In a fit of optimism, and pique over my UP2414Q turning itself off a dozen times a day I bought a Dell P2415Q to either replace and/or supplement my first generation 4K monitor. On paper, the specification of the two monitors is virtually identical,but in the flesh; they are perceivably different.

Despite the UP2414Q being apparently discontinued by Dell, they are holding their second-hand values very well. This is not unusual for “Ultrasharp” branded monitors, and despite the UP2414Q’s reluctance to hang on to a Display Port 1.2 signal, there is a very good reason behind that.  Sadly I don’t have any photos to show the comparison, but for the brief moment I had them running side by side, the colour palate on the UP2414Q is visibility different. Photos just pop and sparkle. The P2415Q looks very good  when viewed in isolation, but the older brother just knocks it dead.

Just as a quick summary, here are the major differences I found in between the two:

• The UP2414Q Looks fanatics at 4K – It feels like a premium screen in comparison to the P2415Q.
• P2415Q is much lighter than older model, and I suspect shares a frame, case, controls with what is it’s actual sibling, the P2414H (which was going to relegate). A fine 1080P monitor in it’s own right, but outclassed by the 4K screens.
• It would appear that Dell have changed the screen fitments, the P2415Q does not sit properly on the UP2414Q stand (so much so, that I feared that it was going to tip on the floor).
• The Display Port 1.2 MST pass through cabling is a nice touch, (in theory) it allows you to loop a second screen through the P2415Q, potentially running 2x4K screens from a single Display port. I say “in theory” as I never actually got it to work. It may be my other screen, it may well be graphics card, but it didn’t work.
• The UP2415Q does do 4K @ 60Hz without fuss; it worked right off the bat on my HP Laptop. My Dell 4400 series laptop had trouble, but that’s not exactly news.

Why did I send back the P2415Q? In short it broke. The Display port connectors packed up and wouldn’t display any signal after about 12 hours of use. The HDMI-in worked fine, but neither laptop, and no cable would produce a signal. So I took advantage of Amazons excellent no-fuss returns policy and sent it back. I came to the conclusion that the graphics card on my primary laptop was never going to cope, and the best I could get out of it was going to be 1440P via a USB 3.0 dongle.

So in summary, the P2415Q is a nice monitor, but @ £350 is defiantly a budget option compared to the superior, if flawed, UP2414Q.