Confused which Dell 4k monitor for Mac mini+MacBook Air.

[rocketbuc]

I am looking for a good (not too pricey) 27" 4k monitor for our new Mac mini M2. Basic office use case but 4k is preferred. The monitor should allow a USB-C connection as we will be using it with the Mac mini but sporadically also with a MacBook Air M2.

Was researching several options and leaning towards a solution from Dell - but somehow I am more confused than (ever) before and need the MR community to help me out with some input and recommendations.

The following Dell monitor options are in the race:

1) Dell P2723DE (330 CHF/ 376 USD in Switzerland)
This was my initial idea for a basic monitor 2560 x 1440 Pixels, 27" that allows to connect Mac mini but also a Macbook via HDMI or USB-C.

Unsure about
- Scaling in macOS?
- Text clarity?

2) Dell P2721Q (474 CHF/ 541 USD in Switzerland)
I discovered this option as an improved version with 3840 x 2160 Pixels, 27" and was ready to pull the trigger.

Unsure about
- macOS compatibility
- I discovered that people have flickering issues and problems with the USB hub on the monitor.
More money for better picture but worse performance?

3) Dell UltraSharp U2723QE (536 CHF/ 612 USD in Switzerland)

Unsure about
- Is it better than option 2? It seems a bit crazy to pay up just to avoid a potential flickering issue.

4) Wildcard: Dell S2722QC (312 CHF/ 356 USD in Switzerland)

Unsure about
- Is it better or different from option 2?

I'd really appreciate your input and maybe someone of you actually is using those monitors and could provide some input.
Thanks in advance!

 

[dsteve]

Dell S series monitors are their gaming/consumer focused monitors.
Dell P series monitors are general use office work monitors.
Dell U series monitors are higher end office work monitors - color accuracy and more $+ features.

So, it depends on how much you want to spend and what capabilities you find important.

Generally, I advise to focus mostly on the actual display...buuuuut since you mention 2 computers, one nice thing about the U2723QE is the built-in KVM switch so you can connect one computer via USB-C and another via HDMI (or DisplayPort I guess?) and switch between them. Don't know if any of the others you mention can do this, but may be worth checking.

 

[rocketbuc]

Thank you @dsteve for your input. My option 1 can also handle multiple inputs.

The potential issue with macOS scaling and the screen flickering are the main points that worry me. Also, for option 1, how does the reduced resol impact the image on the Mac mini?

 

[dsteve]

Thank you @dsteve for your input. My option 1 can also handle multiple inputs.

The potential issue with macOS scaling and the screen flickering are the main points that worry me. Also, for option 1, how does the reduced resol impact the image on the Mac mini?

I only set up my Mac Mini and U2723QE yesterday, so keep this in mind. Also, I was coming from an iMac Pro 27" 5K screen running at 1440p. So, it's a step down for me and I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't be happy. It's fine, though.

I generally sit about 21-22" from the monitor. Despite 1440p not being integer scaling for 4k, it looks perfectly fine for me unless i get about 3-4" from the screen. I never got that close on the iMac, so I can't compare, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a noticeable difference with my facd mashed into the screen.

At 27"/4K/1440p on Apple Silicon, I don't think mac os scaling is much of a concern. You're spending way more than any of these monitors if you really need absolute top end text resolution. I saw some others with seemingly reasonable comments saying that the scaling is fine, so I took the plunge.

Anyway, it's not as good of a screen as the iMac 5k - there's some light bleed on the Dell's bottom left for instance - but it's perfectly legible for text.

RE: your #1: One of my kids has my old Apple LED Cinema Display 27", native at 1440p, on a Mac Pro M1. The DPI is way low, and it's just that obvious to me. There's no way I would find that acceptable for my use coming from a HiDPI 27"/5k screen, but she doesn't do highly graphical things, so she doesn't know any better and thinks it's just fine.

 

[rocketbuc]

Pulled the trigger on a Dell UltraSharp U2723QE that should arrive today. Spent more than our initial budget but we hope to keep this monitor for a long time. Will report back.

Might need another similar monitor so I am still interested to understand the differences and hear from other MRs about their experiences.