TVs and monitors · Dell
Owners keep the S2721DGF for years as a 1440p, 165Hz IPS screen for gaming, reading and work, accepting that dark scenes look flat beside an OLED.
Owners keep using it for years: one has had it for five years, runs a MacBook for work and a gaming PC through it, and is still happy with it. Another has used it since 2020 and only now finds it failing. Only two accounts cover this, too few for a verdict.
One owner finds the contrast poor: dark scenes come out greyish with lost detail, and the corners show IPS glow and the edges show backlight bleed. They say it is fine in bright scenes. This rests on a single account, too few for a verdict.
The Dell S2721DGF is a 27-inch gaming monitor for a desktop PC or console. It has a sharp 1440p screen that refreshes quickly, so it suits people who play fast games and also want good color for everyday use.
| Screen sizes | 27 inches |
|---|---|
| Panel type | Fast IPS |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1440 (QHD) |
| Refresh rate | 165 Hz over DisplayPort, 144 Hz over HDMI |
| HDR | |
| Inputs | 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 4 x USB 3.0 downstream, 1 x USB 3.0 upstream, audio line-out, headphone-out |
| Smart platform | |
| Warranty | 3 years Advanced Exchange Service |
From the maker's spec page, checked October 11, 2026. A blank row means the maker does not state it.
At 2560 x 1440 on 27 inches, text and images look sharper than on a common 1080p screen, but your graphics card needs to be more powerful than for 1080p. To get the full 165 Hz you need a DisplayPort cable, because HDMI tops out at 144 Hz. The screen sits on your desk and has no built-in apps, so it only shows what comes from a PC or console. If the monitor fails within 3 years, Dell sends you a replacement.
Pick up to three. You get a page with just those, side by side, on the subjects owners raised.
Owners use it as the everyday screen. One splits time evenly between gaming and reading in a dark room. Another plugs a work MacBook and a gaming PC into it and has stayed with it partly because OLED text shimmer puts them off. One owner runs it as a second screen next to an Alienware AW3225QF, and HDR on the Alienware still works with the Dell connected.
What owners have had to accept is the IPS panel's handling of dark content. One owner who also has an OLED says bright scenes look fine on the Dell, but dark scenes look washed out and the corner glow is noticeable in comparison.
Two owners describe several years of use. One is still running theirs after five years with no complaints. The other has had theirs since 2020 and says it is now dying, so they are looking for a replacement. Another owner had a fault a few years ago and fixed it by opening the monitor with a teardown guide and pushing loose internal cables back in more firmly.
The long-term evidence is thin. Only a handful of owners describe more than a few months of use, and none explains in detail how their monitor failed. Treat these accounts as individual experiences, not a pattern.
From 3 owner accounts that said how long they have had it. Own one? Add how long yours has lasted.
Nothing with a clear majority yet. Owners who raised these subjects were split, or too few to judge.
Nothing has a clear majority against it yet. Counted from the owners who raised each subject, not from everyone. A subject is judged once at least 4 owners raise it.
8 more subjects came up from fewer than 4 owners each, which is not enough for a fair reading. To see how it stacks up, compare it with another machine.
The same owner, asked again at each point. Fills in as owners answer.
Two questions: how long you have had it, and anything you would like to say about it. Then we ask again as it ages. This helps our mission.
More in tvs and monitors: Samsung QD OLED, LG CX, LG C9.
Among the 3 owner accounts here that gave a duration, 1 described a failure. Parts named most: unspecified (monitor dying).
Before you buy one used, ask the seller: how old it is, whether it was ever repaired and by whom, and whether any of the parts above have been replaced. Ask to see it run. A receipt tells you the warranty start date; most makers honour the term only for the first owner.
Public discussions we read and summarised in our own words. Nothing here was submitted to Still Kicks.
Counted from public accounts by people who said they own it, and summarised by Still Kicks in its own words. Not a manufacturer claim, a lab test or an estimate.
No account needed to look. Sign in with Google only if you want to track something you own.