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Dell Ultrasharp UP3218K could be the world's first 8K monitor, and it has a price to match

You've never been able to buy a 8K monitor. Dell's about to change that.

Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
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Sean Hollister
2 min read
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The Dell UP3218K, one of the first 8K monitors you'll actually be able to buy.

 Dell

Forget TVs. If you're a content creator, you want a stunningly crisp computer monitor -- and Dell just introduced one at CES 2017 that could blow the competition away.

The Dell UP3218K is the first 8K-resolution monitor we've heard of that's actually scheduled to go on sale. That's 7,680x4,320-pixel resolution, or 33.2 million pixels in all! At 280 pixels per inch, it should be even crisper than Apple's stunning 5K iMac with Retina Display. It's like having four 4K screens in a single panel.

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And this 31.5-inch monitor isn't just about the pixels: It lives in an all-aluminum frame with pan, tilt, swivel, height adjustment and delightfully slim bezels. It comes color-calibrated from the factory, and Dell claims it displays 100 percent of the Adobe RGB, sRGB and Rec709 color spectrums -- plus a sizable amount of other color standards that I'm less familiar with. (See for yourself below.)

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Apple's MacBook Pro and iMac with Retina Display generally have screens with around 220 pixels per inch. This Dell has 280 pixels per inch.

 Sarah Tew/CNET

Yes, there's barely any 8K content out there for you to watch, and even the most ridiculous gaming PCs would struggle to play the latest titles at 8K, but this monitor isn't for those people. It's for the content creators who have the $5,000 -- yes, $5,000 -- to spend on a monitor. Dell imagines it being used in "commercial fields where in-depth image zooming is critical -- such as photo and video editing, medicine and diagnostic research, and oil and gas exploration."

People whose jobs depend on peeping every single pixel. If that's not you, maybe wait until 8K comes down to a reasonable price and there's actually something other than your own imagery to view. Otherwise, it should go on sale March 23 at Dell.com.

More from CES 2017

Specs

  • 31.5-inch, 7,680x4,320-pixel display (Dell didn't specify panel technology)
  • 60Hz refresh rate
  • 280 ppi
  • 178-degree viewing angle in all directions
  • Displays 100 percent Adobe RGB, 100 percent sRGB, 100 percent Rec709, 98 percent DCI-P3 and >80 percent Rec2020
  • 400 cd/m2 brightness
  • 1,300:1 contrast ratio
  • 9.7 mm bezel
  • 2x DisplayPort 1.3, 4x USB 3.0, audio line-out
  • Tilt, pivot, swivel, height adjustment
  • $5,000

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