Starting at $759.99
Remote work has become more common and popular in recent years, and having a good monitor can make a big difference in your productivity and comfort. The Dell (P3424) Web 34 Curved Video Conference Monitor is a 34-inch curved monitor that comes with a built-in 2K QHD camera, microphone, speaker, and KVM switch. This monitor is designed to simplify and enhance your video conferencing experience, as well as you’re multitasking and content creation. Over the span of a month, I’ve been able to evaluate the monitor’s design, performance, and functionality, and see how it compares to other monitors in the market to see if it’s the monitor to get in 2024.
Design
5/5
The Dell (P3424) Web 34 Curved Video Conference Monitor has a sleek and elegant design, with a matte black finish and thin bezels on three sides. The monitor has a 34-inch curved screen with a 1900R curvature, which provides a more immersive and comfortable viewing experience. The monitor also has an adjustable stand that allows you to tilt, swivel, and height-adjust the screen to your preferred position. The stand also has a cable management slot to keep your desk tidy.
One of the highlights of this monitor is the attached 2K QHD enabled web camera, which is no longer hidden inside the monitor when not in use like the previous C3422WE 34 model which was activated by pressing a button on the top of the monitor. The large Sony STARVIS™ sensor is 29.5% larger this time around to help take in substantially lighter for more vibrant picture clarity. The camera also has an auto-exposure control and a noise-canceling microphone, which can improve the video and audio quality in different lighting and sound conditions. The camera also has a small LED indicator that shows when it is on or off, as well as rotating crown of sorts that act as the manual shutter rig for the camera.
Another highlight of this monitor is the speaker bar, which has been moved from the bottom of the monitor to the top and covered with matching black fabric. The speaker bar has two 5-watt speakers that deliver a clear and balanced sound, with decent bass and treble. The speaker bar lives seperated from its control buttons which sit as touch-sensative icons on the bottom bezel of the monitor.
The monitor also has a variety of ports and cables that make it easy to connect to your devices and peripherals. The monitor has a built-in KVM switch, which means you can use the same keyboard and mouse to control two connected devices, such as a laptop and a desktop. You can easily switch between the devices with a button on the monitor, or with a hotkey on the keyboard. The monitor comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable, a USB-A to USB-B cable, a DisplayPort cable, and a power cord.
The monitor has the following ports on the back:
- 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 port
- 1 x HDMI 2.0 port
- 1 x USB-C upstream port with DisplayPort 1.4 and up to 90-watt power delivery
- 1 x USB-C downstream port with 15-watt power delivery
- 3 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 downstream ports
- 1 x USB-B upstream port
- 1 x Ethernet port
- 1 x 3.5mm audio out port
- 1 x AC power port
The monitor also has a security lock slot and a VESA mount option.
Performance
5/5
The Dell (P3424) Web 34 Curved Video Conference Monitor has a WQHD resolution of 3440 x 1440 pixels, which provides a sharp and detailed picture quality. The monitor has an IPS panel, which is a technology that offers wide viewing angles, accurate colors, and good contrast. The monitor has a contrast ratio of 1000:1, which is decent for an IPS panel, and a peak brightness of 300 nits, which is adequate for most indoor environments. The monitor also supports HDR10, but it does not have true HDR capabilities, as it lacks local dimming and wide color gamut.
Dell’s 34-inch Curved monitor has a refresh rate of 60Hz, which is standard for most monitors, but not ideal for gaming or video editing. The monitor also does not support adaptive sync, which is a technology that synchronizes the monitor’s refresh rate with the GPU’s frame rate and eliminates screen tearing and stuttering. The monitor has a low input lag of around 5ms, and a fast response time of 5ms (gray to gray), which reduces motion blur and ghosting.
The monitor has a wide color gamut of 99% sRGB, 99% Rec. 709, and 85% DCI-P3, which covers most of the common color spaces used for web, photo, and video editing. The monitor also has a high color accuracy, with a Delta E of less than 2, which means the colors are very close to the original source. The monitor also has a wide viewing angle of 178 degrees, which means the colors and contrast remain consistent from different angles.
The monitor comes with the Dell Display Manager software, which allows you to customize the monitor settings, such as brightness, contrast, color mode, and picture-in-picture. The software also has a feature called Easy Arrange, which lets you organize your windows into different layouts and snap zones, and switch between them with a hotkey. This is extremely useful for multitasking and productivity or just making optimum use of the widescreen.
Functionality
4/5
The monitor is compatible with various video conferencing platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet. The monitor also has a Microsoft Teams and Zoom certification, which means it meets the standards and requirements for these platforms. The monitor also works with other applications that use a webcam, such as OBS Studio, Discord, and FaceTim but there branded Microsoft Teams controls that can be found on the bottom of the monitor frame. The monitor can be controlled and customized with the Dell Peripheral Manager software, which allows you to adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation, and white balance of the camera, as well as the volume and mute of the microphone and speaker.
The Dell 34-inch Curved monitor also has some extras that add value to the package. The monitor has a three-year warranty, which covers any defects or malfunctions. The monitor also has eco-friendly packaging, which uses recycled materials and reduces plastic waste. The monitor also has a low power consumption, which saves energy and reduces your electricity bill.
Conclusion
The Dell (P3424) Web 34 Curved Video Conference Monitor is a versatile and convenient monitor for remote work, as it offers a large and curved screen, a high resolution, a good contrast, a wide color gamut, a high color accuracy, a built-in 2K QHD camera, microphone, speaker, and KVM switch. The monitor also has a lot of ports and cables, a Microsoft Teams and Zoom certification, and compatibility with various video conferencing platforms. However, the monitor also has some drawbacks, such as a low refresh rate, a lack of adaptive sync, and a high price tag. The monitor is not perfect, but it is a good option for professionals who need to collaborate and communicate with their colleagues and clients remotely.
