The Dell S3220DGF is an impressive 1440p gaming monitor. It has a curved design and it doesn't take up much room, even with the support stand attached. Gaming feels responsive due to the fast refresh rate and low input lag. Also, the native FreeSync support should help reduce any screen tearing. It can display deep blacks in a dimly lit room thanks to its VA panel's high contrast ratio. That said, its viewing angles are inadequate, which means that images look washed out when viewed from the side. It has decent reflection handling and okay peak brightness, making it suitable for a moderately-lit room, but visibility can be an issue if there's direct light.
Our Verdict
The Dell S3220DGF is a good monitor for mixed use. It has a large size and its 1440p resolution allows for a good amount of multi-tasking, but it doesn't offer as much real estate as a full 4k screen would. It has low input lag, and the fast response time ensures that motion blur is minimal in fast-moving scenes. Also, it has a good contrast ratio and black uniformity, which means content looks good in a dark room. That said, viewing angles are disappointing, which results in images looking washed out when viewed from the side.
- Very low input lag.
- Excellent gray uniformity.
- 165Hz refresh rate.
- Very good contrast ratio.
- Image degrades when viewed from the side.
- Response time slower than other similar monitors.
- Monitor can't rotate into portrait mode.
- Okay black uniformity.
The Dell S3220DGF is a good monitor for office use. It has a large screen size and high resolution, which allows you to have multiple windows open side-by-side. It has decent reflection handling and gets bright enough to overcome glare. The ergonomics are only okay, as it can't rotate into a portrait mode, and the picture quality suffers when looking at it from a side angle.
- Excellent gray uniformity.
- Very good contrast ratio.
- Large 1440p screen.
- Image degrades when viewed from the side.
- Monitor can't rotate into portrait mode.
The Dell S3220DGF is an impressive gaming monitor. It has a very low input lag, which ensures a responsive gaming experience. It has FreeSync technology for reducing screen tearing and its fast response time ensures that motion blur is minimal in fast-moving scenes. While its response time isn't as good as other 165Hz monitors, it should still be good enough for most people.
- Very low input lag.
- 165Hz refresh rate.
- Large 1440p screen.
- Response time slower than other similar monitors.
The Dell S3220DGF is a good monitor for multimedia use. Its screen size is large and it has a high resolution, which allows for a more immersive experience. It's decent at handling reflections and overcoming glare. Also, its low input lag makes it very responsive. That said, its viewing angles are disappointing, resulting in the image looking washed out when viewed from the side.
- Excellent gray uniformity.
- Large 1440p screen.
- Image degrades when viewed from the side.
- Okay black uniformity.
The Dell S3220DGF is a very good monitor for content creators. It's pretty large with a high resolution, which is optimal for displaying multiple windows side-by-side. Ergonomics are only okay, as there's no portrait mode, but it's easy to adjust it into a comfortable position. Unfortunately, viewing angles are disappointing as the image quality degrades when viewed from the side.
- Excellent gray uniformity.
- Very good contrast ratio.
- Large 1440p screen.
- Image degrades when viewed from the side.
- Monitor can't rotate into portrait mode.
- Okay black uniformity.
The Dell S3220DGF is a decent choice for HDR gaming. The high contrast ratio makes blacks look deep in a dark room. It can display HDR games with bright, vivid colors due to its wide color gamut and decent HDR peak brightness, but lacks any local dimming feature. On the upside, it has outstandingly low input lag and a good response time overall.
- Very low input lag.
- Very good contrast ratio.
- Large 1440p screen.
- Okay black uniformity.
- No local dimming.
- Only decent HDR peak brightness.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 16, 2023: Clarified that the monitor's max Refresh Rate over HDMI is 144Hz and it can't be overclocked.
- Updated Jul 04, 2022: There was a mistake in the 60Hz input lag results. We remeasured the input lag at 60Hz, and it's 0.6ms higher than our original results.
- Updated Dec 07, 2020: We've corrected the number of USB ports available.
- Updated Oct 21, 2020: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 32 inch Dell S3220DGF, which is the only size available.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Dell S3220DGF doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, such as gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Update 09/11/2020: It appears that the June 2020 revision (A03) of this monitor behaves a bit differently, adding a default 120Hz refresh rate, and removing the 144Hz option.
The Dell S3220DGF we tested was manufactured in August 2019.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Dell S3220DGF is a curved gaming monitor with great gaming performance. It has a low input lag and supports FreeSync, but its response time is slower than other 165Hz monitors. See also our recommendations for the best gaming monitors, the best curved monitors, and the best 1440p monitors.
The Dell S3220DGF is better than the Dell S3222DGM overall, but the differences might not matter to everyone. The S3220DGF supports HDR, it has better ergonomics, and it has better connectivity, with a built-in USB hub. For gaming, the S3222DGM is a better choice, as it has an optional black frame insertion feature and a faster response time.
The Dell S3220DGF is better overall than the AOC CQ32G1. The Dell has a higher refresh rate, as well as a much better response time, it supports HDR, and the screen has better uniformity. However, the AOC gets brighter, it has wider viewing angles, the out-of-the-box color accuracy is better, and it has a black frame insertion feature to clear up motion blur.
The Dell S3220DGF and the Samsung Odyssey G70D S32DG70 are different types of gaming monitors. The Samsung has a higher 4k resolution, resulting in more detailed images with sharper text, and it takes full advantage of gaming consoles. The Samsung also gets brighter, making it better to use in well-lit rooms, but the Dell's higher contrast ratio makes it the better choice for dark rooms.
The Dell S3422DWG is much better than the Dell S3220DGF. The S3422DWG has a faster response time, better black uniformity, and a higher-resolution screen, resulting in better text clarity. The S3422DWG also has an optional backlight strobing feature. The S3220DGF has better ergonomics, with a better height adjustment, and the base can swivel.
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.
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