The Dell S2721QS is a great budget 4k monitor that's suitable for a wide range of uses. It has a large screen with plenty of space for multitasking, and its high pixel density results in sharp images and text. The stand allows for a good amount of ergonomic adjustments, and its IPS panel has wide viewing angles, so you can easily share your screen with colleagues. It has a fast response time, low input lag, and supports variable refresh rate (VRR) technology to reduce screen tearing when gaming. The refresh rate is limited to 60hz, but it shouldn't be an issue for most people as gaming in 4k is still quite demanding. Like most IPS panel monitors, the contrast ratio is mediocre, which results in blacks looking grayish in the dark. Additionally, while it gets bright enough to fight glare, it isn't enough to deliver a satisfying HDR experience.
The Dell S2721QS is a great monitor overall. It has a large screen with a 4k resolution, good ergonomics, and wide viewing angles, making it a great choice for nearly any office environment. It has low input lag, a fast response time, and VRR support to provide a good gaming experience. It has full coverage of the sRGB color space, but its color accuracy is just okay out-of-the-box. The contrast ratio is low and there's some backlight bleed, so it isn't ideal for dark rooms.
The Dell S2721QS is great for office use. Its good ergonomics allow you to adjust the screen to your optimal viewing position, and you can easily share your work with colleagues thanks to its wide viewing angles. It handles reflections well and gets bright enough to overcome glare. It has a large screen that provides enough space to have multiple windows opened side-by-side, and a high resolution that results in exceptional text clarity. The contrast ratio is mediocre and there's some backlight bleed, so it isn't the best option if you work in a dark room.
The Dell S2721QS is good for gaming. It has a large screen with a 4k resolution, making it a great choice for playing atmospheric games like RPGs. In addition to its low input lag and fast response time, it has FreeSync support and G-SYNC compatibility to reduce screen tearing. The refresh rate is limited to 60Hz, but it should be okay for most casual gamers. It isn't the best option for gaming in the dark, though, as it has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look gray.
The Dell S2721QS is great for media consumption. It has a 4k resolution and a large screen to provide an immersive viewing experience. It has wide viewing angles and good ergonomics, making it easier to share content on your screen with others. Unfortunately, it isn't ideal for dark rooms, as its mediocre contrast ratio makes blacks look gray.
The Dell S2721QS is great for content creation. It has a large screen and high resolution, allowing you to see fine details clearly. It has full sRGB coverage and good coverage of the Adobe RGB color space. It has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look grayish, and there's some backlight bleed, although uniformity can vary between units. It has good ergonomics and wide viewing angles, great for sharing your work with clients and coworkers.
The Dell S2721QS is decent for gaming in HDR. It has low input lag, fast response time, and VRR support to minimize screen tearing. However, it has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look grayish, lacks local dimming, and doesn't get bright enough in HDR to make highlights pop.
The Dell S2721QS has a simple design and looks almost identical to its bigger sibling, the Dell S3221QS, but with a flat, non-curved screen. It has thin borders that aren't distracting, making it a good option for multi-monitor setups. It doesn't stand out in any way and should fit easily into most settings.
The back is plain and made of textured plastic. There's a cutout on the stand for cable management and a quick-release feature to remove the stand if you want to VESA-mount it.
The Dell S2721QS' build quality is good, very similar to the Dell S3221QS. The display is made entirely of good quality plastic. There are no loose parts, and the back doesn't flex much. The stand is a mix of metal and plastic, and it supports the monitor well. The quick-release feature works well and doesn't feel cheap.
The Dell S2721QS doesn't have a local dimming feature. The video above is provided for reference only.
The Dell S2721QS' SDR peak brightness is great. It's consistent across different content and bright enough to overcome intense glare, so you shouldn't have any visibility issues in well-lit rooms.
We measured the SDR peak brightness after calibration in the 'Custom Color' Picture Mode with Brightness set to max.
The HDR peak brightness is okay. It's again very consistent when displaying different scenes, but it isn't bright enough to deliver a good HDR experience.
We measured the HDR peak brightness using the 'Desktop' Picture Mode in the Smart HDR settings menu.
Update 12/08/2020: We've retested the horizontal viewing angle, as some users have reported that the edge of the screen seems blurrier than the rest when viewed at an angle. This is normal for most monitors since that area is behind the border, but it's a bit more noticeable on this monitor. The score hasn't changed.
The Dell S2721QS has great horizontal viewing angles. Images remain accurate when viewed from the side, good for sharing content on your screen with coworkers and clients.
Great vertical viewing angles. You shouldn't lose any image accuracy unless you mount the monitor far above eye level.
Out of the box, the Dell S2721QS has okay accuracy. There are visible inaccuracies with most colors and shades of gray. The color temperature is on the cooler side, resulting in a slight blueish tint. Gamma doesn't follow the sRGB curve at all, causing most scenes to appear darker than they should. Note that color accuracy can vary between units.
After calibration, accuracy is exceptional. The remaining color inaccuracies shouldn't be visible to the naked eye. The color temperature is almost right on our 6500K target, and white balance is nearly perfect. Gamma is significantly improved, but very dark and very bright scenes are slightly over-brightened.
You can download our ICC profile calibration here. This is provided for reference only and shouldn't be used, as the calibration values vary per individual unit due to manufacturing tolerances, even for the same model.
The Dell S2721QS has an outstanding SDR color gamut. It has full coverage of the sRGB color space used in most content and very good coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used mostly for photo editing.
Decent HDR color gamut. It has great coverage of the DCI P3 color space used in most HDR content, but its coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 is mediocre.
Our measurement of the DCI P3 coverage is likely lower than other reviewers, which is due to the way we measure it. We measure DCI P3 by sending a Rec. 2020 signal, but unlike most reviewers, we limit the colors to the P3 primaries. This results in a lower but arguably more accurate measurement.
There's a tiny amount of image retention after exposing a high-contrast image for ten minutes; however, it dissipates quickly. Note that image retention can vary between individual units.
Good reflection handling. It has a matte anti-reflective coating that reduces the intensity of reflected lights. Combined with the screen's great peak brightness, you shouldn't have any visibility issues in well-lit environments.
Overdrive Setting | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
Normal | Chart | Table | Photo |
Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
Extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
The Dell S2721QS has good response time at its max refresh rate, resulting in only a short blur trail behind fast-moving objects. We recommend using the 'Normal' overdrive setting, as it provides the best performance with no overshoot at all.
This monitor doesn't have a Black Frame Insertion feature.
The Dell S2721QS supports FreeSync natively to reduce screen tearing when gaming, and it works with G-SYNC as well even though it isn't officially certified by NVIDIA. However, both FreeSync and G-SYNC only work over a DisplayPort connection, not HDMI.
The Dell S2721QS has excellent low input lag, providing a responsive desktop and gaming experience. It remains low with 10-bit HDR or VRR enabled.