The Dell D3218HN is a basic IPS FHD 32" monitor with mediocre picture quality. It can get bright, which is good for rooms with some glare. The native contrast ratio is decent, one of the best for IPS monitors, and it has a low input lag which makes it responsive for casual gaming. Unfortunately, it has bad ergonomics and does not have any advanced features to improve gaming or picture quality.
Our Verdict
The Dell D3218HN is only okay for mixed usage. It will perform okay for most home or office applications or if you wish to use it for casual gaming. It is not a monitor that performs exceptionally well in any of the usages although its large screen size will be an attraction for the given price.
- Low input lag.
- Good brightness.
- Bad ergonomics.
- Poor black uniformity.
The Dell D3218HN is alright for office use, mainly due to its large screen size and its viewing angles that favor cooperative work. The bad ergonomics, however, will give you a hard time positioning it to your preferences and the limited resolution will not allow you to see much detail or multitask on the large screen size.
The Dell D3218HN is a decent monitor for gaming. It has low input lag that makes it very responsive and a fast pixel response time which allows only a small blur trail in fast-moving content. Unfortunately, this monitor's refresh rate is only 60Hz and it doesn't support any of the more advanced features like FreeSync or G-Sync to remove screen tearing.
The Dell D3218HN is only okay for watching multimedia content. It has a large screen size which unfortunately has only FHD resolution. The monitor is better suited for brighter rooms as it can overcome glare, and because of its low native contrast ratio that cannot display deep blacks in a dark room. Unfortunately, the Dell will not make it easy for you to position it to your liking.
Decent performance of the Dell D3218HN in media creation. Although the monitor has a large screen, you can not take full advantage of it to multitask or see much detail due to the limited FHD resolution. Furthermore, the monitor will not allow you to place it to your liking with ease, and even though it has a wide color gamut, enough for regular home or office use, it is not well suited for professionals of the publishing business as it has limited coverage of the Adobe RGB color space.
HDR is not supported, and the monitor can't produce bright, saturated colors. If you are looking for HDR support, then check out the Samsung CHG70.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We've tested the 32" D3218HN, which is the only size this monitor is available in.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Dell D3218HN doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
| Size | Model |
| 32" | D3218HN |
The D3218HN we reviewed was manufactured in April 2018.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Dell D3218HN is a large budget monitor with a sub-par picture quality. See our recommendations for the best monitors under $200, the best PC gaming monitors, and the best 32-inch monitors.
The Dell D3218HN is slightly better than the MSI Optix G27C for mixed usage. The Dell D3218HN is larger and has an IPS panel that makes it more suitable for collaborative work as it has better viewing angles. The MSI Optix G27C, on the other hand, has a faster refresh rate with Freesync support and a lower input lag which make it great for gaming. Finally, the MSI Optix G27C has a curvy profile that many people like and better reflection handling than the Dell.
The LG 29UM69G-B is somewhat better than the Dell D3218HN. The LG 29UM69G-B has better reflection handling if you have a room with many lights, and has a better resolution that allows you to see more detail on the screen. If you play video games, you will appreciate the better refresh rate of the LG 29UM69G-B. The LG is also equipped with a BFI feature that allows it to introduce flicker and make the image crisper.
The HP V320 and the Dell D3218HN both have very similar performance. Their scores on our tests were almost identical and there isn't any single score that differentiates one from the other. One difference is in the input ports where the HP has DVI + VGA, and the Dell has VGA + HDMI. Other than that, they have the same performance but are different brands.
The Dell D3218HN is significantly better than the Sceptre C325W. The Dell D3218HN has wider viewing angles due to its IPS panel and a better input lag which is great if you play video games. The Dell D3218HN also has a faster pixel response time and will leave a shorter blur trail. The Sceptre C325W, on the other hand, has better reflection handling, which is great if you have a room with many small windows.
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.
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