Bottom Line
While the Dell G2725D is an overall decent gaming monitor for the money, there are better options available in this price range.
The Dell G2725D is one of the most affordable 27″ 1440p high refresh rate gaming displays – let’s see how it performs and compares to similarly priced alternatives.
Image Quality
Based on an IPS panel, the Dell G2725D monitor provides you with 178° wide viewing angles, which ensure the image remains consistent regardless of the angle you’re looking at the screen.
While Dell advertises 99% sRGB gamut coverage, the colors actually extend beyond that, covering around 93% of the DCI-P3 color space (~125% sRGB volume).
As a result, you get more vibrant colors with added shade variety. This also means that sRGB / SDR content will be over-saturated, but some users prefer the extra colors.
Unfortunately, there’s no sRGB emulation mode that could clamp the native gamut down to 100% sRGB for better accuracy.
Next, the Dell G2725D has a strong peak brightness of 400-nits, meaning that it can get more than bright enough to mitigate glare even in well-lit rooms.
As expected from an IPS panel, the static contrast ratio is only 1,000:1, so blacks won’t be as deep as that of VA panels with a usual contrast ratio of 3,000:1.
Further, there is some IPS glow, which is another drawback of IPS technology, but it’s not an issue under normal viewing conditions.
The 2560×1440 Quad HD resolution on a 27″ sized screen provides you with a decent pixel density of roughly 109 PPI (pixels per inch), resulting in sharp details and text without any scaling necessary. It’s also considerably less taxing on the GPU than 4K UHD, allowing for higher frame rates.
Finally, the Dell G2725D supports 10-bit color depth via dithering (8-bit + FRC) for smoother gradients, but most SDR content uses 8-bit color anyway.
HDR is not supported, which isn’t really a drawback in this price range. For a proper HDR viewing experience on an LED-backlit monitor, full-array local dimming (FALD) is required and it’s only available in more expensive mini LED models, starting at around $250 with the AOC Q27G3XMN with 336 dimming zones.
While there are cheaper ‘HDR’ monitors, they only use global or edge-lit dimming, which is useless and they might as well not support HDR at all.
Performance
The Dell G2725D has a maximum refresh rate of 180Hz, which provides you with a huge boost in motion clarity as opposed to the standard 60-75Hz displays.
You also get a notably lower input lag of around 4ms, which makes for imperceptible delay between your actions and the result on the screen.
Next, the monitor boasts a rapid 1ms GtG pixel response time speed for no ghosting behind fast-moving objects.
There are four response time overdrive modes: Off, Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. The Level 3 mode is too aggressive as it introduces noticeable overshoot (inverse ghosting), so we recommend using the Level 2 mode for optimal performance.
VRR (variable refresh rate) is supported for tear-free gameplay up to 180FPS. There’s AMD’s FreeSync certification, but NVIDIA’s G-SYNC Compatible mode isn’t officially supported – however, VRR works without issues when using compatible GeForce GPUs over DisplayPort.
While Dell advertises HDMI 2.1 support, HDMI 2.1 VRR is not supported, so you won’t be able to use VRR on the PS5. FreeSync is supported on the Xbox consoles though.
The backlight of the monitor is completely flicker-free and there’s a low-blue light filter mode available.
Features
On the back of the monitor there are four hotkeys for navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu, as well as a power button and an LED power indicator.
The buttons are a bit clunky to use and the OSD menu is also a step down from Dell’s usual menus with outdated graphics and very few available features.
Besides the standard image settings (brightness, contrast and color temperature), the Dell G2725D offers sharpness, aspect ratio (full screen or 4:3) and automatic input detection.
Make sure that DCR and ECO settings are disabled to ensure the best image quality.
There are no gaming features, such as Dark Boost, crosshair overlays, on-screen timers, etc.
Design & Connectivity
The stand of the monitor is tilt-only by -5°/15°, but the screen is VESA mount compatible via the 100x100mm pattern.
Further, the scene has a 25% low-haze matte anti-glare coating that diffuses reflections without adding too much graininess to the image.
Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 ports and a headphone jack. Dell advertises HDMI 2.1, but the HDMI ports don’t have HDMI 2.1 VRR support and they’re limited to 144Hz at 2560×1440.
Price & Similar Monitors
The Dell G2725D price ranges from $150 to $200. It can even be found on sale for $130.
At $130 – $150, it’s one of the most affordable 27″ 1440p high refresh rate IPS models, but we recommend the older Dell G2724D if you can find it at the same price.
It offers a better design, an sRGB emulation mode, HDMI 2.1 VRR support and a better OSD menu with the usual gaming features.
You should also check out the KTC H27T22 and H27T22S if you want an affordable 27″ 1440p high refresh rate IPS gaming monitor for $160 – $180.
For more options and information, check out our best gaming monitors buyer’s guide.
Conclusion
The Dell G2725D is a decent budget monitor but it’s disappointing since it’s a downgrade from the previous G2724D model in many ways.
Specifications
Screen Size | 27-inch |
Resolution | 2560×1440 (WQHD) |
Panel Type | IPS |
Aspect Ratio | 16:9 (Widescreen) |
Refresh Rate | 180Hz |
Response Time | 1ms (GtG) |
Adaptive-Sync | FreeSync (48-180Hz) |
Ports | DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0* |
Other Ports | Headphone Jack |
Brightness | 400 cd/m² |
Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 (static) |
Colors | 1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC) 93% DCI-P3 |
VESA | Yes (100x100mm) |
The Pros:
- Quick response time, low input lag
- Wide color gamut
- Consistent image quality
- Decent pixel density
- Inexpensive
- VRR up to 180Hz
The Cons:
- IPS glow and low contrast ratio (as expected from IPS panels)
- Tilt-only stand
- No sRGB emulation mode
- Clunky OSD buttons/menu and no gaming features
- Fake HDMI 2.1 marketing