The Dell S3222DGM is a decent monitor overall with a 32 inch, 1440p VA panel. Like most VA monitors, it has excellent contrast, resulting in deep blacks in a dark room, and it has decent black uniformity. It also has excellent gray uniformity, a superb SDR color gamut, and impressive gradient handling. Colors out of the box are a bit oversaturated, and there's no sRGB mode, but it's alright overall. Motion handling is excellent, with an excellent response time at the max refresh rate with very little overshoot. It's still plagued by the same issues that normally affect VA monitors, though, as there's significant black smearing in dark scenes, which can be distracting. Unfortunately, the image washes out at an angle, and the stand can't swivel or rotate to a portrait orientation, which limits its versatility a bit.
Our Verdict
The Dell S3222DGM is a decent monitor for most uses. The 32 inch, 1440p screen has a great amount of screen real estate for office use or media creation and delivers a more immersive gaming experience. It's a great gaming monitor, with a fast response time, low input lag, and a few extra gaming features, including support for variable refresh rate technology. It's a bit limited for some uses though, as the image degrades at an angle, and it doesn't support HDR.
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Excellent contrast.
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Very good peak brightness.
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Fantastic low input lag.
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Image washes out when viewed at an angle.
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Doesn't support HDR.
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Stand can't swivel or rotate to a portrait orientation.
The Dell S3222DGM is a decent office monitor. The 32 inch, 1440p monitor is great for multitasking, but it has just satisfactory text clarity and the pixel density is a bit low. It has excellent gray uniformity, decent reflection handling, and very good peak brightness, so glare shouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, although it should be easy to place in a comfortable viewing position, the stand can't rotate to a portrait orientation and it can't swivel. The monitor also has disappointing viewing angles, so you can't really share your screen with someone else.
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Excellent gray uniformity.
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Very good peak brightness.
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Superb SDR color gamut.
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Fantastic low input lag.
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Image washes out when viewed at an angle.
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Stand can't swivel or rotate to a portrait orientation.
The Dell S3222DGM is a great gaming monitor. It has an excellent response time at the max refresh rate, fantastic low input lag, and it supports both FreeSync and G-SYNC variable refresh rate (VRR) technology. Like most VA panels, it doesn't look as good in dark scenes, as there's significant black smear, and the image degrades when viewed at an angle, so it's not a good choice for co-op gamers. It has decent reflection handling and very good peak brightness, though, so glare shouldn't be an issue, and it has excellent contrast.
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Excellent response time at the max refresh rate.
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Fantastic low input lag.
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Fast refresh rate.
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Image washes out when viewed at an angle.
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Black smearing in dark scenes.
The Dell S3222DGM is a decent monitor for watching videos. The large screen is great for watching movies, and it looks great in a dark room thanks to its excellent contrast and decent black uniformity. It also has excellent gray uniformity, a superb SDR color gamut, and impressive gradient handling. It's not a very good choice for watching videos with a friend, though, as it has disappointing viewing angles and can't swivel.
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Excellent gray uniformity.
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Excellent contrast.
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Fantastic low input lag.
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Image washes out when viewed at an angle.
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Doesn't support HDR.
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Black smearing in dark scenes.
The Dell S3222DGM is decent for media creation. The large screen makes it easier to see more of your work at once. It has excellent gray uniformity, excellent contrast, and decent black uniformity. It also has a superb SDR color gamut, but its Adobe RGB coverage might be too low for some creators. Unfortunately, the image degrades when viewed at an angle, and the stand can't swivel or rotate to a portrait orientation, so it's not ideal if you often have to share your screen with your colleagues or clients.
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Excellent gray uniformity.
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Excellent contrast.
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Very good peak brightness.
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Superb SDR color gamut.
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Image washes out when viewed at an angle.
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Stand can't swivel or rotate to a portrait orientation.
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No sRGB clamp.
The Dell S322DGM doesn't support HDR.
- 7.0 Mixed Usage
- 7.3 Office
- 7.7 Gaming
- 7.1 Media Consumption
- 7.1 Media Creation
- 3.7 HDR
- Updated Apr 18, 2023: Confirmed that 1440p works on this monitor with the PS5.
- Updated Mar 24, 2023: Clarified text throughout as part of Test Bench 1.2, including adding text to the Console Compatibility boxes.
