Early Verdict
There aren’t many desktop touchscreens to choose from, but that doesn’t mean Dell has only done “just enough” to succeed. The P2418HT is a well designed and engineered display with a high-quality IPS panel that delivers class-leading contrast and good color accuracy. It serves extremely well as a traditional desktop monitor that happens to have a touchscreen feature. If you need 10-point touch for art creation, presentation, customer interaction, or any other application that requires input other than what a mouse or keyboard can provide, then this Dell monitor is a great choice.
Pros
- +
Responsive touchscreen
- +
Sharp image
- +
Contrast
- +
Color quality
- +
Build quality
- +
Well-designed stand
- +
Thin bezel
- +
Styling
- +
Ease-of-use
Cons
- -
Slight gamma issues
- -
Plastic front screen layer
Why you can trust Tom's Hardware
Introduction
We reviewed a few touchscreen monitors in 2014 and thought at the time that they might catch on as a new category. With the proliferation of phones, tablets, phablets, and pseudo-desktops like the Surface, it seemed logical that users might want to add that functionality to their traditional workstations.
Obviously that revolution didn’t happen, but the genre isn’t dead either. One of the monitors we looked at back then was Dell’s P2714T. That display is no longer available, but today we have a new product in the lab from the same company. The P2418HT is an IPS panel with 10-point touch and FHD resolution in a 24” size. Let’s take a look.
Specifications
Clearly, users are not clamoring for touchscreens on the desktop. But if Dell sees a market for a brand new monitor, we can’t ignore it. And commercial applications are still a major driving force behind the adoption of large touchscreens.
The P2418HT is a fairly typical IPS panel with a 23.8” viewable area, a super thin bezel, and projected capacitive touch with 4096x4096 resolution. That should make it very attractive to artists and designers who need that fine control when drawing directly on the screen. 10-point touch means it supports gestures like swiping, pinch-to-zoom, and multi-finger/two-handed operation. As far as we can tell, it is not pressure-sensitive like the latest round of iOS products. Windows users can expect plug-and-play operation with versions 7, 8.1, and 10.
We’ll be running the P2418HT through our usual battery of color and luminance tests along with some hands-on use connected to a Windows 8.1-equipped PC.
Packaging, Physical Layout & Accessories
Dell has now committed to foam-free packaging for all its newest monitors. Our sample arrived in a stout box that opens clamshell-style. The accessory tray contains an IEC power cord along with high-quality DisplayPort, USB 3.0, and VGA cables. You also get a quick start guide and a CD with supporting software. We didn’t have to install any drivers to enable the touch function with our PC.
The stand and base must be assembled by bolting them together and clicking the result onto the panel. Cable management is accomplished with a snap-on input panel cover and a fabric sleeve that keeps everything neat and tidy. You’ll see in the photos below how well designed the stand is. It enables positions more suited to a display like this.
Product 360
From the front, the P2418HT looks like many other 24” monitors. Its styling is simple and elegant with a barely-visible bezel just 5mm wide. Across the bottom is a larger 11mm strip that contains a set of small, down-facing buttons for OSD navigation. The keys click with Dell’s familiar firm quality. The overall package is extremely solid and well built.
Any desktop-based touchscreen needs a well-designed stand and Dell has met this goal easily. The upright hinges about one-third of the way up to allow the panel to go all the way down to the desk surface. It won’t quite go completely flat like NEC’s E232WMT, but it’s still a comfortable angle for drawing. You’ll note in the second photo above that the steepest angle can be maintained at multiple heights. The base is extremely heavy and works well at balancing both the weight and movement of the panel. You will have to make a concerted effort to knock the P2418HT over.
Cable management is well thought out too. This is where Dell’s included cables come into play. They’re more flexible than most and can easily make the sharp bends required when using the snap-on input panel cover. Once the wires exit that small hole, you can wrap them up neatly with an included fabric sleeve and run them through the upright. This keeps everything out of the way when operating the stand. We found no hiccups when moving our sample around.
The input panel contains one each of DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA inputs. There are no built-in speakers, but there is a 3.5mm analog output for either headphones or powered speakers. Dell offers a small soundbar, at additional cost, that attaches to the bottom of the panel if you want an integrated look. The USB hub supports version 3.0 with an upstream and two downstream ports. Two additional outputs are version 2.0. One of these supports charging while the P2418HT is in standby mode.
MORE: Best Computer Monitors
MORE: How To Choose A Monitor
MORE: Display Calibration 101
MORE: The Science Behind Tuning Your Monitor
MORE: All Monitor Content
Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.
34-inch OLED Ultrawide gaming monitor has never been cheaper for Cyber Monday — Phillips Evnia 34M2C8600 goes on sale for just $569
Amazon's bestselling 8TB hard drive is available for $110 - Seagate BarraCuda is the most affordable 8TB hard drive right now
Seagate's 12TB IronWolf hard drive is on sale for an exceptional $199 — a mere $16 per terabyte of storage
-
Elrabin 19512310 said:Link to Dell shows it at $399. though!
What region are you in?
US is showing $399 MSRP discounted down to $320 -
bolweval The first thing i do when I see a monitor review is take a quick look at the specs, and if the refresh rate is 60 i just move on. Why aren't ALL monitors at least 120 now? Even TV's standard is higher than 60!Reply -
sparkyman215 Dude it's a touchscreen, why do you need 120Hz? The primary purpose of these things are for drawing and graphics work.Reply -
3ogdy I would've bought 3 of these had they been available with higher resolutions. I'm talking about 1440p (25"?) and 4K (27"?). I currently own an UltraSharp U2515H: image quality & finish are absolutely amazing. My next purchase would be another Dell and I really wanted touchscreen on the desktop (I was actually deciding between my current screen and a touchscreen display and preferred quality over that functionality - I'd love to have both, DELL!)Reply -
AnimeMania I have always wanted a touchscreen monitor to use as a Keyboard/Mouse alternative, while also mirroring what is being shown on my main monitor. This monitor has the price and resolution that might make me give this experiment a try. Could you give me more information about the projected capacitive 4096x4096 resolution, does that mean that the monitior can mimic the resolution of any monitor within that 4096x4096 resolution range? That would really help me match different monitor resolutions while in mirror mode. It is also good that the stand separates from the panel since the stand is so heavy.Reply -
techy1966 19513269 said:Because 60Hz is like 1990's tech. They should all be 240Hz or better in 2017.
Well sorry but for the crowd that this is made for it more than serves it purpose.
-
Kridian As a creative person, I'd like to know if these touchscreen offerings have pressure levels equal to a Wacom Bamboo or Monoprice drawing tablet (2048)? My budget is never going to be enough for the insane cost of a Wacom Cintiq, so these touchscreens are interesting.Reply