Dell UltraSharp UP2720Q: problems, parts and running costs

Checked: 2026-10-27

Summary

Owners most often report flickering, ghosting or glitching on some units, plus Apple Silicon resolution-recognition problems in daisy-chain setups. Running costs are electricity only, since there are no consumables or subscriptions, but no usage data is given to compute a yearly dollar figure. It is a good buy at roughly $1,100 to $1,200 for color-critical work that needs self-calibration, and a weaker one above $1,600.

Common problems and fixes

Flickering, strobing or ghosting on some units — reported by owners on Reddit (r/Dell) with M1 Mac Studio setups and in a Dell community thread describing sudden glitching after about two years. No fix or workaround is documented in the sources; whether the 3-year warranty covers it is not stated. [10][7]
Apple Silicon compatibility problems — MacBook units do not recognize the native 3840x2160 resolution in daisy-chain setups, and Thunderbolt daisy-chaining hits Mac external-display limits. [8][9]
Low brightness for a pro monitor — brightness is 250 cd/m2, which PCMag flags as low for a professional display. [2][1]
Colorimeter scans only the bottom of the panel — the built-in pop-up colorimeter measures the bottom area and cannot check brightness uniformity; uniformity compensation is a separate feature. [3]
CalMAN software sold separately — CalMAN Ready does not include CalMAN; the AutoCAL workflow requires a separate purchase, and Dell Calibration Assistant only assists scheduling. DUCCS has been reported buggy by owners. [2][3]

Parts and consumables

No replaceable parts or consumables reported — the monitor runs on its internal power supply and needs no filters, pods or cartridges; the shading hood and cables are included. [1][3]

Yearly running cost

Not enough data for a dollar figure. Electricity only: 44 W typical, 230 W maximum, 0.5 W standby or sleep. [1][3][4] There are no consumables or subscriptions, and CalMAN software is sold separately as a one-time purchase. [2][3] No electricity rate or usage hours are reported, so a yearly cost cannot be computed.

When it is a good buy

Dell’s US page shows $1,199.99, but the product is unavailable. [1]
PCMag (May 2020): $1,129 at Dell, down from a $1,499.99 sale price. [2]
StorageReview (April 2020): $1,600 at launch. [6]
Photography Life (February 2020): $1,999.99 MSRP. [3]
IT Pro (February 2020): £1,108 excluding VAT in the UK. [5]
At roughly $1,100 to $1,200 it is a strong buy for color-critical work that needs self-calibration. [2][1]
Named alternative: the ViewSonic VP2785-4K at around $700 covers a similar gamut with external calibration. [2][6]