Bottom Line
The Dell U4025QW is an excellent monitor for both gaming and work thanks to its IPS Black panel with a high contrast ratio, high pixel density, wide color gamut, Delta E < 2 factory calibration, extensive connectivity options and VRR support up to 120Hz. Its only downside is the price and poor HDR image quality for the money.
The Dell UltraSharp U4025QW is the first 5K2K ultrawide monitor with a high refresh rate! On top of that, it features an IPS Black panel with a high contrast ratio, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, DisplayHDR 600 and much more!
Image Quality
The Dell U4025QW monitor uses LG’s 39.7″ 5120×2160 120Hz IPS Black panel with a high 2,000:1 static contrast ratio, which results in significantly deeper blacks than that of regular IPS panels with a 1,000:1 contrast ratio.
In addition to deeper blacks, you also get to keep the other advantages of IPS technology, including the 178° wide viewing angles that ensure the image remains consistent regardless of the angle you’re looking at the screen.
Alas, some IPS glow is still present, but given that it’s mainly noticeable when viewing dark content in a dark room at high brightness settings, it’s entirely manageable.
Next, the 5120×2160 resolution provides you with a high pixel density of 140 PPI (pixels per inch), resulting in plenty of screen real estate with sharp details and text. You can think of the monitor as a 32″ 4K UHD display with ~33% extra width.
Keep in mind that the 5K2K resolution is very demanding, so you’ll need a high-end PC rig to get decent frame rates in video games. Most users also prefer to use 125% – 150% scaling at this pixel density level, though 100% (no scaling) is still usable.
The 21:9 ultrawide aspect ratio is especially useful for productivity work and audio/video editing thanks to the extra horizontal screen space. You also get a more immersive viewing experience when watching movies shot at ~21:9 aspect ratios, as well as a wider field of view in compatible games.
Further, the Dell U4025QW has a very strong peak brightness of 450-nits, therefore, it can get more than bright enough and mitigate glare even in well-lit rooms.
The monitor also has an exceptional color gamut with 99% DCI-P3 and 100% sRGB color space coverage, as well as professional-grade Delta E < 2 factory calibration, which makes the monitor ideal for color-critical work right out of the box.
The Dell U4025QW also has dedicated picture presets for sRGB, DCI-P3, Rec.709 (BT.709) and Display P3 color modes.
HDR (High Dynamic Range) is also supported and the monitor has VESA’s DisplayHDR 600 certification, which boosts HDR brightness up to 600-nits.
However, since the monitor only has edge-lit dimming, you’re not getting a proper HDR viewing experience. Thanks to the decent brightness, wide color gamut and dithered 10-bit color depth, some HDR content will at least look a bit better than SDR.
Performance
The 120Hz refresh rate provides you with a huge boost in motion clarity in comparison to the standard 60Hz – 75Hz displays.
Not only are games a lot more responsive and fluid but just moving your cursor around your desktop or scrolling through web pages is a lot smoother as well.
Input lag is also reduced thanks to the higher refresh rate, which is imperceptible at around 6ms of delay.
Next, the Dell U4025QW has a 5ms GtG pixel response time speed. It’s not as fast as typical high refresh rate IPS panels, so there is some minor ghosting noticeable behind fast-moving objects, however, it’s negligible and won’t bother most users.
For competitive fast-paced gaming, you’d want a smaller display with a lower resolution and a higher refresh rate anyway.
The monitor also supports variable refresh rate via AMD FreeSync Premium and NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible over DisplayPort, as well as HDMI 2.1 VRR.
Although it doesn’t have any official certifications by AMD or NVIDIA, VRR works without issues for tear-free gameplay up to 120FPS.
Lastly, the monitor has a flicker-free backlight and a hardware solution low-blue light filter.
Features
At the rear of the monitor, there’s a dedicated power button and a directional joystick for quick and easy navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.
Besides the standard image adjustment tools, such as brightness, contrast, color temperature, etc., the Dell U4025QW also has a few advanced settings, including hue/saturation, sharpness, aspect ratio control (4:3, 1:1, 21:9 and auto resize) and automatic input detection.
Next, the Dell U4025QW has an integrated sensor that can automatically adjust brightness and color temperature according to ambient lighting.
Other useful features include Picture in Picture and Picture by Picture support, and Uniformity Compensation, which once enabled improves brightness uniformity at the cost of contrast ratio.
Design & Connectivity
The Dell U4025QW has a robust design with a good range of ergonomics, including up to 150mm height adjustment, -5°/21° tilt, +/- 30° swivel and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.
Next, the screen has a light matte anti-glare coating that prevents reflections without adding too much graininess. The screen also has a subtle 2500R curvature for added immersion and viewing comfort without distorting the image.
Connectivity options are abundant and include:
- HDMI 2.1 with full 48 Gbps bandwidth
- DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC
- Thunderbolt 4 with 140W Power Delivery and DP Alt Mode
- Thunderbolt 4 downstream port for daisy-chaining with 15W PD
- 10 Gbps quad-USB hub (4 type A + 1 type C)
- Headphone jack
- 2.5 Gbps RJ45
- Dual 9W integrated speakers
There’s also a quick access section with two additional USB-C ports (10 Gbps, 15W) and a USB-A port.
Additionally, there’s an integrated KVM functionality, allowing you to control two PCs connected to the screen via one set of keyboard and mouse.
Price & Similar Monitors
The Dell U4025QW price amounts to $1920. While it is expensive, it’s the only monitor available with these specifications. So, if you can put all of its features to good use, it is worth the money.
Its main downside is poor HDR image quality for the price. In case you want a proper HDR monitor, you should check out our best HDR monitors buyer’s guide for more options and information, though 5K2K ultrawide OLED displays aren’t expected before 2025.
Dell also offers a 34″ 3440×1440 120Hz IPS Black ultrawide monitor with Thunderbolt 4, the Dell UltraSharp U3425WE for $820 and the Dell U2724D/DE models with 27″ 1440p 120Hz IPS Black panels.
Conclusion
All in all, the Dell UltraSharp U4025QW is an amazing SDR monitor. You get a huge ultrawide screen with plenty of screen space and sharp details, reasonably deep blacks, gorgeous and accurate colors, smooth performance and plenty of useful features, including Thunderbolt 4, daisy-chaining, a USB hub and more!
Specifications
| Screen Size | 39.7-inch |
| Screen Curvature | 2500R |
| Resolution | 5120×2160 |
| Panel Type | IPS Black |
| Aspect Ratio | 21:9 (UltraWide) |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Response Time | 5ms (GtG) |
| Speakers | 2x9W |
| Adaptive-Sync | FreeSync Premium (48-120Hz), HDMI 2.1 VRR |
| Ports | DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1, Thunderbolt 4 (DP Alt Mode, 140W PD) |
| Other Ports | Thunderbolt 4, 3x USB-C, 5x USB-A, RJ45, Headphone Jack |
| Brightness | 450 cd/m² |
| Brightness (HDR) | 600 cd/m² |
| Contrast Ratio | 2000:1 (static) |
| Colors | 1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC) 99% DCI-P3 |
| HDR | VESA DisplayHDR 600 |
| VESA | Yes (100x100mm) |
The Pros:
- 99% DCI-P3 wide color gamut
- Delta E < 2 factory calibration
- High contrast ratio and pixel density
- Plenty of features, including VRR up to 120Hz
- Ergonomic design and rich connectivity options, including Thunderbolt 4 (140W PD) and KVM
The Cons:
- IPS glow (as expected from this panel technology)
- Expensive
- Only edge-lit local dimming
