Is 2014 the Year to Refresh Your Monitor?

This is the first in a four-part blog series, highlighting Ultra HD monitor trends and the viability of 4K displays in the workplace.

Screen time. We hear a lot about it these days, primarily in the context of how much of it our children are getting. But, there is no denying we all spend more and more time looking at screens in the workplace. Shouldn’t it be quality time?

Before I dive into this blog series on how it can be, here’s a quick video that explains some terms like Ultra HD and the basics of 4k displays:

Displays technology has evolved immensely over the past five years, and while it’s hard to keep up with the latest trends, such as Ultra HD (UHD), you could be sacrificing productivity and efficiency if you haven’t refreshed your monitor lately. Many IT decision makers and professionals ask, “What am I truly missing out on?” The answer is simple: a lot. Just two years ago, Extreme Tech called desktop monitors “something of the odd man out in the display industry,” as the resolutions on televisions, smartphones and tablets continued to increase while desktop monitors were seemingly staying put. This would all soon change.  

Over the next year, you will see 4K monitors go from a hot tech trend discussed at electronics conferences like CES to the new office standard.

“Thanks to falling production costs leading to declines in average selling prices,” 4K Ultra HD monitor shipments are expected to reach two million units worldwide by 2014, according to NPD DisplaySearch.

Considering the first affordable (<$5,000) UHD monitors only became available in early 2013, that progress is astounding. Furthermore, NPD says that UHD monitor shipments are forecast to reach approximately 8 percent of the overall desktop monitor market by 2017, which would be the equivalent of nearly 10 million units.

  • Seeing more: At Dell, we believe the more you can see, the more you can do. So, our Ultra HD monitors allow you to see four times the content of Full HD with pin sharp details. Compare the 8 million pixels found on Ultra HD displays side-by-side with the 2 million found in 1080p Full HD and the 4K advantage becomes crystal clear. A majority of businesses are using older Full HD resolution monitors, with some still stuck on HD. This leads to distorted, inconsistent color and images from wide angles. Other outdated display technologies that may hamper user productivity include monitor sizes, brightness, and aspect ratios – Ultra HD displays provide the latest in all of these categories to boost efficiency.
  • Connecting better: As monitor technologies have advanced over the past half-decade, so have the connectivity options we use to link our workstations (and other devices) to our displays. Advanced peripherals require an up-to-date array of connectivity options, ranging from USB 3.0 to HDMI. With the latest 4K displays, you can now even connect compatible smartphones and tablets to display data from the handheld to a larger screen, allowing you to work with the devices with which you’re most comfortable.
  • Minimizing downtime: Monitors are one of the devices most professionals use on an everyday basis, and working without one can impede your daily productivity. That’s why reliability is important, and we established our Premium Panel Guarantee. Remember those 8 million pixels mentioned before? If just one of them becomes defective during the 3-year Limited Hardware Warranty period, Dell provides a replacement Ultra HD monitor. Dell’s Advanced Exchange Service also ensures replacement units are shipped the next business day if necessary.

Finding the right time to refresh any technology is tricky; you don’t want to miss out on innovations that will help business productivity, but you also don’t want to be wasteful with your budget. Ultra HD monitors offer an extraordinary viewing experience, broad connectivity options, and reliability which results in a more productive workforce.

Woman at desk looking at fashion dress image on monitor

And, here at Dell we’re proud to offer it all for an accessible price because we believe 4K monitors are the tools that help you see your work in a whole new way and will provide the maximum ROI on your latest tech refresh.

In the next post, I’ll delve deeper into how Dell’s Ultra HD monitors allow you to see more and why that matters. I invite you to join in here with feedback and questions.

About the Author: Matthew Mangum