Dell’s 52-inch monitor might tempt me away from my triple-display battlestation | usagoldmines.com

I’ve been using triple monitors for over 15 years, longer than I’ve been writing about monitors at all. And though some of the super-ultrawide gaming offerings have tempted me, I’ve never strayed, kept in place by easier window management and lower prices. But Dell might just have my number with its newest Ultrasharp design. 

Dell is calling this the “Ultrasharp 52 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor.” That’s a mouthful, but here are the basics. The U5226KW is a business-class display with an odd resolution, 6144×2560. That “6K” number is meant to emulate one 4K monitor in the center and two 1440p monitors on the side, with the side monitors in a vertical orientation. It doesn’t quite match up perfectly — that works out to a little taller than 21:9 aspect ratio, with a slightly lower total pixel count than two 4K displays. 

Michael Crider / Foundry

So, trying to run games at fullscreen on this 48-inch-wide monster will probably cause said games to pitch a fit, even if you could get them to the IPS panel’s 120Hz maximum and take advantage of VRR support. But this definitely isn’t designed with gaming in mind, or at least not as a primary aim.

This is a business-slash-media production monitor right down to its bones. Programming, data analytics, video editing, stock trading — any application that demands tons of screen space and typically needs multiple displays, this beast is right at home serving. 

That includes multiple device inputs, naturally. The monitor can handle four virtual splits in its panel across two different devices simultaneously, with inputs spanning two HDMI 2.1 ports, two DisplayPort 1.4, and USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 with 140 watts of power delivery. That includes a virtual KVM that can let you share a keyboard and mouse between devices. The back panel, as indicated by the name, also includes plenty of extra ports: three USB-C (data only), four USB-A ports that max out at 10 gigabits, and an Ethernet port that can handle 2.5 gigabits. 

Dell

But wait, there’s more! That’s just all the stuff ’round back, meant for semi-permanent setups. A handy little pop-down expansion port includes two more USB-C ports with 27 watts of device charging, and one last USB-A port for the odd gadget or flash drive. Very cool.

Dell

Other technical details include a very mild curve, dual 9-watt speakers (hey, better than usual I suppose) 400 nits of brightness, a 2000:1 aspect ratio, and an integrated light sensor for automatically adjusting the backlight, laptop-style. 

Dell

If you want this massive monitor on your desk, preferably with some reinforcement for its 40-pound weight, you’ll have to lay down some serious cash. Dell is asking $2,900 USD for the standard package, though you can save a hundred bucks if you supply your own 200mm VESA-compliant stand. Considering you’ll need a reinforced model to hold it, It’s the rare example of an upsell that’s probably worth it. At least you won’t have to wait very long — it’ll be available from Dell.com starting tomorrow, January 6th.