Bogdan Petrovan / Android Authority
More screen space, more productivity. Is it really that simple? After using an ultra-wide monitor for over a year, there are a few things I would like to know before investing in a large, expensive ultra-wide screen for my daily work.
Here’s my opinion on what it’s like to use an ultra-wide monitor for productivity.
More options: Check out our best summary of ultra-wide monitors
The user
First, a little about myself. My main role here at Android Authority is hard to describe, but one thing is clear: these are spreadsheets. Lots of spreadsheets, with thousands of rows, dozens of columns, formulas, flashing buttons, whatever.
Last year, I was convinced that I needed some extra screen real estate to accommodate my spreadsheets. I was working on a standard 20-inch swamp I bought in the Middle Ages for Android, but to be honest, the real reason was that I wanted to pamper myself with something nice.
After some rather superficial research (which would bite me again), I grabbed a Dell ultra-wide monitor, the 34-inch Dell P3421W, for about $ 650.
The monitor
Bogdan Petrovan / Android Authority
Overall, the Dell P3421W is a solid, if not flashy, purchase. It looks sleek on my desk and the aluminum backing is sturdy enough not to move even in the highest setting. It’s the kind of sleek, unobtrusive design that works in just about any environment.
It has many ports, including USB-C, which allows you to connect a laptop and charge it simultaneously with a cable. It’s not my laptop, as I quickly discovered (remember the superficial research I mentioned?). I also realized that my aged laptop just can’t produce 3,440 x 1,440 pixels at 60 Hz, forcing me to use the monitor at 30 Hz, like a barbarian. You have me.
You have to show some discipline …
The Dell P3421W has no bells and whistles, including some that I would have found really useful. My big missing features are the webcam and built-in speakers. Like most office workers in 2022, my day is just a never-ending series of video calls, so I’ve regretted the lack of a built-in webcam. At the very least, you can buy a $ 50 Dell modular soundbar that you can magnetically stick to the bottom of the screen.
Read also: The best webcams you can buy
And of course, there’s the 34-inch 3,440 x 1,440 21: 9 panel. Technically, it is a curved panel with a radius of curvature of 3800R. In plain English, curvature exists, but it hardly exists. You can see it if you look for it, but you probably won’t notice it on a daily basis.
The curvature of an ultra-wide monitor is supposed to have a practical purpose: to reduce the distance at the edges of the screen, making it easier to visualize the elements of the user interface. This is not the case with the Dell P3421W, and I often find myself moving the windows in the center of the screen so I don’t have to look sideways. On the other hand, there is no distortion as in some more careful game-oriented models.
Dell P3421W
A solid and reliable ultraample monitor
While you may not receive many bells and whistles, the Dell P3421W is definitely a reliable purchase. With a large, high-quality 34-inch screen, USB-C connectivity and a sleek design, this ultra-wide monitor will do the job.
The display quality is solid. I don’t have high demands and the Dell P3421W is not the right choice for serious gamers. But all the basics are offered well, including resolution, brightness, refresh rates, contrast levels, and panel uniformity.
Finally, it also turns out that my desk is a little too narrow to ergonomically accommodate a 34-inch screen, so keep that in mind when buying yours.
The productivity factor
Bogdan Petrovan / Android Authority
The Dell P3421W was the first time I used an ultra-wide monitor, so I was ready for a brave new world of pixels and productivity. A year later, I’m no master of productivity, but switching to ultrawide has improved many aspects of my work.
If you spend your day in applications or websites with complex interfaces, lots of information and large workspaces, an ultra wide screen will make your life easier. You can only adjust more things on the screen, especially if the user interface is designed with widescreens in mind or if you can customize it to take advantage of the horizontal space.
Would you recommend buying an ultra-wide monitor?
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Spreadsheets, tables, and databases are my main “killer application.” In Airtable, Excel, or Google Data Studio, having more space for columns means less scrolling and easier time scrolling through data. It is difficult to quantify, but the productivity gain is real.
Developers, videographers, graphic designers, 3D modelers, and other creators will benefit from switching to an ultra-wide format. The 5: 9 space you get alongside the classic 16: 9 allows you to adapt to more UI elements while maintaining a generous space for your main work. Developers can, for example, code in a window and see the results next to it without having to change windows.
Read also: The best monitor deals right now
Multitasking is the other big benefit. Having a 21: 9 screen is not the same as using two monitors side by side, but it is almost there. You can place a Word window on the left side, activate the browser on the right, and switch seamlessly. You can also do this on a 16: 9 monitor, but the ultra-wide format gives you a lot more room to breathe.
You can go further and switch comfortably between three columns. Or, if you really want to go crazy, you can turn your screen into a full dashboard with five or six windows displayed simultaneously. Major live blog events like Google I / O are a little less hectic when you can watch live streaming, coordinate with colleagues via Slack, work on WordPress, and control traffic from a screen and without feeling cramped.
Working in an ultra-wide range is great if you have a specific design that you rarely stray from.
The ability to light multiple windows and organize them to fit your work style is the strength of the ultra-wide experience, but it can also be the biggest weakness.
Working in an ultra-wide range is great if you have a specific design that you rarely stray from. If, like me, you’re constantly switching between a variety of applications, window sizes, and window positions, you’d better do it right. Otherwise, all the change, movement and resizing can quickly become tedious. Or worse, you’ll end up using one app at a time in full screen, which is a perfectly good pixel loss.
Maybe you like to focus on one window at a time to avoid succumbing to endless distractions. This is where an ultrawide becomes less valuable because all the screen space on the sides is not used. If you’re used to working on a single application, especially one that doesn’t make the most of horizontal space, it’s best to invest in a high-quality 16: 9 monitor.
Read also: How to use Snap Layouts in Windows 11
To become a window expert, you will need a window management tool. My favorite app is FancyZones, which is part of Microsoft’s PowerToys utility suite, but Dell has a similar one and there are others. These applications allow you to define areas of your screens and quickly place windows in their position, so it’s very easy to organize them around the screen. You can make the windows automatically snap into place whenever you press a keyboard shortcut. The problem is that you have to show some discipline and make use of these tools. Otherwise, it’s easy to switch to using ultrasound as a normal monitor, which will make you slower and less productive.
Playing and watching videos is beyond the scope of the article, so I’ll just say one thing: I hope you don’t mind watching black bars.
After a year of living the ultra-wide life, my advice is to ignore the hype.
Ultra-wide productivity monitors – is it worth it?
After a year of living the ultra-wide life, my advice is to ignore the hype. It’s easy to watch your favorite youtuber browse your fantastic desktop and think, “I need this monitor in my life.” But this youtuber probably has a specific use case for this monitor: video editing. If your use case doesn’t involve video editing or programming or a lot of research, or other tasks that will really benefit from the ability to define pop-up window designs, an ultra-wide monitor shouldn’t be your default choice. I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy one, just that it won’t be the incredibly superior experience you can expect. Definitely don’t buy it just because it looks great, and you know you’ll need a little discipline to get the most out of it.
In my case, considering the time I spend on my knees in spreadsheets, I’m happy with my purchase. For everything else, I could have managed just as well with a 16: 9 screen and maybe saved some money in the process.
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