Dell P2715Q and P2415Q 4K IPS Displays

VirtualRain · Nov 9, 2014

These new 4K IPS panels look to be a great balance of price and performance. Who's in? Which one are you looking at?

I'm personally thinking of a pair for my nMP, but I can't decide on what size yet. I'm leaning towards a pair of the 27" displays running a scaled resolution between 2560x1440 and 3200x1800 depending on how sharp it looks.

Here's what we know...

Panel Type, Surface: In-plane switching (IPS) (likely LG.Display LM270WR2 in P2715Q)
Optimal resolution: 3840 x 2160 at 60 Hz (SST)
Contrast Ratio: 1000 to 1 (typical) 2 million to 1 (DCR)
Brightness: 300 cd/m2 (P2415Q) 350 cd/m2 (P2715Q)
Response Time: Grey-to-Grey. 8 ms (typical), 6 ms (fast)
Viewing Angle: 178° vertical / 178° horizontal
Adjustability: Tilt, Pivot, Height Adjustable, Swivel
Color Support: 1.07 billion colors 99% sRGB
Backlight Technology: LED edgelight system
Display Type: Widescreen Panel Display
Display Screen Coating: Anti-glare treatment of the front polarizer (3H)

P2715Q Pricing expected to be around $899-$999 USD (EDIT: Price is actually $699 USD)

P2415Q Pricing expected to be around $699-$799 USD (EDIT: Price is actually $599 USD)

User guide

They will likely be announced sometime in the next month.

edanuff · Nov 9, 2014

I definitely going for the a pair of the 24" model when they come out, assuming they match the specs and don't have major compatibility problems.

VirtualRain · Nov 9, 2014

edanuff said:
I definitely going for the a pair of the 24" model when they come out, assuming they match the specs and don't have major compatibility problems.

Yeah, I think you and I have been the most active followers of these.

What is your thinking regarding 24" vs 27"... I'm really not sure what's going to look best at a scaled resolution since I'm sure neither are usable at native and I can't sacrifice the screen real-estate to run at 2x (1080p).

edanuff · Nov 10, 2014

Yup, I've been waiting for a better 24" 4K IPS since I tried out the Dell UP2414Q but returned it since MST seemed to have a lot of compatibility problems. For me, 24" 4K is the right form factor and right DPI, but that's personal preference. For 27" displays, BenQ and Asus will be releasing new sub-$1000 IPS monitors in the same timeframe and I'd recommend taking a look at those too, although the Dell 27" is claiming better brightness range.

VirtualRain · Nov 10, 2014

edanuff said:
Yup, I've been waiting for a better 24" 4K IPS since I tried out the Dell UP2414Q but returned it since MST seemed to have a lot of compatibility problems. For me, 24" 4K is the right form factor and right DPI, but that's personal preference. For 27" displays, BenQ and Asus will be releasing new sub-$1000 IPS monitors in the same timeframe and I'd recommend taking a look at those too, although the Dell 27" is claiming better brightness range.

What res or scaling were you using in the UP2414Q?

hkoster1 · Nov 10, 2014

VirtualRain said:
What res or scaling were you using in the UP2414Q?

Well, I can't speak for others. But I've been testing various scalings...

1. Text is a bit too large for my taste with the "best for display" 1920x1080.

2. Text is a bit too small with 2304x1296.

3. I'm using 2018x1152 now (can be found by holding Alt-Option key when hitting on "Scaled" resolutions) and this is my preferred trade-off between text size, available screen real estate and sharpness.

FWIW, I'm also using the UP2414Q with SST at 30Hz. I see no difference in practice compared with MST at 60Hz, except the monitor itself doesn't get as hot, and neither does the GPU in my nMP. I have also removed that Dell DisplayPort to mini-DisplayPort cable in favour of an HDMI cable, since that mini-DisplayPort connector disconnected rather easily from the nMP.

VirtualRain · Nov 10, 2014

hkoster1 said:
Well, I can't speak for others. But I've been testing various scalings...

1. Text is a bit too large for my taste with the "best for display" 1920x1080.

2. Text is a bit too small with 2304x1296.

3. I'm using 2018x1152 now.

That's an interesting choice... 2018x1152 is only about 5% bigger than 1920x1080. I'm surprised you can see much difference. Even 2304x1296 would be big for me.

Colombianito · Nov 11, 2014

What would be the highest res on the 27" with a 2014 13"rmbp running at 60hz? Im very interested in a 27" screen but not willing to drop down to 30hz. As long as a decent res can be run at 60hz I would be happy.

