The Dell UltraSharp U2520D is the replacement to the Dell U2518D and it's a good overall monitor. It's very good for office use because it has wide viewing angles, impressive ergonomics, great out-of-the-box color accuracy, and its 1440p resolution makes text clear to read. It also has a USB hub with a ton of connectivity options, including a USB-C input that supports DisplayPort Alt mode, allowing you to display an image from a device and charge it at the same time. If you're a photo editor, you should be happy to know it has great coverage of the Adobe RGB color space and it has impressive gradient handling. Unfortunately, with its IPS panel, it can't display deep blacks since its contrast ratio is low and it has mediocre black uniformity. Luckily, it has excellent gray uniformity, so solid colors across the screen, such as on a web page, look uniform without many dark areas.
Our Verdict
The Dell UltraSharp U2520D is a good monitor for most uses. It's best-suited for office use as it has wide viewing angles, impressive ergonomics, and a high 1440p resolution. It's also great for media creation because it has great coverage of the Adobe RGB color space. Even though this monitor isn't designed for gaming it still provides a satisfying gaming experience with its extremely low input lag and impressive response time. It also supports HDR10 but the HDR experience is limiting as it doesn't get bright enough to truly bring out highlights.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Impressive ergonomics.
- Extremely low input lag.
- Great out-of-the-box color accuracy.
- Limiting HDR experience.
- Doesn't handle reflections very well.
- Low contrast ratio.
Very good for office use. The Dell UltraSharp U2520D has a high 1440p resolution and its 25-inch screen is big enough for multitasking. It has wide viewing angles, so you can share your screen with others and not lose image accuracy. Sadly, its reflection handling is just okay and it doesn't handle direct sunlight well. On the upside, it has impressive ergonomics, so you can place the monitor however you like.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Impressive ergonomics.
- Extremely low input lag.
- Doesn't handle reflections very well.
The Dell UltraSharp U2520D is good for gaming. It's not designed to be a gaming monitor and it lacks features like variable refresh rate and black frame insertion. However, it still has an extremely low input lag and an impressive response time for a 60Hz monitor, resulting in minimal motion blur. It's an ideal monitor for casual console gamers.
- Impressive response time.
- Extremely low input lag.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Lacks extra gaming features.
The Dell UltraSharp U2520D is good for consuming media. It has a high resolution and wide viewing angles, so you can watch the latest videos online with a few friends. Unfortunately, it doesn't handle reflections well and it's not ideal for dark room viewing as it has a low contrast ratio and mediocre black uniformity. However, its stand has impressive ergonomics, allowing you to place the monitor how you like.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Impressive ergonomics.
- Doesn't handle reflections very well.
- Low contrast ratio.
The Dell UltraSharp U2520D is good for content creators. Its 25-inch screen provides a high pixel density and the stand has impressive ergonomics. The monitor has great coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used in photo editing and it also has impressive gradient handling. It's not ideal for working in bright environments as it doesn't handle reflections well. However, it has wide viewing angles if you need to share your screen with others.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Impressive ergonomics.
- Great coverage of the Adobe RGB color space.
- Impressive gradient handling.
- Doesn't handle reflections very well.
- Low contrast ratio.
The Dell UltraSharp U2520D is okay for HDR gaming. Its HDR experience is a bit limiting as it doesn't get bright enough to bring out highlights and it has just decent coverage of the DCI P3 color space used in most HDR content. It's good for gaming as it has an impressive response time and extremely low input lag but it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and it doesn't support any VRR.
- Impressive response time.
- Extremely low input lag.
- Limiting HDR experience.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Lacks extra gaming features.
Changelog
- Updated Jul 04, 2022: There was a mistake in the 60Hz input lag results. We remeasured the input lag at 60Hz, and it's 0.5ms higher than our original results.
- Updated Jan 18, 2022: Checked to see if the refresh rate can be overclocked.
- Updated Sep 23, 2020: Fixed an error with panel's bit depth.
- Updated Jul 02, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Dell UltraSharp U2520D, which is the only size available for this model. There are other models in Dell's UltraSharp lineup, some of which are listed below.
| Model | Size | Panel Type | Resolution | USB-C inputs | USB 3.0 inputs | Notes |
| U2520D | 25" | IPS | 1440p | 1x DisplayPort Alt mode, 1x downstream charging | 3 | |
| U2419HC | 24" | IPS | 1080p | 1x DisplayPort Alt mode | 4 | |
| U2421HE | 24" | IPS | 1080p | 1x DisplayPort Alt Mode | 4 | RJ45 ethernet input |
| U2719D | 27" | IPS | 1440p | NA | 5 | |
| U2719DC | 27" | IPS | 1440p | 1x DisplayPort Alt mode | 4 | |
| U2720Q | 27" | IPS | 4k | 1x DisplayPort Alt mode, 1x downstream charging | 3 | |
| U2721DE | 27" | IPS | 1440p | 1x DisplayPort Alt mode | 4 | RJ45 ethernet input |
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Dell UltraSharp U2520D doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in May 2020; you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Dell UltraSharp U2520D performs well for a 1440p monitor. Although you won't get the same gaming performance as 1440p monitors with a higher refresh rate, you don't necessarily need that for office use, so this is a very good office monitor compared to its competitors. See our recommendations for the best office monitors, the best 24-25 inch monitors, and the best 1440p monitors.
The Dell UltraSharp U2720Q is a bit better than the Dell UltraSharp U2520D, mainly because it's a bigger monitor and it has a 4k resolution. The U2720Q also has slightly better ergonomics as it has a wider tilt range. The U2520D is better for gaming since it has a much quicker response time and a lower input lag.
The ViewSonic Elite XG270QG is a bit better overall than the Dell UltraSharp U2520D. The ViewSonic is a much better choice for gaming as it has a 165Hz refresh rate and G-SYNC support. It also has a much quicker response time and lower input lag. The Dell is a slightly better choice for office use as it has better ergonomics, significantly better out-of-the-box color accuracy, and it has a higher pixel density since it's a smaller screen.
The Dell UltraSharp U2520D is a bit better than its predecessor, the Dell U2518D. The U2520D has a better SDR color gamut, quicker response time, and much lower input lag. However, the U2518D has much better out-of-the-box color accuracy and it handles reflections a bit better too.
The Dell UltraSharp U2520D is better overall than the Dell U2719D. The U2520D has a wider swivel range, it has much better black uniformity, it displays a wider color gamut in SDR, and it supports HDR10. This monitor is also a bit better for gaming because it has a quicker response time and lower input lag. Meanwhile, the U2719D has better out-of-the-box color accuracy and it handles reflections better.
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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