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Dell Ultrasharp U2713HM 27” AH-IPS Monitor Review

AkG

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Like many companies firmly entrenched in the high end monitor marketplace, Dell has always opted for a staggered refresh schedule for their various product lines. This means their smaller 24” models are typically updated before the larger more expensive models. Not all that long ago the U24 series received a facelift and the resulting U2412 was quite a good all-round performer. So, it was only a matter of time before Dell turned their attention the larger U27 series and cascaded a new branding upwards into higher end price points. With the release of the U2713HM the wait for a new UltraSharp 27” monitor is over.

Unlike most companies, Dell has taken this staggered approach one step further and have removed some of the planned obsolesce that is so prevalent in today’s throwaway society. Instead of replacing the existing U2711 model, Dell has actually moved away from a typical release / replace schedule where the newest model is introduced and its direct descendant is discontinued. Rather the U2713 is meant to coexist alongside the U2711. The end result is quite interesting since anyone in the market for a high performance 27” monitor now has two choices from Dell, neither of which steps on its sibling’s toes. The Ultrasharp U2713 and U2711 are designed to meet the needs of slightly different consumers and each comes equipped with a different set of strengths and weaknesses.

On paper the U2713 is expected to appeal to the discerning home users while the older U2711 is still geared towards a professional-oriented customer base. To help with this separation, Dell has designed the U2713 to be a vastly different product Unlike the older U2711 which uses a 10bit (8bit + A-FRC configuration) P-IPS panel, the U2713 is the first Dell monitor to use LG’s newest 8bit Advanced High Performance IPS (or AH-IPS) technology, though the “Advanced” doesn’t mean higher resolution. This is still a 2560x1440 WQHD panel but despite AH-IPS panels being an option on Apple’s new MacBook line, Dell’s implementation doesn’t boast a pixel per inch ratio of match the ‘Retina Display’. With that being said, the U2713 should be quite efficient since it eschews CCFL backlighting by going the edge backlit W-LED route.

Also helping to distinguish this new model from the old, the U2713 has an MSRP of $799 or about 20% less than the U2711’s MSRP. With Dell’s frequent “Dell Deals” we expect this difference to be even greater once things settle down and both models find their footing. On paper, this blend of performance and price should allow the Dell U2713 to achieve what it is designed to do: give consumers another great option in a very cluttered market.

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AkG

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Specifications

Specifications



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AkG

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A Closer Look at the Dell U2713

A Closer Look at the Dell U2713


Dell_U2713HM_front.jpg

With its thin and light construction, the U2713 will surely be an attention grabber, especially considering it uses an IPS panel. This kind of design is typically reserved for TN based products and while Samsung’s new PLS technology gives TN some real competition in this regard, the Dell’s newest IPS monitor uses one of the thinnest cross sections we’ve seen. Based on experience, most consumers would expect a professional grade IPS monitor to be thick and heavy like the U2711 but not this time.

Other than the obviously minimalist proportions, Dell has continued to use their tried, tested and true understated color pallet. The chassis skillfully mixes a combination of black tones and silver to create something that will fit into any décor.

Dell_U2713HM_ang.jpg

This new slim and trim profile is thanks to Dell shying away from CCFL backlighting and moving towards a W-LED edge backlight configuration. This newer technology allows the internal components to fit into a much smaller chassis. Moving to W-LED backlighting also allows the U2713 to run cooler and require less robust heatsinks, which helps explain its svelte 12lb weight. Not only does this result in a visually smaller exterior design but even during heavy, extended usage, heat won’t be an issue.

Dell_U2713HM_back2.jpg

The real stand out feature of the U2713 can’t be seen until it’s actually put into use. While the new – for Dell – AH-IPS panel itself is actually a bit of a downgrade from the U2711’s P-IPS panel, the anti-reflective coating Dell has opted for is extremely impressive. This new AG coating is easily the best Dell has ever used on their larger UltraSharp lines since it strikes an almost perfect balance between color reproduction and maintaining contrast in high ambient light scenarios.