VirtualRain · Nov 11, 2014

Dell P2715Q and P2415Q 4K IPS Displays

Colombianito said:
What would be the highest res on the 27" with a 2014 13"rmbp running at 60hz? Im very interested in a 27" screen but not willing to drop down to 30hz. As long as a decent res can be run at 60hz I would be happy.

I believe if it's a late 2013 rMBP with Iris graphics it can run a 4K display at full resolution at 60Hz.

EDIT: I believe what I said above applies only to the 15" rMBP. The 13" May be limited to 52HZ at 4K.

Gator Bob · Nov 12, 2014

I just installed a UP2414Q monitor flawlessly in under 15 minutes under Yosemite onto my wife’s loaded late 2013 15" Retina MacBookPro, which I then put in clamshell mode. To our aging eyes, the 24” display's crisp, clear fonts and gorgeous graphics seem virtually identical to the Retina display. My display came direct from Dell and Displayport 1.2 @ 60Hz now is the default setting. On my request, Dell matched the Amazon $736 price.

vmacrob · Nov 12, 2014

VirtualRain said:
P2715Q Pricing expected to be around $899-$999 USD

They will likely be announced sometime in the next month.

Looks like the 2715 is available now:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=210-ADOF

$699

Looks promising.

say19 · Nov 12, 2014

Can I ask a mildly dumb question. When people are talking about 2x24" monitors (rather than one 27"), what are they using the two monitors for, typically? (That make two prefered to one large one I mean.)

In the past I have always used one 27" for working and one or two smaller and much cheaper screens for monitoring various things as necessary. But since I have to buy new monitors at this point anyway I figure I should think a little before spending money.

edanuff · Nov 12, 2014

vmacrob said:
Looks like the 2715 is available now

24" is listed now too:

P2415Q $599

VirtualRain · Nov 12, 2014

vmacrob said:
Looks like the 2715 is available now:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=210-ADOF

$699

Looks promising.

Cool... but no sign of them on the Dell.ca site in Canada.

----------

say19 said:
Can I ask a mildly dumb question. When people are talking about 2x24" monitors (rather than one 27"), what are they using the two monitors for, typically? (That make two prefered to one large one I mean.)

In the past I have always used one 27" for working and one or two smaller and much cheaper screens for monitoring various things as necessary. But since I have to buy new monitors at this point anyway I figure I should think a little before spending money.

Of course, everyone's different, but I always want my monitors to match, so I'd rather have two matching 24" monitors than a single 27" and a smaller non-matching monitor. I plan to buy dual 27" screens this time around, but that's not an option for everyone as it can consume a lot of desk space.

edanuff · Nov 12, 2014

VirtualRain said:
Cool... but no sign of them on the Dell.ca site in Canada.

here you go

VirtualRain · Nov 12, 2014

edanuff said:
oops, wrong monitor

Yeah, that's the P2815Q which is the TN panel.

Ok, thanks for the new link... I'm all over it!

UPDATE: I can add it to my cart, but when I called Dell to get a better price, they quoted me a bit of a savings over the phone, but are having difficulty actually doing a quote/taking an order at the moment. It seems their systems are not setup for these panels in Canada just yet. Maybe tomorrow.

It was showing an ETA of Dec. 4th for me online.

Anyone else ordering?

say19 · Nov 12, 2014

Well I'm waiting on a callback so I can order the 27". Here's hoping the issues are all sorted out and this hardware will play nice with the nMP.

UPDATE: Ok well I have to say I am quite impressed with Dell customer service. Dealing with Apple involves phone queues. But Dell have been much more responsive.

Anyway turns out the 2715 and 2415 are being released on Nov 27th in Australia, if anyone was wondering. They are going to call me back on that day so I can place an order. Although I was ready to pony up right away this is not all bad as hopefully I'll have a chance to get some reviews on the monitor.

Anyone who actually gets one please tell us how it turns out!

VirtualRain · Nov 12, 2014

say19 said:
Well I'm waiting on a callback so I can order the 27". Here's hoping the issues are all sorted out and this hardware will play nice with the nMP.

UPDATE: Ok well I have to say I am quite impressed with Dell customer service. Dealing with Apple involves phone queues. But Dell have been much more responsive.

Anyway turns out the 2715 and 2415 are being released on Nov 27th in Australia, if anyone was wondering. They are going to call me back on that day so I can place an order. Although I was ready to pony up right away this is not all bad as hopefully I'll have a chance to get some reviews on the monitor.

Anyone who actually gets one please tell us how it turns out!

