Afraid of purchasing the new Dell S2725QC

[ilovemym1mba]

OP, I’m from India too and I also purchased the same. Eagerly waiting for it to arrive. Longest 4 weeks for sure.

Haha that's true. I've refreshed the "orders" page countless times only to be greeted with "Processing". I know they told the ETA beforehand, but man are these 4 weeks l o n g. I'm secretly hoping they will "batch" the orders and ship early rather than actually making us wait 4 weeks.

 

[Ishimura]

Is it "very bright" in a bad way? I had a monitor like that whose brightness was bluish and it just straight up hurt my eyes. Even on its lowest brightness and contrast settings, Night Light and other yellowing solutions would work but it was too bright still then, it was a FHD IPS monitor. This was some 10 years ago I'm sure displayed would've improved since then.

IPS Glow is noticeable when the image is dark/black, monitor's area around corners appear more "glowy" than the rest of it. It is not just contained to that dark image though, that light is still there ever present, and may distort colours slightly. It is just more noticeable when everything is black and your room is dark.

Backlight bleed is said to have similar effect but along the edges of the display. Mostly though people use these terms interchangeably.

Take a look at the product page.

Dell 27 Plus 4K USB-C Monitor - S2725QC | Dell UK

Shop the Dell 27 inch 4K USB-C Monitor with AMD FreeSync Premium, 120Hz refresh rate, dual 5W speakers, and 4-star eye comfort.

www.dell.com

Low blue light​

The improved ComfortView Plus reduces harmful blue light emissions to ≤35%, for all-day comfort without sacrificing colour accuracy.

 

[Ishimura]

Congratulations! and double thanks for writing what might be the first ever genuine authentic review of this product on the whole wide world web.

The flicker on the older S2722QC model happened whenever there were "shades of grey" (I know) on the display, I am not aware of any standard test but users usually reported them on some YouTube videos, macOS Dark Mode and such.

Oh and also, how are you using it with 120hz on macOS? Cable setup please?

Really hoping to see professional reviews as soon as possible.

 

[Ishimura]

Is it very bright for my eyes. My use case is to not have the sun shining on the monitor display so can't say how that will impact you. I can only really say it looks good to my eyes but I'm sure there are imperfections at this price point. I don't know anything about "IPS glow" or "backlight bleed" as I don't have tools or techniques to look for them. Not that I'm really that concerned/interested as I am keeping the monitor. So I don't know if that helps

Thanks.

The features section lists 'Anti-glare'.

 

[ilovemym1mba]

Take a look at the product page.

Dell 27 Plus 4K USB-C Monitor - S2725QC | Dell UK

Shop the Dell 27 inch 4K USB-C Monitor with AMD FreeSync Premium, 120Hz refresh rate, dual 5W speakers, and 4-star eye comfort.

www.dell.com

I did, but even then some monitors are just "bright" I don't know how to put it in a different way. Even with all this blue light filtering tech, some monitors "feel" bright. Maybe it's just me. On top of that, what is written in the product page while being true, differs in actual experience.

On this subject, I couldn't find lowest brightness on this panel. 250?

 

[Ishimura]

I don't use dark mode myself as it doesn't suit my eyes. I'm using the supplied USB-C cable in monitor box to directly connect to the 65W USB-C port on the monitor. One cable for everything!

Can I ask how you're finding it in terms of responsiveness when switching it on/off, how quickly it is woken by the Mac Mini turning on (and sleeping), stuff like that? Does it feel slugghish or snappy?

Thanks.

 

[Corefile]

Can I ask how you're finding it in terms of responsiveness when switching it on/off, how quickly it is woken by the Mac Mini turning on (and sleeping), stuff like that? Does it feel slugghish or snappy?

I literally never turn my Mini off or let it sleep. In terms of the MBA, it takes five seconds to be fully functional for the laptop when turning the monitor on/off. For Windows laptop, it's a different story but it take seven seconds for screen to return after off/on but the fans go into overdrive and it is extremely sluggish for about 30 secs. That seems to more be a function of Windows 11 trying to restore windows to the 27" screen. Windows is just junk.

 

[Corefile]

I did, but even then some monitors are just "bright" I don't know how to put it in a different way. Even with all this blue light filtering tech, some monitors "feel" bright. Maybe it's just me. On top of that, what is written in the product page while being true, differs in actual experience.

On this subject, I couldn't find lowest brightness on this panel. 250?

The default setting of bright/contrast is 75/75 but I downed it to 60/60. I think those are percentages.

 

[ilovemym1mba]

The default setting of bright/contrast is 75/75 but I downed it to 60/60. I think those are percentages.

