Dell Brings Back the UltraSharp 30, Updated With Modern Connectivity

[TheLostSwede]

One of Dell's most popular LCD monitors was the Dell UltraSharp 30 and the company has now brought it back, but the new U3023E model is quite different from its predecessors. It's still a 16:10 monitor with 2560x1600 resolution, but the overall design has been refreshed and it now features slimmer bezels and a slimmer overall build, a slightly re-designed stand and a lighter colour palette. However, the real changes have taken place under the hood, as this is one of the most fully featured displays ever made when it comes to connectivity. Display inputs consist of an HDMI 1.4 port, a DisplayPort 1.4 and a USB-C port with DP 1.4 Alt Mode as well as USB PD at 90 Watts.

There's also a DP out for daisy chaining to a second display, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) upstreams port and a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 downstreams port with 15 W power delivery. Furthermore there are four USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, of which one supports the Battery Charging 1.2 standard. Finally there's an RJ45 port for Ethernet connectivity when used with a laptop or similar and a 3.5 mm audio output jack. The panel is of IPS type and has a rated brightness of 400 cd/m² and a contrast ratio of 1000:1, as well as a 100 percent sRGB and 95 percent DCI-P3 colour gamut. As this is an office display, the refresh rate is still stuck at 60 Hz and the response time is 8 ms, or 5 ms in fast mode. For those nostalgic enough to splash out on the new UltraSharp 30, you're looking at a fairly steep US$784.99.



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[Assimilator]

Pity that all these USB 3.2 devices are starting to arrive after USB4 is shipping in laptops, since USB4 is gonna be the tipping point for USB-C as a connection for everything.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Pity that all these USB 3.2 devices are starting to arrive after USB4 is shipping in laptops, since USB4 is gonna be the tipping point for USB-C as a connection for everything.

Not a lot of third party chipsets as yet though and until we have those, we're not going to see much in terms of device support.
I guess there is a USB4 hub chip from VLI, which would've worked in this case, but it only has USB4 in, with zero outs.

VIA Labs Announces Launch of USB4 Device Silicon

VIA Labs, Inc. (VLI), a leading supplier of SuperSpeed USB, USB Power Delivery Controllers, and now USB4 controllers today unveiled the VIA Labs VL830 USB4 Endpoint Device. USB4 is a major update to the USB architecture, enabling multiple simultaneous data and display protocols to share a single...

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Fouquin]

It's really amazing how popular the U3011 and U3014 were. I still see people clinging to those displays for various reasons, and a bare display without a stand can still go for as much as $150-$175. The market is definitely still there for large 16:10 displays under ~$1K, but I can't help but think that this display doesn't push far beyond what Dell offered a decade ago. It definitely has more competition now.

 

[chrcoluk]

Ahh proper stand and neutral design, so refreshing. Shame the cables go in upwards though.

 

[W1zzard]

Typing this on a Dell 30" 2560x1600

Don't see any reason why I should buy this over what I have

 

[Camm]

This would have to be the epitome of getting the band back together, but the band has been in a nursing home the last 10 years and only knows half the chords.

The U30 was its strongest because 2560x1600 was uncommon (so was 1440), and it paired beautifully in Portrait/Landscape/Portrait with 2xDell 20" 1600x1200 Monitors (can't remember the model name sorry).

Now its trying to charge nostalgia prices for a 8ms, 2560x1600, 60hz panel in 2022. Its only redeeming features are that it is in 16:10 (which is superior to 16:9 IMO) and 100% sRGB coverage, which is good, but there are better options around the price range.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Always considered Dell displays as being good quality.

 

[Garrus]

Nice! You get your matching aspect ratio to you modern Dell laptop here.

I still think the U2723QE with IPS black is kind of unbeatable now, but it is 16:9. The "Apple Studio Display killer" and cheaper than the 30 inch model, with IPS black to boot.

If you hanker for 16:10 though, the new Dell 30 inch seems kind of all by itself in quality.

 

[Aquinus]

you're looking at a fairly steep US$784.99

For that cost, I would expect 4k.

Always considered Dell displays as being good quality.

