Dell U3818DW - 38” Ultrawide Monitor Paired with MacBook Pro
I recently jumped into the world of ultra big, and ultra wide monitors! Here is what happened..
Monitor information Size: 38 Inch Ultrawide Curved Display Resolution: 3840x1600 Connection: USB-C
Laptop Information
First a couple general observations
- The box that it came in is huge! No, seriously, it's HUGE!
- The USB-C cable that comes with the 2016/2017 MacBook Pro is "Charge Only" and can't be used with this monitor.
- I haven’t used an ultra-wide monitor prior to this, and it does take some getting used to.
Let’s start with the great things!
- This resolution is crazy! I was somewhat worried about the PPI since I was coming from the Retina MBP screen, but this monitor looks great.
- I have never liked two monitors side by side because of the disgusting bezel split in the middle. This monitor fixes everything wrong with that setup.
- Because it has a 21:9 aspect ratio, if you ware watching movies of similar aspect ratio, it’s awesome to see them fit so perfectly
- Overall, it’s an absolutely beautiful monitor.
Ok, now onto the not so great things.. (Issues)
- The monitor does have speakers built in that are simply ‘ok’. Audio will play through the monitor, but you cannot control volume using macOS volume controls.
- Brightness cannot be controlled from macOS controls. Also, Night Shift is not compatible with this monitor.
- Not really the monitor’s fault completely, but transitioning between ‘clamshell mode’ and laptop mode still sucks.
- The Everything falls asleep unless amphetamine is running.
- Only has one USB-C connection.
- Because your MacBook Pro is closed, you can’t use the TouchBar. Bummer!
- You also can’t use TouchID. Mega bummer!
- Not sure why but, Final Cut Pro X refused to run while connected to this monitor.
- The monitor does not have an integrated webcam (I knew it didn’t when I purchased it), but something to be aware of if you need video capabilities.
I think a lot of the control issues that I am seeing are due to macOS seeing this display as a ‘TV’ rather than a monitor.
Final Verdict I really like this monitor! But.. given the issues, I am going to return it.🙁 Going to wait until there is a giant ultra wide that is more compatible with macOS.
I have to imagine connecting this to a Windows computer would be a much better experience since there are specific Windows drivers for this monitor.
UPDATE
I have now also tried the Acer XR382CQK – 37.5” Ultrawide Monitor.