The Dell UltraSharp U2723QE remains the desk monitor to beat for one-cable laptop setups: a 27-inch 4K IPS Black panel with genuinely deeper blacks, 90W USB-C charging, and a full hub — DP out, Ethernet, KVM. Measured contrast falls short of the 2000:1 claim, and gamers should look elsewhere, but office work is exactly what it does best.
— THE VERDICT · JUDGEANY EDITORSWhy the U2723QE still matters
The Dell UltraSharp U2723QE arrived in early 2022 as one of Dell's first monitors with IPS Black technology — a panel Dell says roughly doubles IPS contrast, so blacks look black instead of dark gray in a lit office. It also works as a docking station: one USB-C cable carries 4K video, data, and up to 90W of charging, while the monitor feeds wired Ethernet, a DisplayPort output for daisy-chaining a second screen, and a KVM switch that shares one keyboard and mouse between two computers. JudgeAny runs no test lab. This review gathers manufacturer specs, published expert measurements, and owner reports, and the scores are editorial judgments built on that evidence.
Image quality: contrast, finally
Dell claims a 2000:1 contrast ratio, about twice a typical IPS panel. Reviewers measured less — but still well above average. Digital Camera World recorded 1570:1 with a Spyder X Elite at 379.1 cd/m² peak brightness, and confirmed the advertised 100% sRGB and 98% DCI-P3 coverage, with a pre-calibration Delta E of 1.64 that dropped to 0.74 after calibration. IT Pro measured 1649:1 contrast, a near-perfect 6564K white point, and a Delta E of 0.33 in sRGB mode. RTINGS' archived review calls it a great office monitor with superb text clarity, while marking it down for disappointing reflection handling.
The catch is panel lottery. MacRumors owners measured anywhere from 1300:1 on early A00 revisions to over 2000:1 on later A01 units, and gamma wandered between 2.0 and 2.2 in Standard mode. Dell factory-calibrates every unit to Delta E < 2, and most land there — just treat 2000:1 as a ceiling, not a floor.
The one-cable hub
This is where the U2723QE earns its keep. A single USB-C cable carries 4K video, data, and up to 90W — enough for most laptops — while the monitor powers five USB-A ports, two more USB-C ports, a DisplayPort output for a second 4K screen, and wired RJ45 Ethernet. Auto KVM lets two computers share one keyboard and mouse, with Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture for side-by-side work. TechWalls tested it against a MacBook Pro setup and called the hub genuinely useful; its only complaints were a short included USB-C cable, worse backlight bleed than older Dells, and disappointing HDR. The panel is flicker-free with ComfortView Plus, which cuts blue light without warming colors.
Gaming and HDR: the weak spots
Don't buy this one for play. The panel runs 60Hz with 5–8 ms response times, and RTINGS' archived ratings score it near zero for gaming. HDR wears the DisplayHDR 400 badge, but owners and reviewers agree the Smart HDR modes are rough: TechWalls calls HDR performance disappointing, and a long Dell community thread documents backlight flicker during dark HDR scenes plus highlight roll-off that RTINGS also noted. For SDR office work it's superb; for HDR, leave it off.
U2723QE vs the newer U2725QE
Dell has since shipped the U2725QE, and IT Pro's measurements show it improving on this model — 2243:1 measured contrast and 94% Adobe RGB coverage against 85% here — though the newer panel's default color accuracy measured slightly worse. If you want the latest panel, buy that one. The U2723QE still does the core job — 4K, IPS Black, 90W hub — and Dell backs it with a 3-year warranty.
Who should buy it
Office workers and laptop-first users who want one cable to drive 4K, charge the machine, and connect the desk should buy the U2723QE — the KVM and DisplayPort output earn their keep in two-PC and dual-monitor setups. Gamers, HDR movie watchers, and anyone with direct glare on the screen should look elsewhere. Buy it for the workday, not the showcase.