I have 3 22" 1080p IPS displays that I bought a good 8 years ago in the attic. Fantastic displays. No image retention, good contrast, no dead pixels. 10/10, would buy a Dell display again.

 

[Wirko]

This would have to be the epitome of getting the band back together, but the band has been in a nursing home the last 10 years and only knows half the chords.

The U30 was its strongest because 2560x1600 was uncommon (so was 1440), and it paired beautifully in Portrait/Landscape/Portrait with 2xDell 20" 1600x1200 Monitors (can't remember the model name sorry).

Now its trying to charge nostalgia prices for a 8ms, 2560x1600, 60hz panel in 2022. Its only redeeming features are that it is in 16:10 (which is superior to 16:9 IMO) and 100% sRGB coverage, which is good, but there are better options around the price range.

Nothing wrong with low (relative to 4K monitors) ppi. If you prefer smaller pixels, there's the new Dell U3223QE and countless cheaper other options, sure. But if you also want height adjustable stand, which is a must in the office, they aren't so countless.

The worst part of the specification for me is 60 Hz. Should be at least around 90 Hz these days.

 

[Logoffon]

2xDell 20" 1600x1200 Monitors (can't remember the model name sorry).

Pretty sure it was the 2007FP(b) as it's the lastest model I could find on their database. All 20 inches models after that are all widescreens.

 

[jeremyshaw]

Nothing wrong with low (relative to 4K monitors) ppi. If you prefer smaller pixels, there's the new Dell U3223QE and countless cheaper other options, sure. But if you also want height adjustable stand, which is a must in the office, they aren't so countless.

The worst part of the specification for me is 60 Hz. Should be at least around 90 Hz these days.

Amusingly, that monitor has less vertical height than this one does, by one centimeter. Still ~125cm^2 more surface area vs the UltraSharp 30's ~2600cm^2. Though the U3223QE's extra width and resolution come with another ~$200 on the asking price.

I'm still holding out hope for a decent ~48" 4K IPS with more than 60Hz and Gsync (or some decent VRR implementation). RGB, too, but asking for a non BGR may be too much. After that, I can dream of the same or better, but with 8K for a nice ~180ppi (a slightly smaller ~43" may be viable for a high density 8k display as well).

 

[Makaveli]

Nothing wrong with low (relative to 4K monitors) ppi. If you prefer smaller pixels, there's the new Dell U3223QE and countless cheaper other options, sure. But if you also want height adjustable stand, which is a must in the office, they aren't so countless.

The worst part of the specification for me is 60 Hz. Should be at least around 90 Hz these days.

Have to agree had this been 120Hz or 144Hz it would almost be perfect. I'm still a big fan of 16:10.

 

[Nephilim666]

This is a good one. I remember the U3011 being the bees knees. If only it weren't announced today.
Nevermind, this one is real

 

[matar]

I still have The 30" 2560X1600 DELL Ultrasharp 3008 with the soundbar

 

[ghazi]

Too bad we still can't get any 16:10 panels for gamers for years on end now. You'd think a lot of people would pay tons of money for one. As it is I see no reason to buy a new monitor until we have reasonable OLEDs, but a 3840x2400 144Hz IPS would be tough to resist even if it cost more than a C2.

 

[Valantar]

Nice to see this get a refresh (rebirth?), but the specs vs. the price seem rather out of touch. Then again, Dell's office stuff tends to be constantly on sale with MSRPs seemingly designed to make the sales look better, so reality will likely be better, but it's still a silly price.

Nothing wrong with low (relative to 4K monitors) ppi. If you prefer smaller pixels, there's the new Dell U3223QE and countless cheaper other options, sure. But if you also want height adjustable stand, which is a must in the office, they aren't so countless.

The worst part of the specification for me is 60 Hz. Should be at least around 90 Hz these days.

This is such a weird stance - this is an office monitor. Smoother text rendering and better detail is infinitely more valuable than smoother motion for essentially everything this is designed for. And the difference in text sharpness and reproduction of fine detail is easily discernible at this size for anyone with passable eyesight. That doesn't mean it's bad as it is, but it's really stretching how far you can go with that resolution. 90Hz would obviously also be nice, but ... it doesn't matter to this market.