Thanks for single handedly carrying this thread. Wishing you good times with this monitor : )

 

[MBAM2]

I just got mine. All is this is from my personal view. Running on an MBA M2 2023

It looks awesome, super clean, and certainly bright, as mentioned before. However, I don’t think it’s bright enough to hurt unless you’re in a very dark room with no light. Maybe with the lowest brightness, it won’t be too bad.

So far, I have seen no flickering at all. Shades of black are good from what I can tell, and the same thing with greys. Response time feels good. Based on a few videos, games, and a slight session of coding, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. Coding was being performed in a dark mode in both C++ and Python which ran perfectly fine.

The connectivity is also pretty good, I'm using it as an extension screen, and the mouse and keyboards can be interchangeable easily. I am using the provided USB-C cable and running at 120hz.

Unfortunately, the speakers are without a doubt loud, and responsive but in my opinion mediocre. The quality is pretty low but that doesn't really matter since it's a monitor and not a speaker. I have my own external speakers so thankfully not a concern at all. There also seems to be just a slight bleed on the very lower edge of the screen. Nothing too crazy thankfully. I'll be testing out a few more video games and movies tonight and tomorrow but everything so far is amazing.

If anyone has any questions or wondering feel free to reply and I'll try to answer to the best of my ability.

 

[ilovemym1mba]

I just got mine. All is this is from my personal view. Running on an MBA M2 2023

It looks awesome, super clean, and certainly bright, as mentioned before. However, I don’t think it’s bright enough to hurt unless you’re in a very dark room with no light. Maybe with the lowest brightness, it won’t be too bad.

So far, I have seen no flickering at all. Shades of black are good from what I can tell, and the same thing with greys. Response time feels good. Based on a few videos, games, and a slight session of coding, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. Coding was being performed in a dark mode in both C++ and Python which ran perfectly fine.

The connectivity is also pretty good, I'm using it as an extension screen, and the mouse and keyboards can be interchangeable easily. I am using the provided USB-C cable and running at 120hz.

Unfortunately, the speakers are without a doubt loud, and responsive but in my opinion mediocre. The quality is pretty low but that doesn't really matter since it's a monitor and not a speaker. I have my own external speakers so thankfully not a concern at all. There also seems to be just a slight bleed on the very lower edge of the screen. Nothing too crazy thankfully. I'll be testing out a few more video games and movies tonight and tomorrow but everything so far is amazing.

If anyone has any questions or wondering feel free to reply and I'll try to answer to the best of my ability.

Thanks for the review! Glad you got yours so quick. Thanks for addressing my brightness concern too. I guess it varies from eyes to eyes and I will do my own little review on this once I get mine.

Nice to see coding being performed on it.

How is the matte coating on it? is it too thick like LG ones making text appear grainy and blurry or does text appear sharp? Also how does it look in dark mode around lower corners? is there any color change/ glow bleed?

 

[MBAM2]

Yup, it does vary a lot per person, I'm assuming it has to do with how much you use it and what you have used before. Yup color wise while coding in a black/ dark mode terminal seems to be completely normal with no flickering thankfully.

I've never used an LG monitor so I have no real comparison however text text-wise monitor seems to be really clear and well-defined. pretty sharp to me! I think it does bleed around the corners when in dark or black backgrounds. I don't think it's extremely bad compared to other monitor reviews I've seen but if you have been or used higher-quality monitors it might be slightly noticeable. For myself, it's not bad enough for it to bother me or feel unsatisfactory.

 

[Clockwerk]

I have a Dell S2722QC and with the BetterDisplay application i've never experienced the flickering. That said, i'm torn between selling it and get this one for the higher refresh rate or just get a cheaper high refresh rate 1440p monitor. I hope you guys get your units soon and give us a review of this.

Edit: Also, can a m1 pro output 4k/120HZ via USB C/thunderbolt?

 

[Ishimura]

Still no professional reviews…

 

[ilovemym1mba]

Edit: Also, can a m1 pro output 4k/120HZ via USB C/thunderbolt?

I'm also very interested in answer to this question

 

[arw]

Edit: Also, can a m1 pro output 4k/120HZ via USB C/thunderbolt?

Apparently yes:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mac-mini-4k-120hz.2267035/post-30567330

(I just picked the linked post without going through the whole thread.)

 

[Clockwerk]

Apparently yes:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mac-mini-4k-120hz.2267035/post-30567330

(I just picked the linked post without going through the whole thread.)

Thanks! I'll sleep on it until Tuesday if i'm going to order one since i got a dell student voucher.

 

[rotlex]

Following - found this thread while searching for monitor options for my soon to be here Mini. Been using a 2017 iMac 5k 27" for the past 8 years and it is in need of replacement. While would love an Apple display, I simply can't justify that cost. This looks like a really nice option for under $500. Anxious to see more reviews and thoughts.

