Looking for a new monitor with somewhat challenging criteria

[SystemicAnomaly]

I'm currently daily driving a Samsung 28" UR55 as my main monitor, with my Macbook Pro's 16" monitor as my secondary. I'm a firmware developer who looks at code and text all day, I enjoy the occasional gaming session, and do some photography as a hobby. With all that said, I'm looking for a 4k monitor with a decent refresh rate and good colour accuracy.

 

The 28" UR55 has honestly been serviceable for the past few years, but I bought it in 2020 as the cheapest 4k monitor I could find when I was still using my 2013 13" Macbook Pro. It is only 60Hz, the colour accuracy isn't the best, and it doesn't have any additional nice-to-have features.

 

I have since gotten a 16" M1 Max Macbook Pro, which has a really nice mini-LED display, and has given me the itch to upgrade my main monitor to take advantage of my laptop's capabilities. Not only that, but I feel really limited in screen real estate and would love to use my current 28" UR55 as my secondary monitor, using my 16" as a third.

 

Main features I would be looking for:

• 4k resolution
• Good text clarity
• 120 Hz or higher
• Good colour accuracy
• 27" feels like an ideal size, but I'd be willing to go up to 32" max.
• No issues with a mac

Nice to haves:

• USB-C power delivery
• Thunderbolt 4 compatibility
• Built in USB hub
• HDR capability (but like actually, I leave my UR55's "HDR" off at all times)

Budget

My budget is lower than what is probably realistic given my criteria, which is why I haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet. I would say it's currently at a max of $600 CAD (~$450 USD).

 

The reason I'm posting this now is because I saw what I thought might be a pretty solid deal on a Dell G3223Q. It's currently on sale for $580 CAD ($430 USD) and is at the upper range of my budget, but seems to tick off most of the main features I'm looking for, although without any of the nice-to-haves. I just don't have much knowledge when it comes to monitors and was hoping to lean on the expertise of the forum to guide me a bit.

 

Is that a good monitor at a good value for that price, or should I be looking at something else that might be better? Thanks in advance!

 

Edit: Is there a time of year that is better for buying monitors / worth waiting for, or is it worth snagging one at a good price regardless of when?

Edited March 13 by SystemicAnomaly

[Stahlmann]

The Gigabyte M28U would be a good fit. It ticks all of your main boxes, but you probably won't find Thunderbolt connectivity in your price range. But it does have USB power and USB-C DisplayPort alt mode, plus basic HDR (probably won't look much better than SDR) and a built-in 3-port KVM switch/USB hub. As you can see in the reviews I've attached below, color accuracy, text clarity, etc. are very good. But you'll have to go a little over budget to get all this functionality.

 

Gigabyte ‎M28U 28.0" 3840 x 2160 144 Hz Monitor (M28U-SA) - PCPartPicker

 

Gigabyte M28U Review - RTINGS.com

 

 

 

At the high end, there will be many new models this year, but in the midrange where you're shopping, I wouldn't expect significant market changes in the short term.

[venomtail]

You've got a few to choose from.

[SystemicAnomaly]

Thanks so much for the suggestions! The Gigabyte M28U looks great! And while it is a more ideal size and absolutely does tick more of the boxes, I feel like it is ever so slightly behind the Dell in the main features, while also being $50 more.

 

I did the comparison on RTINGS between the two monitors and the Dell pulls ahead in colour accuracy, response time, SDR brightness, and black uniformity. And while the M28U does have the USB hub and technically has power delivery (only 15W unfortunately), I'm not sure that's enough to compensate for the shortcomings (albeit small) in the other categories.

 

I really appreciate the suggestion though! It's definitely super close, fits most of my criteria, and I hadn't seen it before.