Pity that all these USB 3.2 devices are starting to arrive after USB4 is shipping in laptops, since USB4 is gonna be the tipping point for USB-C as a connection for everything.

Isn't the most important thing then that this has USB-C? It'll work on literally every USB4 device, after all. Including MST display daisy-chaining and the USB hub and Ethernet ports. If this was USB4 it would likely be $100 more expensive while adding only minor benefits at best (maybe a couple more USB ports, possible TB daisy-chaining?). I don't see the major benefit overall, especially seeing how this maintains backwards/current gen compatibility without caveats.

 

[80-watt Hamster]

This is such a weird stance - this is an office monitor. Smoother text rendering and better detail is infinitely more valuable than smoother motion for essentially everything this is designed for. And the difference in text sharpness and reproduction of fine detail is easily discernible at this size for anyone with passable eyesight. That doesn't mean it's bad as it is, but it's really stretching how far you can go with that resolution. 90Hz would obviously also be nice, but ... it doesn't matter to this market.

Not that weird, IMO. As a member of the 16:10 fanclub, this monitor checks every box for me except for VRR. If they'd included that, I'd seriously consider picking one of these up when they eventually and inevitably get discounted below USD500.

 

[W1zzard]

Too bad we still can't get any 16:10 panels for gamers for years on end now

Definitely not until game devs figure out their resolution support. In the screenshots of my game testing articles you'll often encounter black bars due to me running at 1600p and not 1440p

 

[Yukikaze]

Typing this on a Dell 30" 2560x1600

Don't see any reason why I should buy this over what I have

Same here. U3011 still going strong as my main work monitor.

 

[80-watt Hamster]

Definitely not until game devs figure out their resolution support. In the screenshots of my game testing articles you'll often encounter black bars due to me running at 1600p and not 1440p

Genuine question: What's the challenge there? D:OS II, for instance, will happily run at almost any aspect ratio you like in windowed mode.

 

[Valantar]

Not that weird, IMO. As a member of the 16:10 fanclub, this monitor checks every box for me except for VRR. If they'd included that, I'd seriously consider picking one of these up when they eventually and inevitably get discounted below USD500.

Sure, it's a nice-to-have feature. But it's not a sought-after feature for an office monitor, while higher resolution (=increased detail, sharpness) is to some extent. It would be very nice for a multi-purpose monitor though, and there's no doubt that Dell's 30" 16:10 monitors have a certain enthusiast following - but that's ultimately a small niche still. The main audience for this is still productivity - but that's also where it'll struggle against the 32" 2160p crowd. It would be really cool if games supported non-16:9 resolutions better, but until then, there's no perfect do-it-all monitor, sadly. (And while I would love a 16:10 work monitor, if I was going that route I might as well get a 3:2 3840x2560 Huawei Mateview (though the lack of a VESA mount option is a dealbreaker to me) - but I need something that can do everything, weighted towards gaming, meaning 16:9 is it for me for now).

 

[W1zzard]

What's the challenge there?

Developers being lazy (time = money) and not designing/testing their content for 16:10, especially cutscenes

 

[Valantar]

Developers being lazy (time = money) and not designing/testing their content for 16:10, especially cutscenes

I wouldn't necessarily call it lazy - reframing a shot for a new aspect ratio is anything but trivial, either in video or real-time graphics. The changes necessary might not be huge, but it takes a lot of care and attention to detail to make things work (and avoid messing up simple things) across multiple aspect ratios - assets spawning/despawning while still in frame, characters visible in stock poses that should have been out of frame, ensuring the same level of detail for all visible assets across all aspect ratios, etc. Still, it's definitely doable, and ought to be done. But ... well, maybe they'll get to that after fixing employee churn, burnout, toxic workplace cultures, crunch, studios being massively precarious unless they are entirely beholden to creativity-killing publishers, etc., etc. "Be more inclusive towards various aspect ratios" is likely pretty far down the list of priorities for most game developers.