Dell UltraSharp U2410 24in Monitor review

In 2005, Dell almost single-handedly brought high-end 24in monitors to the average consumer thanks to the incredibly affordable price of its 2405FPW. Since then it has kept the ball rolling with its 2407WFP and 2408WFP in 2007 and 2008 respectively, and though the U2410 actually came out at the tail-end of 2009 it’s pretty much in line with Dell’s logical naming scheme.

This is the first in the 24in range to consistently ditch PVA panels in favour of IPS, which is arguably a superior technology, especially for colour-critical work. Its new H-IPS screen enables the UltraSharp U2410 to offer some pretty impressive specifications, not least of which are an 8,000:1 claimed dynamic contrast ratio and 96 per cent Adobe RGB (110 per cent sRGB) colour gamut. Together with a low response time, Dell’s usual plethora of connections and full adjustability, is this the monitor to topple the brilliant HP LP2475w from its throne? Let’s find out.

Like its predecessors, this Dell is very simple to set up. It comes in two parts which easily yet securely click into each other and come apart again at the touch of a button, with no screws or other complications. The slim metal stand offers generous amounts of tilt, a 45 degree swivel to either side, smooth height adjustment and pivot – basically everything we could ask for. The only slight niggle is that since the screen only lifts 11.5cm off its base (13cm off your desk), you still need to tilt it back to pivot it. There was also an issue (which we assume is just a glitch with our specific sample) where the screen in landscape mode was not level, but rather it was tilted by a degree or two.

Connectivity hasn’t changed much from the U2410’s predecessors, which is no big deal since they were already more than generous. Behind the bezel and to the left you’ll find two of the monitor’s four USB hub inputs, together with a memory card reader and a pull-out plastic tag with all the monitor’s information printed on it (a far easier to access, better-looking and longer-lasting solution than the sticker found on the back of almost all other monitors). It’s a pity that the card reader no longer supports CompactFlash as previous models did.

At the monitor’s back you’ll find the input for the USB hub and a further two USB outputs, composite and component video inputs, VGA, twin DVIs, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Some users will be sorry to hear the S-Video present on older UtraSharps is on the casualty list. Ideally we would have liked to have seen twin HDMI outputs too, but really that’s just being picky - especially as DisplayPort and the HDCP-enabled DVI ports will work as HDMI video inputs with an adapter, the only caveat being that they won’t carry sound. This brings us to the one area where we really wish Dell would up its game: though a 3.5mm analogue audio output (and Dell speaker bar connection) is provided to carry sound from HDMI, we would prefer a digital output as found on the HP LP2475w.