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With a 32-inch form factor, the Dell 32 Plus 4K S3225QS provides lots of screen real estate that any multi-tasker, professional creative, or gamer could need for daily use. This is the second Dell 32 Plus 4K monitor we’ve reviewed this year, but this model is a little different. Whereas the Dell 32 Plus S3225QC packed an impressively vibrant QD-OLED with a very reasonable bill of almost a grand, the S3225QS has its crosshairs on the other spectrum of the market.
For under $400, the Dell 32 Plus S3225QS features a 4K VA panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a glorious, stylish design. It doesn’t get as bright as most high-end monitors like the LG 34GS95QE, but for the price and feature set, it’s truly one of the best choices for anyone looking for a big, affordable screen for productivity. And, it won’t break the bank.
The Dell 32 Plus 4K S3225QS is an affordable 4K upgrade that is great for multitasking, entertainment, and casual gaming.
Dell 32 Plus 4K S3225QS Specifications
- Display size: 32-inch 16:9 aspect ratio
- Native resolution: 3840×2160
- Panel type: Vertical Alignment (VA)
- Refresh rate: Up to 120Hz
- Adaptive Sync: AMD FreeSync Premium
- HDR: HDR10, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 Certified
- Ports: 2x HDMI (HDCP 1.4 and 2.2) 1x DisplayPort
- Audio: 2 speakers, 10W
Design & Features
Dell monitors have always been pretty, and the Dell 32 Plus 4K is no different. The bezels are thin, and the base and stand aren’t overly big either. The off-white color looks clean and will blend well with any desk setup. It might not look as professional as a silver or black monitor, but for home-office use the I prefer white. The design is worth noting, too, since at its price, some monitors tend to look or feel really cheap. Even with the plastic exterior on the Dell S3225QS, the stand and base feel really sturdy.
The adjustable stand doesn’t provide much in terms of ergonomics – just the usual amount of front-to-back tilt. It also offers a little side-to-side swivel, which I find to be of little meaning, though. The stand doesn’t rotate into portrait mode, and as such, I don’t see the reason. You’d want to rotate the display left or right by only 4 degrees. Its 27-inch sibling, the Dell 27 Plus 4K S2725QS monitor, gives you a full range of adjustments, including 5 inches of height, tilt, rotation, and swivel.
Port selection is basic, but useful, with only a single DisplayPort 1.4 input and a pair of HDMI 2.1 inputs. The ports are distributed as two downward-facing ports, one DisplayPort and one HDMI, and another sideways-facing HDMI port that is easy to access. The side-facing port is useful when you need to hot-dock or simply want to plug in a laptop.
Cable management is fine, with a little U-shaped plastic clip that clicks into place at the rear of the tubular stand, and it works well. A rather surprising feature on this monitor is how decent the integrated speakers are, and loud, too. The speakers are so loud, in fact, among the best you’ll find on a monitor this affordable. There is a level of bass, well-filled midranges, and while high frequencies are a bit muffled, the overall audio output is superb. If you ever wanted to listen to some music or watch a video in the background as you work, this monitor does it all; you don’t need any external speakers.
Image Quality
The Dell 32 Plus 4K S3225QS has a 3,840 c 2,160 resolution, otherwise known as 4K or UHD. This is a 16:9 aspect ratio, and at this size, the resolution is pretty sharp. You certainly can’t pick out pixels. It’s a VA (vertical alignment) panel, which is standard for a productivity monitor of this type.
In terms of image quality, you need to set some realistic expectations, especially with VA panels. While the 4K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate sound promising on paper, the VA panel has its limitations – viewing angles are narrow and response times are quite poor. After all, you’re not expecting a monitor at this price point to have the deep blacks and HDR capability of OLED (or Mini-LED), or even the elevated contrast in newer panels like the LG 34GS95QE OLED monitor.
Still, the monitor goes up to 350cd/m2 in SDR mode, not bright enough to see HDR content at its best, but it’s fine fr watching YouTube or Netflix videos. But in my opinion, you get a better picture if you stick with SDR. Also, the panel’s sRGB coverage of 96.5% is good, though, and this is especially useful for everyday productivity tasks – the internet and most applications rely on the sRGB standard to ensure that colors are delivered correctly.
Thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium, the Dell 32 Plus 4K is even a decent, affordable gaming monitor when you need it to be. No, it’s not going to compete with dedicated gaming monitors, especially one that’s QHD with a 240Hz refresh, for example.
But if you need 4K for professional work, the Dell 32 Plus 4K S3225QS functions well as a hybrid gaming-and-work monitor. You can run a few titles, including Cyberpunk 2077 and Star Wars Outlaws, but the high resolution is best suited for a slow, single-player experience. For a better experience, you might have to lower the resolution on some faster-paced games with the 120Hz refresh rate.
Dell 32 Plus 4K S3225QS Review: Bottom line
There are areas where the Dell 32 Plus 4K S3225QS feels bare-bones, especially in ports. And there are other areas where it punches above its weight, such as image quality, refresh rate, and speakers. But this all has to be put in context within this monitor’s price.
There aren’t many other name–brand 32-inch 4K monitors out there for less than $400. The closest thing Lenovo and HP have is at least hundreds of dollars more. Samsung and LG came really close with their options, but their 42-inch monitors only have 1440p resolutions and a 60Hz refresh rate. Again, the port situation doesn’t affect gaming or productivity, so we can easily overlook it.
A perfect balance of good looks, respectable color accuracy, and nice-sounding speakers is a good combination for a monitor that costs less than your smartphone – and especially one that rocks a crisp 4K resolution on a large 32-inch panel. If you’ve been working from home or office on a crusty 1080p monitor for too long, the Dell 32 Plus 4K S3225QS is a great buy.
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