Dell released their newest Ultrasharp model ,U2723QE, U3223QE Ultrasharp monitor

[picpicmac]

It's a good monitor, I only started to experience occasional flickering after a year of use. The flickering seems to be caused by some IPS driver circuit issue, either hardware of the chip's software (not sure about that one, but I'd almost assume hardware?)

Dell replaced my monitor for free after contacting them and I've been flicker free for a bit over a week now.

Thanks for replying.

Yet your description does not alay my fears.

When a product works for a year, then starts to have problems, and it's not a physical defect from physical deformation, I wonder what sort of firmware/design issues lay under the hood.

This is true for all monitors with flickering with Apple Silicon Macs.

Will a macOS update suddenly cause the return of flickering?
Will some firmware update suddenly cause the return of flickering?

In my opinion, the rise of flickering issues with various monitors is the number one persistent dark cloud over the era of Apple Silicon Macs.

I don't want to spend $3k + on a new system only to be met with these kinds of issues.

These latest Dell monitors overall get good reviews and Dell has made it their business to supply better-than-average quality monitors to the business world.

The 2723QE is less than half the cost of the ASD, which is making me pay more attention to the 2723QE.

 

[jabbr]

these Dell models appear to have pretty poor backlight bleed. From rtings review of the u2723qe:

As a dark mode user this amount of bleed would be really annoying to me.

 

[Loi84]

I had ordered one too and it had ridiculously bad backlight bleed. Worse than my previous $130 QHD screen it was meant to replace. Returned right away.

 

[jabbr]

I'm sure it's a bit of lottery, but it seems more common on these newer Dells. I had a U2515H that had pretty minimal bleed

 

[learjet]

How many of you still have the flickering issue with this monitor? Are new, factory fresh displays also affected or has this hardware issue been resolved nowadays? Does the proposed solution in this thread (switching USB-C to high resolution in the display‘s settings, switching off DDC) really work to fix the flickering problem/s, but you lose USB 3.0 speeds in the process?

 

[grandM]

I have had three Dells. The first was from the cheaper end of their range (can't remember the model number), which I returned because of excessive bleed, similar to what you are getting.

I upgraded to an Ultrasharp (U2713H), which had no bleed.

When that eventually died I got my current screen, a P2719H (not Ultrasharp,) and that also has no bleed.

(By no bleed I mean very little, if any, when viewing a black screen in a dark room. Certainly not enough to be noticeable in any normal use. Nothing like what you are getting.)

Personally I wouldn't accept the amount of bleed you are getting. Especially on their allegedly premium Ultrasharps.

After how many years did the U2713H break down?

 

[Chris_99]

Hi there,

I recently purchased a new Monitor U2723QE. How can I test if it's a good unit? what test can I run and see if its a good unit?

also are there any colour profiles online for download? first to match MacBook Pro 14 inch display. and also for office work? to reduce eyestrain?

and what settings do you recommend for the monitor? colour brightness? contrast ...and so on. what resolution do you guys prefer ?


I am using an OCW thunderbolt 4 cable to connect my Mac to the monitor. I attached an screenshot does everything look as it should? Or are there any improvements I can do? I updated the firmware already.


Thank you so much ! much appreciated!!

Chris

 

[Purple_]

Hi there,

I recently purchased a new Monitor U2723QE. How can I test if it's a good unit? what test can I run and see if its a good unit?

Some units just have slightly worse background bleed then others, but unless you are noticing it straight away I'd say don't worry about it.

also are there any colour profiles online for download? first to match MacBook Pro 14 inch display. and also for office work? to reduce eyestrain?

and what settings do you recommend for the monitor? colour brightness? contrast ...and so on. what resolution do you guys prefer ?

Your MacBook display is going to automatically adjust itself based on the lighting conditions in your room, so there isn't really a way to have it match (unless you disable True Tone I guess). Personally I'd keep the default if you need any kind of colour accuracy as it's pretty spot on in my experience.

