So I bought this thing back in December 2019. I wanted to wait to give a review because I thought there would be a lot of little nuances that come with owning such a unique and large monitor. And there is.
First off, it's heavy. Wherever you get this mailed to, bring a buddy. The box was literally bigger than me and weighed a ton. Even if you are a bigger guy, good luck getting your arms around this thing in a way that isn't awkward.
Unboxing was easy though. Dell put instructions on the box and on the packaging inside the box to guide you through doing it safely and without damaging the monitor. (Dell always does a good job at this to be honest). You don't really appreciate how awesome this thing is until you see it in person though. I watched YouTube videos of people putting it together and turning it on but man, seeing it in real life is totally different.
So I plug it in, power it on, and there is my desktop. I could not help but smile. It was just so outrageous and over the top and beautiful. Colors out of the box were clear, crisp, and balanced. I did still tweak it though. I turned up the brightness from 50% to 75% because I work in a very bright room with windows and it looks fantastic! Also calibrated the colors a just a little because I work with color sensitive projects and Pantones.
Been using it for almost 8 months now and have not had any technical issues at all. Looks and works just as good as day 1.
So was this really worth it though? Short answer. No. This is an over the top monitor for people who want an awesome experience. This is by no means an economically sound choice in my opinion. If you are someone who needs a lot of screen real-estate. you would get far better value just buying 3 or 4 monitors. BUT, if you want a clean, attractive, minimal and feature rich experience and can afford the premium, yes, this thing is awesome. The built in USB-C KVM switch is perfect for when I need to work from home off of my laptop and want to switch between work and home PC's during lunch/breaks/slacking off time. Having all the cables routed to a single monitor keeps my desk clutter free and attractive. The Dell software for organizing your screen real-estate works great. And the experience of playing video games that can support this resolution is a truly one of a kind. Sailing in Sea of Thieves or raiding in Destiny 2 is a next level experience on this thing.
Cons:
- Stand was big and heavy and took up a lot of room. Buying the Amazon Basics Premium mounting arm fixed that though! but you still will want to get one which is why it's a con.
- Expensive!
- probably too big for most desks
- Too much screen for me honestly
- Gives off a lot of heat
Pros:
+ Gorgeous, color accurate, crisp display
+ No technical issues
+ Dell window management software is good
+ Clean and minimal
+ Great packaging
Opinion piece:
Here's the thing though, don't be sold on the idea that you will be a multitasking master on this thing. Or on any multiple monitor set up for that matter. More monitors does not mean you will get more done faster. If anything, it could potentially make it worse. I've been using this thing for 8 months now and I really do love it but I constantly wonder if I would be happier and more productive on something smaller like a 32" ultrawide or even just go back to a flat 27". I don't use all the space for anything useful and for my professional work, IT/programming/Design, it doesn't help me much. If I have multiple windows up I just get distracted. If I only have one window up like Photoshop or my IDE, then I have 2 large bezels of wallpaper on my left and right. Which is fine but a waste.
+ If you are someone who wants to edit videos and see a huge timeline, this IS the monitor for you.
+ If you are someone who wants to consume media like music, YouTube, twitch, and Netflix at an alarming rate, this IS the monitor for you.
+ If you are someone who wants to play games at a gorgeous 1440x5120 resolution and don't mind that it's 60hz, this IS the monitor for you.
+ If you are some one who wants to have multiple File Explorer windows open while you organize thousands of photos, songs, videos, ect, this IS the monitor for you
If you are someone that really needs a monitor for professional reason, please watch as many reviews as possible before considering something this over the top. I think you will find that there are more efficient ways to get work done. Too much screen real-estate just isn't that good for being productive. And honestly I am considering selling this and downgrading for those reasons. I am going to go back to my 27" and 32" for a while to see if I miss it first though before making any rash decisions.
It's an absolutely wonderful monitor and it gives you everything it promises. Dell made a fantastic product here. I just don't think everyone who can afford it should get it. Figure out what your needs are first.
Update 8/31/2020:
So I went back to my 27" for awhile and even used an ultrawide that I borrowed... It didn't last very long. I went right back to this thing after 2 weeks. It really is a joy to use and the benefits that it actually adds in the way of features is greatly appreciated. I was very skeptical about the benefits in productivity and still am but I would chalk that up to personal preference. I have found ways to optimize productivity for the work that I do that minimizes distractions and, like I said before, I simply can't go back to the 27" like I thought I would. If you are in a position to get one of these monitors I would say go for it.
| Standing screen display size | 49 Inches |
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