Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitor, Black

Bought this monitor to replace my 6 year old 24 inch TN dell. Unlike some other brands, Dell never let me down. Its not a coincidence that most IT companies use Dell. So when I saw this 2012 model still best selling and having rave reviews, I knew it must be a good buy. And indeed, the user feedback is justified. This is a huge improvement over my old TN screen. I didnt even realize how off the colors of the TN display were till I put two monitors side by side. No more blurry dark mess on top of the screen and no more an overly bright bottom. The backlight is even, no noticeable leaking, viewing angles are awesome. On my old monitor, I had to readjust the screen constantly (which wasnt really helping much). Other less major, but very nice features are: - The brightness can be set extremely low. On my old display, I kept it at 0, which is equal to only about 22 on this one, which means Ill be able to lower it even further if I decide to work at night without lights on. - The height adjustment can be set exceptionally high, and the stands base isnt very thick or large, which allows the keyboard to be put over it, if desired. Together this eliminates a need in a Vesa mount. Though I might still mount it because I like to push and pull my monitors a lot. - It has a blue led, which is the new green.

I purchased this monitor after hearing positive feedback from a couple of my friends who have this monitor as well as my own positive experience when testing this monitor on their PCs. The primarily glowing reviews here and elsewhere online confirmed the positive impressions that I had already developed for this monitor. So my expectations were high. Im going to begin this review with a problem that I had and end with the good stuff. If it wasnt for the flaw described below I would have given this monitor a solid 5 star rating. I cant recall reading any other reviews detailing the flaw that Im about to describe so I thought it wise to mention it in the event that anyone reading these reviews may encounter it themselves. The monitor it had a subtle flaw. A portion of the right hand 1/3 of the screen was slightly dimmer than the rest of the screen. It looked like a very subtle gray tint. It was probably an uneven distribution of brightness / luminance, possibly a backlighting problem. I understand that some unevenness in brightness / luminance can be expected but it should only be noticeable when testing / measuring with calibration software and not to the naked eye. The dimmer area of this monitor was visible to the naked eye. There was no way to adjust the problem away. It was most noticeable on a white background. I spend most of my time in Excel, Word, etc. so I always saw that slightly dimmer right hand 1/3 of the screen. I also use a live real-time stock quotation system that has numerous charts with white backgrounds so the charts on the right portion of the screen always appeared slightly dimmer with that grayish tint compared to the other charts. The problem was also noticeable on light colors. For example, if a light yellow or pink color filled the screen, the section of the monitor on the right 1/3 of the screen that was dimmer gave the light yellow and pink colors a slightly very subtle grayish tint. If the screen was filled with a fluorescent green, the same portion of the monitor with the problem had a slightly duller less bright fluorescent green color. The problem was not as obvious on really dark colors or video, but colors were less vibrant and rich. However, I played a couple of videos where there was a white background and paused the image and if the image was paused you could see the dimmer right hand portion of the screen even with a video. If it wasnt for this problem of a slightly very subtle dimmer section of the monitor, the positives were everything that I had experienced when testing this at my friends house and everything positive that I have read in all of these reviews. But since I hadnt read anything negative in these comments about the particular problem that I had experienced I decided that hopefully it was simply a flaw in this particular monitor that had been shipped to me. So I returned the monitor. I was willing to give this monitor another chance and simply wanted to exchange the flawed monitor for the exact same model. Well, upon receiving the replacement monitor I found that it had an uneven distribution of brightness / luminance on both sides of the screen. Less so than the original monitor on the right side but now the left side of the replacement had a touch of the same problem. I decided the original looked better and decided to keep it and return the replacement. Now the good stuff. If it wasnt for the flaw that I just described, the following comments would have warranted a solid 5 star rating for this monitor. I have not made any adjustments to the image at all because everything looks perfect to me right out of the box, at least to my naked eye. The colors are vibrant, rich, and natural. There is no greenish or bluish tint or any other color tint that some people seem to have noticed with their monitors (when using