I just tested Dell's 100Hz ultrawide display and it's already made me forget my trusty dual monitor setup

The best curved monitors can make even the most mundane tasks feel immersive, and they result in less eye fatigue as the edges match the curve of your eyes. The Dell Pro P3426WEV is one of the finest ultrawide curved displays I’ve had the pleasure of testing. It sports a minimalist design that makes it fit for the office, and it comes with an integrated USB hub for cable management, and a built-in 5MP webcam for those who attend multiple calls a day.

Boasting good sRGB color coverage and accuracy, as well as a 100Hz refresh rate for gaming, the P3426WEV doesn’t give you much to complain about… unless you’re a professional colorist, as the monitor doesn’t have the best DCI P3 coverage. There’s no HDR support either.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Dell Pro P3426WEV review.

Dell Pro P3426WEV review: Specs

Dell Pro P3426WEV review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A 3440 x 1440 curved monitor for productivity
• Who is it for? Office workers who want one large monitor instead of two
• How much does it cost? The Dell Pro P3426WEV is available for $749 / £505
• What do we like? The low-key design, sRGB color coverage and accuracy, integrated USB hub, and built-in webcam
• What don’t we like? No HDR support, and not the best for color grading

Dell Pro P3426WEV review: The ups

From its inconspicuous low-key design and handy built-in webcam, to its integrated USB hub and excellent sRGB color coverage and accuracy, the Dell Pro P3426WEV is a great productivity monitor.

Inconspicuous design, perfect for the office

If you want a monitor that’s designed for the office and doesn’t draw attention to itself, the Dell Pro P3426WEV is a great choice. Sporting an all-black screen with a silver stand, no garish RGB lighting, and minimalist branding, the P3426WEV fits right into the office space.

As the numbers in its name suggest, the P3426WEV is an ultrawide (and curved) 34-inch display — and it’s wide enough to negate the need for two separate monitors. You can also get a flat 22-inch, 24-inch, 27-inch or 43-inch version.

I tested the 34-inch model which measures 32.11 x 22.57 x 9.03 inches, including the stand. It weighs 21.96lbs when it’s fully assembled, so it’s a chonky boi, and it’s designed to stay put in one place. The P3426WEV has a 21:9 aspect ratio and in my testing, I found this to be more than plenty for navigating multiple windows and applications, and multi-tasking. I didn’t really miss having two separate monitors — which I used prior to testing the P3426WEV.

The P3426WEV is also perfect for those who spend up to eight hours, five days a week, staring at a screen — like me. The monitor is TÜV 4-star certified for eye comfort, so it reduces eye fatigue while you work. It features low blue light technology too, and Dell says that it “reduces harmful blue light emissions to ≤35% for enhanced eye comfort without sacrificing color.” Having used the monitor for more than a week, I can confirm that my eyes haven’t felt uncomfortable or tired.

Integrated USB hub

If, like me, you don’t like cables cluttering your desk, and you don’t want to bother with a dedicated USB hub, the Dell Pro P3426WEV is the answer to your woes. It functions as a single-cable docking station thanks to its integrated USB hub. There’s a plethora of ports for essentially all your peripherals — keyboards, mice, desktop speakers, headphones, you name it.

Naturally, you get a power port as well as HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports for hooking up your MacBook, Windows laptop, or consoles. Around the back, you’ll find two downstream USB-A ports, an upstream USB-B port, and an upstream USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode ports — all of these pack 5Gbps transfer speeds.

If you’re wondering what DisplayPort Alt Mode means, I’ve got you covered. It means the monitor’s USB-C port can receive video signals using the DisplayPort protocol, offering higher data bandwidth, and the ability to daisy–chain multiple monitors from a single port. The P3426WEV’s rear USB-C port can help you cut down on cables and is also handy if you're routing graphics through a docking station via USB-C (you can still access the high resolutions and support refresh rates of DisplayPort). I used this USB-C port and the included cable to hook up my MacBook Air M2. It’s similar to the one you’ll find on the BenQ MA270S ($999).