 

[Corefile]

Here we are almost a week later and this LCD has made me have zero regrets for buying it. I got it for a discount so it was extra worth it to me. My thoughts over the week are.
* speakers in a monitor are meh. I don't use 'em.
* I swapped the white stand that came with it to replace my old Dell black stand. It looks fine.
* the little drop down ports I don't use as I'm worried I'll break them.
* I added a USB-A dongle to the back of the monitor so that I could plug in up to x4 USB-A devices. That's keyboard and mouse for me.
* switching the monitor on/off hasn't been a problem with getting my MBA M2 to display a picture. Apparently this is a concern for some.
* I see no flickering at all when running at 120hz. Not sure about all those issues that came with prior Dell monitors from the reports. I've run various Dell LCDs over the years and they've all been great for me.
* I set the bright/contrast to 60/60 to reduce the burden on my eyes. That's the only change I've made out of the box.
* I can't undersell how wonderful a single USB-C cable to the Mac for everything is. No more docks! I thought about skipping the USB hub because I am a tight fisted person but am glad I didn't.

This monitor is a winner in my book. Grab it before the tariffs kick in.

 

[fohafic194]

Here we are almost a week later and this LCD has made me have zero regrets for buying it. I got it for a discount so it was extra worth it to me. My thoughts over the week are.
* speakers in a monitor are meh. I don't use 'em.
* I swapped the white stand that came with it to replace my old Dell black stand. It looks fine.
* the little drop down ports I don't use as I'm worried I'll break them.
* I added a USB-A dongle to the back of the monitor so that I could plug in up to x4 USB-A devices. That's keyboard and mouse for me.
* switching the monitor on/off hasn't been a problem with getting my MBA M2 to display a picture. Apparently this is a concern for some.
* I see no flickering at all when running at 120hz. Not sure about all those issues that came with prior Dell monitors from the reports. I've run various Dell LCDs over the years and they've all been great for me.
* I set the bright/contrast to 60/60 to reduce the burden on my eyes. That's the only change I've made out of the box.
* I can't undersell how wonderful a single USB-C cable to the Mac for everything is. No more docks! I thought about skipping the USB hub because I am a tight fisted person but am glad I didn't.

This monitor is a winner in my book. Grab it before the tariffs kick in.

What discount did you manage to get? And curious - why aren't you using those drop down ports? Are they fragile or something?

Mine should arrive next week. Excited to see if it's as good as you're saying!

 

[Corefile]

What discount did you manage to get? And curious - why aren't you using those drop down ports? Are they fragile or something?

I have a friend works for Dell so 17% employee discount coupon from them. I think the dropdown ports could eventually break as you're pressing against plastic unless you support the back of it. It was just fiddly so I decided to add the 4-port compact hub I had laying around.

 

[ilovemym1mba]

I hope linking links is okay. Below link describes a Reddit thread where one user has posted couple of screenshots where Dell advisor says S series monitors including S2725QC WILL experience flickering with Macs!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Monitors/comments/1jtpf2v/dell_s2725qc_does_not_work_with_mac

 

[Corefile]

I hope linking links is okay. Below link describes a Reddit thread where one user has posted couple of screenshots where Dell advisor says S series monitors including S2725QC WILL experience flickering with Macs!

There might be some truth in that as Dell tightens the specs for the monitor FW. The earliest versions are generally A00 with the loosest margins. My LCD is A00 from Jan 2025 MFG. But for me I've had zero issues with this particular LCD.

 

[ilovemym1mba]

There might be some truth in that as Dell tightens the specs for the monitor FW. The earliest versions are generally A00 with the loosest margins. My LCD is A00 from Jan 2025 MFG. But for me I've had zero issues with this particular LCD.

Your reasoning makes sense.

I am conflicted on the compatibility thing because

1. If you download this Monitor's manual from Dell's official website, they state "Apple Mac OS" under "compatible operating systems.
2. Same is mentioned if you visit their supports page on the Dell website for this particular monitor.
3. If you read the manual more, you would find that it does support outputting to YCbCr and RGB (apparently some M Macs output in YCbCr which caused the flickering from my understating while that gets translated to RGB which the monitor understood.) So would it solve the issue? I don't know.
4. I can guess what these support guys using for their "compatibility" reasoning, it is a checkbox in their monitor's page which says "Mac OS"

So, I think someone from Dell should clarify this for us.

 

[Clockwerk]

Bit disappointing if it doesn't work with Macs for some reason. How are 1440p monitors with macs? Thinking of just picking up a U2724DE since I want a high refresh rate monitor.