the color setting Standard preset mode). The movie mode setting gave the screen a bluish tint and the multimedia mode setting gave the screen a slightly yellowish tint. The text mode setting was much too dark for my personal liking. Text is crisp and sharp. I have no dead or stuck pixels. There is no backlight leakage visible to my naked eye. And there is no color bleeding. I quickly decided the Standard mode setting configuration was best for me. I made absolutely no adjustments and even video looks stunning in Standard mode. In fact, I prefer videos in the Standard mode rather than the movie or multimedia modes. Unlike most of the reviewers here who turn the brightness down to about 35, Im one of those people who like a nice bright screen and find the factory pre-set 75 level to be just perfect for my eyes. The anti-glare hard coating is typical of what you would find on most anti-glare monitors and does what its supposed to do without degrading the image quality. You can see a touch of the anti-glare coating on an all white screen background, but otherwise it is unnoticeable. If you spend all day in Excel with a white background like I do you will slightly notice it if you stare hard at the screen and think about it. But if you have previously used anti-glare monitors you wont consciously be aware of it or notice it. If you are currently a glossy screen user, you may be slightly conscious of it on a white background, but as I said it wont degrade or diminish the quality of your screen image. The stand is excellent. Very sturdy and offers a full range of height, tilt and swivel adjustments. As previously mentioned, I use this monitor primarily for business applications. If I were to use this for professional photography or video editing I would probably want to be sure I had the most accurate settings possible and would have the monitor calibrated or at least use one of the ICC Profiles for this monitor on the TFT Central web site. I did look at the test images on the lagom.nl/lcd-test/ web site and this monitor tested very well on most of the images. The only images that showed possible adjustments are necessary were the white saturation images and the gamma calibration. But this Dell monitor tested extremely close to those images right out of the box. The other test images showed the monitor was very well tuned. But as I said, to my naked eyes, colors look accurate and the image is absolutely beautiful right out of the box! Photos that Ive taken are displayed with accurate colors on the monitor and look just as they should. However, if youre a professional photographer the higher end Dell U2410 offers better color management with the color space having a wide gamut (102% NTSC) and this Dell U2412M having the standard gamut / sRGB (71% NTSC). Essentially, I was actually shocked that the image looked so good right out of the box and had fully expected to spend time calibrating or doing some sort of minimal tweaking to perfect the image. Thankfully, that was not necessary. Its almost as if the monitor was factory calibrated. Of course your monitor image is only going to be as good as your graphics card allows so be sure that you have a reasonably high end video/graphics card installed in your PC with the most current drivers. Since I use this monitor primarily for business, I run my stock quotation system and Excel all day long. One of the primary considerations in buying this monitor was the higher screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 since I need to maximize and make the most efficient use of my screen real estate space in order to display as much data and as many charts as possible at the same time. This monitor is perfect for providing that additional screen space. Most of my Excel spreadsheets are zoomed down to 80% with font sizes averaging 8 to 10 points. Even with worksheets zoomed down to 80%, the 8-10 point font sizes are crisp, clear, and sharp. I did make one change to how Windows handles font displays however. I was previously using windows font smoothing set to standard, which is probably the default setting. At this setting the text is crisp and sharp but I found it a little thin. So I changed the smoothing to ClearType, which made the text look a little fuller and darker, but still sharp and crisp. I prefer this setting on this higher resolution monitor. Its a matter of personal preference. So this monitor is perfect for investment managers, traders, technical chart analysts, or financial analysts in general. Its also great for people who spend considerable time in database applications. If you think you need a 27 monitor for these purposes plan on spending a minimum of $1,000 for the same specifications or better, and the features and customization capability of this 24 Dell U2412M. Do the extra 3 inches justify the big jump in price? But one distinct advantage of a larger monitor would be the ability to run at an even higher resolution than this Dell thus providing even more screen real estate space. When playing a video on this monitor either on YouTube or from any other source, a HD video will fill the screen width but you will see black bands on the top and bottom of the