The Dell 32 4K USB-C Hub Monitor (P3222QE) has UHD resolution and the largest screen of any of the so-called USB-hub or docking-station displays that we have reviewed to date. Productivity monitors like this $899.99 model include a USB Type-C port feeding an Ethernet jack and multiple downstream USB Type-A ports, letting them perform the functions of a PC docking station as well as a display. The P3222QE costs more than Dell’s highly rated UltraSharp 27 USB-C Hub Monitor (U2722DE), and it lacks some of its ports, but it has a substantially larger screen and great sRGB color coverage. It would serve as a fine centerpiece for a serious home or office “getting-it-done” workstation, but the price is a heavy blow given the screen size.
One Sweet, Spacious Screen
A flat 31.5-inch display supporting in-plane switching (IPS) panel technology, the P3222QE packs in 3,840 by 2,160 pixels for UHD (a.k.a. 4K) resolution at a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Its pixel density of 140 pixels per inch (ppi) is more than enough for editing photos and working with intricate graphics. (All else being equal, the higher the pixel density, the sharper that the text and other fine detail in an image should appear.) The Editors’ Choice-winning Philips Brilliance 279P1 also has 4K resolution but a smaller (27-inch) screen.
As is typical of IPS displays, the P3222QE’s viewing angles are wide (rated at 178 degrees vertical and horizontal), ensuring consistent colors even when your viewing posture may be far from straight-on.
The P3222QE measures 24.4 by 28 by 9.2 inches with its stand extended to its full height, and it weighs 22 pounds. It has minimal bezels on the top and sides, and a bezel of less than an inch below the screen. The stand supports all standard ergonomic adjustments: height (up to 5.9 inches), tilt (up to 5 degrees toward the viewer and 21 degrees away), swivel (30 degrees in either direction), and pivot (from landscape to portrait orientation in either direction, and back).
Seated within the silver-colored stand’s compact footprint is a shaft with a hole near the bottom through which you can snake cables. The top of the shaft connects to the back of the cabinet. Alternatively, you could mount the panel on a wall or a movable arm by screwing a VESA mounting bracket into the square array of holes, spaced 100mm apart, in the space where the shaft would otherwise attach to the back of the panel.
All the Ports of Call
Although it lacks the multiple DisplayPort and USB-C connectors found on the Dell Ultrasharp 27 U2722DE and U2421E, or even the dual DisplayPort connectors of the Dell U2722DE mentioned earlier—which permit the daisy-chaining of multiple monitors—the P3222QE has a good complement of ports.
They include an HDMI port, one DisplayPort connector, and an upstream USB Type-C port, which supports the DisplayPort over USB alternate mode as well as supplying up to 65 watts of power delivery, letting the monitor charge a laptop connected to it. In addition, there are four downstream USB 3.2 Type-A ports. The monitor lacks built-in speakers, or even an audio-out jack, but it is compatible with Dell’s $54.99 Slim Soundbar (SB521A).
Except for two of the USB-A ports found on the monitor’s bottom edge, the ports are downward-facing in back. They are easily accessible by pivoting the panel upward into portrait mode.
Finally, there’s an RJ-45 Ethernet jack that can provide connectivity if your laptop lacks a physical Ethernet connection and Wi-Fi reception is sketchy. The monitor supports the same set of network-management features as the Dell U2722DE and U2421E, including Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE), Wake on LAN (WoL), and MAC address pass-through. PXE lets a computer boot directly from the network; WoL enables a PC to be woken remotely from a low-power state; and MAC address pass-through lets an attached PC bypass the monitor/dock’s MAC address so it can be uniquely identified on the network with its own MAC address. The HP E24d G4 offers a similar set of management features, while the Philips 279P1 and Philips 272P7VUBNB support WoL.
The panel’s onscreen display (OSD) is controlled by a mini joystick, on the back of the cabinet next to the power switch. This is preferable to the array of small buttons that serve as the OSD controls for many monitors, and it proved easy to navigate the P3222QE’s menu system.
Testing the P3222QE: High Contrast, Full sRGB
I measured the P3222QE’s brightness, contrast ratio, and color accuracy using Portrait Displays’ Calman 5 color calibration software, a Klein K10-A colorimeter, and a Murideo Six-G signal generator.
In standard mode, its luminance came to 332 nits (candelas per meter squared), just short of its rated 350-nit brightness. I measured its contrast ratio at 1,309:1, above its 1,000:1 rating. (Click here to see how we test monitors.)
Dell rates the P3222QE’s sRGB color coverage—the standard color space used on the web and in many other applications—at 99%. The monitor achieved this with plenty of room to spare, with 125.1% coverage.
Dell does not make any claims to coverage of DCI-P3—a color space designed for digital video—but we measured it at 90.8%, a good measure for a monitor not geared to that mode. We also measured it as covering 81.2% of Adobe RGB—good for a general-purpose monitor, although photographers working in that space will want to opt for a monitor with more complete coverage—such as the Lenovo ThinkVision P32u-10, which fills 99.7% of Adobe RGB, or a full-fledged professional monitor such as the NEC MultiSync PA311D-BK.
In addition to our formal testing, I did some ad-hoc testing of text, video, and image quality. Our test video clips showed bright colors and good contrast in both bright and dark areas. Images from our photo suite looked bright, with realistic colors.
All the Ports, All the Money
With a 31.5-inch panel with UHD resolution and full coverage of the sRGB color space, the Dell 32 4K USB-C Hub Monitor (P3222QE) is a formidable productivity monitor for workers with some creative chops. The P3222QE has a solid range of ports, including a USB-C port that can power a laptop, an Ethernet jack that can provide connectivity to it via the USB-C conduit, and a hub of USB-A ports.
This display does lack the redundancy in USB-C and DisplayPort connectors that we’ve seen in some other USB hub/docking station monitors we have reviewed. It is also expensive for what it delivers. For about $200 less, if you need to emphasize the connectivity aspect, you can get the Dell U2722DE, with a 27-inch screen and QHD resolution, but which has three USB-C and two DisplayPort connectors. And the P3222QE costs way more than the Editors’ Choice-winning Philips Brilliance 279P1, which also has UHD resolution and a similar port selection but a 27-inch screen.
Still, if you’re willing to pay the premium for the P3222QE’s high-quality, jumbo screen, you should be quite happy with it dominating your desk and granting connectivity to all your gear.
