Dell 28-inch Ultra HD 4K Monitor P2815Q First Look

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A great value for all the pixels you're getting. But there's a catch.

Dell had everyone's attention when it announced that its 28-inch 4K P2815Q monitor would sell for $699. That's a stunning price for an Ultra HD monitor, and the panel does impress with its viewing angles when taking into consideration that it uses TN technology. That said, the big disappointment for us when we looked over the specs sheet is that it will only run at 30 Hz when at 3840x2160. Those who want a faster refresh at 60 Hz will have to dip back down to 1920 x 1080. Boo. Nevertheless, for those who do desktop work and perhaps even watch video, this is a great value.

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Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
31 Comments Comment from the forums
  • CaedenV
    Tek Syndicate did a great interview about this monitor. Seems to be a great cheap 4K display mostly aimed at desktop use. At 1080p it can muster up 60fps like a traditional monitor, but in full 4K mode it is limited to 30fps.
    Also, while it is a return to cheap TN technology, it seems to have matured quite a bit and does not suffer from a lot of the issues that use to plague such displays (color shifting, limited display angles, etc.). It is not going to be quite as nice as an IPS display to be sure, but it sounds like it is not going to be horrible like a lot of cheap displays on the market.

    So, not as good as a pro monitor, but not going to suffer from input lag and other issues associated with using a 4K TV as a monitor. All in all it looks like the best of both worlds in a package under $700. Personally I am holding out a bit longer for a 'cheap' 60fps capable display, and for GPUs to catch up a bit, but it looks like 4K is here to stay, and we should start seeing more mainstream panels released this year. The tyranny of 1080p will finally be over!
    Reply
  • vmem
    so as far as gaming is concerned, this is an overpriced 1080p TN panel? no thanks, I'll wait another couple of months. that said, all the press buzz will do wonders for lowering the prices of other 4K monitors due to consumer expectation
    Reply
  • hannibal
    You have to wait untill late 2014 or most propably to 2015. The new version of display port that support faster than 30fsp in 4K will be released at the end of 2014, so you have to wait untill 2015 or 2016 so that you can get support to that new better displayport standard. These are early versions for those who are not willing to wait this technology to mature!4K is just fine for word prosessing at this moment or video editing, but anything more demanding have to wait until DP1.3 is ready and running.
    Reply
  • therogerwilco
    Fail Dell, fail. 60 hz is a minimum MUST HAVE.
    Reply
  • dgingeri
    That thing with the resolution and refresh rate is really disappointing. I guess I'll keep hoping for a QHD (2560X1440) 120Hz monitor. I'd rather have the higher refresh rate than the higher res anyway.
    Reply
  • CaedenV
    12439543 said:
    so as far as gaming is concerned, this is an overpriced 1080p TN panel? no thanks, I'll wait another couple of months. that said, all the press buzz will do wonders for lowering the prices of other 4K monitors due to consumer expectation

    Think of it more like a 1080p gaming panel that can spreadsheet like crazy. GPUs are clearly not ready for 4K gaming anyways, so even if you had a 4K panel you are not looking at frame rates much above 30fps in the first place.
    Reply
  • dragonsqrrl
    $700 for a 4K TN monitor would've been a great deal, if not for the 30Hz refresh rate. It's apparent from the images I've seem of the monitor and from the first hand accounts of tech editors, that this monitor uses a very good TN panel. Unfortunate really, I'm willing to bet a lot of gamers and enthusiastes would've been all over a $700 4K monitor with a 60Hz refresh rate.
    Reply
  • Jgriff
    700 is too much for a 28 inch screen no matter how you try to spin it. 4k 8k 7565569k ips tn plasma oled 0 ms input lag doesn't matter. A top of the line 28 inch g sync 4k 1 ms input lag ips should be no more than 500. That's the way I see it. It's just a screen.
    Reply
  • dgingeri
    700 is too much for a 28 inch screen no matter how you try to spin it. 4k 8k 7565569k ips tn plasma oled 0 ms input lag doesn't matter. A top of the line 28 inch g sync 4k 1 ms input lag ips should be no more than 500. That's the way I see it. It's just a screen.
    I paid $600 for my 27" QHD HP professional monitor, and it was well worth it. It's a graphics professional level monitor, with super accurate colors and good gradients. I spent years with 20" and 24" monitors that showed the colors in my games all splotchy. It looked closer to a comic book. When I moved to this monitor, I finally got colors that properly blended across properly, making it look much more realistic. It was worth the extra money at the time. (Granted, I now hate this monitor because of reliability problems, but that's another matter entirely.) Don't presume to know what is and is not worth the extra cost or extra effort for other people.
    Reply
  • CaedenV
    12439953 said:
    700 is too much for a 28 inch screen no matter how you try to spin it. 4k 8k 7565569k ips tn plasma oled 0 ms input lag doesn't matter. A top of the line 28 inch g sync 4k 1 ms input lag ips should be no more than 500. That's the way I see it. It's just a screen.

    It is only the part that you interact with the most on your computer, so why should you be expected to spend any money on it? /sarcasim

    Seriously, I made the mistake with my current 28" monitor in getting a cheap sub $400 screen almost 5 years ago. Considering the price it is not all that bad... but in the grand scheme of things it is a horrible cheap monitor with bad color, bad gama, backlight bleed, and everything else. And the worst part is that monitors last MUCH longer than computers do. It has already outlived one PC, and the way things are going it will probably outlast my current display as well. It is like a freaking death pact!

    Choosing a monitor is like choosing your wife: You are going to have to look at them for a long time, so it is worth spending whatever effort possible to end up with one that is worth staring at. I at least got a good wife, so no need to replace her :P But next time I am going to spend some good money on a proper monitor.
    Reply