Dell 6K U3224KB Monitor

[Patchwork]

Well it's now out on sale in the UK, but sold out already....

It could have been a glitch as now showing available for delivery tomorrow

 

[kitsunesoba]

With that price change, feeling a bit of regret for not pulling the trigger yesterday… might just hold off for a month or two and see if it comes back down.

Re: glossy displays, I've also noticed how bad those not made by Apple tend to be. It extends to laptop displays, too. On many it seems like manufacturers didn't apply any kind of antiglare coating whatsoever which makes them basically mirrors. That might be fine in controlled lighting environments, but it's nigh unusable in e.g. a WFH setup in a room with big windows or outdoors. Due to this, when I need to buy a laptop that's not a MacBook it's always something that offers a matte option.

 

[LucasKun]

I feel like most reviewers -- or most people for that matter -- don't understand that some of us want a high PPI display for text clarity and don't care about refresh rate or pixel response time or lack of 6K video content.

My only concerns are excessive backlight bleed and the quality of the matte display. I purchased a UP3218K that had a poor glossy display, so I'd rather have a matte anyway unless Dell is able to improve their version of glossy.

Exactly, text clarity! Sorry to hear the 8K screen didn't work out. We have big expectations on U3224KB.

 

[CWallace]

Have to say I think this monitor might be on my short-list besides the Samsung ViewFinity S9.

 

[dbrewood]

It could have been a glitch as now showing available for delivery tomorrow

So I've now seen. Starting to arrange funds

 

[Freida]

Same here. I'll just wait for the version without the camera but so far the reviews are very positive. 32" + 6K for a great price = win win

Have to say I think this monitor might be on my short-list besides the Samsung ViewFinity S9.

 

[dbrewood]

Happy with the camera as it'll mean I can get rid of my old Logi web cam.

 

[Freida]

Good for you. For me, my aesthetic side doesn't allow me to have such visual monster on my desk

Happy with the camera as it'll mean I can get rid of my old Logi web cam.

 

[dbrewood]

LOL, the Logitech is big enough as it is.

Question guys, with my Mac Mini M2 Pro the current monitor is an aged Samsung 34" UW (3440 x 1440) which has to be connected via HDMI as when it is connected via DisplayPort it has wake issues.

I'm hoping with the U3224KB that I can switch to using ThunderBolt4 - I'm assuming I can therefore connect any TB port on the back of the Mini to the TB4 (upstream) on the monitor. Is this correct?



I'm also thinking that the TB4 will allow me to use the USB-A ports as hub ports and also for device charging?
The network port (9) I'm thinking would not be used with a Mac at all?

Sorry for the questions but I'm a relative newbie to newer tech on monitors Any answers / clarification appreciated.

 

[enc0re]

Yes, you should have a one cable connection with TB4 and the monitor will serve as a hub for further USB connections. You can also plug Ethernet into the network port. Not relevant for the Mac mini but convenient for hooking up laptops.

 

[dbrewood]

Great so I'm right in that I should connect any TB port on the back of the Mini to the TB4 (upstream) port on the monitor?

 

[theorist9]

Precisely this, I've never heard the matte effect described so well as your "snowfield" comment. Just plain white has this subtle colorful carpet on it, small amounts of different colors being refracted. Of course this is the direct effect of the coating, it's the surface roughness itself which causes a random refraction of rays. It also causes a different pattern as a function of viewing angle, which causes each eye to see something slightly different. This makes it harder for the eye/brain to exactly focus and contributes to slight fatigue. Matte is about the right balance of diffusing outside reflections without losing the microcontrast of the pixels directly below the coating. It's not an easy game. What we don't know is to what degree the internal development team inside Dell takes this into account as a function of PPI. I really hope they took special care of this 6K screen.

The 220 PPI glossy screens on Mac Book Pro is just amazing for text, so sharp, so kind on the eyes (in absence of reflections). That is partly due to the high PPI, partly due to the absence of matte diffusing light locally and losing microcontrast. It's precisely this experience I'm looking forward to on U3224KB. With it's fantastic PPI it should deliver, provided the matte is "light" enough to prevent the "snowfield effect" from ruining it.

Currently I see no other 31.5 inch option, the XDR is ridiculously expensive, and the connectivity is BS. I want dual use with a M2 Pro Mac Mini and my laptop from work. The connectivity of the Dell with both HDMI/TB4/mDP and all the USB + network, with KVM included, is miles and miles ahead of XDR.

So please share links here for in-depth reviews describing the matte strength and perceived sharpness!

And speaking of matte finishes: I find that Apple's nano-textured finish goes, unfortunately, in the opposite direction of what you and I prefer. It's very strong, which makes it better for controlling reflections than anything else I've seen, but is also very distracting for text work. It's seems that it's been highly optimized for photo/video editing.

I have a Dell P2715Q 4K, and its matte finish is pretty nice, so hopefully the U3224KB will be as good or better. Though I'm spoiled by my glossy iMac display.

Next time you have a chance, you should check out the 14"/16" AS MBP displays, which are 254 ppi; when I viewed them in the Apple Store, they seemed a bit sharper than the glossy ASD. I'm not sure if that was due to the difference in pixel density, or some other effect.

Just as a point of interest: Oneother place this is an issue is with front projectors, since projector screens always have textured coatings, and those vary widely. I went through a lot of samples before I found one that didn't give me a distracting snowfield effect (aka sparkle and texture artifacts).

