Solid gaming screen needs more nits in SDR

I’m a Junior Analyst focused on reviewing computer accessories, laptops, gaming monitors, and video games. I’ve been writing, playing, and complaining about games for as long as I remember, but it wasn’t until recently that I’ve been able to shout my opinions directly at a larger audience. My work has appeared on iMore, Windows Central, Android Central, and TWICE, and I have a diverse portfolio of editing work under my belt, from my time spent at Scholastic and Oxford University Press.

While the Dell 32 4K UHD Gaming Monitor offers a solid HDR implementation, a lightweight frame, and even HDMI 2.1 ports, its low brightness and high input lag steal its visual thunder.

Dell monitors have long proven themselves to be reliable pillars of productivity, delivering high-quality displays for office and home use. Its gaming monitors are usually reserved for Alienware, the company's gaming subsidiary, but occasionally a Dell-branded gaming monitor does drop, like the Dell 32 4K UHD Gaming Monitor ($824.99). It's equipped with everything a modern gamer needs, including high-refresh-capable HDMI 2.1 ports and solid maximum brightness when viewing HDR content. But this high-res panel's measured standard brightness (SDR) levels and input lag fail to impress. For about the same price, you can grab our Editors' Choice pick for 4K gaming monitors, the MSI Optix MPG321UR-QD.

Let's start with the basics. The Dell 32 4K UHD Gaming Monitor (model G3223Q) rocks a simple and familiar design, with ultra-thin bezels around its top and sides, allowing maximum screen size with a minimal chassis.

The large base beneath allows the monitor to swivel almost a full 180 degrees, while also offering a generous tilt and height adjustment. Turning the monitor around, you’ll find a ridged V-shaped arch traced with the monitor’s sole LED light. And at the edge, four buttons and the onscreen display (OSD) joystick help you navigate the monitor's screen options, which allow you to choose among the monitor’s preset game modes, adjust response time, and even activate a Console mode if you’re gaming on a console instead of a PC.

The 32-inch 4K display uses a Fast IPS panel, which, according to Dell, is capable of a 1ms gray-to-gray (GTG) response time. The monitor is also rated for VESA DisplayHDR 600 and 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. We’ll get into what all that means in our test analysis a little later.

A closer look at the I/O cluster reveals some niceties, namely the two HDMI 2.1 ports, which allow up to 144Hz gaming (or 120Hz, if you’re playing on a Sony PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X) at 4K resolution. Additional ports include a DisplayPort input, two USB Type-A ports, one USB Type-B upstream connection, a headphone jack, and a security-cable lock notch based on the Kensington standard. A USB Type-C port is noticeably absent from the port options, but as a consolation prize you get three cables in the box: HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort, and USB 3.2. There's also a VESA mount.

Bulky base aside, the monitor is surprisingly lightweight, weighing just 13.3 pounds. Despite having a full 5 inches of additional screen space compared with 27-inch monitors, it weighs less than many of them, including the HP Omen 27u 4K and the Sony Inzone M9. And at 16.8 by 28.6 by 2.7 inches (HWD), it’s svelte, as well, fitting nicely on smaller desks.

Now, back to the display itself for a moment. Dell uses a Fast IPS panel, different than normal IPS panels found on most gaming monitors and laptops. Fast IPS panels can deliver up to four times quicker response time than normal IPS panels can. Dell advertises its monitor response times using GTG, a measurement of pixel speed that describes how long it takes for a pixel to go from one gray level to the next.

The thing is, GTG is not a standardized metric; each vendor measures levels differently. On a quantitative note, PCMag uses input lag to measure a monitor’s responsiveness. (Read more about how we test monitors.) Input lag is the amount of time it takes for the monitor to display the received signal, while response time is the time it takes for pixels to change from one color to the next. Monitors can have low response times and high input-lag rates, and vice versa. This is important to remember as we move into our testing section below.