If you're just looking to reduce eyestrain and don't care about accuracy you may want to check out night shift (Included in MacOS) or f.lux to make your whites a little more orange.

Keep the colour and contrast settings default, put the brightness on something you prefer (this setting will entirely depend on the brightness of your room and personal preferences)
I run the monitor at native 4K (3840x2160) without scaling on MacOS, but this is on the 3223QE model which is bigger so I don't really think native 4K is practical on the 27" model. For this I'd also say, put it on something you personally prefer. MacOS will scale screen contents, so no quality is lost.

I am using an OCW thunderbolt 4 cable to connect my Mac to the monitor. I attached an screenshot does everything look as it should? Or are there any improvements I can do? I updated the firmware already.

Looks fine, you can use a regular USB-C 10Gbps cable for it by the way, it doesn't need a more expensive Thunderbolt cable.

 

[Chris_99]

Hi thanks for your help! much appreciated !

One more question since you are using the 32 inch version in 4k ...how is the resolution? and sharpness of text? how far are you away from the screen? I was also on the fence between 27 or 32 but ppl say 27 better sharpness und more ppi so I would like to know you first hand user experience for the 32 inch variant. what kind of work do you do? do you have any buyers remorse?

thank you so much !!

 

[Purple_]

The resolution of the 27" and 32" versions is the same, so the ppi is lower on the bigger version. Personally I can't see the individual pixels and 32" is around the size where 4K native becomes possible (without scaling).

I'd 100% recommend the 32" if you want to get the most out of your display, but running 4K native on a display does definitely require you to wear your glasses. Obviously you can enable scaling if you prefer, you will still have more screen estate on the 32" at the same scaling factor

Haven't had any buyers remorse, if this monitor died I'd buy the same again without hesitation

I do office work (IT) and photography on this monitor

 

[etbull]

Hi thanks for your help! much appreciated !

One more question since you are using the 32 inch version in 4k ...how is the resolution? and sharpness of text? how far are you away from the screen? I was also on the fence between 27 or 32 but ppl say 27 better sharpness und more ppi so I would like to know you first hand user experience for the 32 inch variant. what kind of work do you do? do you have any buyers remorse?

thank you so much !!

How do you find text on the 27” display? I recently got a 14” Macbook pro and I am looking for a 27” monitor. My use is hobby photography and non-work computer use. I tried a benq 2k monitor, but the text was fuzzy, even with 3rd party apps. I have frequent headaches and the eye strain was killing me, so the benq was unusable for me. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find any 4k monitors in store locally, other than the apple studio display. So, I’m torn between the u2723qe and the ASD. Big price difference.

 

[Chris_99]

How do you find text on the 27” display? I recently got a 14” Macbook pro and I am looking for a 27” monitor. My use is hobby photography and non-work computer use. I tried a benq 2k monitor, but the text was fuzzy, even with 3rd party apps. I have frequent headaches and the eye strain was killing me, so the benq was unusable for me. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find any 4k monitors in store locally, other than the apple studio display. So, I’m torn between the u2723qe and the ASD. Big price difference.

hi there! I was in the same situation. but I am very happy with the u2723qe. very sharp text . I use better display app. I would buy the dell monitor in 27 inch I really do love this monitor. I am just on the fence if I should get the 32 inch variant but that's just personal preference.

a 4k 27 will look always better than a 2k 27...even if you scale. 4k 27 has just over 160 ppi ...so even if you scale down... your Mac puts 4k signal to the monitor but scales down the fonts...it looks sharper. this is a misconception ppl have. but go for the dell! I use it mainly for office work and text is really sharp. if you do foto editing just turn off True Tone because it messes with colours. sure the asd is better but for me not worth the high price tag.

and use better display app in hidpi resolution. text looks sharper.

hope that helps good luck!

 

[Chris_99]

The resolution of the 27" and 32" versions is the same, so the ppi is lower on the bigger version. Personally I can't see the individual pixels and 32" is around the size where 4K native becomes possible (without scaling).