screen since it is a higher resolution than a standard HD monitor with a resolution of only 1920 x 1080. If you watch a movie shot with anamorphic widescreen lenses (usually Panavision) at a 2.39:1 aspect ratio or a movie shot with spherical lenses and cropped to a 2.35:1 aspect ratio (Super 35), you will notice much larger black bands on the top and bottom of the screen than you would see on a lower resolution monitor. The letterboxing effect is more noticeable on this higher resolution monitor. Thats not a negative; its just the result of a higher resolution. Movies shot with the best equipment (Panavision cameras and lenses) look stunning and sharp. Videos shot with a RED digital cinema camera and lenses, or even better with Panavision lenses, also look stunning and sharp. Movies shot anamorphically look the most stunning when Panavision anamorphic lenses were used. Other anamorphic widescreen lenses dont seem quite as sharp and can display a few moderate visual distortions, but then that is most likely the quality of the lens and not the fault of the Dell monitor. YouTube videos shot with reasonably high end HD cameras also look fairly sharp. Of course most of them are not professionally shot so YouTube videos are not the best judge of video images on this monitor. But for those YouTubers who take a professional approach and know what theyre doing and use high end software for editing and color correction, such as Final Cut Pro X, the images look great on this monitor. Of course the video quality for DVD and Blu-ray will also depend on the quality of the mastering of those disks. Im not a big gamer so I havent yet tested any video games on this monitor. I would definitely recommend this monitor. If youre looking for a reasonably priced IPS panel LED LCD 24 monitor with good viewing angles this monitor fits the bill. If you need extra screen real estate space, the higher resolution 1920 x 1200 gives you much more extra space. If you want a monitor with a slightly higher brightness capability of 300 cd/m2 versus the average 250 cd/m2 for this price range or lower, then this monitor will give it to you. If HDMI is a requirement for you, this monitor does not have that connection. It was not an issue for me so I cant give this monitor a reduced rating for its lack of HDMI. If you must have it, splurge for the higher end, higher priced Dell U2410. And hopefully if you buy this monitor you will end up receiving one with an even distribution of brightness / luminance. Bottom line, the Dell U2412M monitor provides a beautiful display for a moderately priced IPS monitor with many easy options for adjusting the OSD should you find it necessary to tweak the image more to your own liking. Finally, the actual vendor for this monitor was WeSellForLess, through Amazon. They were a great vendor. I simply sent an e-mail explaining the problem with the monitor and they immediately shipped a replacement monitor and e-mailed a UPS return label for the original monitor. Everything was handled smoothly and quickly without any hassles. Ive purchased products online for years and have never actually had to return anything for a refund or exchange until now. I guess Ive been lucky.

I bought it from Amazon to replace my old Samsung SynMaster 2333. Almost wants to give four stars but U2412 didnt have HDMI port. A little disappointed. But the monitor is very slim and cute. Very good compact design. Overall, I love it. U2412M comes with a smaller portfolio of input connectors and multimedia options compared to the more expensive Dell U2410. First of all Dell has removed the HDMI option. That might prove to be a problem if you are planning on connecting external players or gaming consoles. The SD card reader has also been removed but to me that is no great loss. Power consumption is significantly lower, though. Dell U2412M has fairly good color accuracy out-of-box and even better color accuracy after calibration. Black depth is lower than on U2410 and U2311H and our U2412M had no serious problems with clouding / backlight bleeding. For U2412M, Dell has used a standard gamut eIPS panel, which basically means that it cannot reproduce the wider AdobeRGB gamut that U2410 can. For most users it does not really matter but more for advanced users I think U2410 is a better choice. On the other hand U2412H gave us slightly better color gradation and shadow detailing. Dell U2412M has less motion blur than U2410, but more overdrive trailing. The latter is easier to spot in FPS or racing games but the difference is not significant. However, we still recommend 120 Hz TN panels for gaming. Another problem with U2412M is the crystalized coating on the IPS panel that continues to annoy some users but this is a general thing for IPS based monitors. All in all Dell U2412M is a great addition to Dells line-up of UltraSharp PC monitors. However, we do not view it as an improvement over the current U2410, and Dell also tells us that U2410 will function as a step-up model in the future. If you can live without HDMI and do not require the wide gamut panel, I think U2412M is a great value for money monitor and I therefore award it with our Highly Recommended Award.