Hmm... Maybe that's the case here in Canada as well. It might explain why the displays are currently only found by direct link and not regular navigation and why they are having difficulties quoting it.

It will be interesting to see who gets one first.

I'm looking forward to these almost as much as my Mac Pro this time last year. I just hope they are not a disappointment like so many 4K panels before them. I'm both super impressed with the price but a bit concerned at the same time (too low to be great?).

say19 · Nov 13, 2014

I have no expertise at all in this area, but the tech has developed a bit more now, and maybe with more production coming on line, and more of a market (more people having machines than can run ultra hd displays) they can expect volume sales and so offer lower pricing? And/or they see a chance to undercut everyone else. Oh and also, these monitors are sRGB right? I understand they are cheaper.

There is a sort of "pre-review" here looks very promising.

Re difficulty with a price quote, yes that's exactly what happened to me. When I first spoke to them they had no idea what a "P2715Q" was

.

Anyone have any idea what the pixel density is on the 27" as compared to the 24"? I'd prefer to buy 27" but I'd be prepared to at least consider 24" if that means it is significantly more "retina-like".

Ryan0751 · Nov 13, 2014

These seem so promising!

Who's going to be the guinea pig?

The monitors themselves are pretty hideous. Standard Dell fare... But I like most people are tired of waiting for Apple to come out with a decent monitor!

say19 · Nov 13, 2014

Ryan0751 said:
The monitors themselves are pretty hideous. Standard Dell fare.

I guess. I wouldn't mind a thinner bezel. It's ok though - not stylish at all but I wouldn't say ugly. Just basic.

psymac · Nov 13, 2014

Is there a way to calculate the PPI? Not sure which to choose, either 24 or 27", I'd rather go with 27" if its at or near retina quality.

Edit: OK, found it, about 185 vs 163 ppi, so maybe the 24" is the better choice.

VirtualRain · Nov 13, 2014

say19 said:
Anyone have any idea what the pixel density is on the 27" as compared to the 24"? I'd prefer to buy 27" but I'd be prepared to at least consider 24" if that means it is significantly more "retina-like".

Yeah, as psymac points out, the PPI of the 27" is 163 and the 24" is 185.

PPI calculator here... https://www.sven.de/dpi/

Ryan0751 said:
These seem so promising!

Who's going to be the guinea pig?

The monitors themselves are pretty hideous. Standard Dell fare... But I like most people are tired of waiting for Apple to come out with a decent monitor!

I'll be among the first if I can actually place an order.

As for styling, while there is nothing special about them, I guess we can't expect a lot at these price points. I guess if I wanted them to compromise on anything to achieve these low price points, it would be in the styling dept.

psymac said:
Is there a way to calculate the PPI? Not sure which to choose, either 24 or 27", I'd rather go with 27" if its at or near retina quality.

Edit: OK, found it, about 185 vs 163 ppi, so maybe the 24" is the better choice.

Yeah, I think if you want more of a true Retina x2 scaling experience, then the 24" is as close as you can get in a stand-alone display.

However, I think most people will run them at some scaled resolution between native and x2 retina.

In my experience playing around with the retina iMac and my own rMBP, I tend to prefer a scaling factor around 1.2 to 1.3 which means on the 27" I would run it an effective resolution of 3008x1690 or 3200x1800. And since I'm using these for photography, I want high resolution but I don't want to have to put my nose to the screen to see details in my images... so the 27" seems like a great size in my case.

say19 · Nov 13, 2014

Thanks for all the PPI information; that makes sense. I think in my case I will buy the 27". It will still be a much better screen than what I had before; and I'm fortunate (?) enough never to have owned a retina Mac, so I won't know what I am missing out on.

xav8tor · Nov 14, 2014

I'm seriously thinking about one of these new IPS Dells, BUT, be aware, on their forums, Dell makes it a point to state that they do not test Mac compatibility, nor do they support it, and lay all "blame" on Apple/OS X. The latter I can understand, but it's the way they say it...almost antagonistic. In other words, if you go with Dell, you won't get much, if ANY, support if they even smell a wisp of "Mac related" issue.

As much as I like Apple, even in the post-SJ era, I don't hold out hope for much from them either if it isn't on their "approved" list. SST @ 60 Hz. UHD is still in its infancy, so there WILL be problems. They can be addressed though. I went through the same thing with high def as an early adopter over ten years ago. They said it couldn't be done. Of course, there were work-arounds, and it was done, but early on, it was a huge pain to do.

Dell P2715Q and P2415Q 4K IPS Displays

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