And that’s not all. Located on the bottom edge, you’ll find a pop-out port housing. When you gently push it, it extends downward to reveal a USB-C port with 15W of power delivery, and a USB-A port. Both downstream ports feature 5Gbps speeds. There really is no dearth of ports or connectivity options on the P3426WEV.

Handy built-in webcam

Adding to the Dell Pro P3426WEV’s office-first design is its built-in webcam which sits right on top of the panel — something that those who take a lot of work calls will find useful. The webcam is fitted with a Sony Starvis 5MP f/3.4 sensor and features three different resolutions — 2K/30fps, FHD/60fps, and HD/60fps — which can be adjusted via the onboard menu.

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It has an 81° field of view (FoV) which, in my testing, felt just enough to frame me properly while also including some of the background for added context. Additionally, it features an AI Auto Framing function and once the webcam has detected you, it zooms in and out (2x digital zoom) even if you’re moving within the FoV, ensuring that you’re the center of attention at all times. You’ll need to download Dell Display and Peripheral Manager to enable AI Auto Framing.

The photo above was captured using the P3426WEV’s webcam while the monitor was connected to my MacBook Air M2. The colors and my skin appear true to life, though the sunlight coming in from the windows behind me appears blown out. I was expecting this as the webcam has a very small sensor. The shot itself is backlit, and the webcam has done what it needed to: it has adjusted the exposure correctly and lit up my face.

I also tested the webcam’s AI Auto Framing capabilities. As you can see in the clip above, the webcam is a little slow to shift focus but when it finally does it, it frames me accurately.

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When you aren’t using the webcam, you can use the lock slider on top to cover the lens. If you’re using a Windows laptop, you can also configure Windows Hello to work with the P3426WEV. Via Windows settings, you can set up the P3426WEV’s webcam to recognize your face and unlock when you sit down in front of it (Wake On Approach).

Excellent sRGB color coverage and accuracy

The Dell Pro P3426WEV’s integrated USB hub and built-in webcam wouldn’t account for much good if the monitor didn’t boast good color coverage and accuracy. After all, those are the most important aspects of any monitor. Fortunately, the P3426WEV doesn’t give you much to complain about when it comes to sRGB color coverage and accuracy.

I ran my usual lab tests and as you can see in the table above, the P3426WEV covers 122.8% of the sRGB color gamut. The P3426WEV upstages the Alogic Edge 40-inch 5K Ultrawide ($1,499) which costs a lot more than Dell’s offering. While the P3426WEV doesn’t score as highly as the BenQ MA270S and the BenQ PD3226G ($1,099), anything over 100% (or on the mark) is great, so the P3426WEV still goes above and beyond.

I watched a couple of 4K YouTube videos and was pleased with the colors I saw on the monitor. Reds didn’t appear oversaturated or neon, but just vivid enough to be eye-catching. Greens looked punchy while deep blues appeared clean and rich. As the P3426WEV is a work monitor, I primarily tested it by browsing the web and getting on with my daily tasks. In those activities, the color coverage gave me nothing to whine about.

I then tested color accuracy, represented by a Delta-E number. It’s a numerical representation of how much two colors differ, giving you an idea of how close the color relayed on screen (the monitor) is to the color output from the source (the computer). The closer the Delta-E number to zero, the better.

The P3426WEV boasts outstanding color accuracy, having achieved a 0.05 score in my lab tests. You can see how the monitor fares against its competitors in the table above. It outperforms the BenQ PD3226G (0.16) and the Alogic Edge 40-inch 5K Ultrawide (0.08). The 0.05 score means that the colors displayed on the P3426WEV are near-identical to the ones being sent to it by the laptop.

My lab tests went a long way in reassuring me that the colors I was seeing were as accurate as they could be, and this gave me a lot of confidence when editing photos for my photography Instagram account. In addition to that, the P3426WEV features 10-bit color depth, too, which means that it’s capable of displaying 1.07 billion individual hues. This makes the monitor good for creatives — although professional color graders may be left feeling shortchanged (more on that shortly).

