Dell S2721QS Monitor Review

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 stand is a mix of metal and plastic. It doesn't take up too much space, and the flat base lets you put things on it. It feels stable and doesn't wobble much.

Good ergonomics. It allows for all manner of adjustments so that you can place the screen at your ideal viewing position.

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 borders are thin on three sides and aren't distracting, making it a good option for multi-monitor setups.

Both the screen and the stand are relatively thin and don't take up much space.

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 has a mediocre contrast ratio; however, it's better than most IPS panels and close to the advertised 1300:1 contrast. That said, blacks still look gray in the dark, and contrast can vary between individual units.

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.

Gray uniformity on our Dell S2721QS is great; however, this can vary between units. The edges are visibly darker, but dirty screen effect is minimal. Uniformity is much better in dark scenes.

Black uniformity is decent, but this can vary between units. The whole screen looks gray/blue, and there's slight backlight bleed along the top and bottom edges. The sides also appear darker than the rest of the screen.

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.

Outstanding SDR color volume. It has difficulty displaying dark colors due to its low contrast ratio.

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.

The HDR color volume is just okay. It struggles with dark, saturated colors due to its low contrast ratio, and it also has trouble with bright blues, although that's typical for LCDs.

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.

The Dell S2721QS has superb gradient handling. You shouldn't see any banding in most content.

There are no signs of color bleed on this monitor.

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.

The Dell S2721QS has exceptional text clarity due to its high pixel density. Windows ClearType makes the letters look bolder (top photo), but it might not be necessary.

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.

Since the Dell S2721QS' maximum refresh rate is 60Hz, the results are the same as the response time at max refresh rate.

The backlight is flicker-free, which helps minimize motion duplication and reduce eye strain.

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.