The 5 Best Dell Monitors of 2026   Reviews

Updated Apr 16, 2026 at 07:11 pm
Best Dell Monitors
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Dell is an American technology company that produces a wide range of consumer products, from keyboards to laptops to monitors. They make many productivity-focused monitors at various price points, great for personal use or for buying displays for an entire office. On top of that, they have their own gaming lineup, Alienware, which competes well with other brands. Overall, Dell is reliable, offers plenty of options, and has monitors available for a variety of different needs and budgets.

We've bought and tested over 75 Dell monitors, and below are our recommendations for the best Dell monitors. For other options, you can also see all our reviews of Dell products.

How We Test Monitors
How We Test Monitors

We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.

  1. Best Dell Monitor

    The best Dell monitor we've tested is the Dell U2725QE. It's a 27-inch 4k monitor that offers a ton of productivity-focused features. It's part of a group of monitors in the premium UltraSharp lineup, alongside the Dell U5226KW and the Dell U3225QE, each with a massive USB hub for connecting a variety of devices. With five USB-A and five USB-C ports, it acts as a central hub for your multi-device setup, so you won't have to worry about buying an external USB hub or running out of ports. On top of that, it supports Thunderbolt 4 with 140W of power delivery, ideal for connecting power-hungry laptops. It even has two video outputs that support daisy chaining, making it easy to connect secondary displays directly to this one.

    Besides these extra features, it has a high 4k resolution with sharp text clarity, and its 27-inch screen is big enough to open two windows side-by-side. Plus, it comes with an accurate sRGB mode and displays a wide range of colors, which is great for content creators. Unlike most office monitors, it even has a 120Hz refresh rate, which gives it a smoother feel than 60Hz monitors, so it's alright for gaming. However, you'd have to get one of their Alienware monitors if you want the best gaming performance.

  2. Best Mid-Range Dell Monitor

    If you find the Dell U2725QE too expensive and don't need all its premium features, you can save money by getting a lower-cost model, like the Dell S2725QC. While it's a 2025 model like the U2725QE, it's in the lower-end Dell Plus Series lineup, so it has fewer features. For example, it has a smaller USB hub with only two USB-A and two USB-C ports, and it doesn't support Thunderbolt. However, it still supports DisplayPort Alt Mode and 65W of power delivery, so you can display an image from a laptop and charge it over USB-C. It even comes with an ergonomic stand, making it easy to adjust to an ideal position.

    The S2725QC has some trade-offs in picture quality compared to the U2725QE. It doesn't get as bright, but you can still use it in a bright office space without many issues, thanks to its alright reflection handling. On the plus side, it's more accurate out of the box than the U2725QE, and it also offers a 120Hz refresh rate for a smoother feel compared to lower-refresh-rate displays.

  3. Best Budget Dell Monitor

    If you're looking for a budget Dell monitor, consider the Dell S2725DC. Part of the Plus Series lineup, it's a step-down model from the Dell S2725QC, which means it has fewer features. For example, it has a lower 1440p resolution, so text isn't as sharp. It doesn't support HDR either, but this doesn't make a big difference because the S2725QC has limited picture quality in HDR anyways. It also lacks a dedicated sRGB mode, so you may need to calibrate it if you're a content creator.

    On the plus side, the S2725DC is otherwise very similar to the S2725QC. It's a great choice for a well-lit office space thanks to its improved brightness. It also has a slightly higher 144Hz refresh rate and a bit better motion handling, making it the better choice for casual gaming. It even comes with the same USB hub that includes DisplayPort Alt Mode and 65W of power delivery, making it easy to quickly connect a laptop. If you don't need a USB hub, you can also check out the Dell S2725QS, which has a higher 4k resolution for sharper text. However, it usually costs more than the S2725DC.

  4. Best Cheap Dell Monitor

    If you need a basic, affordable Dell monitor, especially for office work, the Dell P2425H is a good alternative, especially when you can find it on sale. It has a smaller screen and lower 1080p resolution than the Dell S2725DC, so there's less space to multitask, and text isn't as sharp. That said, this is normal for a cheap monitor, and the smaller size is useful if you want to get more than one for a multi-monitor setup. It still has decent text clarity, so it's a decent choice for work, but it doesn't get bright enough to fight intense glare.

    It actually has a few more features than what you normally find on an entry-level monitor. It has a USB hub with three USB-A ports and a USB-C port. However, because it doesn't support DisplayPort Alt Mode, you can't use this USB-C port to connect a laptop; it's more for data transfer or charging your devices. That said, it's a nice touch for a cheap monitor, and, like most other Dell monitors, it offers outstanding ergonomics that make it easy to adjust.

  5. Best Dell Monitor For Gaming

    While Dell makes great work monitors, it also offers a line of gaming monitors under the Alienware brand. If you're looking for the best Dell gaming monitor, the Dell Alienware AW3225QF is an excellent option with stunning picture quality. It offers a high 4k resolution for sharp images, and its 240Hz refresh rate is fantastic, especially for PC gamers. It also has a near-instantaneous response time, resulting in sharp motion.

    It has a QD-OLED panel that lets it display perfect blacks in dark rooms while highlights pop and colors look vivid, making it fantastic for HDR. It isn't the only QD-OLED that Dell offers; they also have the Dell Alienware AW2725Q, another 4k, 240Hz display with a 27-inch screen, and the 1440p, 360Hz Dell Alienware AW2725DF. These displays all deliver the same sharp motion and outstanding picture quality, so choosing one over the other comes down to which combination of size, refresh rate, and resolution you prefer. However, the large, curved screen of the AW3225QF offers the most immersive gaming experience.

