Review on Dell UltraSharp U2711: 27 Inch Widescreen Monitor with High Resolution, Anti-Glare Display by Chris Ballard

When I ordered the U2711 I really thought I was moving to the next display level. I know it's not NEC or Eizo level, but it's still a nearly $800 monitor. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was very disappointed. Let's start by saying that I like it on paper. The stand is solid although it doesn't swivel, it has all the inputs I'll ever need and is more than enough for gaming. Even if you go for 1080p, the resolution is amazing. All the issues I'm having are related to the panel Dell is using. I'll admit that LG is equally to blame and these are issues you see with almost every display using this panel. The anti-glare coating is decidedly strong, and I don't think it's hard to argue that it's overly strong. In that respect I can live with it. But here's what I really disagree with: the uniformity of the panels. Don't get me wrong, I've seen worse, I've seen a lot worse. I've personally seen three U2711s, and while I ended up with the best of the two, panel uniformity is still JUST OK. I wouldn't call it "good" at this level, I wouldn't call it "not terrible". Both samples I saw were warmer toward the edges and had a pink streak running through about the middle third of the panel. My particular example has a fairly small but noticeable difference in panel brightness from left to right, being slightly brighter on the left. Again, maybe my expectations were too high, but I figured I could avoid these kinds of issues by paying close to $800 for this display. Call me crazy, but $800 is way too much for a monitor that feels "okay" to me. UPDATE (2012-09-07): I'm having some issues with DisplayPort. Sometimes the display refuses to wake up from sleep mode or does not communicate with the device. Sometimes the display stops responding and I have to turn it off and on again before it works again. This has happened on both computers on my desk and from what I've read it seems to be inherent to the U2711 to some degree. Maybe it's not such a big deal, but I don't feel I should experience it on such an expensive display. Previously, I also had another problem with the service tag. For some reason it wasn't on Dell systems. When you contact Dell for support, this is the first thing they ask for and what you use to confirm warranty status. You won't get any support without them. Dell fixed it and secured the warranty on their side so it wasn't that big of an issue but it was an hour on the phone which was pretty lame at the time. I'm not sure how common that will be, I can't imagine it being common. As a result, I deduct a star. I just can't imagine keeping it.