I went from a 13-inch laptop screen to a large Dell UltraSharp monitor and edit on it every day. I found a used unit on eBay with some use marks on the casing. The panel itself was fine, so I was happy to take the discount. Here is the setup, then what I learned after three months.
Unboxing and build
It is very sturdy. You fold the box open and click the mount into the back of the panel. I needed a one-armed lift to get it onto the desk. The stand turns, tilts and adjusts in height. In the box:
- Power cable
- Two HDMI cables
- A DisplayPort cable
- A USB-C cable
One cable to the MacBook
The USB-C port delivers 90W. That is enough to power a MacBook Pro, while a MacBook Air needs less. So one cable charges the laptop and carries the display signal. I bought an extra USB-C cable for about 11 euros because I was unsure what was in the box. That was a mistake, since a cable was included.
Settings that matter
- Refresh rate: check that macOS runs the display at 60Hz. At 30Hz the mouse feels sluggish.
- Colors: the Dell can look dimmer than a MacBook screen. I used Gemini to walk me through the on-screen menu settings and reset the colors.
- Mouse speed: on a screen this big you need to raise the tracking speed in macOS.
It is not Retina quality, so you will notice the pixels coming from a MacBook display. The bezels are also bigger than on newer models.
After three months
I have edited plenty of videos on it. This is how I use it:
- Editing layout: Epidemic Sound sits on the left so I can browse music and drag it in. Below that I keep a Finder window. Sometimes I open several Finder windows side by side with the editing page, so I can drag and drop and don’t have to rely on the built-in browser. Finder is more powerful.
- Ports: Ethernet goes straight into the monitor, and the USB-C cable carries power and the display signal to the MacBook. My USB microphone and power supply are plugged into the monitor too, plus HDMI for a PlayStation 4 that I’m testing on it. My SSD is plugged into the MacBook.
- Color space: in the preset modes I choose sRGB instead of DCI-P3, because that is what social media displays. What I see is what YouTube and Instagram deliver. Colors look a bit less saturated on my screen, but they are accurate. Otherwise they look desaturated on Instagram later.
- Vertical mode: I can switch the workspace to vertical, though that makes little sense for a horizontal timeline.
- Gaming: possible, and enjoyable, because the curve is stronger than on the original monitor I got by mistake. The listing had been mixed up. I don’t game much.
Who it is for
If you want a large timeline and room for two windows side by side, and you like a one-cable setup, it works well. If you want a Retina-sharp image, a tiny bezel, or a high refresh rate for gaming, look elsewhere.
This post may contain affiliate links. These links are marked with an * and I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.