Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24" Black

The Dell UltraSharp U2412M is a 24-inch 16:10 IPS monitor that's still worth buying for office work if you can find it cheap. The extra vertical space is great for documents and spreadsheets, and the ergonomics are excellent. Just know you're getting a 60Hz panel with no HDMI and limited color gamut, so it's not for gaming or photo editing.

Let's be honest about what this monitor is and isn't. The U2412M runs at 60Hz, which is fine for office work but a non-starter for competitive gaming. The 8ms response time (typical for this panel) means you'll see some ghosting in fast-paced games. If you're looking for a gaming monitor, this isn't it. The ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQL5A or Acer Nitro XV272U will run circles around it for that use case.

Where the U2412M still holds its own is in everyday productivity. The IPS panel delivers accurate colors after calibration, and the matte anti-glare coating does a great job of cutting reflections in bright offices. The 300 nits brightness is about average for this class, and our color score puts it right in the middle of the pack at the 53rd percentile. The 6-bit panel with dithering means you might notice slight banding in gradients, but for text and spreadsheets, it's a non-issue. The ergonomics are where this thing shines. Height adjust, tilt, swivel, and pivot are all here, and our data puts it in the 92nd percentile for ergonomics. That's genuinely impressive for a monitor this old.

If you're cross-shopping, the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQL5A is a completely different animal. It's a 27-inch 1440p gaming monitor with a high refresh rate, and it costs significantly more. If you need one monitor for both work and gaming, the ASUS is the better pick, but you lose the 16:10 aspect ratio. The Acer Nitro XV272U is similar, a 1440p gaming panel that trades the U2412M's ergonomics and aspect ratio for speed and resolution.

The Lenovo Legion R27qc-30 and Samsung Odyssey LS27BG402ENXGO are both curved gaming monitors, which makes them a weird comparison for an office monitor. They're bigger, faster, and more immersive for games, but they're also more expensive and worse for document work. The Alienware AW3225DM is in a totally different price class. If you're looking at the U2412M, you're probably not cross-shopping a $1,000+ gaming monitor. The honest take: the U2412M's real competition is other used 16:10 monitors, and there aren't many of those around. That scarcity is part of why people still seek this thing out.

Here's where things get interesting. The U2412M is listed anywhere from $80 to over $17,000 depending on the vendor, which is frankly absurd. The $17,000 listings are clearly placeholder or scalper nonsense. The real value is in the refurbished market, where you can find these for $80 to $150. At that price, a 16:10 IPS monitor with this level of ergonomics is a steal. Newegg has refurbished units with fast shipping and decent customer service ratings. If you're paying more than $200 for one of these, you're overpaying. For comparison, a new 24-inch 16:10 monitor from a modern brand will run you $250 to $400, and honestly, the U2412M at $100 does 90% of what those do for office work.

The Dell UltraSharp U2412M is one of those monitors that refuses to die, and for a specific group of people, that's a good thing. It's a 24-inch IPS display with a 1920 x 1200 resolution, which gives you that extra vertical space you just don't get on standard 1080p panels. If you spend your days in spreadsheets, writing code, or reading long documents, that 16:10 aspect ratio is a genuine productivity boost. It's an older design at this point, but the build quality and ergonomics hold up better than most budget monitors released in the last five years.

Dell aimed this squarely at office and professional use, and our scoring backs that up. It scores a 65.9 out of 100 for office work, which is solid, but only 55.9 for professional color work. The 82% color gamut coverage tells you this isn't a monitor for serious photo or video editing. But for text clarity, document work, and general multitasking, it's still a comfortable screen to sit in front of all day.

One thing to know before you buy: this monitor is old enough that it lacks HDMI. You get DisplayPort, DVI-D, and VGA. That's fine for older desktops and some laptops, but if you're planning to plug in a modern gaming console or a newer MacBook without an adapter, you'll need a dongle. The price range across vendors is wild, from $80 to over $17,000, so you really need to shop around. The $80 refurbished units are where the value is, assuming you get one in good shape.

Skip the U2412M if you're a gamer, a photo or video editor, or anyone who needs modern connectivity. The 60Hz refresh rate and slow response time make it a poor choice for gaming, and the 82% color gamut won't cut it for professional creative work. If you need HDMI without adapters, or you want a monitor that works seamlessly with a modern laptop, look at newer options. The ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQL5A is a better all-rounder if you can stretch your budget, and the Acer Nitro XV272U is a solid 1440p alternative. If you're set on 16:10, you might need to hunt for a newer Dell UltraSharp model, but expect to pay more.

Should you buy the Dell UltraSharp U2412M in 2024? If you can find a clean refurbished unit for under $150 and you want a 16:10 monitor for office work, yes. It's one of the few affordable ways to get that extra vertical space, and the ergonomics are genuinely better than most modern budget monitors. The lack of HDMI is annoying, but a $10 DisplayPort to HDMI adapter solves that for most people.

But if you need a monitor for gaming, color-critical work, or anything involving high refresh rates, look elsewhere. The 60Hz panel, 6-bit color, and limited gamut are real limitations. This is a purpose-built office monitor, and it's still great at that job. Just don't expect it to be something it isn't.