Be it for work or play, a good display is paramount when it comes to using your computer or gaming console. It doesn’t matter how good your connected device is, if your display isn’t any good, it will dull your experience.

I consider myself fairly picky with monitors, well as picky as my bank account will allow me to be anyway. When purchasing a monitor, my preferences are generally 1440p, 144hz, 7ms, 27” or better. I am currently using a 34” HDR FreeSync 3440×1440 144hz 5ms 21:9 Curved display for my daily driver. HDR is always nice, but it isn’t a deal breaker for me either way.

Recently Dell sent us their 27” Curved Gaming Monitor to have a play with.

As is my experience with the Dell monitors I have reviewed previously, they always feel super solid once you have them unpacked and assembled. There is none of that “flimsy plastic” feel.

Upon unpacking and setting up the Dell 27” Curved Gaming Monitor (S2721HGF), it was no different. The monitor base and arm connected easily to the back of the monitor itself and once placed on my desk, you knew you could trust that it wasn’t going to collapse on you!

Now that it is sitting on my desk, looking at me… looking at it, while it is looking at me looking at it… it occurs to me that this gaming monitor far from screams “Gaming”. It is more a mellow “office” whisper. It is quite dull and grey looking, not really exciting all, aesthetically.

That said, it is Dell Alienware that does all the screaming – “LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME” – with RGB lighting and that hexagonal design treatment. The dull exterior of this gaming monitor lets it stealthily hide in plain sight on any desk, in any home or work office, without the need to stick out like dogs a sore thumb.

Dell 27” Curved Gaming Monitor display specifications:

Display Type
LED-backlit LCD monitor / TFT active matrix

Diagonal Size
27″

Viewable Size
27″

Curved Screen
Yes

Adaptive-Sync Technology
AMD FreeSync™ Premium Pro

Panel Type
VA

Aspect Ratio
16:9

Native Resolution
Full HD (1080p) 1920 x 1080 (DisplayPort: 144 Hz, HDMI: 144 Hz)

Brightness
350 cd/m²

Contrast Ratio
3000:1

Colour Support
16.7 million colours

Response Time
4 ms (grey-to-grey); 1 ms (MPRT)

Horizontal Viewing Angle
178

Vertical Viewing Angle
178

Screen Coating
Anti-glare, 3H Hard Coating

Backlight Technology
LED backlight

Bezel Type
Flat front

Features
72% NTSC colour gamut, 72% (CIE 1931) colour gamut, 83% (CIE 1976) colour gamut, LED edgelight system, Flicker Free technology, arsenic-free glass, Dell Easy Arrange, Dell ComfortView, Low Blue Light technology

Dimensions (WxDxH)
60.84 cm x 19.04 cm x 39.3 cm – with stand

Interfaces
• 2 x HDMI
• DisplayPort (DisplayPort 1.2 mode)
• Audio line-out

Display Position Adjustments
Height, tilt

Tilt Angle
-5/+21

Height Adjustment
100 mm

VESA Mounting Interface
100 x 100 mm

Dimensions & Weight Details
• With stand – width: 60.84 cm – depth: 19.04 cm – height: 39.3 cm
• Without stand – width: 60.84 cm – depth: 9.63 cm – height: 36.41 cm – weight: 4.06 kg

For me, the disappointing thing is the 1080p resolution. Anything less than 1440p, especially with the current generation of consoles and even previous gen GPU’s, doesn’t even come into consideration for me when purchasing a new monitor. Don’t get me wrong though, while higher than 1080p resolutions do look nicer while gaming, there are still many games that you won’t notice a whole lot of difference.

One thing to note though is the current online price (at time of writing) of AU$319.20 including delivery, puts the Dell 27” Curved Gaming Monitor in the perfect position to offer a “wallet-friendly” display with high refresh rates, low response time and a curved screen.

Standard desktop-type usage is clear, crisp and bright. I used the Dell 27” Curved Gaming Monitor for a daily driver which meant reading emails, word processing, browsing the internet and regular command line use. Both Windows 10 & 11 proved easy on the eyes thanks to the overall display panel quality.

Uniquely Designed: vents on the back of the monitor are engineered for enhanced heat dispersal.

Stand and deliver: Game in comfort for extended periods thanks to a new slim, tapered stand with easy height and tilt adjustability. The angled base provides sturdy support and a smaller footprint, allowing for more desktop space for additional gaming accessories.

Gaming-centric tools: Easily navigate and manage the on-screen display (OSD) menus with new joystick and shortcut buttons located on the back of the monitor.

Customise every advantage: Three user-defined profiles give even more personalisation options. The Timer, FPS Counter and Dark Stabiliser let you manage everything from frame rates to brightness to shadow control.

Flicker free: Controlling the brightness using a direct current enables a flicker-free screen, giving you a more comfortable viewing experience.

Game Longer: The ComfortView software solution reduces harmful blue light emissions to help reduce eye fatigue for your next marathon gaming session.

The curved screen though, I could take it or leave it on a 27” display. I just don’t think a 27” 16:9 display benefits much or even at all, from the curved panel. But that is only one person’s opinion.
Around the back of the monitor are the display controls.

These consist of the Dell standard 4-way stick/button, plus the usual push buttons you would normally see. I like the 4 way stick as it makes it that much easier to navigate the on-screen menu. I always find myself pressing the wrong button on my monitor whenever I try to change a setting, so using the stick is just simpler.

The display menu allows you to change various display settings such as the usual brightness and contrast settings, but also contains Dell presets for FPS, RPG, Movie etc. You can also change the speed of the panel response time and whether you want the current refresh rate displayed on screen as you use it.

AMD Adaptive FreeSync Premium Pro is also included in this display.

As an overall package, the Dell 27” Curved Gaming Monitor specs may come across a little lackluster and perhaps I am being a touch picky when it comes to 1080p vs 1440p, but at this price point, not only are you getting a good bang-for-your-buck feature-set, but you also get Dell quality and support.

Written by: Kurt Frohloff

A Founder of MKAU, a gamer, a family man. I have a love of all things gaming and a wish of mine is to have more time to actually play the games we review here!