- Updated Jul 04, 2022: Updated to Test Bench 1.2, resulting in changes to the results and scores with the Response Time and Input Lag. Added tests for Console Compatibility and macOS compatibility and made minor changes to other tests, which you can see in our Changelog.
- Updated Aug 09, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Aug 05, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Jul 23, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jul 21, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Jul 14, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 32 inch Dell S3222DGM, which is part of Dell's S Series of gaming monitors. It's also available in a 27 inch size, but the smaller size has a slightly different panel with a different curve, so this review isn't valid for that size.
| Model | Size | Native Resolution | Max Refresh rate | Panel Type | Curve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S2522HG | 24.5" | 1920 x 1080 | 240Hz | IPS | No |
| S2722DGM | 27" | 2560 x 1440 | 165Hz | VA | 1500R |
| S3222DGM | 32" | 2560 x 1440 | 165Hz | VA | 1800R |
| S3422DWG | 34" | 3440 x 1440 | 144Hz | VA | 1800R |
If you come across a different type of panel or your Dell S3222DGM doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in May 2021; you can see the label here.
Compared To Other Monitors
The Dell S3222DGM is a great gaming monitor with excellent motion handling and low input lag at the max refresh rate. It's not immune to the issues that usually plague VA monitors, though, including black smear. Unless the high contrast ratio is really important to you, most IPS monitors deliver a better overall experience.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best 32-inch monitors, the best gaming monitors, and the best 1440p monitors.
The Dell S3220DGF is better than the Dell S3222DGM overall, but the differences might not matter to everyone. The S3220DGF supports HDR, it has better ergonomics, and it has better connectivity, with a built-in USB hub. For gaming, the S3222DGM is a better choice, as it has an optional black frame insertion feature and a faster response time.
The Samsung Odyssey G7 C32G75T is much better than the Dell S3222DGM. The Samsung supports HDR and has a faster refresh rate and a faster response time, so motion looks clearer with less noticeable blur. The Samsung also has a more versatile black frame insertion feature, and the stand has better ergonomics with a better height adjustment and can rotate to portrait orientation and swivel.
The Dell S3222DGM is slightly better than the LG 32GN650-B/32GN63T-B. The Dell has a faster response time, especially when gaming at 60Hz, but the LG has a slightly better stand, as it can switch to a portrait orientation. The LG supports HDR, but can't display a true HDR experience, so this doesn't add much.
The Dell S3222DGM and the Samsung Odyssey G5/G51C S27CG51 are both entry-level 1440p gaming monitors, but the Dell has a larger 32-inch screen. Although they have the same panel type, there are some differences as the Dell has better motion handling and also gets brighter, making it a better choice for well-lit rooms. However, the Samsung has a few other advantages, like the fact that it can downscale 4k images from consoles, resulting in a more detailed image than native 1440p, and this is something the Dell can't do. The Samsung also supports HDR, unlike the Dell, but it doesn't add much in terms of performance anyway. Lastly, the Samsung is easier to place in an ideal position thanks to its better ergonomics.
The Samsung Odyssey G5/G55C S27CG55 and the Dell S3222DGM are entry-level 1440p gaming monitors with a few differences, including the screen size. While they each have a curved screen, the curve on the Samsung is more aggressive, which isn't ideal if you aren't used to using a curved screen. The Dell also has a more ergonomic stand, making placing it in an ideal position easier. On the other hand, the Samsung is the better choice for HDR gaming, as the Dell doesn't support HDR at all.
The Dell S3221QS and the Dell S3222DGM target different users, so which one is best depends on your needs. The S3221QS is better for office users or media creators, as it has a high-resolution screen with fantastic text clarity, and it supports HDR. The S3222DGM is better for gaming, though, with a much faster refresh rate, a better response time, lower input lag, and an optional black frame insertion feature.
The Dell S3222DGM and the HP OMEN 27c are both great 1440p gaming monitors. The HP has a higher 240Hz refresh rate than the 165Hz on the Dell, and even though the Dell has a quicker overall response time, there's more black smearing. They both have VA panels with a high native contrast ratio, and the HP has a local dimming feature, which the Dell doesn't have, but it performs terribly and worsens the contrast. The HP also supports HDR, which the Dell doesn't, but once again, it doesn't add much as it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop.
