Dell S2721D Monitor Review

The Dell S2721D has a simple design that doesn't stand out. It has a full plastic build that looks a bit cheap, and the stand has extremely limited ergonomic adjustments. It has thin borders on three sides and a slightly thicker bottom bezel. The stand's base doesn't take up too much space, and because it's flat, you can still place things on top.

The stand's base doesn't take up much space, but it doesn't support the monitor well, and it wobbles a lot.

Update 01/20/2021: For consistency, we've changed the height adjustment from N/A to '0.0'. The score has been adjusted accordingly.

Unfortunately, the Dell S2721D has terrible ergonomics. It only allows for tilt adjustment, and the range is pretty narrow. The Dell S2721DS is a variant with better ergonomics, adding swivel and rotation to portrait mode; however, it's more expensive.

The back of the monitor is plain. It can be VESA-mounted, but it doesn't have a quick-release feature. There's a small cutout on the stand for cable management.

The borders are very thin, great for multi-monitor setups.

The screen is relatively thin, and the stand doesn't take up much space either.

The Dell S2721D's build quality is good. It's fully plastic and doesn't feel particularly premium, but the construction is sturdy, and there's very little flex. That said, the stand doesn't support the screen all that well as there's a fair amount of wobble.

The Dell S2721D has a mediocre contrast ratio, typical of most IPS panels. Blacks look closer to gray, especially in dark environments.

Note that the contrast ratio can vary between units.

This monitor doesn't have a local dimming feature. The video above is provided for reference only.

Good SDR peak brightness. It's incredibly consistent across different content, and it's bright enough to provide good visibility in most lighting conditions. However, it may struggle to overcome glare in very bright, sunny rooms.

We measured the SDR peak brightness after calibration, using the 'Custom Color' Picture Mode.

This monitor doesn't support HDR.

The Dell S2721D has good horizontal viewing angles. Images remain accurate when viewed from the side, great for sharing work or content.

Outstanding vertical viewing angle. This is important if you tend to sit very close to the screen or have the screen mounted above eye level.

Gray uniformity on our unit of the Dell S2721D is excellent. The top corners and the sides appear darker, but there's almost no dirty screen effect. Uniformity is better in dark scenes.

Note that gray uniformity can vary between units.

Our unit of the Dell S2721D has okay black uniformity. There's visible backlight bleed, and the whole screen looks a bit cloudy.

Note that black uniformity can vary between units.

Before calibration, the color accuracy is mediocre. Most colors are inaccurate, and the white balance is visibly off. The color temperature is much warmer than our 6500K target, resulting in a reddish tint. Gamma doesn't follow the sRGB curve, making dark scenes too dark and bright scenes too bright.

Note that color accuracy can vary between units.

After calibration, the color accuracy is exceptional. Any remaining color inaccuracies shouldn't be visible to the naked eye. White balance is nearly perfect, and the color temperature is much closer to our target, though slightly on the cooler side. Gamma is much better, but both dark and bright scenes are over-brightened.

You can download our ICC profile calibration here. This is provided for reference only and should not be used, as the calibration values vary per individual unit even for the same model due to manufacturing tolerances.

The Dell S2721D has an excellent SDR color gamut. It has near full coverage of the sRGB color space used in most content, and good coverage of the Adobe RGB color space, mostly used for photo editing.

Outstanding color volume. It has trouble displaying dark colors due to its low contrast ratio. It also has difficulty with bright blues; however, that's normal for LCDs.

This monitor doesn't support HDR.

This monitor doesn't support HDR.

There's a tiny amount of image retention after exposing a high-contrast image for ten minutes, but it dissipates pretty quickly and shouldn't be an issue for most people.

Note that image retention can vary between units.

Excellent gradient handling. The most visible banding is in the greens and grays.

There's no color bleed on this monitor.

Great reflection handling. Visibility shouldn't be an issue unless you're in a very bright room.

Text clarity is decent. Turning on Windows ClearType (top photo) can make letters look more fleshed out, particularly diagonal lines. The picture of the pixels looks blurry due to the matte anti-reflective coating.

The Dell S2721D has a decent response time at its maximum refresh rate. As a result, there's a slightly longer blur trail behind fast-moving objects, particularly in dark scenes where transitions are slower. The best overdrive setting is 'Normal', which provides the best performance with no overshoot.

The response time at 60Hz is decent. It's slightly better than at the maximum refresh rate, and there's only a tiny amount of overshoot. The best overdrive setting is also 'Normal'. The 'Fast' and 'Extreme' settings cause a significant amount of overshoot and aren't recommended.

The backlight is flicker-free at all brightness levels, which is great.

This monitor doesn't have a Black Frame Insertion feature.

The Dell S2721D has a 75Hz refresh rate that helps make motion look a bit smoother than a typical 60Hz panel. It supports FreeSync natively to reduce screen tearing when gaming and is compatible with G-SYNC as well. However, G-SYNC only works over DisplayPort.

The Dell S2721D has exceptionally low input lag, resulting in a responsive desktop experience.