I'd 100% recommend the 32" if you want to get the most out of your display, but running 4K native on a display does definitely require you to wear your glasses. Obviously you can enable scaling if you prefer, you will still have more screen estate on the 32" at the same scaling factor

Haven't had any buyers remorse, if this monitor died I'd buy the same again without hesitation

I do office work (IT) and photography on this monitor

thanks for your help...how far away do you sit from the monitor? I just have 2 concerns that the lower ppi leads to text being more blurry than on the 27 inch.

and ergonomics. if you have to turn your head tooo much...because you sit to close. I do mainly office work but occasionally I enjoy larger display for content consumption .. so bigger display could be better if ergonomics are not compromised. I do love the 27 inch variant though no complains...but if I can get the 32 inch variant it would be better maybe I will try it out. but would love to hear about your exact set up.... you use 4k native but then I assume you are sitting very close ? please elaborate... how far you sit away? how often do you turn your head

TIA!!

 

[learjet]

I have two issues with my dual U2723QEs, used with a Macbook Air M3:

• Both displays are connected with USB-C, using the original Dell cables. But, only the Dell monitor connected to the back Thunderbolt port connects with 8.4 Gbps using DSC and displaying RGB. The one connected to the front Thunderbolt port connects with 8.4 Gbps without using DSC and using the YPbPr color mode (but I suspect a bug since it says 30Bit color)?
• One of the displays sometimes doesn't wake up after sleep. Is this happening to you too? I didn't think it's an issue with Sonoma, still?

Thanks, learjet

 

[lankox]

I have a bug crawling inside my u3223qe.

 

[Citizen45]

Thinking of purchasing this monitor based on everything I've read.

How are people connecting two MacBooks to the monitor? I know that there's one 90W USB-C port for video/data. But what about the second MacBook?

Do any of the other USB-C ports work for video/data? Or do I need to buy an HDMI or DisplayPort Cable?

 

[miric]

Thinking of purchasing this monitor based on everything I've read.

How are people connecting two MacBooks to the monitor? I know that there's one 90W USB-C port for video/data. But what about the second MacBook?

Do any of the other USB-C ports work for video/data? Or do I need to buy an HDMI or DisplayPort Cable?

I cannot say about 2 MacBooks because I have 1 MBP M2 and 1 Mac mini M1 connected. Only one USB-C with power gives video. Period. My connection scenarios:
— MBP M2 via 90W USB-C + video + KVM (in Data speed priority, with a decent cable), all the time connected to charge; Mac mini: video — DP -> USB-C or HDMI -> USB-C or HDMI-HDMI, to get KVM access — connect to USB-C Upstream port;
— Mac mini via 90W USB-C + video + KVM (in Data speed priority, with a decent cable); MBP M2 via DP -> USB-C cable adapter + USB-C to the upstream port to get KVM + power supply with the stock power brick (to experiment with degrading battery and charge when it needs).

I use the external Magic Keyboard 2 + Magic Trackpad 2 and connect them one by one each time for a second when I switch the video source in order to connect them to the current machine.

 

[Citizen45]

I cannot say about 2 MacBooks because I have 1 MBP M2 and 1 Mac mini M1 connected. Only one USB-C with power gives video. Period. My connection scenarios:
— MBP M2 via 90W USB-C + video + KVM (in Data speed priority, with a decent cable), all the time connected to charge; Mac mini: video — DP -> USB-C or HDMI -> USB-C or HDMI-HDMI, to get KVM access — connect to USB-C Upstream port;
— Mac mini via 90W USB-C + video + KVM (in Data speed priority, with a decent cable); MBP M2 via DP -> USB-C cable adapter + USB-C to the upstream port to get KVM + power supply with the stock power brick (to experiment with degrading battery and charge when it needs).

I use the external Magic Keyboard 2 + Magic Trackpad 2 and connect them one by one each time for a second when I switch the video source in order to connect them to the current machine.