Dell_U2713HM_ports.jpg

While there is no getting around the fact that Dell may have reduced the input options of the U2713, their engineers have made things a lot less cut and dry as they first appear. At first it seems like the U2711’s features are clearly superior. Instead of getting two dual-link DVI along with HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, component and composite ports, Dell has opted for ‘only’ one dual-link DVI, one HDMI, one VGA and one DisplayPort. In other words the input options are basically the same as the U2412 but with HDMI added in for good measure. With every one of the main HD bases covered, we doubt all but a minority of consumers will miss the component video, composite analog ports or second DVI port.

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Further helping to make the U2713’s input selection more enticing is a substantial upgrade to the USB ports' abilities. Instead of rear and bezel mounted USB 2.0 connectors with a multi-card reader like the U2711, customers will be greeted with a pair of USB 3.0 enabled ports on the side bezel and another pair on the input panel. USB 3.0 adoption has certainly been slow, but the inclusion does make the UltraSharp U2713 future proof and more useful for many consumers. We do wish that the multi-card reader – upgraded to take advantage of USB 3.0 bandwidth- had been included but the dual bezel-mounted USB 3.0 connectors are more than enough to satisfy most consumers’ needs.

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The Dell’s choice of stand is also much improved over the U2711. It may even look very familiar to anyone who has read our recent Dell 24” reviews as it is a slightly enhanced version of the U2412’s stand. While older U2711 had solid, adaptable base which offered height, swivel and tilt options it didn’t offer a portrait mode option. Since Dell has gone with basically the same – albeit slightly enhanced- stand found on the U2412, the U2713 offers 115mm of height adjustment, 25° of tilt (+4° to – 21°), excellent swivel capabilities and also adds in the sorely lacking portrait mode.

The only fault we can find with the U2713’s stand is a lack of adequate height adjustment. In its current configuration the monitor does have a tendency to scratch the base when moved into portrait mode unless the panel is first tilted back.

Dell_U2713HM_buttons_sm.jpg

Much like the stand and input options, the control buttons bear a remarkable likeness to the U2412's. Like many older models, the U2711 relies upon less than optimal capacitive touch ‘buttons’ which are finicky at best. While sufficient and more than adequate they were always the weak link in configuring a U2711. Thankfully, they have been replaced with sensible, well designed physical buttons.

Like many other current generation UltraSharps, these buttons are well spaced, respond instantly to inputs and offer excellent tactile feedback. There’s no guessing, wasted time, or fiddling around involved when trying to change the settings.
 
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AkG

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Menu Layout & Observations

Menu Layout & Observations


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The On Screen Display which graces the U2713 is an excellent blend of power, simplicity and ease of use. It also reminds us of the OSD found on Dell’s U2412 since there has been some streamlining from previous generations. Pressing any of the four physical menu buttons brings up a quick access menu list consisting of three main options (four if you include exit). The all-important main menu, brightness/contrast and preset mode selections are in evidence but the U2711’s Input Selection option is conspicuous by its absence.

The lack of an input option may seem to be a hindrance but Dell has actually made this a dynamic menu rather than a static one. The input selection only appears in the quick access menu when the monitor is not receiving a signal from the selected input source. When this happens, the ‘missing’ quick access shortcut to change sources reappears and in fact becomes the only available option. Dell hasn’t taken away the ability to change input sources on the fly either since you can still do this within the secondary menu tree.

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If more customization is needed, the third (aptly labelled) “Menu” brings up an option-filled main menu, which is once again loaded with useful things. Here too the main OSD has also been somewhat refined and streamlined compared to the U2711’s. The most obvious addition is the extremely intuitive Energy Meter. This simple bar shows –in real time- the effect your OSD changes have upon power consumption.

Equally obvious is the missing PBP feature. The lack of a Picture By Picture option shouldn’t be all that surprising considering the reduced input options, but it will be missed.

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Unfortunately, much its predecessor, the U2713 doesn’t have any fine tuning of the overdrive settings via its OSD. The Dell U2711 did have some occasional halo issues which were directly caused by the default overdrive being a touch too aggressive. Hopefully, we won’t see this situation repeat itself with the AP-IPS panel.

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While 6 axis color control isn’t included, color temperature correction can be accessed via Color Settings -> Preset Modes -> Color Temp. This will bring up a simple 6 preset list to chose from, where the color temperature can be crudely adjusted from 5000K all the way to 10000K. Thankfully, the default is 6500K and our sample was very close to achieving this.

