks professional, has thin bezels on the top and sides of the display, and will fit well in most apartments or offices.
The screen has a decent amount of options for this type of monitor, but some are still missing. OSD is unusually pixelated for a 4K monitor. What is missing from it? There is no way to adjust the color temperature, which is slightly different from cold by default. This adjustment is common even among monitors in this price range. Control buttons are located at the bottom.
Image quality
Since the Dell 27 S2721QS doesn’t score a ton of feature points, let’s see how it performs in terms of image quality. With a 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) IPS panel, it boasts incredibly clear images. Especially considering that it offers you that resolution with a diagonal of only 27 inches.
You will need to rely heavily on Windows display scaling, which does not work well on all OS versions, but this is not a monitor bug (MacOS image scaling works better). Although Windows 10 upscaling can handle such diagonals too. 4K videos, photos and regular images look extremely sharp. But older programs can look small or blurry.
According to Dell, the S2721QS has a brightness of 350 nits and a static contrast ratio of 1300: 1. Testing shows that different instances are capable of surpassing the brightness indicators, reaching almost 400 nits. But in contrast, it is slightly inferior – 790: 1. After calibration, it improved to 940: 1. Low contrast is a common problem with IPS, which cannot be compared to VA panels .
Dell also claims 99% sRGB coverage, which is to be expected from most mid-range monitors. Testing confirms this value. The S 2721 QS display also shows 76% AdobeRGB coverage and 82% DCI-P3 coverage. If you just use this monitor for web browsing and basic office tasks, everything will look fine.
But you’ll have to look for a wide-gamut monitor like the Acer ConceptD CM2 if you need to work with color grading in photography or video editing. Otherwise, you run the risk of “clipping” the colors. This is a phenomenon in which colors may appear correct when they are within the range of the monitor, but end up looking more intense on someone else’s display or in print.
Gaming performance
Why is there a Gaming Performance segment in the Dell S2721QS 27 Monitor? It’s not sold as a gaming monitor. This is true, however Dell has equipped it with AMD Freesync-based Adaptive-Sync technology. Testing also confirms G-Sync support on Nvidia cards. With a 50Hz refresh rate, you won’t be among the most competitive players on the online battlefield.
But adaptive sync will take care of all the tearing and some stuttering. Of course, 4K resolution means you’ll have to put a lot of stress on your GPU to get close to 50Hz refresh rate. But due to adaptive sync, frame rates between 25 and 50 fps should be smooth thanks to uniform frame sync.
In other words, you’ll get a sharper and smoother display than without FreeSync or G-Sync support. Of course, a 144Hz display like the Razer Raptor 27 should be the go-to for a more gaming-focused monitor. Note, however, that you will likely have to sacrifice resolution to get a higher refresh rate.
After all, most monitors with a frequency of about 50 Hz offer a resolution of 1440p or 1080p. This Dell S 2721 QS might make sense for gamers who prefer extreme image quality to high frame rates as it delivers crisp and eye-catching images.
Connections
Of course, concessions have to be made at this price point, and this concerns additional functions. Dell S2721QS is a monitor and nothing more. It has two HDMI 2.0 inputs and one DisplayPort 1.2 connector. You won’t find a USB-C connection here, nor a built-in hub. The only plus is the presence of built-in speakers. They’re not impressive and they sound harsh, but they make a sound loud enough to be heard. So this is also a victory.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a reliable 4K monitor at an affordable price, the Dell S2721QS is likely the right fit for you. It’s not outstanding in any area other than legibility, but more than enough for everyday use. It delivers clear, crisp images without serious distractions.
This monitor also features excellent build quality and a wide range of ergonomic options. When you think of Dell’s entry-level 4K monitor, with superior material quality and an excellent warranty, you are on the right track.