 

[TechnoGeek666]

I purchased one yesterday. The reduced price of $2599.99 got me. It will be shipped on Monday. I have a Mac Studio and an older Surface Pro with a mini display port for work. I bought the Studio Display and had to purchase a Microsoft Dock to enable the user of the Surface. That was $229! It bugged me having to unplug the thunderbolt cable from my personal computer to my work computer throughout the day. I’m excited about the KVM switch.

I almost bought the XDR but I could not bring myself to spend that much money. I love the Apple monitors resolution and I’m hoping this Dell will be good. I’m very picky about resolution and color.

 

[i486dx2-66]

Honestly, the more customers that will show them the finger the more quality we will get in the end.

This is a tricky one, because Apple has already shown that they were content to not be in the monitor business at all - and if the sales didn't justify the R&D or production costs, Apple could just exit that market again. 😐

Instead, I'm hoping that Dell and Samsung put significant price pressure on Apple - enough that Apple sees an impact in their sales figures, and responds with a modest price decrease - but not so much pressure that they discontinue or halt R&D on future displays.

 

[Freida]

Yeah, that is a reasonable thinking. However, we don't really need a stand for $999. Don't get me wrong, the stand is awesome but the price isn't. At some point someone needs to say - hey, we went too far.

So honestly, yeah - lets hope Samsung and Dell do really well with these so Apple will adjust because I'm sure there is tons of money on the table if Apple is willing to cater bigger audience.

A lot of us want bigger screen but a lot of us don't need 'reference' style monitor so the price tag is simply out of reach for us.

This is a tricky one, because Apple has already shown that they were content to not be in the monitor business at all - and if the sales didn't justify the R&D or production costs, Apple could just exit that market again. 😐

Instead, I'm hoping that Dell and Samsung put significant price pressure on Apple - enough that Apple sees an impact in their sales figures, and responds with a modest price decrease - but not so much pressure that they discontinue or halt R&D on future displays.

 

[dbrewood]

Guys I’m still nervous with respect to connecting my Mini M2 Pro to the upstream TB4 port on the monitor. I know Dell say that is the port to connect to, but that port can supply (I think) 140W of power to charge a MacBook.
I’m concerned that all those Watts will be hitting one of the TB4 ports on the Mini. Please tell me I’m worrying needlessly. I’ve no idea of the ports ‘wiring’ specifications but it still worries me.
I guess any Apple Silicon devices that are ‘mains supply’ powered like the Silicon Minis or Studio’s will all connect the same way so I should’ve worry, but ………
If anyone can put me out of my misery, so I can order, it’d be greatly appreciated.

 

[Freida]

Why do you worry? Whats the problem. You connect it and you get on with your life.

Guys I’m still nervous with respect to connecting my Mini M2 Pro to the upstream TB4 port on the monitor. I know Dell say that is the port to connect to, but that port can supply (I think) 140W of power to charge a MacBook.
I’m concerned that all those Watts will be hitting one of the TB4 ports on the Mini. Please tell me I’m worrying needlessly. I’ve no idea of the ports ‘wiring’ specifications but it still worries me.
I guess any Apple Silicon devices that are ‘mains supply’ powered like the Silicon Minis or Studio’s will all connect the same way so I should’ve worry, but ………
If anyone can put me out of my misery, so I can order, it’d be greatly appreciated.

 

[Macdude2010]

Guys I’m still nervous with respect to connecting my Mini M2 Pro to the upstream TB4 port on the monitor. I know Dell say that is the port to connect to, but that port can supply (I think) 140W of power to charge a MacBook.
I’m concerned that all those Watts will be hitting one of the TB4 ports on the Mini. Please tell me I’m worrying needlessly. I’ve no idea of the ports ‘wiring’ specifications but it still worries me.
I guess any Apple Silicon devices that are ‘mains supply’ powered like the Silicon Minis or Studio’s will all connect the same way so I should’ve worry, but ………
If anyone can put me out of my misery, so I can order, it’d be greatly appreciated.

USB/Thunderbolt is smarter than that. It can negotiate whatever wattage it needs, in this case because the Mac Mini is a desktop computer, it won‘t try to pull any power from the monitor and will only transfer data from the port.

 

[dbrewood]

Thanks for that I feel much reassured.

 

[SheridanMac]

I looked at the product listing for this display the day it came out and saw the 20% public discount automatically applied on its page, but that appears to be gone, and it's back to $3199. Does that leave credit card promotions as the only way to get a discount on it or are there Dell promotions that one just has to more aggressively look for?

 

[theorist9]

I looked at the product listing for this display the day it came out and saw the 20% public discount automatically applied on its page, but that appears to be gone, and it's back to $3199. Does that leave credit card promotions as the only way to get a discount on it or are there Dell promotions that one just has to more aggressively look for?

I'd first try to get a 10% coupon off via a new account discount, then contact them via phone or chat and ask for the 20% off on top of it, mentioning that others had also gotten the 20% off when it was first posted.

Can't hurt to ask, and the chat/phone folks may be on commission, and would thus be motivated to do what they can to make the sale.

 

[foo2]

Dell chat just refused my request to get a pricematch to $2432.

They had no counteroffer.

 

[tomwilson]

Really hope they do a version without the ugly ass camera lol

 

[dbrewood]

I can’t see them doing that.

 

[dbrewood]

Another question…. To link this to my Mac Mini M2 Pro would I be best using Thunderbolt 4, HDMI or look to buy a Thunderbolt to mini-DisplayPort adaptor?
I’m thinking use Thunderbolt 4 but thought I’d ask in case I’m missing something.