The Dell Pro 34 Plus ($749.99) is part of the first wave of monitors in Dell's new “Pro” naming scheme. It's a new moniker, but the panel illustrates Dell's traditional excellence in productivity monitors: a 34-inch ultrawide curved display with a robust port hub and many productivity features, including a built-in KVM. The P3425WE delivers proficient performance for most tasks, although if you're looking for the absolute best color contrast and resolution, you might be better served by one of Dell's UltraSharp offerings, such as the Editors' Choice-award-winning UltraSharp 38 USB-C Hub Monitor (U3824DW). If a cheaper ultrawide productivity driver is what you crave, though, the P3425WE is worth your dime.

Design and Specs: A Modest Curve and Thin Bezels

In January, Dell announced a new naming convention with a three-tiered system. The plain “Dell” title means the device is meant for play, school, and work, while “Dell Pro” models are best suited for professional-grade productivity. The highest tier is “Dell Pro Max," designed for—you guessed it—maximum performance. The P3425WE falls under the "Dell Pro" umbrella.

Alongside the Pro 34 Plus, Dell unveiled the Pro 27 Plus 4K USB-C Hub Monitor and the Pro 14 Plus Portable Monitor. The company has long offered 34-inch curved productivity monitors; the P3425WE replaces the P3424WE, itself a replacement for the S3423DWC, which got an excellent review in 2022.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

The P3425WE serves up much of what we expect from a Dell productivity monitor. First, there's the screen itself: The 34-inch ultrawide display has a curve so slight that Dell doesn’t even list the monitor’s curvature. If I had to guess, I’d say the curve has a radius of about 1,800mm or 1,900mm, but it's so subtle you'd be forgiven if you didn't notice. When it comes to curved monitors, the smaller the radius, the tighter the curve.

The P3425WE’s slight curve should be easy to settle into, though switching to an ultrawide screen from one with a more conventional 16:9 aspect ratio can cause some eye strain, at least until your eyes adjust to the larger, wider screen area.

Sizewise, the monitor measures 14.1 by 32 by 3.3 inches (HWD, excluding the stand) and weighs 21.8 pounds, much lighter than other 34-inch monitors we've seen, like the 33-pound Corsair Xeneon 34WQHD240-C QD-OLED. That slim design does not include internal speakers, though you'll find slots to install a Dell soundbar at the bottom of the monitor if you choose to buy one.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Thin bezels frame the screen, just like on the P3425WE's 27-inch cousin, the Pro 27 Plus. Unlike that smaller 4K monitor, the P3425WE offers a lower 3,440-by-1,440-pixel resolution and a wider 21:9 aspect ratio. The monitor has a significantly lower pixel density in comparison with the Pro 27 Plus as well, offering 110 pixels per inch (ppi) to the 163ppi of the Pro 27 Plus. To the average user, the difference probably won’t mean much, but if you’re looking for a big-screen monitor for clarity-critical applications, we recommend the Pro 27 Plus or the Dell UltraSharp 40 Curved Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U4025QW), which has a density of 140ppi.

Typical of displays like these, the P3425WE uses in-plane switching (IPS) technology: an LCD panel system known for delivering exceptional color accuracy, wide viewing angles, and consistent image quality. Different flavors of IPS exist, including IPS Black, which offers deeper contrast than standard IPS panels. Dell opted for IPS Black in last year’s UltraSharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U3225QE). The decision to stick with standard IPS in the P3425WE probably comes down to price, as the U3225QE costs around $200 more than the P3425WE.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Ports and Connectivity: A Fine Mix, Plus a KVM

Turning our attention to the P3425WE's backside, the all-black display portion is fastened to a slender silver stand with a hole near the bottom to facilitate cable management. The pentagonal base is sturdy and doesn’t take up too much space on the desk. We’ve come to expect excellent ergonomics from Dell, and the P3425WE doesn’t disappoint, with ample tilt, swivel, and height adjustment.

The port hub serves up one HDMI port, one DisplayPort, two USB-A ports, a USB-B connector, and a USB-C port with DisplayPort 1.4 Alternate Mode and power delivery up to 90 watts. In addition to the ports in the rear, you'll find forward-facing USB-A and USB-C ports in a retractable block that pops out of the bottom-left corner of the screen. The monitor also includes an Ethernet jack, which many laptops lack, so it's useful for connecting to a wired network at the office.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Taking a look at the features available in the on-screen display (OSD), the monitor offers both picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture modes, as well as a virtual KVM and the ability to personalize shortcuts. You can take this a step further by downloading the Dell Display and Peripheral Manager software utility, which allows you to easily adjust screen brightness, window positions, and other functions across the P3425WE and other Dell monitors.

Performance Testing

We tested the P3425WE extensively, measuring brightness, contrast ratio, and color-gamut coverage using our standard test gear: a Klein K-10A colorimeter, a Murideo Six-G signal generator, and Portrait Displays' Calman for Business calibration software.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

Dell rates this ultrawide monitor at 350 nits (candelas per square meter) of brightness, though in our tests, the monitor reached a peak luminance of just 265 nits. That's more than bright enough for its intended productivity and business roles, though it might not be your first choice when viewing photos or video editing. Like the 27-inch 4K Dell Pro, the P3425WE does not support HDR.

Moving on to the contrast ratio, we measured it at 1,012:1, a ways off from the 1,500:1 ratio on the monitor’s spec sheet. The measured contrast also pales in comparison with the contrast ratio ratings of OLED monitors and even with those of other IPS displays like the U3225QE, which is rated for 3,000:1. (However, in testing, the U3225QE also fell short of its rating, achieving 2,577:1.)

(Credit: Portrait Displays)

Our color gamut test proved more positive, as the P3425WE managed to display 110.4% of the sRGB color space (shown in the chart above), 78.4% of Adobe RGB, and 81.4% of DCI-P3 (shown in the chart below). Those are fine results, but note that the 27-inch variant scored better (117.3% sRGB, 81.2% Adobe RGB,  and 86.2% DCI-P3).

(Credit: Portrait Displays)

The P3425WE has a 100Hz refresh rate, which improves video quality a bit over the old 60Hz standard for productivity monitors by eliminating flicker and smoothing motion. Higher refresh rates are especially great when gaming, though the monitor doesn’t support VRR, Nvidia G-Sync, or AMD FreeSync. While we didn’t test the monitor with an Apple device, Dell claims the monitor is compatible with Macs.

In the subjective, ad hoc portion of our testing, video and images looked good, and while the display lacks the piercing brightness that comes with HDR, it’s more than capable for casual, everyday work and play.