Dell announces a new 27-inch LCD monitor--and we've already tested it
Dell 2707WFP
(Credit: Dell)This morning at CES, Dell announced its new 27-inch LCD monitor, the Dell UltraSharp 2707WFP. We were lucky to get our hands on an early review sample, and Matthew Wood from CNET Labs has already been able to do a lot of hands-on testing. We'll be following up with a full review of the 2707WFP--with a more rigorous performance analysis--after CES, but we've done enough testing to give some substantial first impressions. The Dell 2707WFP is available immediately with a hefty price tag of $1,400.
Design
We've liked a lot of Dell monitors in the past, but we've often felt their design was a little bland. That's definitely not the case with the 2707WFP. It's got a sleek design with a silver finish that is complemented nicely by the aluminum chassis and black glass base. Glitzy aesthetics aside, the design offers some solid usability and ergonomic perks as well. We enjoyed the wide swivel range (40 degrees left and right) as well as its ability to tilt (3 degrees backward, 21 degrees forward). It's also height-adjustable, within a range of 90mm up or down. And thanks to the easy-to-use front-panel menu buttons, we had no trouble navigating the onscreen display.
Manufacturer's specs
- Resolution: 1,920x1,200 pixels
- 92-percent color gamut
- Dot pitch: .303 mm
- Pixel-response rate: 6ms
- Contrast ratio: 1,000:1
- Viewing angle: +/- 89 degrees vertical, +/- 89 degrees horizontal
- Connectivity: DVI, VGA, Component, S-Video and Composite
- HDCP-compliant
- 9-in-2 media card reader, picture-in-picture
As one would expect from a $1,400 monitor, the 2707WFP delivers an impressive roster of features. It has both VGA and DVI connectivity--the latter being HDCP compliant--and there's more video connectivity available via component video, S-Video, and composite video inputs. In addition to video connectivity, the 2707WFP offers four USB ports, a 9-in-2 media card reader, and picture-in-picture functionality. There's no HDMI connectivity, but that can be remedied by a simple HDMI-to-DVI dongle.
Performance
Our initial hands-on testing of the 2707WFP indicated that it delivers the sort of strong performance we'd expect in this price class. It scored very well on our CNET Labs' DisplayMate benchmarks tests--a 79 overall, which is one of the highest scores we've seen. We followed up our benchmark tests with additional testing of video program material and gaming, both of which yielded mostly solid results. We also intend to fully test the 2707WFP's capabilities for more advanced imaging tasks, given its wider-than-average 92- percent color gamut.
Taken together, we think the 2707WFP will be a very strong contender for those with a big budget who are looking for a big-screen LCD. The $1,400 price tag is a little high, and anyone who doesn't need all that screen real estate can definitely find relatively large but cheaper LCDs like the HP LP2465, which is available online for less than $800. On the other hand, the 2707WFP certainly has the features and--from our initial tests--the performance to warrant the extra money from those in the market for a giant-screen PC monitor. However, if you can do without some of the extras on the 2707WFP, Dell is currently running a promotion on the even larger (albeit older) 30-inch 3007WFP for almost the same price ($1,360).