An old 24 1920x1200 monitor died (different brand). After a few days without it, I **needed** a replacement. The Dell USharp is **the** standard for quality 24 monitors. Ive used them at work for years, so my expectations were already set. Based on my reading of reviews across the web, it seems to have the best overall quality/value proposition. I was sold. I have other monitors at home, mostly 1080p, and feel like Im missing 200 pixels from the screen. The Dell 24 resolves that issue perfectly. I like that the Dell power switch has a physical feel and is not logical. That always bothered me on the previous monitor. I did take appart the old monitor to see if replacing a few capacitors would fix it. None of them were fried, so a new Dell was my answer. The Dell feels the same size, thickness, and I suspect is made by the same Asian maker. The old monitor lasted 7+ yrs. I expect this Dell will last that long too. The only thing that Id change on the Dell is to have a USB3 hub built-in instead of the old, out-of-date, USB2 connections. Other brands are doing that, but those also had more complaints about dead pixels and other returns. USB3 is not a major part of my peripherals yet, but it is growing. Overall (with 1 month of use), Im happy with this purchase and would choose the same monitor again.

First, let me say I really like my Dell U2412m monitor. Ive had it about a month and have thoroughly enjoyed using it everyday, and for the price point, this is a wonderful monitor with an excellent feature set. However, its not perfect. The first one I received had severe clouding in the right top and bottom corners. Of course, these come setup with the brightness at an eye searing 75%, and the clouding diminished a bit when I turned it down to a more reasonable 30%, but it was still quite evident on a dark image, and not acceptable for my main purpose of photo editing, so back it went (thanks Amazon for the easy no hassle exchange!). The second one also has a tiny bit of clouding in the corners, but only when viewed really close-up, and mostly not visible at all except on a completely dark screen. So, not perfect, but acceptable. I really like the 16x10 ratio, its a nice big workspace. The build quality seems up to Dells high standards, and I love the stand, with its easy and yet very secure adjustments. I will say that the color on my second monitor leaned toward the green, cyanish side (yuck). Unfortunately, the color controls in the main menu are not fine enough for the kind of color adjustments that were needed, but luckily for me, I found some sites on the internet that described how to carefully access the service menu, and I was able to tweak the color to perfection using some very good LCD monitor test images I found using Google. So, lets wrap it up: Pros: 1. Good build quality 2. Excellent color and picture (when tweaked correctly) 3. Easy and stable stand adjustments. 4. Works beautifully with both my new Mac Mini AND my 10 year old Mac G4 (using a USB switch) 5. Lots of inputs and USB connections 6. 3 Year warranty Cons: 1. A bit of clouding in the corners, but generally not visible during normal use. 2. Only USB 2.0 3. No HDMI input So, would I recommend this? Yes, but with qualifications. Be sure and check your screen for unacceptable clouding, and be prepared to tweak the brightness, contrast, and color. If you can live without HDMI and USB 3.0 ports, than this monitor should be on your short list. UPDATE (March 4, 2013): I really like this monitor. It has performed flawlessly over the last 5 months. The bit of clouding in the corners doesnt seem to show up in real world use. No color drift and no problems whatsoever. I leave it on 24 hours a day and it automatically goes into power-saving mode whenever I put the computer to sleep. For the price, this is quite a nice monitor. Update (Sept 5, 2013): The thing I like most about this monitor, it just works. I know that sounds simple, but in this complex world of cables, and operating systems, and weird stuff, its nice to have something that I can just plug in and it works perfectly, all day, every day. The color has been SUPER stable, with no drift. The slight clouding in the corners hasnt gotten worse, and doesnt effect my day to day photo work. All-in-all, an excellent and reliable monitor.