Individual R,G,B color correction is also present under Preset Mode -> Custom Color and also allows for RGB setting modification to hit that perfect 100/100/100 value. Though once again, this will also not be necessary as the U2713 is factory calibrated. Only when the monitor gets older and the colors start to ‘drift’ will you require this feature.

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Sadly, while there are 8 custom modes (the same number as the U2711 but with different options) to choose from, not a single one offers gamma correction. It is indeed possible to choose between “PC” and “Mac” gamma correction (i.e. 2.2 and 1.8) but fine tuning past this point just can’t be done. Thankfully, this isn’t all that important as the U2713 will come from the factory properly calibrated. Unfortunately, due to the reduction in panel abilities when compared to the U2711, Adobe RGB choices haven’t been included but it is nonetheless good to see an sRGB preset. Instead of ‘Warm’ and ‘Cool’ the U2713 has Movie and Text presets which are very useful given the inclusion of a dedicated Gaming mode. The full list of preconfigured options is: Standard, Multimedia, Movie, Game, Text, Color Temp, sRGB, and Custom Color.

These intelligent and very through presets should cover off most consumers needs quite nicely. Though overall, the OSD may still leave some advanced users craving even more.
 
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AkG

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Image Quality (Uniformity / Gamma)

Image Quality (Uniformity / Gamma)


Calibrated Settings


Please remember that the settings below have been calibrated for our specific environment and your viewing conditions may differ from ours.

Mode: Custom Color
Brightness: 28%

All other settings left at standard defaults.

Notes:
- All tests done at default settings at 120 cd/m2.
- Unless otherwise noted, the tests were carried out via DVI.


In nearly every area the Dell UltraSharp U2713, with its AH-IPS panel impressed us. Because of the new high grade IPS panel and factory calibrated settings, the image quality, default settings and even overall abilities are well above average and make most other 27” monitors we have looked at seem sub-par in comparison. The U2713 may not be able to dominate in all areas but the new panel, W-LED edge lighting and improved AG coating are what turned a very good monitor into an excellent one.

With a maximum output of 400 cd/m2, the U2713 can certainly pump out the brightness but it was easily adjustable down to a more precise 120 cd/m2. It is always nice when a company is overly conservative in their specifications as this monitor is only rated to 350cd/m2. For professionals, anything over 120 – 140 is wasted on most computer monitors and very few people will leave it set to its default (75%) 250cd/m2 level.


Panel Uniformity


In a perfect world a screen’s brightness output would be equal throughout the entire panel. This is not a perfect world, but the lower the variation the less chances you will notice overly bright or dark sections on the screen. For the consumer LCD marketplace a variance of 10% is our gold standard but anything below 15% can be considered excellent as we doubt anyone will notice a -7.5 to +7.5 variation. A variation above 15% but below 24% can be considered adequate, but anything above this does not meet our basic minimum standards.

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This single digit variance is absolutely, beyond a doubt impressive. The U2713 isn’t a small monitor and yet a variance of only 9% across the full screen just proves how good this panel and backlight combination really is. With that being said, the left side is slightly darker than the right and it is obvious that the W-LED edge backlight runs along the right side of the monitor and is what causes this minor variance. However, such a minute variance across such a wide panel is still excellent. It is in fact superior to many smaller monitors we have looked at in the recent past.


Gamma Performance


Gamma correction is one of the hardest terms to explain. However, for our purposes the gamma correction of any electronics device is how bright or dark an image will be displayed on a screen.

All PC devices now use 2.20 gamma as the default. Any variance from this will result in an image being either underexposed which will create black crush and underexposed shadow detail or washed out with too little black level detail (aka being over-exposed).

While 2.20 is the gold standard, a minor deviation of 0.10 will in all likelihood never be noticed by anyone other than professional photographers. Higher levels of deflection however will be noticed by just about everyone.


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While a variation of 0.01 is technically noticeable – in synthetic tests - the reality is a default setting of 2.21 is perfect. A deviation as small as this is well within tolerances and within our margin of error ratio on the testing equipment. We doubt even professionals whose livelihood demands perfection will bother correcting for this small variation. Considering how prevalent incorrect default gamma settings are in this industry, the U2713 is a veritable diamond in the rough as it is properly factory calibrated which doesn’t cost a fortune.
 
