Dell U2913WM review

The Dell U2913WM is unlike any other monitor we’ve tested. It’s 29in wide and has a huge resolution of 2,560×1,080, giving it an aspect ratio of 21:9. It took us a little while to get used to the shape, but we were soon reluctant to go back to the usual 16:9 ratio as the wider screen made many desktop tasks much easier. The screen is so wide that it almost negates the need for two monitors on your desktop, as there’s enough space to manage two (or even three) windows side by side.

It looks the part of a high-end monitor, too, with its stunning frameless bezel and elegant matt black stand that’s both height-adjustable, can rotate sideways and has a very generous amount of screen tilt. Its IPS panel has a hard coating as well, which helps diffuse reflections and protect the screen from scratches.

It’s not just office tasks that benefit from the U2913WM’s extra-wide view; it’s also well-suited to watching films, and games that support the aspect ratio feel much more cinematic. If your media or game doesn’t support the 21:9 aspect ratio, though, this space can feel slightly wasted, as you’re either left with two fat borders down the side of the screen, or have to stretch the entire image to fill it. Either way, changing the aspect ratio using the screen’s menu settings is easy as long as you press each touch-sensitive button firmly.

IMAGE QUALITY

Of course, all this would mean little if the monitor’s overall image quality wasn’t up to scratch, but we didn’t even need to calibrate the U2913WM, as its default settings returned a near-perfect sRGB colour gamut coverage of 99.9%. This is outstanding colour accuracy, even for an IPS screen, and the only region of the colour gamut where it was ever so slightly short, at least compared to the rest of its coverage, was in the blue colour space.

Our subjective image tests were equally impressive. The screen has a matt finish, which helps reduce reflections but can make colours seem less vibrant. However, the vibrancy of reds, greens and blues still rivalled the rich hues we’ve seen on some glossy displays. Whites were a little grey, but blacks were very deep, which was reflected in the monitor’s low black level score of 0.30cd/m².

The U2913WM’s contrast levels were excellent as well. Our high recorded contrast ratio of 761:1 helped the screen produce some the best levels of detail we’ve ever seen in our high-contrast test images. Colours were very punchy and we could see both the light and dark areas of each photo without having to turn up the brightness too much and so compromise the low black levels.

PORTS

As if all this wasn’t enough to impress, the U2913WM caters for almost every type of user with its extensive range of inputs. Alongside the usual VGA, DVI and HDMI inputs, you’ll also find two DisplayPorts (one in and one output, for daisy-chaining another monitor), a mini-DisplayPort and a four-port USB3 hub alongside its headphone jack.

The Dell U2913WM’s extra-wide screen won’t be for everyone, but if you’re looking to reduce the number of monitors on your desk or are simply after a more cinematic PC experience, this screen is for you.