Dell U2311H: E-IPS, Full Adjustments, and DisplayPort
by Chris Heinonen on September 27, 2011 12:20 AM ESTColor Gamut
The Dell measured just below 70% of the Adobe RGB gamut, about where we would expect for a panel with a normal CCFL backlight. For most users working in an sRGB color space, 70% can actually be better than 100%, as higher color gamuts can produce oversaturated colors in non-color-aware applications.
One thing that is different about the panel in the Dell is that it’s a newer E-IPS panel that only has 6-bits of color depth instead of 8-bits, which would typically only provide access to 65,536 colors and not the usual 16.7 million. What this means is that to effectively display all of those colors and shades, the pixels will have to quickly shift intensity levels instead of being able to remain solid at one level. For colors that don’t need to use this method of dithering, such as white, they will look rock solid, but if you look at a black to white gradient, you can notice shades of gray where this dithering is happening. Used at a reasonable distance, you might not notice this at all, but close up you will probably be able to see it. I wasn’t particularly bothered by this behavior, but some people might be.
Color Uniformity
All monitors typically calibrate using a single point in the center of the display, but of course you don’t do all of your work there. Color and brightness uniformity can vary across the panel by a large margin as the LCD backlights are typically positioned at the edges of the screen, except for rare cases, which doesn’t allow for a perfectly even distribution of light. Here we see how the Dell does by taking our 200 nits profile and once again running our color checked at nine different locations on the screen.
The Dell has a low average dE of 1.51 in the center for the display and that creeps up as we move towards the edges, with a peak dE of 3.39 in the upper left corner of the unit. Overall the majority of the error is below 3 and would not be visible to the naked eye, but above what we would prefer it would be for print work. Just like with the initial reading, you can see it is those colors that are made up mostly of blue light that are causing the issue and so the numbers might be a little deceptive in how bad the problem is.
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bennyg - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
I got a U2311H for $222 (AUD) bought online, picked up in metro Melbourne a couple of months ago.Nice monitor, superb viewing angles. Way ahead of the rest for its price bracket.
bigpow - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
If you need IPS for work or hobby, you probably won't care for compromises, e.g. this panel.If you don't need IPS, ditto above.
Sadly, it'll probably sell well, since clueless buyers usually go for the mid-priced item of a family.
Add to that, cheap buyers like to compromise and fool themselves believing they just bought a 'higher-end" product
Over time, the compromise will become the new high-end. Lowering market expectation and consumer knowledge with it.
People who couldn't afford nice things should just stick with what they can afford. Compromise only brings standards down for all
DaFox - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
"People who couldn't afford nice things should just stick with what they can afford."Classy.
jecs - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
It sounded bad for him I agree but I think his general idea, even if it looks negative on the words he picked, still has a merit.What we may have with this new Dell monitor IPS line is a superior consumer oriented line or a very low entry for prosumers. Still not competitive in price with TN LED matrices.
It's a higher low end monitor for a medium class not looking for the cheapest. It just sounds dumb in Simpson's words.
Slaanesh - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
> Sadly, it'll probably sell well, since clueless buyers usually go for the mid-priced item of > a family.> Add to that, cheap buyers like to compromise and fool themselves believing they just
> bought a 'higher-end" product
Well I'm looking to buy this monitor.
I want a gaming monitor but can't stand the horrible quality of a TN panel. So I want the best possible image quality still with acceptable input lag and pixel responsiveness.
If anyone else knows of a better, more suitable monitor for me, please tell.
fausto412 - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
"People who couldn't afford nice things should just stick with what they can afford"umm...think. about. it.
They buy the mid range because THAT IS WHAT THEY CAN AFFORD!
tzhu07 - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
At the design agency I work at, our Art Director has to use one of these as a secondary monitor (next to an iMac screen), and it is plain awful. My boss, who didn't do much research, kinda bought it on a whim. Now even he says it's crap.jecs - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
um, are you using any calibration tool?orenlevy - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Currently in israel the U2311H is last stocks... 235 US$and the U2312HM is stock for 2 weeks 245 US$
Better lag Better response time
Better contrast.
Slaanesh - Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - link
Are there any reviews yet for this year's U2312HM model?How does it compare to last year's U2311H?