Sharon Harding
Every year, the Consumer Electronics Show brings a ton of new computer monitor announcements, and it’s often hard to figure out what’s worth paying attention to. As for this year’s hottest models, there were two notable themes.
First of all, my complaint about not having enough OLED monitors in 2022 was mostly resolved this year. CES revealed many plans for OLED monitors in 2024, many of which should be sized to fit desktop computers. This includes the introduction of 32-inch, non-curved QD-OLED options and other small screens for people who expect OLED monitors in a wider variety of form factors.
Second, with more people blending their work and home lives these days, CES hinted that the line between gaming monitors and premium monitors used for general or even professional purposes will become even more blurred in the future. We’re not at the point where the best productivity monitor and the ideal gaming monitor are perfectly matched in one product. But this week’s announcements have us imagining ways future monitors can better serve users with serious tasks. and interests play.
For now, here are the most interesting monitors from CES 2024.
Dell UltraSharps reached 120 Hz
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Dell has begun adding 120Hz models to its UltraSharp lineup.
Sharon Harding
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This monitor is VESA DisplayHDR 600 certified.
Dell
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Ports include Thunderbolt 4 with 140W power transfer. Next to the chin of the monitor is a box of ports that can be opened.
Dell
Dell UltraSharp monitors have long attracted workers and creatives, and with USB-C connectivity, even Mac users. The last few CES shows have seen Dell trying to improve its lineup, with the most notable innovation being the introduction of IPS Black. With CES 2024, however, Dell focused on improved video resolution.
Dell’s UltraSharp 40 Curved Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U4025QW), pictured above, is a 39.7-inch ultrawide display with a 5120×2160 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Since most monitors are still designed for workers using 60 Hz, this is a big step up for people with systems that can support 11,059,200 pixels at 120 frames per second. Such speeds have been relegated to gaming monitors for a while, but as TVs move to higher refresh rates (promoted by gaming consoles), more people are getting used to faster screens. With other attributes like the 2500R curve, we wouldn’t blame the folks for playing light on the U4025QW either.
But Dell says that increasing the refresh rate is about improving eye comfort. The UltraSharp U4025QW is one of two monitors with 5-star certification from TÜV Rheinland’s new Eye Comfort program, which Dell helped create, a Dell spokesperson told me at a press event last month.
According to TÜV, the certification program is “no longer limited to the old low-blue light or flicker-free labels” and now “covers a wider range of safety indicators such as ambient brightness, color temperature adjustment and adjustment, and brightness.” New requirements include brightness and color temperature control for different ambient lighting. Dell’s ultrawide system covers this with an integrated ambient light sensor.
The certification also calls for a minimum refresh rate of 120 Hz, which is probably where Dell got that number from. A Dell spokesperson confirmed to Ars that using IPS Black did not affect the monitor’s ability to receive TÜV certifications, and could theoretically earn five stars with another panel type, such as VA.
Dell announced that it would bring 120Hz to its UltraSharp lineup in November, when it debuted two 24-inch and two 27-inch UltraSharp monitors with 120Hz refresh rates. At CES, Dell proved that this upgrade wasn’t a fluke that trickled down to the smaller UltraSharps, bringing the refresh rate to its top-of-the-line ultrawide 5K Thunderbolt 4 monitor.
The U4025QW features an updated version of ComfortView Plus, which uses hardware to reduce blue light levels. I found it worked without turning colors yellowish like some other blue light fighting methods. After not significantly updating the ComfortView Plus since its 2020 release, Dell says it now uses “more advanced LED backlighting” to reduce the impact of blue light from 50 percent to 35 percent.
Although the effects are minimal. Figures provided by Dell claim that reduced blue light exposure can reduce eye strain by 8 percent after 50 minutes, but we have to take that with a grain of salt. It’s nearly impossible to measure how well blue light reduction methods work from person to person.
The UltraSharp U4025QW starts at $2,400 on February 27.