The screen in use
In use
For this test, we used the display in USB C HUB mode on a Dell Inspiron 14 plus 7420. Keyboard, mouse, Ethernet and headset connected to the screen. We start with the first problems: the laptop doesn’t charge at 90W, but at 30W max, whereas it can accept 130W in USB C mode. Then, the dock for the Razer Ultimate mouse kept disconnecting, so I ended up using it wired.
The Dell U3423WE has an integrated power supply, which connects directly to the mains without an intermediate transformer.
The MS321UP has four video inputs, including the USB C port for DisplayPort. All these ports are compatible with 3440 x 1440p 10-bit resolution. However, you’ll need a dedicated graphics card with HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.4 video output to switch to 10 bit, as laptop outputs via Intel IGP don’t support this.
As for USB inputs, there’s a USB C port that enables the use of USB ports on the display. But that’s not all, as there’s also the aforementioned USB C port, which does the same thing depending on the source selected (USB C PD or USB C). USB sources can be changed using the display’s built-in KVM switch. So you can use the same keyboard and mouse between a laptop connected to USB C PD and a desktop PC connected to USB C.
On a positive note, the USB C PC port can supply 90W of power, so you can recharge your laptop with it if it supports the display.
Dell’s U3423WE is certainly the best monitor I’ve tested to date in terms of image quality and design. The sRGB and DisplayP3 profiles are just about perfect, despite the 8-bit limitation on my laptop.
We’ll finish our tour of this display with the OSD, which can be controlled via a joystick on the back of the screen. Its basic functions are :
- Up: open OSD.
- Left-Right: quick access, PIP, KVM, brightness, presets
- Bottom: close OSD
- Click: selection
