Dell SE2422HX Review: 1080p 75Hz FreeSync Monitor

Unlike most of Dell’s budget IPS monitors, the Dell SE2422HX uses a VA panel, offering deeper blacks at a cost of color consistency.

It’s the same model as the Dell SE2422H, the X suffix indicates that a VGA cable is provided in the box, in addition to HDMI and power cables.

Image Quality

When it comes to IPS vs VA panel technology, there is no better option; it’s up to personal preference. Here’s what you need to know in order to decide which panel type is right for you.

The main advantage of VA panels is the contrast ratio. The Dell SE2422HX has a static contrast ratio of 3,000:1, whereas most IPS monitors have a contrast ratio of 1,000:1.

As a result, you get darker blacks and brighter whites, which makes for a generally more immersive viewing experience.

Further, VA monitors don’t suffer from IPS glow, which is characterized as visible glowing around the corners of the screen that can further take away from the viewing experience in dark rooms when using an IPS monitor.

The Dell SE2422HX monitor has some VA glow and backlight bleeding, but this is not as distracting as IPS glow, while backlight bleeding affects all LED-backlit displays and its intensity varies from unit to unit.

One of the downsides of VA panels in comparison to IPS is that the viewing angles aren’t quite as wide despite both technologies specifying 178° viewing angles horizontally and vertically.

On VA monitors, some gamma/saturation shifts can be detected depending on the angle you’re looking at the screen. For everyday use, watching videos, gaming, etc. this is not really noticeable, but for any serious color-critical work, the consistency of IPS monitors is a must.

Moving on, the Dell SE2422HX has a peak brightness of 250-nits, as expected from a budget monitor.

It can get more than bright enough under normal lighting conditions, but if you plan on using the screen in a particularly bright room without blinders or curtains, you will need a monitor with stronger peak brightness in order to mitigate glare.

The monitor covers 72% of the NTSC color space, which is roughly equivalent to 100% sRGB gamut size. This doesn’t mean that the Dell SE2422HX covers the entire sRGB color space, just that its color gamut size is the same as that of the sRGB color space.

In other less confusing words, there will be some minor extension beyond the sRGB color space and some under-saturation (varying from unit to unit), but most units should cover ~95% of the sRGB color space.

This is standard for budget monitors and there’s no particularly noticeable difference in comparison to monitors with 100% sRGB color space coverage.

The 1920×1080 Full HD resolution results in a decent pixel density of 92.56 PPI (pixels per inch), so you get fairly sharp details and text, as well as a good amount of screen real estate.

Another advantage is that 1080p is not very demanding on your GPU/CPU and it looks considerably better on 24″ monitors in comparison to 27″ sized 1080p models with lower PPI.

Performance

The Dell SE2422HX has a specified pixel response time speed of 5ms (GtG). There are three response time overdrive modes: Normal (12ms), Fast (8ms) and Extreme (5ms).

We recommend sticking with the Normal mode since the Extreme mode can introduce some pixel overshoot.

Usually, VA panel gaming monitors are known for their slow response time and noticeable black smearing with fast-paced content.

However, since the Dell SE2422HX has a maximum refresh rate of 75Hz, most pixel transitions will make it in time within the refresh rate window (13.33ms), so there won’t be any prominent trailing behind fast-moving objects.

The higher 75Hz refresh rate also offers a subtle but noticeable boost in motion clarity in comparison to 60Hz in games, as long as you can get 75 FPS (Frames Per Second).

Additionally, the Dell SE2422HX supports AMD FreeSync, which allows you to synchronize its refresh rate with the GPU’s frame rate for tear-free gameplay within the support variable refresh rate range of 48-75Hz.

Sadly, since the monitor only has HDMI and VGA inputs, you cannot use FreeSync with NVIDIA graphics cards.

Input lag performance is excellent at ~10ms of delay, which is imperceptible.

The backlight of the monitor is flicker-free and there’s an integrated low-blue light filter mode (ComfortView).

Features

On the right side of the monitor, you’ll find four hotkeys for OSD (On-Screen Display) menu navigation as well as the power button.

You can also assign different shortcuts for the first two buttons (presets, brightness/contrast, input source selection or aspect ratio).

The presets include Standard, ComfortView, Movie, FPS, RTS, Warm, Cool and Custom (adjustable red, green and blue color channels).

Other settings include Color Format (make sure the default RGB is selected for the best results), sharpness, aspect ratio and hue/saturation.

Design & Connectivity

The monitor has a sturdy stand, but the bezels are quite thick for a modern display. You can tilt the screen by -5°/21° or VESA mount the screen via the 100x100mm pattern.

Connectivity options include one HDMI 1.4 port and a VGA input. There are no audio jacks or USB ports.

Price & Similar Monitors

The Dell SE2422HX goes for $130, which is a bit steep. In fact, the Sceptre E248W-19203R offers the same image quality, performance and features for up to $40 less yet it has a headphone jack and integrated speakers.

There’s also the 27″ model, the Dell SE2722H (or Dell SE2722HX with the included VGA cable).

For less money (~$120), you can buy a 24″ 1080p VA monitor with a higher 165Hz refresh rate, wider color gamut and better design, the AOC C24G1A.

If you prefer IPS technology, you can get the ASUS VA24DQ with thin bezels and DisplayPort or the AOC 24G2 with a higher refresh rate, wider color gamut and better design for around the same price.

To learn more about monitors and ensure you’re getting the model most suited for your personal preference, visit our comprehensive and always up-to-date best gaming monitor buyer’s guide.

Conclusion

Overall, the Dell SE2422HX is a decent monitor for everyday use, watching movies and gaming, but its price is simply too high for what it offers.

Specifications

Screen Size	23.8-inch
Resolution	1920×1080 (Full HD)
Panel Type	VA
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	75Hz
Response Time	5ms (GtG)
Adaptive-Sync	FreeSync (48-75Hz)
Ports	HDMI 1.4, VGA
Brightness	250 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	3000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (true 8-bit)
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)