I have never been a fan of LED monitors. Sometimes the brightness can be harsh on the eyes, but I was pleasantly surprised when I received my new Dell U2412M. My eyes were pleased with the IPS Display. The 24 size is perfect for a desktop. I was impressed with the stand and its adjustability that alone is worth the price, most monitors in this price range have a cheap plastic feel to them, not the Dell. I am just an average user who touches up some family photos, surfs the web. Out of the box, the image quality is fantastic and was easy to set up. There is no HDMI input on this particular monitor, you will have to use a DVI adapter if your PC does not have a DVI plug. For the price Amazon sold this for I can live without an HDMI input. Bottom line, I saved a lot of money and got a Dell U2412M, Best Buy could not even come close to this price. Read the reviews, a lot of people here with technical knowhow explain in detail what is good and what is not so good. I have no buyers remorse....I actually want to get a second one.

This is a gorgeous monitor. I wanted an IPS monitor for editing photos in Photoshop and Photomatrix (HDR). My 1080P gaming monitors just werent cutting it. My choice came down to Asus or Dell, and I finally went with Dell because of price. Frankly, the Asus PA248Q is probably equally gorgeous. I have tried out both the DVI and DisplayPort and see no difference. Before opening photos in photoshop, I ran X-Rites Colormunki Display on the Dell and on one of my old cheap TN monitors. The Colormunki made a striking difference. The initial factory setting of the U2412M was too green. In contrast the munki made my cheap monitor look worse (low contrast to improve color accuracy, I think). Whatever. It made the Dell IPS monitor look wonderful, and that is what matters. Update: Got my second monitor and it was a bit red. Again, Colormunki fixed it. Out of curiosity, I fired up some games on the U2412M. Common wisdom is that IPS is not good for gaming. Perhaps. Again, I thought it looked fantastic. My eyes must not be good enough to see the alleged light leakage IPS monitors supposedly have. I am pleasantly surprised by the ability to game on this monitor and the 1200 vs 1080 height difference is something I really like. Gaming is absolutely NOT what this monitor is for, but if you play games in addition to editing photos, this monitor works fine. My original plan was to have only the one IPS monitor and game on cheap TNs. This monitor changed my mind. I have ordered a second one and after a few paychecks will acquire a third. The TN monitors will be retired. Update: Third one is on its way! I have no use for HDMI on my computer screens, so I cannot comment on that. I mounted it on a multi-monitor stand, so I cannot comment on the supplied base. I selected this U2412M over a wide gamut monitor because I rarely print my photos. My (limited) understanding of wide gamut is that it is meant for people who mostly print their work. For display on screen, this regular IPS is better than buying a very expensive monitor and then not using the wide gamut you paid for. Should you buy the Dell U2412M instead of the Asus PA248Q? Personally, I believe they are equivalent. When I was buying, the Dell U2412M was cheaper. When you read this, it just might be the other way around. I recommend going with lower price. In summary, I found this Dell to be the best value for my photo editing and am pleased with its ability to game. I am buying more. I highly recommend using a calibration tool such as a Colormunki or Spyder4.

I am a professional photographer and look at 100s images a week. My previous Samsung burned out and I needed a monitor for clear and and good resolution but at a budget price. I looked and after reading the reviews of monitors, the Dell 2412 certainly surpassed all the others out there in the below $300 price range. I received the monitor ( even sooner than Amazon estimated...Thanks Amazon) opened it and had it up and running in under 30 minutes. It came right up and looked great right out of the box. I did calibrate it later as it did need some tweaking but nothing dramatic.The GUI is well positioned, very easy and logical to use. The stand I think is certainly strong enough and it rotates, extends, and tilts very nicely. Found no bad pixels and the 1980X1200 is extremely nice compared to the 1980X1080. Overall I am VERY Satisfied. I gave it a 4 vs. 5 star because it had no hdmi input or 3.0 USBs. Actually very minor but just thought it should have had a hdmi for an IPS panel. The DVI output is just as good as an hdmi unless you need sound or you have a much larger display. Read a few complaints about the stand, bad pixels, too bright, poorly made, unattractive material used for the matte screen causing an unpleasant look.................but IMHO this is an excellent monitor for the price and I experienced none of shortfalls others have mentioned. I am running Vista and this review was written after only 3 days of use.

