The Dell S2716DG is a decent monitor for most uses. It delivers a great gaming experience thanks to the incredibly fast response time, low input lag, and G-SYNC variable refresh rate support. Unfortunately, it has a poor contrast ratio and terrible black uniformity, so it's not a good choice for use in a dark room, and like all TN monitors, the image degrades when viewed at an angle.
Our Verdict
The Dell S2716DG is a decent monitor for most uses. It's a great gaming monitor, with low input lag and fast response time. For office use, the stand's excellent ergonomics make it easy to place it in a comfortable viewing position, but unfortunately, the image degrades at an angle and it isn't well-suited for a dark room.
- Fast 144Hz refresh rate.
- Extremely fast response time.
- Blacks are cloudy.
- Picture quality deteriorates when viewed at an angle.
This is a decent monitor for office use. The S2716DG's high resolution and brightness make it a good fit for more productive tasks. While its viewing angle is unfortunately quite unforgiving, its flexible stand allows you to easily move the monitor to orient it towards your colleagues. It also gets bright enough to fit the harsher lighting of offices.
The Dell S2716DG is a great gaming monitor. It has outstanding low input lag, for a responsive gaming experience, and it supports NVIDIA's G-SYNC variable refresh rate technology. It also has an outstanding response time, resulting in clear motion, even when gaming at 60Hz on a console. Unfortunately, it doesn't look good in a dark room, and the image degrades when viewed at an angle.
This is a decent monitor for consuming a variety of media. While the Dell S2716DG uses a high 1440p resolution and is decently accurate out of the box, its low contrast and blotchy blacks mean it won't look great in the dark. Due to its very limited viewing angles, it also means that the corners of the screen can show color fringing and darkening with only slight position changes.
This is a decent monitor for media creation. The S2716DG's 1440p resolution makes it easy to use with 1080p projects. Unfortunately, its narrow viewing angle and lack of support for HDR and wide color gamuts limit its usefulness for more professional settings.
This monitor doesn't support HDR.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 16, 2022: We simplified the name of this monitor to Dell S2716DG and updated text throughout the review to reflect that change.
- Updated Feb 17, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated Jan 01, 2018: Review published.
- Updated Dec 30, 2017: Our testers have started testing this product.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We've tested the 27" S2716DG.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Dell S2716DG 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.
The S2716DG we reviewed was manufactured in September 2017.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Dell S2716DG is a good monitor overall. It excels as a gaming monitor thanks to its many related features. It's priced quite competitively too, so it tends to be a good choice if you're looking for a gaming monitor (see our recommendations for the best gaming monitors and the best 4k gaming monitors). See also our recommendations for the best gaming mice and the best gaming keyboards.
The Dell S2716DG has very similar performance to the Dell S2719DGF, and the minor differences can be attributed to panel variance. The most significant difference between them is that the S2719DGF supports FreeSync VRR whereas the S2716DG supports G-SYNC VRR and incorporates a BFI feature that the S2719DGF is lacking.
The Acer Predator XB271HU Bmiprz is a monitor that has good viewing angles and performs better in almost all uses than the Dell S2716DG. But if you sit directly in front of the monitor and want the fastest response time for gaming, and an image with minimal blur, get the Dell. The Acer Predator XB271HU has better gray uniformity so that you browse the web without any clouding on your screen. On the other hand, the Dell S2716DG has better reflection handling.
The AOC AGON AG271QX is marginally better than the Dell S2716DG. The AG271QX has better black and gray uniformity which is great if your work involves a lot of web browsing or photo editing. The AOC AGON AG271QX also has a remarkable gradient with no visible banding. The Dell S2716DG, on the other hand, has an option to introduce flicker so as to make the image crisper.
If you'll be sitting directly in front of the monitor and your primary use will be gaming, then get the Dell S2716DG, but for uses where viewing angles are of importance, the Dell U2715H is a better choice. The Dell S2716DG has a faster refresh rate, a lower input lag, and a faster pixel response time that only leaves a small blur trail in fast-moving content. The Dell S2716DG has an option to clear motion blur and make the image crisper by introducing flicker. The Dell U2715H, on the other hand, has an IPS panel, and the image remains good at wider angles off the center axis.
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
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