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AkG

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Colour Saturation Levels / Default RGB Levels

Colour Saturation Levels


While there are numerous colors the human eye can’t “see”, the human color space confined to three primary colors and combinations thereof. To make things easier for manufactures (and not waste resources displaying colors we can’t see) a color space was mathematically described and while various models do exist, the CIE RGB color space is the de facto standard.

In the below image, the dark triangle which isn’t highlighted is the sRGB color space while the overall CIE color space is displayed as the background colors. Meanwhile, the white triangle with highlighted color represents the results of what a given monitor can display. No monitor can display the entire CIE color spectrum but a good monitor should be able to display the sRGB spectrum of possible colors as this is usually used as the standard for image encoding.

A monitor which uses the “wide color gamut” moniker can display more than the sRGB spectrum and is considered primarily for professional use. If a monitor cannot cover off the entire sRGB triangle, the resulting image will appear “off” to an observer. The end result is a picture displayed on the panel which won’t be as rich, vibrant or as correct as it should be.


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While it may not feature the absolute widest color gamut we have ever seen, the U2713’s results are indeed excellent. It may miss the blue corner but a hairsbreadth, but other than this slight miss these results really are better than the majority of IPS based monitors we have tested to date. To put it another way, while the U2713 obviously can’t boast the ultra wide gamut of the U2711, its abilities are still more than adequate for all but the most demanding of professional consumers. Equally obvious is W-LED’s vast superior to the older LED backlighting option that has become more and more common in the industry and tends to push coloration towards blue and overly cool tones.


Default RGB Levels


An LCD or LCD LED backlit panel relies on accurately blending Red, Green and Blue pixel clusters to create an overall image so closer to each of these colours is to a “perfect” 100 output, the better and more accurate the default colors will be.

In this case, we have a low tolerance for anything less than perfection since any color shift can be noticeable even to untrained eyes and will require a color correction be applied at the software level to overcome a monitor’s stock output. We do however consider a minor variation of only a few points per color to be acceptable.


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Once again the out of the box settings are for all intents and purposes perfect. This is only the second monitor we have tested to date which is truly ‘plug and play’ and comes from the factory properly calibrated for professional use. This really does underscore exactly how serious Dell takes their large UltraSharp line.
 
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AkG

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Viewing Angles / Contrast Ratio / Power Consumption

Viewing Angles


Unlike CRT displays, the manner in which LCD panels create an image can result in one large weakness: the image can lose contrast when viewed off angle. While we do not recommend watching an LCD at anything besides perfectly straight on, the reality is this cannot always be done.

To help give you a glimpse of what a panel will look like when seen from either above the horizontal or vertical plane we have taken pictures at fairly extreme angles.


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While it may not have the widest viewing angles we have ever seen from a 27” monitor, the Dell U2713 is very capable in this respect. The AH-IPS panel may suffer from moderately worse image degradation than the PLS panel inside of Samsung’s new 850-series, but the results are excellent for a high quality 8bit IPS panel. Only at extreme angles will the image starts to degrade noticeably and anything less than extreme off-horizontal or off-vertical viewing results in a surprisingly crisp and clear picture without any contrast reduction. Unless you absolutely need the widest viewing angles imaginable, the U2713 is an excellent choice.


Maximum Contrast Ratio


Unlike CRT displays, the manner in which LCD panels create an image can result in one large weakness: the image can lose contrast when viewed off angle. While we do not recommend watching an LCD at anything besides perfectly straight on ,the reality is this cannot always be done.

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Once again we are seeing some downright excellent numbers from this new AH-IPS based monitor.


Power Consumption


To obtain the maximum number we set the monitors brightness to 100% and the contrast to 100%. The Calibrated results are taken at 120 cd/m2 with the contrast set to the default level.

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On first glance a calibrated power usage of 21 watts seems good enough for a middle of the pack showing but the reality of this situation is quite different: 21 watts is bloody amazing. The chart above is filled with 24” models and yet Dell’s 27” high performance monitor is able to equal or beat many of them. Compared to the other 27” monitors’ power consumption, the U2713 is a power miser. Even the maximum of 44 watts is astounding as this is a huge monitor that can output –in our sample’s case - 400cd/m2 of “light”. W-Led edge lighting may result in an ever so slightly reduced – yet still excellent – color gamut but these numbers really do show how superior it is in other areas to CCFL.
 
