Our Verdict
Decent monitor for a mixed usage. The Dell P2217H is a simple and small monitor fit to be used as a general purpose screen. It doesn't excel in any aspects but it is versatile enough to be a good choice for those looking for a basic monitor. Its flicker-free backlight also makes it comfortable to use for long periods of time.
- Excellent stand with easy adjustment
- Picture quality is well retained at an angle
- Very cloudy blacks reduce picture quality
- Could be brighter
Good monitor to use in an office. The highly adjustable screen makes it easy to set up comfortably. Its wide viewing angle also makes it easy to share with other office members. Unfortunately, though, its smaller size might be a bit limiting for productivity, and its low overall brightness might cause issues in environments with lots of windows.
Good gaming monitor. The Dell P2217 has a low input lag which keeps it responsive, but it also shows little motion blur which helps keep fast moving objects on screen clear. Unfortunately, its standard 60 Hz refresh rate and lack of variable refresh rate feature make it better suited for more casual users.
Average monitor for consuming media. The P2217ZH's comes decently accurate out of the factory, but its low contrast and bad black uniformity greatly reduce picture quality. It also lacks HDR support, and it cannot cover wider colorspaces such as DCI-P3 to produce more vibrant colors.
Average monitor for creating media. While it can be calibrated fairly easily, the Dell Professional P2217H cannot cover the s.RGB color space well enough for professional-grade content. Its wide viewing angle and good screen uniformity make it usable for more basic tasks, but it cannot reproduce wider gamuts such as Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 accurately. In addition, it's only capable of 10-bits of color depth.
HDR is not supported, which is common for most monitors at the moment. For a high-end monitor which supports HDR see the Samsung CHG70.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Dell P2217H, which is a 2017 model 22" Professional monitor. There are many other sizes and year variants of the Dell P series monitors, listed below.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their monitor 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.
| Model | Size | Year | Resolution |
| P2017H | 19.5" | 2017 | 1600x900 |
| P2214H | 22" | 2014 | 1920x1080 |
| P2217H | 22" | 2017 | 1920x1080 |
| P2317H | 23" | 2017 | 1920x1080 |
| P2417H | 23.8" | 2017 | 1920x1080 |
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Dell P2217H is an average 1080p monitor with wide viewing angles and good ergonomics, but only decent picture quality. It is a good fit for an office environment or gaming on a budget, but for other uses, there may be better competition. See our recommendations for the best monitors under $200, the best budget gaming monitors, and the best budget monitors.
The Dell P2217H is significantly better than the HP V320. The Dell P2217H has much better ergonomics that allow you to place it in a comfortable position and also has slightly better reflections so that you do not worry about room lighting. The HP V320, on the other hand, is larger but has the same FHD resolution as the Dell, which means that apart from larger size pixels, you do not get more screen space for work.
The Dell P2417H is slightly better than the Dell P2217H. The overall performance of the two models is very similar, but the P2417H has better black uniformity, good for darker rooms. The only real difference between the two is the size, so if you want a bit more screen real estate, the 24" P2417H is better.
The Dell U2415 is a bit better than the Dell P2217H. The U2415 has a larger size and it gives you more space to work on, although the two monitors share the same FHD resolution. It also has slightly better black uniformity which you might notice if you work or watch a movie in a darker room.
The Dell P2217H is a much better monitor than the HP 22CWA. The Dell has significantly better ergonomics that allow you to easily position it to your likings, and this is important for all usages. The Dell also has marginally better motion blur. The Dell also has slightly better picture quality, due to somewhat better black uniformity which is good for dim scenes in a dark room.
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.
Test Results
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