The Dell S3222DGM is better than the MSI Optix G27CQ4. The Dell has better ergonomics, making it easier to place in an ideal viewing position. The Dell is also much better for gaming, as it has a much faster response time, especially when gaming at 60Hz.
Test Results
The Dell S3222DGM has a simple design that looks great in any setting. It has thin bezels on three sides, great for multimonitor setups. It looks identical to the smaller version, the Dell S2722DGM, but has a slightly less-aggressive curve. There's a fixed-color ambient downlight feature on the bottom bezel, but no RGB bias-lighting on the back.
The Dell S3222DGM has decent build quality. It's made of plastic, but feels pretty solid, with no noticeable flex to any of the panels. The bezels feel solid, and we didn't notice any issues. Unfortunately, the stand isn't as stable as the Dell S2722DGM, as there's significantly more wobble.
The Dell S3222DGM has an okay height adjustment and an amazing tilt range, but it can't rotate to a portrait orientation or swivel, which limits its versatility. You shouldn't have any issues placing it in an ideal viewing position. The back of the monitor is identical to the Dell S2722DGM. There's no bias-lighting, which is a bit disappointing. There's a cutout in the stand for basic cable management.
The stand is okay. It has a small overall footprint and still allows you to place small objects in front of the monitor. Unfortunately, it doesn't support the monitor very well and wobbles a lot, even when gently nudged. It wobbles worse than the Dell S2722DGM, which would only wobble when the height adjustment was near the maximum extension.
There's a joystick control on the back for navigating the OSD. There are also four quick access buttons that can be assigned to different options. The power button is located on the bottom bezel of the display.
As expected for a VA panel, the Dell S3222DGM has excellent contrast, resulting in deep blacks in a dark room. These results are higher than we expected, as Dell advertises a typical native contrast ratio of 3000:1 for this model, but it can vary between units. We ran a few sanity checks on these results, and all of our measurements were within the same ballpark.
The Dell S3222DGM doesn't have a local dimming feature. The video is for reference only, so you can see how the backlight on this display performs and compare it to a similar product with local dimming.
The Dell S3222DGM has very good peak brightness in SDR. There's no noticeable variation in peak brightness with different content, and it's close to the advertised typical peak brightness of 350 cd/m².
These measurements were taken after calibration, in the 'Game 1' Picture Mode, with the backlight at max. The peak brightness can change depending on which mode you're using. We used different settings than the Dell S2722DGM with this monitor, as these settings are the most accurate on this model.
This monitor doesn't support HDR.
As expected for a monitor with a VA panel, the Dell S3222DGM has disappointing horizontal viewing angles. Colors remain accurate to a wide angle, but if you move even slightly off-center the black levels rise and gamma shifts, causing the entire image to appear washed out. This can be an issue if you share your screen with someone else, or even if you sit close to the screen. The curved screen can help compensate for this, but our testing doesn't currently account for that.
As expected for a VA monitor, the Dell S3222DGM has disappointing vertical viewing angles. In general, colors remain accurate to a very wide angle, but shift ever so slightly beyond our threshold for accuracy at a moderate angle. Like the horizontal viewing angle, black levels rise and gamma shifts at a narrow angle, causing the image to appear washed out.
The Dell S3222DGM has excellent gray uniformity. The corners and sides of the screen are a bit darker than the center, but there's very little dirt screen effect. This can vary between units, but it's rarely an issue on current monitors.
The Dell S3222DGM we bought has decent black uniformity, but this can vary between units. There's almost no clouding, but there's some backlight bleed along the top and bottom of the screen.
The Dell S3222DGM has alright accuracy out of the box. There are some noticeable inaccuracies in many colors, and as there's no sRGB clamp, the image is oversaturated. White balance is off mainly in brighter scenes, and the color temperature is a bit cool. Gamma is nearly flat close to 2.1, so most scenes are too bright.
After calibration, the Dell S3222DGM has nearly perfect accuracy. Gamma follows the sRGB target curve almost perfectly, white balance has no noticeable issues, and the color temperature is almost exactly on our target. Any remaining inaccuracies in colors aren't noticeable, and the image is no longer oversaturated.
