I just tested Dell’s 4K 120Hz monitor with self-calibration and more ports than you could ask for — and it’s a winner

The Dell UltraSharp U3226Q is one of the best monitors for professional photographers, videographers, editors and creatives, period. This 32-inch beast features self-calibration that ensures superb color accuracy day in and out. With wide color coverage as well as an array of color modes, it doesn’t give you much to complain about. It also hosts more ports than you could ask for, and for casual gamers, there’s the 120Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time.

Is there anything wrong with it? Not particularly. Its 4K panel is neither the brightest nor the dullest in its weight class, and the price tag may make your eye twitch. Neither of these are outright dealbreakers, though. If you’re a professional looking for a monitor that doesn’t skimp on features, this is the one.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Dell UltraSharp U3226Q review.

Dell UltraSharp U3226Q review: Specs

Dell UltraSharp U3226Q review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A 32-inch QD-OLED monitor with a 4K UHD resolution
• Who is it for? For professional photographers, editors, creatives and everyone in between
• How much does it cost? It ain’t cheap — the Dell UltraSharp U3226Q costs $2,499 / £2,404
• What do we like? The built-in colorimeter, outstanding color coverage and accuracy, 120Hz refresh rate, and the wide array of ports
• What don’t we like? The eye-watering price tag

Dell UltraSharp U3226Q review: The ups

The question isn’t, “What can the Dell UltraSharp U3226Q do?” It’s what it can’t do. Excellent color coverage and accuracy, a built-in colorimeter, plenty of color modes and ports, 120Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time. It’s got it all.

Pro features for the pros

There’s no doubt that the Dell UltraSharp U3226Q is a pro monitor meant for pros, and one quick glance at its specs sheet tells you as much. Alongside outstanding color coverage and accuracy (more on that shortly), the U3226Q features seven color factory-calibrated modes as well as six customizable ones. The seven modes include DCI-P3, Display P3, sRGB, BT.709, BT.2020, and Adobe RGB (with D50 and D65 white points). These make the U3226Q excellent for digital as well as print editing.

The U3226Q is a self-calibrating monitor, which means that it features a built-in colorimeter that automatically tests and adjusts the display’s color accuracy. You can choose between Express and Comprehensive self-calibration via the U3226Q’s menu. Once you’ve selected it, the U3226Q will calibrate itself to maintain its outstanding performance day in and out. This is very handy for professional editors, and it’s something that isn’t even offered by expensive monitors, like the Apple Studio Display XDR ($3,299).

Other key features for those who plan on staring at the screen for up to eight hours a day include a TÜV 4-star certification for enhanced eye comfort, and low blue light technology which reduces harmful blue light emissions to ≤35%. The 4K UHD panel features an anti-glare coating, too, which ensures clear visuals and consistent colors in any lighting conditions. Having used the monitor for a week, I can confirm that my eyes didn’t feel fatigued at all.

Dell also includes a monitor hood in the box which you can magnetically snap on to the U3226Q’s bezels. It helps minimize glare from overhead lighting, negates visual distractions, and helps improve color accuracy. All in all, the U3226Q is a fantastic package and really doesn’t give you much to complain about.

Outstanding color coverage and accuracy

Now we’re on to the meat of this review. How’s the Dell UltraSharp U3226Q’s color coverage and accuracy? Outstanding, in one word. The U3226Q’s 4K QD-OLED panel has a resolution of 3840 x 2160, and it’s gorgeous to look at. It features 10-bit color depth which means it’s capable of displaying 1.07 billion individual hues.

Dell says that the U3226Q “delivers vibrant visuals and true-to-life colors,” and my lab tests confirmed it. I’ve lab-tested plenty of monitors, and the U3226Q boasts the best color coverage and accuracy. As you can see from the table above, it covers 188.8% of the sRGB space and 133.7% of the wider DCI P3 gamut. It upstages the Apple Studio Display XDR (which doesn’t even cover 100% of the DCI P3 color space), and all of BenQ’s monitors on the list.

Color accuracy is phenomenal, too. The U3226Q achieved a Delta-E score of 0.08 in my lab test. Delta E is a numerical representation of how much two colors differ, and it tells you how close the color relayed on the monitor is to the output from the source or laptop. You ideally want the score to be as close to zero as possible. 0.08 is, then, excellent, as it ascertains that the colors the U3226Q is displaying are extremely accurate. Again, Dell’s offering trumps the pricier Apple Studio Display XDR. The only monitor that beats it is the Dell Pro P3426WEV ($749) with its 0.05 score — but the difference is negligible.

In real-world use, I’ve loved using the U3226Q for work, watching 4K YouTube videos, and playing games. Colors appear bright and vivid. Blues and greens are deep; reds are rich; and blacks are inky and deep. Highlights don’t appear too sharp in 4K videos either, making for an enjoyable and immersive watching experience. I used the monitor to edit some photos for my photography Instagram account, too, and knowing that the colors were as accurate as they could be helped me color-grade confidently.

Ports galore!

