Hands On with the Dell 27 Plus 4K Monitor

For those who game and work on the same screen, the new Dell Plus 27 is a fantastic jack-of-all-trades mid-range monitor with a gorgeous 27-inch, 120Hz, 4k display , and a simple, understated design. It's one of the first products released as part of Dell's new naming convention, where everything falls under the Dell brand name with simple designations like Pro, Plus, Max, etc. 

Photo: Microsoft/New Blood Interactive/Jacob Bobo 

Whether you’re gaming, working, or just watching YouTube, it's a monitor that has a little bit for everyone. It's also got one or two tricks up its sleeve for anyone with limited desk space.

Desk Footprint

I’m hard pressed to imagine a place this monitor won’t fit. I’ve got a large desk, but one that’s already cluttered with all sorts of ephemera from my ever-growing list of projects, and the Dell 27 Plus fits perfectly in conjunction with my second 27-inch monitor, no issues whatsoever. 

A small but basic rectangle serves as its base, with a traditional pole as its support. However, unlike other monitors I have used previously, the base is completely flat, helping it blend in with its surroundings and making it usable for storage and/or knick knacks, depending on your taste in desk accessories. 

The Dell Plus 27 model I tested has fairly comprehensive positioning options, able to move up and down several inches and rotate on the horizontal axis. It can even be rotated vertically for those looking for a unique two-monitor setup. There are two speakers built into the monitor that work well enough if you don’t have an alternative, but I also recommend stand-alone speakers or a nice headset if you’re an audiophile.

Ports and Connections

It's important to plan your connections properly. For example, the standard Dell Plus 27 S2725QS has two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort connection. All three ports can handle 4K/120Hz input and packed in the box is a 1.8m DisplayPort cable. 

The specific unit I spent my hands-on time with is a variant called the S2725QC, that ditches the DisplayPort, but adds a UBC-C input and adds a pop-out USB-A/USB-C connection hub from the bottom of the monitor. The monitors are otherwise identical, and having DisplayPort gives the QS model a more professional edge. 

Photo: Jacob Bobo 

Gaming and Working

I spent a few days with the Dell Plus 27, using it for both work and gaming, and really enjoyed my time with it. While it doesn’t match the top gaming monitors (a 120Hz refresh rate with AMD FreeSync is solid but a bit low for esports) or best creative ones (if you’re working with photo and video editing, I’d recommend checking out the upcoming OLED monitors for better color), for someone like me who does a bit of everything, it’s perfect. 

There are a plethora of settings to dial into the exact color gradient and brightness you need for whatever you’re doing. Gaming? Set it up with one of the cavalcade of options, including RTS, FPS,  and RPG. Working? Standard or warm are great options for every-day use and those sensitive to blue light. Doing a little bit of everything? Standard is a great jack-of-all. If none of the presets are quite what you’re looking for, however, the Dell Plus 27 also allows for deep customization in gain, offset, hue, and saturation. 

When it comes to gaming, I spent most of my time with Ultrakill, a blazing fast, blink-and-you’re-dead boomer shooter - perfect for testing out how a monitor looks when it's overloaded with color and movement. And the Dell Plus did not disappoint. Even at 4k the display was crisp and clear which unfortunately meant I only had myself to blame for each of my many deaths. 

I spent some time with the old Overwatch 2 standby as well, and was thoroughly impressed by the depth of color and responsiveness. I never noticed any ghosting or blurriness and the game felt as snappy as ever. Which meant that any loss, like before, was unfortunately my own.

If you’re looking for a mid-range monitor that can do double or even triple duty, the Dell 27 Plus is a fantastic option. While it’s not dedicated to gaming or work, as a jack-of-all-trades monitor, it performs wonderfully, especially for anyone with limited desk space, and at a very reasonable price.