The Dell S3222DGM has a superb color gamut in SDR. It covers pretty much the entire sRGB color space used by most desktop and web content. It has great coverage of the wider Adobe RGB color space, but it might not be good enough for professional content creators. If Adobe RGB coverage is important to you, check out the ASUS ROG Swift PG279QM instead.
This monitor has superb SDR color volume. Despite the relatively high contrast ratio, it still can't produce saturated colors at low luminance levels very well, but this is hardly noticeable.
This monitor doesn't support HDR.
This monitor doesn't support HDR.
This monitor has decent reflection handling. The matte finish reduces the intensity of direct reflections, so glare shouldn't be an issue for most people, unless you have really bright lights or a window opposite the monitor.
The Dell S3222DGM has decent text clarity. It's a bit worse than the Dell S2722DGM, as the larger screen results in a lower pixel density. We recommend running the Window ClearType wizard if you're on a PC; otherwise, there are some text clarity issues with diagonal lines, as shown in the bottom photo.
The Dell S3222DGM has great gradient handling. There's some banding in all shades, and as it can only accept an 8-bit signal, there's 8-bit banding in our 10-bit test image.
The Dell S3222DGM works with both FreeSync and G-SYNC VRR. Both VRR formats work over DisplayPort, and only FreeSync works over HDMI.
| Overdrive Setting - VRR Enabled | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Super Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
The Dell S3222DGM has a decent response time at the maximum refresh rate. The 'Super Fast' Response Time setting is the best one because it's quicker than 'Fast' and has less overshoot than 'Extreme'. At its max refresh rate, there isn't much of a difference between the response time with VRR on and off, and you can see the results with VRR off below.
| Overdrive Setting - VRR Disabled | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Super Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Overdrive Setting - VRR Enabled | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Super Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
The response time at 120Hz is decent. It's similar to its max refresh rate if you enable VRR, and the recommended overdrive setting is once again 'Super Fast'. However, the motion handling is different if you disable VRR, as there's a lot less overshoot, even when you use the 'Extreme' setting. You can see the results below.
| Overdrive Setting - VRR Disabled | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Super Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Overdrive Setting - VRR Enabled | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Super Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
The response time at 60Hz is okay. There's more motion blur than the higher refresh rates, and the recommended overdrive setting is still 'Super Fast'. This means you won't have to change the overdrive setting if the frame rate of your game drops. Like at 120Hz, there isn't any overshoot if you disable VRR, and the recommended overdrive setting is 'Extreme'. You can see the results with VRR disabled below.
| Overdrive Setting - VRR Disabled | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Super Fast | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Refresh Rate | Motion Blur Photo |
| 165Hz | Photo |
| 120Hz | Photo |
The Dell S3222DGM has an optional backlight strobing feature that you can enable by setting the Response Time to 'MPRT'. The timing seems very good, with no noticeable crosstalk, but there's still a noticeable blur trail behind fast-moving objects. Unfortunately, it only works with 120Hz or 165Hz signals, and you can't enable it at the same time as the VRR feature.
The backlight is completely flicker-free, which is great as it can reduce eye strain.
The Dell S3222DGM has fantastic low input lag.
The 32 inch, 1440p screen is great for multitasking, but some people might find the pixel density a bit low.
The Dell S322DGM has limited compatibility with the PS5 as it doesn't support 4k or HDR at all.
This monitor doesn't support 4k signals from the Xbox Series X|S, but at least VRR works on it.
Unfortunately, there are a few issues when using this monitor with recent MacBooks, and it behaves inconsistently. It sometimes defaults to YCbCr color format with a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, and when changing the color format to RGB, the screen goes black. At other times it defaults to RGB and supports up to 165Hz. The variable refresh rate feature works well but flickers at low frame rates. Windows return to their original positions when the computer wakes from sleep, but not if you just close the lid.
The Dell S3222DGM has a few additional features, including:
- Timer: Displays a countdown timer on-screen.
- FPS Counter: Displays the current frame rate the monitor is receiving from the source.
- Dark Stabilizer: Adjusts gamma to make it easier to spot other players/enemies in shadows.
- Display Alignment: Displays gridlines on the screen to help align multiple displays.
- Downlight: Dell has added an ambient downlight on the bottom bezel. It's a fixed blue light that can't be changed, it can only be turned on or off.