Compared To Other Brands

  • Work-friendly features.

    Dell monitors tend to have good productivity features, including USB hubs, KVM switches for multitasking, and ergonomic stands. They also have a bunch of 4k monitors, which are ideal if you want sharp text clarity.

  • Wide range of options.

    Dell offers a wide range of options, from the highest-end gaming displays to basic entry-level office monitors, so you'll likely find what you need.

  • Popular Alienware gaming lineup.

    Dell's Alienware gaming lineup has gained popularity in the last few years. They also compete well against other brands, often offering good value.

  • Limited availability at some retailers.

    Dell monitors aren't sold at as many retailers as other brands, so if you want to buy one, it's often best to get it directly through their website.

  • Some models are expensive.

    A few of the models, particularly the high-end work monitors, are more expensive than the competition. In that case, it's best to get them when they go on sale.

Dell vs ASUS

Compared to Dell, ASUS has more options for competitive gamers with very high refresh rates. That said, both brands offer fantastic high-end gaming monitors, particularly with OLED panels. On the other hand, Dell offers a wider range of work-use models at various price points, including basic, entry-level models.

Dell vs LG

Dell and LG are reliable brands that compete against each other. Dell monitors generally have better ergonomics and are better suited for work use. While they both have great OLED displays, LG offers more non-OLED gaming options, including 4k models.

Buying a Dell monitor is generally a safe bet for most people, especially for office use. They have a bunch of productivity monitors available, often including dedicated features like USB hubs and ergonomic stands. This means Dell's monitors are usually amongst the best work monitors; they also offer options at a wide range of price points, from cheap displays to very expensive ones. They're also well-known in the gaming monitor market, offering options for different types of gamers.

Lineup

Dell's lineup ranges from basic, cheaper models to more advanced professional monitors. Their naming scheme is easy to understand, so you know almost exactly what you're getting by the model number.

Dell model numbers start with a letter, which indicates the series. Below are the most popular series, but not all of them:

  • U: The UltraSharp lineup features high-end monitors with accurate colors, which are ideal for content creation. They also have a ton of productivity features.
  • P:​ Dell's Plus Series (also called Pro Plus) monitors tend to have a lot of productivity features. These are more mid-range models, as they aren't as premium as the UltraSharp lineup. This lineup used to be called the S Series, which has more entry-level options, so some models still have the letter S in the model name.
  • AW: Alienware monitors; Dell's premium gaming lineup. Some of their lower-end gaming monitors also have a G in their name, like the Dell G2725D.

Next in the model code comes a set of numbers to identify the size and model year. The first two are the size, and the last two numbers are the model year.

Most Dell model numbers end with one or more letters, which identify certain features or the resolution. This isn't a complete list, but here are some of the most common suffixes:

  • E: Ethernet port
  • W: Ultrawide aspect ratio
  • H: 1080p resolution
  • D: 1440p resolution
  • Q: 4k resolution

You can see an example of their naming scheme here:

  • U3425WE: 34-inch ultrawide monitor with an Ethernet port from their 2025 lineup.
  • AW2724DM: Alienware gaming monitor with a 27-inch, 1440p screen, and is part of the 2024 lineup.
  • P2423D: 2023 model with a 24-inch, 1440p screen that's part of the Professional lineup.

2026 Models

At CES, Dell announced two new premium UltraSharp models set to be released in 2026. This includes the Dell U5226KW, which is a 52-inch ultrawide with a 6144x2560 resolution. It offers the most screen space out of their entire lineup, and it includes a ton of productivity features. The other new model is the Dell U3226Q, which features a QD-OLED panel and is meant for versatility between work and play. They tend to release more models throughout the year, but these are more under the radar, without any major announcements.

You can stay updated on which monitors we buy and test. If you want us to buy and test a specific Dell model, you can vote for it

Recent Updates

  1.  Apr 16, 2026: 

    We replaced the Dell S2725QS with the cheaper Dell S2725DC as the 'Best Budget Dell Monitor.'

  2.  Jan 20, 2026: 

    We replaced the Dell U3225QE with the Dell U2725QE for consistency with other recommendations, as the U2725QE is cheaper. We also replaced the Dell U2723QE and Dell S2721QS with the newer, easier-to-find Dell S2725QC and Dell S2725QS, respectively. We added a section about Dell's 2026 lineup.

  3.  Apr 24, 2025: 

    We added the Dell U3225QE and renamed the Dell U2723QE as the 'Best Mid-Range Monitor.' We also replaced the Dell S2722QC with the Dell S2721QS because it's cheaper.

  4.  Feb 19, 2025: 

    We replaced the Dell S2721QS with the Dell S2722QC, which is easier to find. We also removed the Dell G2724D as it's hard to find. Lastly, we introduced a new format to the article and updated the text to reflect these changes.

  5.  Jan 14, 2025: 

    Confirmed that our selections are consistent and up-to-date.

Conclusion

Dell monitors range from basic, small monitors that are great for students to the most advanced professional displays for media creation or general work use. They also have a few great gaming monitors in their Alienware lineup that compete well with other brands. Luckily, Dell monitors are well-built, and almost all have great ergonomics. Buying a Dell monitor is usually a pretty safe bet, especially if you need one for work.