Dell’s New UltraSharp Monitor is the First 6K Display to Use IPS Black Tech
The Dell UltraSharp 32 6K Monitor (U3224KB) promises to render exceptional details, sharpness, and color accuracy, and the company claims it is the first 6K display to use LG’s IPS Black Technology, which promises higher contrast and deeper blacks.
IPS Black technology was announced last year at CES and was developed by LG and brought with it the promise of 35% deeper blacks than other IPS displays, which doubles the previous contrast ratios. IPS monitors (which stands for in-plane switching) use liquid crystals aligned in parallel to produce colors and are therefore defined by the shifting patterns in those liquid crystals. The liquid crystal’s ability to shift horizontally results in better viewing angles and IPS monitors are also used to best show accurate color consistently.
While OLED panels can now produce outstanding color accuracy and far deeper blacks, IPS Black displays are getting closer. Since IPS panels are cheaper to produce and don’t bring any risk of “burn-in,” they are still quite popular.
Dell has already used LG’s IPS Black technology in displays in the past, including 27 and 32-inch UltraSharp 4K displays launched last year, and is expanding on that line with a new 32-inch 6K display launching today.
Dell says that the UltraSharp 32 6K Monitor (6,144 by 3,456 pixels) has support for up to 99% of the DCI-P3 and Display P3, 100% sRGB, and 100% Rec. 709 color gamuts and is certified with VESA DisplayHDR 600, which indicates the monitor gets reasonably bright to at least 600 nits of peak brightness. Dell says the display features the ability to display 1.07 billion colors, likely through FRC.
“With 150% more pixels on 6K resolution compared to 4K, the new UltraSharp 32 6K Monitor brings extra details and additional clarity to your data sets and graphics,” Dell says. “The inclusion of IPS Black technology means an increase in depth for dark objects — even in dark environments — and accurate colors viewed from virtually every angle.”
Dell says that a recent study that it commissioned found that IPS Black offers up to 41% deeper black levels than standard IPS displays, which is slightly better than the 35% that LG promised when it launched the technology last year. Dell says that the benefits of IPS Black are most notable when displaying “low grays.”
The UltraSharp 32 6K Monitor can connect to two separate video sources via Thunderbolt 4 or DisplayPort 2.1 (it offers connections for both) and display them at the same time using picture-by-picture and picture-in-picture functions. In all, the monitor features one HDMI 2.1 port, a mini DisplayPort 2.1, two USB-C ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports (with 140-watt power delivery), and two USB-A ports.
At the top of the display is a hard-to-miss large camera, which Dell says is a 4K dual gain HDR webcam and “multi-element” lens that it says can deliver “crystal clear” images. The camera can record and playback 4K at up to 30 frames per second or Full HD at up to 60 frames per second. It can also be tilted zero to 20 degrees and has a field of view that can be adjusted between 65, 78, and 90 degrees.
The monitor also features a built-in echo cancellation microphone and two 14W speakers.
Dell plans to release the monitor sometime between April and June of 2023, but did not reveal how much it planned to sell it for.
Image credits: Dell