My vintage 2005-ish Samsung 213t (21.3) monitor quit abruptly on me a month ago, so I had to scramble to get a replacement. I had been very pleased with the Samsung, even though it was a TN type display. The IPS-panel Dell U2412M doesnt disappoint. My, how the technology has changed! Im a photography hobbyist, and I fuss a fair amount over color fidelity, sharpness, detail and the like. However, I cant afford more than a basic investment in digital photography. I use a pretty ordinary Canon photo printer, and Ive been fairly satisfied with the look of my images on the Samsung and in print. With the U2412M, images are represented even more accurately on the display while maintaining quality output from my printer. The U2412M is designed to be highly compliant with the sRGB color space, which is appropriate for my purposes. It doesnt even attempt to handle the much wider Adobe RGB color space, but that range of colors isnt supported online anyway. In fact, unless I were to output my photos primarily to a high-end printer with an Adobe RGB gamut, that capability would be wasted (and so would my money). Heres what else I like about the Dell U2412M: * It has a full 1200 pixels of vertical, like my Samsung. I find vertical screen space to be exceptionally valuable, and was shocked to discover that few reasonably priced monitors these days have more than 1080 pixels. I dont need a wide movie screen on my desk; thats what my TV is for. * Its EPEAT Gold Energy Star compliant. This is hard to find in any large monitor. * Its screen is anti-glare. I dont understand the current obsession with glossy surfaces; the reflections on such monitors are incredibly distracting and make photo editing difficult. And no, the anti-glare surface doesnt bother me at all. * Its amazingly lightweight. Maybe this is normal these days, but the old Samsung weighs three times as much. * It has all the positioning adjustments you could want (tilt, swivel, height, and landscape/portrait pivot). Especially useful is the height adjustment: I can push it down to 1 from the desktop, so I dont have to tilt my head back to see through my progressive lens glasses. And my one caveat: The U2412M claims to have a 178° viewing angle both vertically and horizontally, but in practice, it doesnt seem to be even as wide as my old monitor. Outside a cone of about 90°, the brightness falls off significantly. This hasnt really been a issue as I sit pretty well centered when I use it. Your mileage may vary. Update: Upon further consideration, I think I overstated the viewing angle issue. The display exhibits some minor brightness variation when I move well off-center, but it remains quite impressive. Practically speaking, I dont think youre likely to find this a problem.

You *need* IPS for large-format LCD monitors. I found this out the hard way, by first purchasing and returning a highly reviewed Viewsonic TN monitor after finding the graphic quality to be severity lacking, even to my non-professional eyes. I decided to shell out an extra $50 to try out this low-end IPS monitor and am amazed by what I am getting. Out of the box, hi-res digital photos practically jump out of the screen, showing deep shadows and bright colors. 1080p videos plays almost as good as they do on my high-end LCD TV. I also find the 1920x1200 resolution to be better for computer use - the extra 120 vertical lines (compared to the typical 1080p resolution) cant hurt. The on-board USB 3.0 hub is a nice convenience. This allows me to use the monitor as a mini-docking station for my laptop and a charging station for the mobile phone. I have several peripherals plugged into the monitor, and only need to make one USB connection when my laptop is on my desk to make use of all of them. The only minor annoyance is that the monitor doesnt come with HDMI port (Dell opts for DisplayPort instead). I would think a HDMI + DisplayPort set up would make more sense than DVI + DisplayPort, since nearly all newer computers come with either HDMI or DP, and DVI is becoming obsolete. But since HDMI-DVI adapters cost almost nothing I wouldnt call this an issue.