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AkG

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Gaming & Movie Performance

Gaming Performance


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With its perfect out of the box color profile, excellent color gamut and amazingly good Anti-Glare coating, the U2713 is able to offer genre-defining performance in gaming scenarios. It really impressed us like no 27” monitor has before so forget it NVIDIA, this is ‘the way it's meant to be played’.

Even though the U2713 is rated at a somewhat lethargic 8ms, the amount of ghosting is minor and it appears Dell finally got the default panel overdrive settings correct. Obviously this is why the OSD doesn’t allow overdrive tweaking since any changes would have most likely resulted in reduced performance.

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If we were to nitpick things, the only two issues we have with the U2713 and gaming is the resolution and lack of 120Hz abilities. An improved refresh rate is noticeable by its absence on a 2013 monitor but as it stands, there aren’t many graphics cards capable of driving this monitor synchronously at 120Hz anyways. Luckily, at this point the 120Hz vs 60Hz debate is a non-starter for all but a few consumers since adding higher refresh rates spectacularly increases costs. As it stands, the U2713’s high resolution, relatively affordable price, minimal input lag, large amount of screen real-estate and efficiency will surely win over many gamers.

One of the main reasons Dell’s newest entry is so impressive in these regards is its ability to multitask. This is one of the few monitors that can go from color-accurate Photoshop editing to gaming at the drop of a hat and with minimal (if any) adjustments.

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While 2ms 120Hz TN monitors like the ASUS VG278H can outperform the U2713 in gaming scenarios, if we could only have one monitor for gaming we would reach for Dell’s option nearly every time. The rich and vibrant colors combined with a higher resolution – compared to the ASUS VG278H – makes for amazingly immersive gaming sessions. It is only the occasional craving for stereoscopic 3D which would force us to break out the VG278H.

We also liked the U2713's Game Mode which decreases input lag by minimizing the panel's post processing features. Unfortunately, the image does become overly saturated but this issue can be mostly overcome by some judicious color tweaking in the control panel of most graphics cards.


Movie Performance


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Dell’s ability to properly factory calibrate the U2713 pays dividends when viewing movies. The out of box settings are absolutely perfect so there is simply no need to show a “before and after” set of shots like we normally do.

m4.jpg

As with gaming, it bears mentioning that this massively large 27” monitor is not an ‘advanced’ retina display and uses a ‘mere’ 2560x1440 resolution. Unlike gaming, where we could technically see this being an issue –after all not many people use a GTX 690 or other high end configurations – the large amount of screen real estate does benefit multimedia scenarios in a large way. Plus, until “5K” or even “4K” media becomes readily available, most consumers are only going to have access to -at the most- 1080p formatted movies with 720p being much more common.

m1.jpg


Putting aside the non-issue over lack of ‘advanced’ resolution, watching movies on the Dell U2713 is quite enjoyable. The rich, vibrant colors and excellent contrast abilities of this monitor do somewhat make up for the up-scaling which occurs with 1080p video. In many ways, using any 2560x1440 monitor to watch 1080p video is a less than optimal choice as it does result in imperfect pixel mapping. A higher bitrate 720P movie usually will look much improved over its 1080P counterpart as it will have perfect 2:1 pixel mapping. This is true for most monitors and it is true for the U2713. However, even the 1080P results were excellent and every bit as good as the Samsung PLS-based 850D.

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Even the amount of ghosting the U2713 exhibits is all but unnoticeable in most movie scenarios, just as it is with the Samsung SycMaster 850D. Considering the Samsung does not come with a perfect out of the box color profile, we would once again opt for this new Dell U2713 over it and nearly any other monitor we have tested to date. The only other 27” monitor we could ever consider using for movies is the Asus VG278H with its 3D abilities and native 1080P resolution.
 
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AkG

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Non-Colorimeter Tweaking and Results

Non-Colorimeter Tweaking and Results


In a perfect world either every monitor would come factory calibrated to perfection or every single consumer would own a decent colorimeter. We don’t live in such a world and as such most consumers simply use the old Mark 1 Mod 0 eyeball to fix any imperfections with the stock colors of their new monitor.

