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Dell’s S2721DGFA has had a storied history, starting out as a critically acclaimed 27-in gaming monitor that no one could actually buy, to slowly becoming available over the months and finally now to being a great value option in the wake of several big price cuts.
Today, the S2721DGFA has hit a historic low thanks to a code at the Dell UK site: using the phrase DAE40S at the checkout will knock the price from its usual £329 to just £265.94, a £63 savings and more than £100 cheaper than the same monitor at Amazon. That’s an incredible price for one of the best gaming monitors on the planet.
So why is this monitor so good? Well, there are two answers: the specification of the Fast IPS panel that forms the heart of this monitor and the care and attention that Dell have placed into the extras.
The specs are pretty simple: this is a 27-in 1440p 165Hz monitor that’s also FreeSync and G-Sync Compatible. That ticks all the boxes for mid-range monitor buyers, offering a good size screen that looks both smooth and crisp. Better still, it’s one of LG’s new Fast IPS screens, which combine the motion handling of gaming-focused TN panel monitors with the colours and viewing angles of creative-focused IPS monitors. That results in a screen that simply looks great no matter what you throw at it – slow-paced strategy games, fast-paced competitive shooters or just Netflix videos.
The other side of the coin are those extras. While the S2721DGFA uses the same panel as LG’s own 27GL850, the Dell offers a better stand with more options for adjustment, an integrated USB hub, a 165Hz overclock on the native 144Hz panel and a better collection of on-screen options. That makes the S2721DGFA the better monitor overall, and now it’s cheaper than the £300 27GL850 too.
Are there any downsides to this monitor? Of course, no monitor is perfect – especially one that costs £266. However, the trade-offs here all make sense. 4K screens offer better console compatibility and a crisper look, but tend to cost way more and become twice the price if they’re both 4K and 144Hz. Other monitors also offer better HDR, with this one technically supporting the standard but not really getting bright enough to make HDR highlights worthwhile. However, once again even DisplayHDR 600 monitors start at around £500, and fancier DisplayHDR 1000 monitors that start to rival TVs tend to cost four figures.
So for the money, this is still an awesome monitor. I remember buying an Acer Predator XB271HU monitor for £600 back in 2016. This offers the same core specs – 27-in, 1440p, 165Hz – but the Fast IPS panel has way better motion handling than my old Acer and it costs less than half the price. If that’s not progress, I don’t know what is!
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