The Dell S3422DWG is a 34-inch 1440p budget ultrawide gaming monitor with an 1800R curve. As a gaming-focused monitor, it has a 144Hz maximum refresh rate and FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) support to reduce screen tearing. It also has some added productivity features, like PIP and PBP modes, and a USB 3.2 hub with four USB-A ports, though it doesn't have USB-C.
Our Verdict
The Dell S3422DWG is decent for PC gaming. Its 144Hz refresh rate is decent enough for most gamers, but it isn't ideal for competitive gaming. It also has only okay response time as there's noticeable blur and smearing with fast-moving objects. It also has distracting VRR flicker with changing frame rates, particularly in dark scenes. That said, it has low input lag for a responsive feel, and its ultrawide format provides plenty of screen space to view more of your game at once. Although it has a good native contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity, it lacks a local dimming feature to further improve the picture quality in HDR.
- Low input lag.
- 144Hz refresh rate.
- Ultrawide format.
- Noticeable motion blur and smearing.
- No local dimming feature.
- Distracting VRR flicker with changing frame rates.
The Dell S3422DWG is okay for console gaming. It can't take full advantage of consoles as the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S don't support ultrawide gaming, and the monitor doesn't support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth either. That said, it still supports most signals from the consoles. It has low input lag for a responsive feel, but motion is blurry, and there's smearing with fast-moving objects.
- Good contrast.
- Low input lag.
- Noticeable motion blur and smearing.
- Can't take full advantage of consoles.
The Dell S3422DWG is a decent monitor for office use. It has good text clarity, and its 34-inch size is large enough to open multiple windows side-by-side. It has good brightness to fight some glare, but it has distracting reflections in a bright room. However, it has unremarkable ergonomics and narrow viewing angles, making sharing your screen with others difficult.
- Very good peak brightness in SDR.
- Superb SDR color gamut.
- Ultrawide format.
- Narrow viewing angles.
- Unremarkable ergonomics.
- No USB-C.
Distracting reflections in bright rooms.
The Dell S3422DWG is decent for content creation. Its 34-inch, 1440p screen creates a large workspace with good text clarity. It also has good contrast, ensuring that deep blacks are visible even if you're editing images in a darker room. However, its accuracy before calibration is disappointing, and it needs a full calibration for the most accurate image. It also has unremarkable ergonomics and narrow viewing angles, making sharing your screen with others difficult.
- Good contrast.
- Very good peak brightness in SDR.
- Superb SDR color gamut.
- Ultrawide format.
- Narrow viewing angles.
- Unremarkable ergonomics.
- Disappointing accuracy before calibration.
- No USB-C.
Distracting reflections in bright rooms.
The Dell S3422DWG has good brightness. It gets bright enough to fight some glare in a moderately-lit room, and while it gets bright in HDR, small highlights don't pop against the rest of the image.
- Very good peak brightness in SDR.
- Small highlights don't pop in HDR.
The Dell S3422DWG has an okay overall response time. It has okay motion handling across its VRR range, but it's worse at lower refresh rates, and there's noticeable blur and black smearing with fast-moving objects.
- Motion handling remains mostly consistent across VRR range.
- Noticeable motion blur and smearing.
The Dell S3422DWG is disappointing for HDR. Without a local dimming feature, it fails to improve the contrast ratio by making small highlights stand out against the rest of the image, but it still has a good native contrast ratio. It also has good HDR color volume but fails to display really bright and really dark colors.
- No local dimming feature.
- Small highlights don't pop in HDR.
The Dell S3422DWG has great picture quality in SDR. It has a good native contrast ratio that helps it display deep blacks in dark rooms, and there isn't much blooming around bright objects.
- Good contrast.
- Superb SDR color gamut.
- Excellent black uniformity.
The Dell S3422DWG has decent color accuracy. As it has disappointing accuracy before calibration, you need to calibrate it for the most accurate colors. However, if you do, it maintains that accurate image consistently across the entire screen thanks to its great gray uniformity.
- Great gray uniformity.
- Disappointing accuracy before calibration.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Nov 10, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.1.1. We removed the Vertical Viewing Angle test.
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Updated Jul 14, 2025:
We updated text throughout to match the new and updated tests with Test Bench 2.1, including in the Verdict section.
- Updated Jul 10, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.1. This includes new tests for Direct Reflections, Ambient Black Level Raise, and Total Reflected Light. You can see all the changes in the changelog.
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Updated Jul 04, 2025:
Added that the newer Dell Alienware AW3425DWM gets brighter in SDR.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 34-inch Dell S3422DWG, which is the only size available for this monitor. The results in this review are only valid for the model we tested.
| Model | Size | Native Resolution | Max Refresh rate | Panel Type | Curve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S3422DWG | 34" | 3440 x 1440 | 144Hz | VA | 1800R |
Our unit was manufactured in May 2021; you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The 34-inch Dell S3422DWG is a decent budget ultrawide gaming monitor with low input lag, but it has noticeable motion blur. Its large size provides an immersive experience, and its good contrast ensures it works well in darker rooms. It's fine if you want an ultrawide monitor with a VA panel for this high contrast. However, if you're looking for a slightly more expensive 34-inch ultrawide gaming monitor with a faster response time, better viewing angles, improved ergonomics, and USB-C support, consider the Gigabyte M34WQ.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best ultrawide gaming monitors, the best 34-49-inch monitors, and the best gaming monitors.
The LG 34GP83A-B and the Dell S3422DWG use different panel technologies, each with strengths and weaknesses. The LG's IPS panel delivers much better viewing angles, and it has a faster response time. The VA panel on the Dell delivers much better black uniformity and better contrast.
The Dell S3422DWG and the Gigabyte M34WQ use different panel technologies, each with strengths and weaknesses. The Dell uses a curved VA panel, so it's a better choice for a dark room, as it has better contrast. The Gigabyte is a flat IPS monitor, so the image remains accurate at an angle. The Gigabyte also has better ergonomics and a better selection of additional features.
The Samsung Odyssey G50D S27DG50 and the Dell S3422DWG are different types of entry-level gaming monitors. The Dell is the better choice if you care about picture quality, as it has a higher contrast ratio for deeper blacks, and it also gets brighter in HDR. However, the Samsung gets brighter in SDR, which is something to consider if you want to use it in a bright room, and it has better ergonomics and wider viewing angles that make it the better choice for sharing the screen with someone else. The Samsung is also better for gaming because it has less smearing with fast-moving objects. On the other hand, the Dell monitor has a few extra features, like a USB hub, that the Samsung doesn't have.
The Dell Alienware AW3425DWM is a newer model than the Dell S3422DWG, and improves in a few areas. The AW3425DWM has better motion handling as it has less smearing with fast-moving objects, although it's still there. The AW3425DWM also has a higher contrast ratio for deeper blacks, and it gets brighter, too, making it the better choice for gaming in well-lit rooms. The newer AW3425DWM also has better accuracy before calibration as it comes with a dedicated sRGB mode.
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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