Dell UltraSharp 24 USB-C Hub Monitor (U2421E) Review

 Hub Monitor (U2421E) is all about enhanced connectivity, putting it in the same arena as two PCMag Editors' Choice-winning productivity monitors, the HP E24d G4 FHD Advanced Docking Monitor and the Philips Brilliance 272P7VUBNB. The Dell shares several key features with them. One is an Ethernet port, uncommon among monitors, that lets you connect to a LAN even if your laptop lacks an 

RJ-45 jack. Plus, you can power and charge a laptop from the monitor over a single USB-C connection, even while you're pushing a display signal to it. Add a few downstream USB ports, DisplayPort multi-

 

panel daisy-chaining, and a smattering of other ports, and this panel can act as a USB-C hub or docking station. Our only quibbles are the lofty price for a 24-inch panel of its resolution, and its subpar measured brightness level.

The U2421E is a 24-inch (measured diagonally) IPS panel with WUXGA (1,920-by-1,200-pixel) resolution. This resolution works out to a 16:10 aspect ratio that gives you more vertical real estate for the same width than the much more common 1080p (1,920 by 1,080 pixels). Its pixel density comes to

 94 pixels per inch (ppi), which is more than adequate for general office use at this screen size. Although WUXGA resolution is far less common than it was a decade ago, it's still around—witness the UltraSharp and the new Acer ConceptD CM2241W.