Dell hasn’t skimped on the UltraSharp U3226Q’s ports, and you get everything you could ask for and more. Most of the ports are located on the back. There’s obviously a power port and located next to it are two HDMI 2.1, one DisplayPort 1.4, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. One of the Thunderbolts is an upstream, DisplayPort Alt Mode port with 140W of power delivery, while the other is a downstream, daisy-chaining port with 15W of power delivery.

Just like on the Dell Pro P3426WEV, the DisplayPort Alt Mode enables the USB-C port to receive video signals using the DisplayPort protocol. It offers higher data bandwidth, and allows you to daisy-chain multiple monitors from a single port, too. Not only does this help you cut down on cables (who doesn’t love a bit of effective cable management?), it’s also handy if you’re routing graphics through a docking station via USB-C as you can continue accessing DisplayPort’s high resolutions and refresh rates.

In addition to that, two USB-A downstream ports with 10Gbps speeds are also located on the back, as well as an RJ45 Ethernet one. Similar to the P3426WEV, the U3226Q features a pop-out port housing on the monitor’s bottom edge. Pushing it reveals a panel with a downstream USB-A and two USB-C ports (27W power delivery), each with 10Gbps speeds.

Similar to the BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U ($799), the U3226Q packs Smart KVM, too, which enables you to use a single keyboard and mouse with two computers when they’re hooked up to the monitor. It’s great for those who work across multiple computers.

For the casual gamers, too

Though the Dell UltraSharp U3226Q is a monitor for professionals, it’s a competent gaming machine, too. It packs a 120Hz refresh rate and a 0.03ms response time, which is more than sufficient for most casual gamers.

Motion isn’t as silky smooth as on monitors with extremely high refresh rates, like the MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 (360Hz, $949) and the MSI MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 (500Hz, $749), but it’s still excellent. I didn’t notice any choppiness while playing Forza Horizon 5 and Counter-Strike 2, and I was comfortably running 100-115fps in the latter. Thanks to the 0.03ms response time — same as on the MSI X36 — I didn’t experience any motion blur or noticeable ghosting either.

Dell UltraSharp U3226Q review: The downs

The Dell UltraSharp U3226Q doesn’t have many flaws. It’s expensive, and the 4K panel’s brightness is neither the best nor the worst.

Middle-of-the-road brightness

The Dell UltraSharp U3226Q is neither the brightest nor the dimmest monitor — it does well against some competitors while not performing that formidably against others. In my lab tests, the U3226Q achieved a peak brightness of 295.4 nits in SDR and 425 nits in HDR (10% window size).

When it comes to both SDR and HDR results, the U3226Q upstages the BenQ PD2732U, the Dell Pro P3426WEV, the BenQ PD2730S ($1,199) and the BenQ PD3226G ($1,099), as you can see in the table below. The P3426WEV doesn’t even support HDR, giving the U3226Q a leg-up.

However, the BenQ MA270S ($999), the Apple Studio Display ($1,499) and the Apple Studio Display XDR outperform the U3226Q when it comes to Standard Dynamic Range. It isn’t surprising that the Apple Studio Display XDR does this (as it’s more expensive) but it’s disappointing that the U3226Q doesn’t get as bright as the MA270S, which is half the U3226Q’s price.

I don’t think this is necessarily a dealbreaker as you shouldn’t have your brightness turned all the way up anyway when editing photos, and this is a professional studio monitor after all. In real-world use, I had no problem using this monitor and clearly seeing what was on screen under bright studio lights. Of course, if you want a monitor with a brighter panel, I can’t recommend the MA270S enough.

Ridonculous price

As you’ve seen so far, the Dell UltraSharp U3226Q is not your average monitor, and it packs pro features that make it suitable for professionals… and it’s got a price tag to match. The U3226Q doesn’t come cheap. It has a retail price of $2,499 at B&H Photo / £2,404 at Dell U.K., making it one of the most expensive monitors I’ve tested so far.

This makes the U3226Q more expensive than some of the other productivity- and photography-focused monitors I’ve tested, like the BenQ MA270S ($999), the BenQ PD2732U ($799), the Dell Pro P3426WEV ($749) and the Alogic Edge 40-inch 5K Ultrawide ($1,499). The U3226Q is slightly cheaper than the Apple Studio Display XDR ($3,499), though, if that’s any consolation.

Dell UltraSharp U3226Q review: Verdict

For professional photographers, colorists and editors, the Dell UltraSharp U3226Q checks nearly every box. Stupendous color accuracy and coverage, self-calibration, a stunning QD-OLED display, and more ports than you could ask for make it a winner. For casual gamers, there’s a 120Hz refresh rate and response time of 0.03ms, too, so what more could you want?

You’re paying a premium for all the pro features, though, and the U3226Q costs $2,500. While it’s a lot, I think the U3226Q does plenty to justify it. The built-in colorimeter for self-calibration ensures color accuracy over time, thereby increasing the monitor’s lifespan. At the end of the day, the U3226Q is the monitor for professionals, and it’s the display I’d personally buy.