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Last I checked (and surprisingly, I check pretty often), Dell is still the top monitor brand in the world. They dominate the display game primarily due to their professional monitor line-ups. In 2025, they will continue to put out spectacular panels for their business customers, offering what the people need and will need in the foreseeable future. The UltraSharp line-up has led this charge of premium office monitors for quite some time, with the U3225QE as the newest release.
Unless you have a super simple setup and you can get away with plugging your laptop directly into your monitor over HDMI, and then your setup is complete, most people benefit from a dock in one way or another. It may not be used heavily every single moment, but having a dock where you can plug in other cables, plug-in drives, or accessories and access your computer can be super handy. Another thing that not many setups have, but many would benefit from, is a KVM dock.
Dell’s U3225QE continues the legacy Dell has set forth with a gorgeous panel, the world’s most comfortable display, an integrated Thunderbolt Dock, and a KVM switch.
This is easily one of the best business monitors for those working on multiple devices in the professional space.
Dell U3225QE: Price and Availability
The Dell UltraSharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub is priced at $949.99 and is available at Dell and other business monitor resellers. It is backed by a 3-year Advanced Exchange Warranty, which includes access to the premium panel exchange. One thing to note is that only a mere fraction of Dell monitors are purchased through Dell, and most are purchased through a third party.
Dell U3225QE: Unboxing & first impressions
The box for this Dell Monitor was a little different than the standard brown box I’ve expected from most monitor manufacturers. This one was in a black box with a photo of the monitor on the front and prominent Dell branding. Once unboxing, though, everything felt familiar.
Within the contents are the monitor, a stand, a Thunderbolt 4 Cable, a DisplayPort Cable, a USB-C to USB-A cable, and the IEC power cable. The monitor stand and base are the same as those used by Dell for years. It works well, has integrated cable routing, and is height-adjustable.
However, it also takes up a lot of space. So, I usually opt for a monitor arm. Thankfully, as most monitors are these days, this monitor has a VESA mounting capacity, so I could put this display on the Mount-It monitor arm I had set up already.
Once I got the monitor arm mounted, the other things I noticed immediately included the pop-out ports, the plethora of ports on the back, the fantastic display, and my appreciation for IEC monitors in general.
Dell U3225QE: Design & build quality
Specs
Size: 31.5” (4K UHD, 3840 x 2160)
Panel Type: IPS Black (3,000:1 contrast)
Refresh Rate: 120Hz
Color Accuracy: 100% sRGB, 99% DCI-P3 / Display P3, Delta E < 1.5
Brightness: 450 nits (typ.), 600 nits peak HDR
HDR Cert: DisplayHDR 600
Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x DisplayPort 1.4 (in/out), 1x HDMI 2.1, 2.5GbE RJ45, 7 USB downstream, 3.5mm audio-out
Dell’s monitors all look like they belong together. This one is no different. It’s a black panel front with minimal bezels, a light grey plastic backing, and ports at the bottom middle of the back of the display. Another thing that I appreciate about Dell is that there is minimalist branding all around. That makes it an easy choice to toss this monitor on my testing desk and be able to leave it there without it looking like a branding piece or a gaudy flashy display.
Dell also made sure to include some front-facing ports since this is a Thunderbolt dock as well. There is a pop-out grouping of ports on the left-hand bottom bezel, allowing for ease of access when needed, and then it can be clicked back in place when not in use.
Dell U3225QE: In use
I’ll speak quickly to a few different use cases for this monitor. This display is fantastic for people who need an all-in-one display in an office or workspace, especially if you have multiple devices. This monitor is also great for the home office and can be used for work and play, all on the same display. Another use case would be for videographers looking for a significant multi-use display.
For my use case, I have the Dell UltraSharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor on my secondary desk, which is directly behind my main desk. I have it on my Flexispot E7 Plus desk, with a Grovemade desk shelf, a Mount-It Monitor arm, and a Grovemade desk pad. I added a nice BenQ lightbar to the top and a few other gadgets around the desk to finish it.
For the last few weeks, I’ve had this monitor as my computer and peripheral testing area, making it super easy to plug in any laptop to the USB-C cable to charge and run data and video, all to the built-in hub on the back of the monitor. I can also run any HDMI or DisplayPort to the monitor, making it easy to plug in any desktop I am testing, any gaming system for after-hours fun, an Apple TV (for the screensavers and aesthetic vibes), and just about anything else. All of this without a dock since the monitor has it all built-in.
Translating this to the business world, this could be your all-in-one display. It’s got super rich IPS Black colors, even though it’s not running an OLED Panel, so it will look great with your content, no matter what you’re doing on it. It’s a 120Hz refresh rate, making the display buttery smooth, especially when you pair it with the 4K resolution and great colors. All around, the picture is brilliant. I’d suggest this as your only monitor if it fits the specs and price you’re looking for.
Regarding features, the monitor has a built-in KVM on top of the Thunderbolt Dock, which I have already discussed. What’s great about a built-in KVM is that you can switch displays for multiple computers/devices and swap around your inputs and peripherals simultaneously. Picture this: the Dell UltraSharp 32-inch 4K is your only monitor. You work from home. You can easily have your work machine plugged in, whether it is a laptop or a desktop. During the day, you can quickly finish your work on this brilliant panel, knocking out multitasking or project management, coding, writing, or virtual meetings. Then, when you’re on lunch, you can press a button and swap your mouse, keyboard, webcam, mic, and any other accessories you want over to your personal laptop to check on the game, check your personal emails, work on your side project, video call a family member, or whatever else. Then, you can swap right back to your work machine with another simple press. No more needing multiple keyboards or having all your gear spread across a desk in a cluttered mess. Better yet, thanks to the great inputs, you can even have your gaming system plugged in, so after the workday, you can swap into an evening of gaming if you so choose.
Further, if one monitor is insufficient, Dell allows for daisy chaining these monitors, meaning you can still run a one-cable setup. Still, you can have several of these monitors side by side or stacked to give you even more digital real estate.
Sadly, there is no speaker built into this display. I say sadly, but at the same time, I only ever use monitor speakers for the occasional internal Google Meet, where I don’t need brilliant audio; I need to be able to hear my teams. So, while it’s a loss, I’d be frustrated at the quality if there was a speaker. And, if I wanted a good speaker, I could get the web conferencing variant like the Dell P3424WEB, but then I wouldn’t need one of the best business webcams, which have great features in and of themselves.
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Design |
Beautiful and professional |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Ease of use |
Easy to use |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Practicality |
Practical for almost all |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Price |
Great price |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Dell U3225QE: Final verdict
The Dell UltraSharp U3225QE is a gorgeous monitor that would be a perfect productivity companion for almost everyone. It’s got impressive connectivity options, excellent pictures, 120Hz buttery smooth motion, and one of the best-rated eye-friendly screens on the market. It’s not perfect, but for the vast majority, it’s precisely what you’d want and need.
For more essentials, we’ve reviewed the best business computers and the best business laptops.
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collin.probst@futurenet.com (Collin Probst)
