The Dell S3222DGM is a decent monitor overall with a 32 inch, 1440p VA panel. Like most VA monitors, it has excellent contrast, resulting in deep blacks in a dark room, and it has decent black uniformity. It also has excellent gray uniformity, a superb SDR color gamut, and impressive gradient handling. Colors out of the box are a bit oversaturated, and there's no sRGB mode, but it's alright overall. Motion handling is excellent, with an excellent response time at the max refresh rate with very little overshoot. It's still plagued by the same issues that normally affect VA monitors, though, as there's significant black smearing in dark scenes, which can be distracting. Unfortunately, the image washes out at an angle, and the stand can't swivel or rotate to a portrait orientation, which limits its versatility a bit.
Our Verdict
The Dell S3222DGM is a decent monitor for most uses. The 32 inch, 1440p screen has a great amount of screen real estate for office use or media creation and delivers a more immersive gaming experience. It's a great gaming monitor, with a fast response time, low input lag, and a few extra gaming features, including support for variable refresh rate technology. It's a bit limited for some uses though, as the image degrades at an angle, and it doesn't support HDR.
- Excellent contrast.
- Very good peak brightness.
- Fantastic low input lag.
- Image washes out when viewed at an angle.
- Doesn't support HDR.
- Stand can't swivel or rotate to a portrait orientation.
The Dell S3222DGM is a decent office monitor. The 32 inch, 1440p monitor is great for multitasking, but it has just satisfactory text clarity and the pixel density is a bit low. It has excellent gray uniformity, decent reflection handling, and very good peak brightness, so glare shouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, although it should be easy to place in a comfortable viewing position, the stand can't rotate to a portrait orientation and it can't swivel. The monitor also has disappointing viewing angles, so you can't really share your screen with someone else.
- Excellent gray uniformity.
- Very good peak brightness.
- Superb SDR color gamut.
- Fantastic low input lag.
- Image washes out when viewed at an angle.
- Stand can't swivel or rotate to a portrait orientation.
The Dell S3222DGM is a great gaming monitor. It has an excellent response time at the max refresh rate, fantastic low input lag, and it supports both FreeSync and G-SYNC variable refresh rate (VRR) technology. Like most VA panels, it doesn't look as good in dark scenes, as there's significant black smear, and the image degrades when viewed at an angle, so it's not a good choice for co-op gamers. It has decent reflection handling and very good peak brightness, though, so glare shouldn't be an issue, and it has excellent contrast.
- Excellent response time at the max refresh rate.
- Fantastic low input lag.
- Fast refresh rate.
- Image washes out when viewed at an angle.
- Black smearing in dark scenes.
The Dell S3222DGM is a decent monitor for watching videos. The large screen is great for watching movies, and it looks great in a dark room thanks to its excellent contrast and decent black uniformity. It also has excellent gray uniformity, a superb SDR color gamut, and impressive gradient handling. It's not a very good choice for watching videos with a friend, though, as it has disappointing viewing angles and can't swivel.
- Excellent gray uniformity.
- Excellent contrast.
- Fantastic low input lag.
- Image washes out when viewed at an angle.
- Doesn't support HDR.
- Black smearing in dark scenes.
The Dell S3222DGM is decent for media creation. The large screen makes it easier to see more of your work at once. It has excellent gray uniformity, excellent contrast, and decent black uniformity. It also has a superb SDR color gamut, but its Adobe RGB coverage might be too low for some creators. Unfortunately, the image degrades when viewed at an angle, and the stand can't swivel or rotate to a portrait orientation, so it's not ideal if you often have to share your screen with your colleagues or clients.
- Excellent gray uniformity.
- Excellent contrast.
- Very good peak brightness.
- Superb SDR color gamut.
- Image washes out when viewed at an angle.
- Stand can't swivel or rotate to a portrait orientation.
- No sRGB clamp.
The Dell S322DGM doesn't support HDR.
Changelog
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Updated Mar 12, 2025:
Added that the Acer Nitro XZ322QU V3bmiiphx gets brighter in SDR.
- Updated Apr 18, 2023: Confirmed that 1440p works on this monitor with the PS5.
- Updated Mar 24, 2023: Clarified text throughout as part of Test Bench 1.2, including adding text to the Console Compatibility boxes.
- Updated Jul 04, 2022: Updated to Test Bench 1.2, resulting in changes to the results and scores with the Response Time and Input Lag. Added tests for Console Compatibility and macOS compatibility and made minor changes to other tests, which you can see in our Changelog.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 32 inch Dell S3222DGM, which is part of Dell's S Series of gaming monitors. It's also available in a 27 inch size, but the smaller size has a slightly different panel with a different curve, so this review isn't valid for that size.
| Model | Size | Native Resolution | Max Refresh rate | Panel Type | Curve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S2522HG | 24.5" | 1920 x 1080 | 240Hz | IPS | No |
| S2722DGM | 27" | 2560 x 1440 | 165Hz | VA | 1500R |
| S3222DGM | 32" | 2560 x 1440 | 165Hz | VA | 1800R |
| S3422DWG | 34" | 3440 x 1440 | 144Hz | VA | 1800R |
If you come across a different type of panel or your Dell S3222DGM doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in May 2021; you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Dell S3222DGM is a great gaming monitor with excellent motion handling and low input lag at the max refresh rate. It's not immune to the issues that usually plague VA monitors, though, including black smear. Unless the high contrast ratio is really important to you, most IPS monitors deliver a better overall experience.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best 32-inch monitors, the best gaming 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 S3222DGM and the Samsung Odyssey G50D S27DG50 are 1440p gaming monitors. The Samsung is better if you plan to use the monitor for both work and gaming. It's better at overcoming glare, has better ergonomics, better viewing angles so others can see your screen more easily, and has slightly clearer text. However, if you're gaming in a dark room, you may prefer the Dell, as it displays deeper blacks. Additionally, the Dell is better if you prefer a larger screen.
The Samsung Odyssey G55C S27CG55 and the Dell S3222DGM are entry-level 1440p gaming monitors with a few differences, including the screen size. While they each have a curved screen, the curve on the Samsung is more aggressive, which isn't ideal if you aren't used to using a curved screen. The Dell also has a more ergonomic stand, making placing it in an ideal position easier. On the other hand, the Samsung is the better choice for HDR gaming, as the Dell doesn't support HDR at all.
The Dell S3222DGM is better than the MSI Optix G27CQ4. The Dell has better ergonomics, making it easier to place in an ideal viewing position. The Dell is also much better for gaming, as it has a much faster response time, especially when gaming at 60Hz.
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
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