Now that we know what Dell says its 32-inch UHD 4K monitor can do, we'll investigate those claims by putting it through a few real-world tests: tests with Datacolor’s SpyderX Elite(Opens in a new window)  tool, our HDFury Diva input lag tester, and some good old-fashioned gaming.

In our first test set, we measure brightness, contrast ratio, and color gamut using the SpyderX Elite with the display in its default picture mode with an SDR signal.

The Dell 32-inch 4K UHD squeaked out a low brightness of 189 nits in SDR mode and a black level of 0.22, which yields a contrast ratio of 850:1. A 1,000:1 contrast ratio is typical of an IPS-panel-based gaming monitor, so the Dell monitor falls a bit short, but the low brightness is the real thorn in its side.

With that being said, HDR results fared much better. Running the brightness test again with HDR turned on, the Dell 32 4K UHD climbs to 495 nits. That's shy of the DisplayHDR 600 standard, but a good HDR number nevertheless and brighter than its older cousin, the Dell U3219Q 4K.

Our color-gamut testing proved positive as well, with the Dell 32 4K UHD clocking 100% of sRGB coverage, 89% of Adobe RGB, and 94% of DCI-P3. That's a good color range for a monitor under $1,000, if not as striking as the similarly priced MSI Optix MPG321UR-QD.

The color accuracy results are fine for a gaming panel, with an average Delta E of 1.41. Content creators and designers who work in color-sensitive programs may already know that the higher the Delta E value is, the further a common color strays from its purest form.

Before we get into playing games and watching movies on a monitor, we run one last benchmark (and perhaps the most important for hardcore gamers). Using the HDFury Diva, we measured input lag of 14.7 milliseconds, surprisingly high for a gaming monitor. Now mind you, 15 milliseconds or below is good enough for most gamers, but if you take esports seriously, you’re going to want a monitor with as little input lag as possible. The Dell 32 4K UHD should be fine for normal play, but the esports crowd might want to look for a sub-1ms competitor like the ViewSonic Elite XG320U.

After benchmarking the monitor, the next part of our testing comes from actually using the monitor to play games and watch movies. For this test, I brought out Doom, the fast-paced shooter from 2016, and Halo Infinite, which both performed admirably. I noted no ghosting from either game, thanks to the monitor’s super-low response time. However, the screen’s low brightness was noticeable, just as it was when I watched the 4K Costa Rica(Opens in a new window) test footage. Overall quality was great, but the standard brightness is just so noticeably low that it was jarring.

The Dell 32 4K UHD is not a bad monitor. Its simple and lightweight design is sure to please, and its display panel provides some excellent visuals while watching videos or playing games. It’s just a shame the display is so dim with SDR content and the input lag isn't close to field-leading—two red flags that hold the monitor back from greatness.

If you find yourself leaning into HDR gaming and don’t often play games that involve lightning-fast reflexes, then the Dell 32 4K UHD is a reliable choice, especially for those who want higher frame rates out of their console games. For others looking for a better all-around 4K gaming package, the MSI Optix MPG321UR-QD is an excellent like-sized alternative. And if peak resolution doesn't matter as much as performance, then we suggest the MSI Oculux NXG253R for high-FPS 1080p play.

While the Dell 32 4K UHD Gaming Monitor offers a solid HDR implementation, a lightweight frame, and even HDMI 2.1 ports, its low brightness and high input lag steal its visual thunder.

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I’m a Junior Analyst focused on reviewing computer accessories, laptops, gaming monitors, and video games. I’ve been writing, playing, and complaining about games for as long as I remember, but it wasn’t until recently that I’ve been able to shout my opinions directly at a larger audience. My work has appeared on iMore, Windows Central, Android Central, and TWICE, and I have a diverse portfolio of editing work under my belt, from my time spent at Scholastic and Oxford University Press.

I have a few book-author credits under my belt—I’ve contributed to the sci-fi anthology Under New Suns, and I’ve even written a Peppa Pig book.

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