High tech

Review of Dell's Ultrasharp U3818DW

Ultrawide monitors, instead of 4K, have become the next big thing in PC displays. While a 4K monitor requires proper high-resolution content to really show off, ultrawides look great at a variety of pixel counts. Dell's Ultrasharp U3818DW monitor is certainly among the largest monitors available and it’s sold at an appropriately enormous price of $1,150. This monitor is a monster. The 21:9 aspect ratio means the display is a modest 15 inches tall – about the same as a 27-inch monitor with the more typical 16:9 aspect ratio — but an intimidating 35 inches wide. U3818DW is built for professional work, and has a look to match. Its thin bezels are bordered by durable, thick gray plastic, which connects to a VESA-mount stand. The stand itself can adjust for height, tilt, and pivot, but it doesn’t rotate. Connectivity options include two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and one USB Type-C. There’s also an audio line-out (for passing HDMI or DisplayPort audio to speakers or headphones), two upstream USB ports for plugging the monitor into a PC, and two downstream USB ports for peripherals and attachments, one of which supports charging.