Just to make sure I'm following you here:

• MacBook Pro (MBP) M2:
  • Connected via a single USB-C cable that provides:
    • 90W Power Delivery: Charges the MBP.
    • Video Signal: Displays video output from the MBP to the monitor.
    • KVM Functionality: Allows the MBP to use the keyboard and mouse connected to the monitor.
  • Data Speed Priority: Ensure the cable supports high data speeds to handle all these functions effectively.
  • This MBP remains connected to the monitor all the time for charging.
• Mac mini M1:
  • Connected via one of the following video connections:
    • DisplayPort (DP) to USB-C: A cable that connects the DisplayPort output of the Mac mini to the USB-C input of the monitor.
    • HDMI to USB-C: A cable that connects the HDMI output of the Mac mini to the USB-C input of the monitor.
    • HDMI to HDMI: A direct HDMI connection from the Mac mini to the monitor.
  • For KVM access, an additional connection is made:
    • USB-C Upstream Port: Connects to the Mac mini to enable the KVM functionality.

OR

• Mac mini M1:
  • Connected via a single USB-C cable that provides:
    • 90W Power Delivery: Charges the Mac mini.
    • Video Signal: Displays video output from the Mac mini to the monitor.
    • KVM Functionality: Allows the Mac mini to use the keyboard and mouse connected to the monitor.
  • Data Speed Priority: Ensure the cable supports high data speeds to handle all these functions effectively.
• MacBook Pro (MBP) M2:
  • Connected via a DP to USB-C cable adapter for video signal.
  • Connected via USB-C to the upstream port on the monitor to enable KVM functionality.
  • For power, it uses its own stock power brick.

Am I following you correctly?

Also, what is the exact procedure you're using to quickly switch your Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse from desktop to desktop?

 

[miric]

Am I following you correctly?

Also, what is the exact procedure you're using to quickly switch your Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse from desktop to desktop?

Yes sir. Besides the fact Mac mini has nothing to do with 90W — it cannot be powered via USB-C, because it has own built-in power supply.

Regarding switching the keyboard/the trackpad (I don't use the mouse). I choose a video source from the Dell's menu. I have USB-A -> Lightning cable connected to one of USB-A display ports. I connect keyboard to it for a few seconds, after that the same for the trackpad, then move the cable out of them. The same with another video source. If I need charging something of them — I just keep the device connected for a while. If I need switch back and forth in a short period of time — I just keep last device connected until I change a video source. It's possible to have two separate USB-A -> Lightnning cables to keep them connected all the time but they are +2 cables on my desktop, and I hate them. I don't know actually what I hate more — cables or Apple what still didn't implement multi-connection like Logitech did. I cannot switch to Logitech devices because Logitech doesn't have such a cool trackpad.

In addition, KVM means not only keyboard/mouse/whatever, it's an internal display hub with all its USB ports + the 1Gb Ethernet adapter. Here's one more object of hate — Dell. They didn't implement manual Ethernet switching which means if I need Ethernet for my MBP only, I can't do that, Ethernet will jump from device to device automatically. This means that if I have an intensive Internet connection (let's say, a remote DB dump or download), it may disconnect for a short time before switching to Wi-Fi if it is available. They fixed that in U3224KB, and they barely fix that in U3223QE.

To be honest, I'm tired of waiting finally 100% capable device. You buy something, it cannot do something. You're waiting for a new iteration, while those bstrds may fix that via a firmware update or think better during the design process.

 

[Citizen45]

Yes sir. Besides the fact Mac mini has nothing to do with 90W — it cannot be powered via USB-C, because it has own built-in power supply.

Regarding switching the keyboard/the trackpad (I don't use the mouse). I choose a video source from the Dell's menu. I have USB-A -> Lightning cable connected to one of USB-A display ports. I connect keyboard to it for a few seconds, after that the same for the trackpad, then move the cable out of them. The same with another video source. If I need charging something of them — I just keep the device connected for a while. If I need switch back and forth in a short period of time — I just keep last device connected until I change a video source. It's possible to have two separate USB-A -> Lightnning cables to keep them connected all the time but they are +2 cables on my desktop, and I hate them. I don't know actually what I hate more — cables or Apple what still didn't implement multi-connection like Logitech did. I cannot switch to Logitech devices because Logitech doesn't have such a cool trackpad.

