Dell U2311H: E-IPS, Full Adjustments, and DisplayPort
by Chris Heinonen on September 27, 2011 12:20 AM ESTFor years now Dell has been one of the few companies that consistently offers a range of displays using IPS panels for desktop displays instead of only the more affordable TN panels. Now with the availability of e-IPS panels, Dell has been able to offer even more models and lower the price all the way down to $319 for a 23” 1080p display.
The U2311H uses a very similar base to what Dell has been using for years that lets the monitor simply clip in, and allows for rotation to be used as a portrait display as well. The left side of the display has a pair of USB 2.0 ports, to go with the pair located on the bottom of the display. Also on the bottom of the display are DisplayPort, DVI, and VGA inputs, as well as the power input. Located on the front of the display on the right side are the menu control buttons that are unlabeled and nicely disappear into the bezel. The U2311H can adjust in height vertically and has both tilt and swivel adjustments as well, which should make it able to fit into most spaces. It might not be flashy but it gets the job done.
With all the above features, you’ll note that a few items are missing. There’s no HDMI port, making this less desirable as an all-in-one display for use with PCs as well as game consoles. There are also no speakers, though given the quality of most LCD speakers we don’t feel like we’re really missing out. In a similar vein, there’s no audio out, so if you were to use DisplayPort for carrying audio there’s no way to get the audio from the display to an external source. There are perhaps minor omissions, but most of Dell’s higher-end LCDs include such features and they’re worth pointing out. Here’s the full rundown of the LCD specs:
| Dell U2311H Features and Specifications | |
| Video Inputs |
1 x DVI-D w/HDCP 1 x DisplayPort 1.1a 1 x VGA |
| Panel Type | e-IPS 6-bit + AFRC |
| Pixel Pitch | 0.265 mm |
| Colors | 16.7 Million |
| Brightness | 300 nits (typical) |
| Contrast Ratio | 1,000:1 (typical) |
| Response Time | 8 ms (GTG) |
| Viewable Size | 23" (58.4 cm) |
| Resolution | 1920x1080 at 60Hz |
| Viewing Angle | 178 degrees horizontal and vertical |
| Backlight | 4-CCFL edge-light system |
| Power Consumption (operation) | 33W (typical) |
| Power Consumption (standby) | Less than 1W |
| Screen Treatment | Antiglare with hard-coating 3H |
| Height-Adjustable | 3.94" Height Adjustment |
| Tilt | Yes, range not specified |
| Pivot | Yes: Landscape and Portrait |
| Swivel | Yes, range not specified |
| VESA Wall Mounting | 100 mm x 100 mm |
| Dimensions w/ Base (WxHxD) |
21.57” x 14.02” x 7.25” (548 x 356 x 184 mm) |
| Weight | 14.22 lbs with stand (6.46 kg) |
| Additional Features |
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Hub (1 USB upstream port and 4 USB downstream ports) |
| Limited Warranty | 3 years |
| Accessories | Power Cable, DVI Cable, USB Cable, VGA Cable |
| Price |
$319.00 MSRP Online Starting at $285 (Plus S/H) |
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Flunk - Sunday, October 2, 2011 - link
I have one of these, bought it for $220 CDN on sale a month or so ago. I haven't had any problems playing FPSes on it but your mileage may vary.I've been impressed by the build quality and the picture is better than any other monitor I've ever had, if you're not a graphics professional (then you need a 8bit panel) it's definitely a step above.
JoeTF - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Uhm.Input lag is THE MOST IMPORTANT measurement with e-IPS displays, that are notorious for 30ms+ delays.
Skipping it is like skipping sequential read tests in hdd review.
gevorg - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
This is a previous gen monitor, plenty of reviews on the web. Input lag was measured here:http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2311h.ht...
enterco - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
I own a Dell U2311H, I can't see any noticeable lag. Anyway, the pixperan tool (pixel persistence analyzer) test image looks much better on this display than on my old TN display.ckryan - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Chris,Are you the new display intern? I too inquired about the highly coveted display internship, but sadly had been beaten to the punch. Ironically, I too am named Chris, and since I had just purchased a new U2311H from Dell, was planning on doing a "review application" of it.
It's a good monitor for the price, but mine has some less than desirable characteristics. However, the input lag is quite low as verified by a couple of other reviews (and my eyeballs), and I only find the off-angle darkening slightly annoying. It calibrates pretty well for me and has excellent black levels for an IPS variant -- that, plus I find CCFL to be generally superior. Just because a display is LED backlit doesn't automatically mean it uses less power -- it's often the case, but identical models that vary solely by backlight use similar amounts of power. Finally, I haven't noticed any artifacts from the 6 bit + AFC implementation, which is a bonus. Overall it's pretty good, but now it's kinda close to the U2412 in price now that it's out, and it looks like a better way to go if you're a fan of 16:10 (and who isn't?).
Anyway, congrats and I'm looking forward to your future reviews.
Daniel Egger - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
> that, plus I find CCFL to be generally superior.CCFL die! Not dead yet? Damn...
The only problem with LED is that companies can't get their stuff together and do it properly and thus we still see crappy LED backlit displays while the high end still tends to use the more known CCFL backlight.
But since NEC recently announced a (what will hopefully turn out to be a nice) LED projector I'm getting my hopes up that we will eventually see a high end LED display from NEC as well. Once that happens HP and Dell will follow suit and we'll have an avalanche of professional grade LED backlit displays coming for us...
Pessimism - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
CCFL needs to die. They may look nicer out of the box but give them a year and they all look weak and yellow. The manufacturers use the cheapest tubes they can find with poor quality phosphors that rapidly loose brightness and color balance. At least LEDs remain consistent for longer, with those you deal with the clear plastic lenses yellowing, again because of poor quality materials.jecs - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Don't hope CCFL to die too soon or we may get a lot of color precision problems. CCFL may seem old tech but it still produces more neutral color across the spectrum than a white only LED lamp. The downside is more power consumption and heavier units but it is not as important for professionals as it may be for consumers.On the other hand high end LED screens found today on very expensive TVs or monitors uses 3 LED color matrices for each color (RGB). So don't expect anything true LED for desktop use anytime soon.
softdrinkviking - Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - link
jecs +1LEDs still have a long way to go.
they look washed out without being as bright as a CRT. (to me)
alanwong - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
They're selling the U2312HM here in Australia, assume that means the U2311H is out of date?