Dell this week unveiled a series of new monitors, and there is one in particular that stands out for Mac users: the UltraSharp 40 Curved WUHD Monitor.
A recipient of a CES 2021 Innovation Award, the UltraSharp 40 or "U4021QW" is the world's first 40-inch ultrawide curved monitor with a 5120×2160 resolution, also known as 5K2K or WUHD. This is not a true 5K resolution and instead works out to around 140 PPI, which is equivalent to a 32-inch 4K display, but with 33% more viewing space.
With a 21:9 aspect ratio, the UltraSharp 40 is ideal for users who want lots of screen real estate within a single display, but without compromising on resolution. Along with LG's ultrawide 34-inch 5K2K monitor from 2018, the UltraSharp 40 is one of the only ultrawide monitors with a "4K" resolution, with most having a lower QHD resolution of 2560×1440.
A built-in Thunderbolt 3 port allows the UltraSharp 40 to be connected to a compatible Mac with a single cable, and the monitor can power a MacBook Pro with up to 90W of pass-through charging. Other connectivity includes two HDMI 2.0 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4 port, three 10Gbps USB-A ports, one USB Type-B upstream port, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm headphone/audio jack on the back of the monitor, plus one 15W USB-C port and another 10Gbps USB-A port on the bottom of the monitor for quick access.
Dell says the UltraSharp 40 is a 10-bit display that covers 100% of the sRGB and 98% of the DCI-P3 color spaces, producing 1.07 billion colors. However, for a high-end monitor, peak brightness is relatively low at 300 nits. Other specs include a fast 5ms response time, a 60Hz refresh rate, 2500R curvature, built-in KVM functionality, and integrated 9W speakers. Dell did not indicate whether there is HDR support, so it should not be expected.
The UltraSharp 40 is intended for content creators, creative professionals, data analysts, and coders. A picture-in-picture mode allows the UltraSharp 40 to mimic two displays side by side, and a so-called "ComfortView Plus" feature reduces blue light.
Dell says the UltraSharp 40 will be available beginning January 28, with pricing starting at $2,099.99 in the United States.