In addition, KVM means not only keyboard/mouse/whatever, it's an internal display hub with all its USB ports + the 1Gb Ethernet adapter. Here's one more object of hate — Dell. They didn't implement manual Ethernet switching which means if I need Ethernet for my MBP only, I can't do that, Ethernet will jump from device to device automatically. This means that if I have an intensive Internet connection (let's say, a remote DB dump or download), it may disconnect for a short time before switching to Wi-Fi if it is available. They fixed that in U3224KB, and they barely fix that in U3223QE.

To be honest, I'm tired of waiting finally 100% capable device. You buy something, it cannot do something. You're waiting for a new iteration, while those bstrds may fix that via a firmware update or think better during the design process.

Interesting. I'll probably just keep the Magic Keyboard plugged in at all times so it switches quickly. I use a Logitech mouse so that should also swap fast if I use the USB hub. It sounds like your trick of plugging in the keyboard and mouse to the monitor causes it to swap over to the current desktop and then when you unplug, it maintains a Bluetooth connection? So you're basically just tricking it into Bluetooth switching for you when you quickly plug and unplug?

Also is the Dell software decent on the Mac? I read you can keymap switching between devices which would be very convenient as it would swap over the screen, keyboard and mouse instantly with one click in my setup where I would be using the keyboard and mouse plugged into the monitor at all times.

Additionally, are you saying that the Wi-Fi doesn't automatically kick in as soon as you swap devices, (thus swapping the ethernet with it?) That you actually experience a brief period of downtime?

 

[PaulD-UK]

.

 

[miric]

It sounds like your trick of plugging in the keyboard and mouse to the monitor causes it to swap over to the current desktop and then when you unplug, it maintains a Bluetooth connection?

Yes, I simulate a connection to the computer with the cable with further autoconnection with Bluetooth.

Also is the Dell software decent on the Mac?

I played a bit with it the first week and then forgot about it. I use Rectangle and Divvy for the window management. I didn't use other functions.

I believe Wi-Fi will be used as the next network device in the list. Though, I think, sometimes restoring Internet connection via alternative source barely helps if the download process is interrupted.

 

[seek3r]

Interesting. I'll probably just keep the Magic Keyboard plugged in at all times so it switches quickly. I use a Logitech mouse so that should also swap fast if I use the USB hub. It sounds like your trick of plugging in the keyboard and mouse to the monitor causes it to swap over to the current desktop and then when you unplug, it maintains a Bluetooth connection? So you're basically just tricking it into Bluetooth switching for you when you quickly plug and unplug?

It's actually both. I do this too, when connected via a cable the magic keyboard and magic trackpad actually dont use BT, they act as wired devices, so you can actually use them with any computer - even ones without bluetooth at all. However Apple also autopairs when you connect them so it automatically switches the bluetooth pairing for if you do disconnect too on a setup like this as long as the device switched to is a relatively recent mac

 

[mario0]

Dell has published a firmware update for the U3223QE with the below improvements:

1. Improve compatibility with AMD Graphics in daisy chain configuration with DSC mode
2. To eliminate instantaneous flash during SmartHDR mode switching
3. To eliminate remote visual noise occurrence

Installed and no issues so far.

 

[k.alexander]

QUESTION FOR MAC USERS:

Is it possible to connect a Mac (I'm on a MBP M3Pro) to the Dell U3223QE AND Another Monitor USING JUST ONE USB-C CABLE? Currently, I plug the U3223QE into my MBP using the USB-C cable, AND plug the second monitor using an HDMI cable. Any way to plug that second monitor, via HDMI or another type of connection, to the Dell (to daisy chain) and then just connect both daisy chained monitors to the MBP with one USB-C cable?