I picked up on some positive commentary about the Dell U2515H in a couple of other MR threads and decided to try it for myself. Here is what I have to share.
Mainly, I was seeking something that would provide more screen area without sacrificing display quality to my rMBP-15. I had read some MR posts where this seemed to work well enough for some others.
What I learned is that the U2515H is not close enough for me as someone who has worked almost exclusively on Apple retina displays for two years. YMMV.
To me, the coarseness of the text was immediately apparent in OS X, Safari, and Preview. I typically sit about three feet from the monitor. Although some might suggest that I should not be able to tell the difference from that distance, I trust what I see most of all. FWIW, I wear 1.00 reading glasses to work on the computer and I definitely do not possess any kind of super human vision.
Relatively fuzzy text was an immediate deal-killer for me, but the monitor had some other good points. I liked the relatively compact form factor of the U2515H as well as the capability to operate in Portrait or Landscape orientation. The packaging seemed thoughtful. It was good to have cables included for the various connections. To my eye, the AG coating was well done and would be welcome on all my future monitor purchases.
On the downside, the touch sensitive buttons were inconsistent and annoying. Far worse, the return process was a trial. The online return process rejected my input advising me to call Dell CS. I had to wait a day to do that because Dell CS is not available on weekends. My call time was close to 90 minutes to make arrangements for Dells easy returns. Then the RMA follow up email with the requisite return shipping label arrived three days later than promised.
Near term, I am going back to being happy with my rMBP-15, and maybe waiting for the next generation of UHD monitors to arrive at the local Micro Center.
Mainly, I was seeking something that would provide more screen area without sacrificing display quality to my rMBP-15. I had read some MR posts where this seemed to work well enough for some others.
What I learned is that the U2515H is not close enough for me as someone who has worked almost exclusively on Apple retina displays for two years. YMMV.
To me, the coarseness of the text was immediately apparent in OS X, Safari, and Preview. I typically sit about three feet from the monitor. Although some might suggest that I should not be able to tell the difference from that distance, I trust what I see most of all. FWIW, I wear 1.00 reading glasses to work on the computer and I definitely do not possess any kind of super human vision.
Relatively fuzzy text was an immediate deal-killer for me, but the monitor had some other good points. I liked the relatively compact form factor of the U2515H as well as the capability to operate in Portrait or Landscape orientation. The packaging seemed thoughtful. It was good to have cables included for the various connections. To my eye, the AG coating was well done and would be welcome on all my future monitor purchases.
On the downside, the touch sensitive buttons were inconsistent and annoying. Far worse, the return process was a trial. The online return process rejected my input advising me to call Dell CS. I had to wait a day to do that because Dell CS is not available on weekends. My call time was close to 90 minutes to make arrangements for Dells easy returns. Then the RMA follow up email with the requisite return shipping label arrived three days later than promised.
Near term, I am going back to being happy with my rMBP-15, and maybe waiting for the next generation of UHD monitors to arrive at the local Micro Center.