Decent for gaming, too

If you like gaming casually between tasks, the Dell Pro P3426WEV should suffice. It’s got a 100Hz refresh rate so it offers smooth motion in RPGs and racing games. I tested the monitor by playing Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5, and across both titles I appreciated the visual experience offered by the P3426WEV. The 21:9 aspect ratio and wide field of view enabled me to see more of the game worlds, resulting in me feeling immersed in both titles.

Because you have so much screen real estate, you can also run different apps side-by-side. I had Slack running in a small space on the side of the display to ensure I didn’t miss any time sensitive messages from my colleagues while I tested the monitor for gaming.

If you want an ultrawide monitor specifically for gaming, the MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 with its 360Hz refresh rate should be right up your alley. At $949, it costs a pretty penny but it isn’t that much more expensive than the P3426WEV. There’s also the LG UltraGear 45GR75DC with its 5120 x 1440 resolution and 32:9 aspect ratio, and it costs $899. Again, only a $100 price hike compared to the P3426WEV.

Dell Pro P3426WEV review: The downs

While the Dell Pro P3426WEV is great for most things, its SDR mode is dim and there’s no HDR support. Also, DCI P3 color coverage isn’t ideal for professional photo editing.

Dim SDR and no HDR

The Dell Pro P3426WEV doesn’t feature a high dynamic range or HDR mode. This means that it can’t display deeply dark shadows and ultra-bright highlights at the same time. Video games and movies mastered for HDR will not look the way the creators intended either.

While this isn’t a massive drawback for a productivity-focused monitor, it would have been nice to have it, especially given that some of the P3426WEV’s competitors do. The P3426WEV isn’t the brightest in its standard dynamic range (SDR) mode either. It achieved 284.8 nits in my lab tests, as you can see in the table above. The BenQ MA270S and the Alogic Edge 40-inch 5K Ultrawide are brighter at 387.4 and 417 nits respectively, and they both feature HDR modes, too.

In real world use, I didn’t have any problems viewing the P3426WEV’s screen under bright office lights and with the blinds behind me drawn. But when I opened the blinds and sunlight flooded the room, the monitor looked a little dim.

Not the best for professional color grading

While the Dell Pro P3426WEV’s sRGB color coverage is great and doesn’t give you much to complain about, the same can’t be said for its DCI P3 coverage. DCI P3 is a significantly larger color space compared to sRGB, and it’s heavily used in cinema, and professional color grading. Unfortunately, the P3426WEV falls just short of being perfect here.

In my lab tests, the P3426WEV covered just 87% of the DCI P3 color gamut. Essentially, the monitor dips its toes into wide-gamut territory but doesn’t deliver the deep, rich reds and greens required for color grading and professional video work.

The P3426WEV is outdone by its productivity-focused competitors, such as the BenQ MA270S and the BenQ PD3226G with their respective 158.7% and 104.1% coverage. Surprisingly, the much cheaper Lenovo L27I-4B ($109) covers slightly more of the DCI P3 than the P3426WEV.

For general office workers who mostly deal with documents, spreadsheets, charts and low-stakes graphics, these will still render sharply with natural colors. Even casual editors who post their photos primarily on Instagram and social media should face minimal impact. Professional video editors and colorists, though, may want to consider alternatives for precise color grading. I’d recommend the BenQ MA270S or the BenQ PD3226G. If you want a curved but capable monitor, you’ll need to splurge on the Alogic Edge 40-inch 5K Ultrawide.

Dell Pro P3426WEV review: Verdict

The Dell Pro P3426WEV is a superb ultrawide monitor, and anyone who spends eight hours a day in front of a screen will thoroughly appreciate it. Equipped with an integrated USB hub for great cable management, and a built-in 5MP webcam that records video in 2K at 30fps, the P3426WEV is an all-in-one solution for office goers. It boasts wide sRGB coverage and color accuracy, too. Oh, and there’s a 100Hz refresh rate for casual gamers.

But the P3426WEV isn’t perfect. There’s no HDR support and the monitor isn’t the brightest even in SDR. DCI P3 color coverage falls short of 100% too, which means the monitor isn’t the best for color grading and professional colorists.

If neither of those feel like dealbreakers to you, and you just want a curved monitor with plenty of screen real estate, then the P3426WEV shouldn’t give you any trouble.