In order to gauge how easy this is to do for a given monitor we have included a new set of tests. These tests will be carried out before any of our standard tests and will consist of us using a combination of the free online LCD Monitor Test Images (found here LCD monitor test images) and then if necessary the free Hex2Bit Monitor Calibration Wizard (found here Hex2Bit - Software by Mike Walters). The goal of these tests is to not only gauge how easy it is to accurately calibrate a given monitor using only the onboard monitor tools, but to see how closely we can come to what a Spyder3 Elite can do.



To obtain these results we did the following
- used “custom color” mode
- adjusted the brightness to 27 (which resulted in a 118.1cd/m2)
- All other settings left to default levels



gamma_man.jpg

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There really isn't much Dell didn’t get right with the U2713. Much like the Asus ProArt PA246Q we reviewed, the Dell U2713 is a factory calibrated monitor and is as close to ‘plug and play’ as you can find. To make this it ‘perfect’ all that's needed is to lower the brightness down to a more reasonable level.

All in all, this minor adjustment will take someone less than a minute to accomplish due to the excellent menu system. Of course, having real physical buttons certainly doesn’t hurt either and did help make the U2713 just as easy as the Asus ProArt PA246Q to manually adjust.
 
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AkG

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Conclusion

Conclusion


Dell’s intentions for their new UltraSharp U2713 may at first seem a bit convoluted. Their intent was to add a new 27” monitor to an-already strong lineup without replacing the previous generation’s model and yet somehow accomplish this without feature or product space overlaps. In fact, had paper specification translated into reality, the U2713 should be a slightly inferior monitor with fewer input options, a less capable panel and of course, a very competitive price. That didn’t happen.

Instead of creating a second option for consumers that doesn’t undercut the U2711, Dell has in fact created a bona fide competitor for it. For most consumers, the loss of a ‘wide’ color gamut and a few input options is easily overshadowed by the U2713’s tangible improvements. From efficiency to viewing angles to pre-calibrated color profiles to superb viewing angles to surprising gaming abilities, there’s a long list of reasons why the newest addition to Dell’s UltraSharp family is an entrant to be reckoned with in today’s market.

While improvements over the previous generation vary from the mundane to the impressive, Dell’s new Anti-Glare coating allows this monitor to shine. It cuts down on reflections without sacrificing one iota of image fidelity, which is something AG finishes have been struggling to accomplish for as long as we can remember. Even taking both monitors’ abilities at face value the fact remains that the AG coating on the previous U2711 model was a touch too aggressive. This will lead to the UltraSharp U2713 providing a better experience than the older –and technically more capable - monitor in most users’ eyes. In addition, the U2711’s ultra wide color gamut simply won’t make a difference and its loss on the U2713 will only concern professional users. The actual onscreen variation between these two monitors is slim to none unless each is viewed through the unforgiving eyes of professional calibration tools.

Unfortunately with the upcoming introduction of ‘retina’ displays in the professional range and ultra cheap Korean 27” monitors flooding the low end of the market, Dell may find themselves in an uphill battle over the next year. The issue here isn’t one of quality but rather a lack of something new which will differentiate the U2713 from other options at the opposite ends of the spectrum. However, with impressive image quality backed by a rock solid warranty and a price that's some 20% lower than Dell's own U2711, it does offer something for everyone.

With all of the positives and negatives taken into account, one thing becomes crystal clear: the U2713 is an excellent monitor for home users and even gamers. It may not completely dominate a Dell U2711, Samsung SyncMaster 850D or Asus VG278H in all areas, but unless 120mhz gaming, wide color gamut or extreme viewing angles are an absolute necessity then the U2713 and its pre-calibrated panel really will provide a near-perfect experience.


Pros:

- Excellent Anti-Glare coating
- Good colour reproduction
- Fair price
- Very good for gaming scenarios
- Respectable multimedia capabilities
- Integrated USB 3.0 ports
- Well designed stand
- Physical Buttons
- Intuitive OSD
- Feelings of jealousy from U2711 & Samsung 850D users


Cons:

- Reduced input options compared to the U2711
- Multi card reader would have been a great addition
- Rotation of monitor to portrait mode can scratch the base
- Technically inferior panel to U2711
- May cause lust, envy and jealousy in friends and family
- May cause budgets to be busted in order to get one instead of a 24” monitor


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