The 5 best Dell monitors for work, browsing, and play

Dell monitors are known for being gentle on the eyes and having great setup options. As a result, it makes sense to consider one for your next monitor, no matter its intended purpose. However, with 70+ current models to choose from and an ever-rotating assortment of Dell monitors passing through our monitor deals collection, it can be hard to choose which one is right for you. It becomes even trickier when you consider how different some buyers are from others — one person might be looking for a bright, QD-OLED screen while another just wants something functional for long hours at work. Fortunately, we’re compiling our years and years of experience picking and sorting through monitors to come to a collection of the best Dell monitors so you can get busy working… or lazy gaming.

The best Dell monitors in 2024

The following represent the best Dell monitors based on the models they currently have available:

• Buy the if you want the best monitor you can buy.
• Buy the for a superior gaming experience.
• Buy the if you want intense 500Hz gaming power.
• Buy the to master the art of the work from home office meeting.
• Buy the if you want a futureproof monitor under $400.

Keep reading for a more detailed examination of the laptops above. Still can’t find what you want? You can sort through the full yourself. Who knows, you might find a deal?

Dell UltraSharp 4K USB-C Hub Monitor

Best Dell monitor

Considering that Dell is such an esteemed monitor producer, you won’t be surprised that Dell monitors — such as the DellUltrasharp — consistently make it onto ranked lists of the best monitors overall. In fact, the Dell UltraSharp is so enjoyable to use, we’ve technically reviewed it twice, with the 32-inch 4K IPS black variant being our favorite. However, no matter the version you get, one thing you’ll want to understand about Dell UltraSharps — and what makes them unique — is their ports and specifically the USB-C hub. It allows for easy connection to your laptop via its USB-C ports, for example, but also has USB-A connectivity as well. This, alongside its KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switch makes this monitor genuinely useful for desktop cable management and convenience.

And then, you get to look at the monitor itself. You get thin bezels and minimalist base, allowing almost pure attention to the monitor itself. The IPS Black screen technology that the monitor uses is beautiful, allowing for a wide range of colors, but you won’t get the full HDR experience you might be looking for if you’re a true color hound. This small caveat notwithstanding, however, and you’ve got a killer monitor that will provide cost effective convenience and a beautiful display.

Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED

Best for gaming

The brand name Dell, which kinda sounds like “dull”, isn’t exactly an attention-grabber when it comes to gaming. And that’s where Dell’s Alienware products come in. They have a cool aesthetic and are all made for gaming. And with Dell’s track record in making other monitors, it makes sense that Dell’s Alienware 34 QD-OLED monitor is probably the best gaming monitor out there. Favored for its intense image quality and just-right specs, you’re unlikely to get a better combination of monitor power and beautiful graphical appearance than with the Alienware 34 QD-OLED.

Starting with appearances, you’ll quickly notice the QD-OLED screen tech, which provides a quality combo of bright LED colors and deep blacks for spooky contrasts as you peer around corners in stealth and horror games. The 1440p resolution, we find, tends to be the sweet spot for gamers who want to experience great stories with beautiful imagery but don’t want to run the most intense graphics card of all time. About as high as anyone will need — but not as high as Alienware can put out (look below) — the 175Hz refresh rate will have you popping off heads with the best of them. During the course of our Alienware 34 QD-OLED review, we noticed that the gaming experience is slick, driven by tear-free G-Sync Ultimate processing.

Alienware 500Hz Gaming Monitor

Best for power gaming

There’s good and then there’s absurd. The Alienware AW2524H is absurd, pulling in an impressive — and perhaps gloat-worthy — 500Hz refresh rate. While our AW2524H review found this refresh rate to be almost too much, the ground truth fact is that customers love this monitor. Even if you aren’t a John Wick styled back-to-back head-shotting pro (you’re likely not)  gameplay using this monitor will feel incredibly smooth. With NVIDIA G-Sync, you’ll find that the refresh rate adapts according to your needs. There’s no doubt that this is a competitive powerhouse, and one of the most innovative monitors of all time, though it does mildly sacrifice a wide color range to get that gaming power.

We think that power gamers and those that like fast action will find this monitor the most enjoyable. There are even other perks, such as low-profile gaming headset holder on the side of the monitor that give small boosts to these styles of user. Still, it’s not the average person’s gaming monitor, but if you want intense power there really isn’t going to be good competition out there for this monitor.

Dell 34 Curved Video Conferencing Monitor

Best for working from home

If the only thing bringing you down from living the work from home highlife is the fear of looking stupid in a Zoom meeting, buying a Dell monitor made specifically for this purpose should quell your fears. In addition to being a far, 1440p monitor, the videoconferencing monitor from Dell gives you the tools you need to succeed in a meeting. It provides a surprisingly high-quality 2K QHD webcam backed up by spatial noise reduction technology to keep your picture looking sharp at all times. There’s even AI Auto Framing to keep your face in the center of the screen, so nervous fidgets won’t make you seem unprofessional. For audio, there are dual mics and with echo cancellation and speakers built into the top of the monitor.

Ultimately, this is the best Dell monitor for those looking to create a happy work from home environment while keeping a minimalized desk space. This is especially the case if you don’t already have a quality microphone, webcam, or speakers, and for those that don’t have confidence in their ability to remove echoes. Still, if you don’t mind buying component by component, you may prefer to check out the best webcams, best computer mics, and best computer speakers independently to get a package that works for your tastes. That being said, we particularly love the peace of mind that comes with this Dell monitor, consider it is both Microsoft Teams and Zoom certified. It will work for your next meeting and get you through to the other side looking like a professional. There’s a lot to be said about that.

Dell 27 4K UHD USB-C Monitor

Best budget monitor

If you don’t want to spend over $500 on a monitor, the best choice for you will be the Dell S2722QC. This monitor, also known as the Dell 27 4K UHD USB-C Monitor provides all of today’s basics at a low cost. That is to say, it has a 4K resolution and 60Hz while also providing built-in multitasking options like picture-by-picture (PBP) and picture-in-picture (PIP) natively. You’ll also find a convenient array of ports, including USB-C and USB-A ports along the bottom for convenient usage. At the same time, this isn’t exactly a monitor that’s going to wow you with intense color gamuts and color amounts that boggle the brain. In short, if you like budget monitors, get this one and it will last you for several years, or at least while 4K reigns as the standard for monitors.

How we chose these Dell monitors

The many things to consider when buying a Dell monitor are very similar to that of any monitor. As such, our computer monitor buying guide is a de facto source in our quest to find you the best Dell monitors. While we won’t attempt to recreate the whole guide here, we will provide a brief summary of key points you should pay attention to:

• Resolution — More and more monitors are starting to become 4K monitors, though 1080p will still be acceptable for most people doing average tasks. While there are even great resolutions like 5K and even 8K available, many gamers might prefer 1440p as this resolution is noticeably better on the eyes but gentler on the graphics card.
• Refresh rate — 60Hz should be fine for the average person, but gamers (and those with picky eyes) will want at least 120Hz, 144Hz, or higher. Just make sure you get an HDMI cable that can support your monitor.
• Screen shape — While the standard rectangular shape is still the most common, ultrawide monitors and curved monitors are becoming increasingly common. Dell ultrawides are particularly nice due to Dell Display Manager technology, which lets your partition your screen as if it were a seamless array of multiple monitors. Curved monitors are great for gaming, allowing UI elements to be seen better in your peripheral vision.

Alongside these key factors, we considered what type of monitors (and what purposes) people were turning to Dell for. Matching up great Dell monitors with these purposes resulted in the preceding list.