What's the (exact) naming scheme for Dell monitors?

53

17

Dell monitors have names such as "U2312f" or "E2318H".

The model number is made up of (at least) four elements:

  1. Category (1 character):
    E (Economy) / T (Touch) / P (Professional) / S (Studio) / U (Ultrasharp)
  2. Diagonal length in inches (including the bezel if I'm not mistaken)
  3. A two-digit number
  4. Potential combination of several extra letters - upper or lowercase, e.g. H, M, t, f.

Can someone explain the meaning of components 3 and 4?

einpoklum

Posted 2017-11-28T16:38:26.273

Reputation: 5 032

3rd is likely a model differentiator to prevent names with too much in common or model versions, and the 4th are usually feature differentiators indicating specific feature sets. – music2myear – 2017-11-28T20:12:49.570

@music2myear: But what's the differentiation about, and what are the features? – einpoklum – 2017-11-28T20:25:05.770

The best source for this would probably be Dell customer service or sales support. Companies are usually happy to provide information to customers, especially if it might improve odds of a sale. It might even be in a faq area on their web site. On Super User, though, it would be random chance that anyone would happen to know. It's attracted a close vote as off-topic, and the question is sort of at the edge of topicality. – fixer1234 – 2017-11-28T20:35:17.763

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  • 2 digit number - represents the year of release.
    • < – DavidPostill – 2017-11-28T20:47:53.103

    3 start="4">

  • H - 16:9 aspect ratio, M - 16.7m colour depth, W - Ultrawide, K - 4K/8K
    • < – DavidPostill – 2017-11-28T20:56:25.290

    1

    See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_monitors for more clues ...

    – DavidPostill – 2017-11-28T20:56:38.553

    Answers

    79

    Since around 2010 the convention has been:

    [Series][Diagonal][Year][Ratio or Resolution][Features]

    1. Series
      • E - Essential. Usually TN anti-glare panel, internal power, simple base, 3-year warranty.
      • P - Professional. Usually IPS anti-glare panel, internal power, height/rotate base, 3-year warranty.
      • S - Home & Small Office. TN, VA, or IPS panel, usually external power, slim base, 1-year warranty.
      • U - UltraSharp. IPS anti-glare panel, internal power, height/rotate base, 3-year warranty.
      • UP - UltraSharp with PremierColor. Additional colour gamut.
      • AW - Alienware. High-end gaming.
      • C - Commercial displays. Large format (>50") for conference rooms and classrooms.
    2. Diagonal
      • Two digit diagonal viewable size rounded to the nearest inch.
    3. Year
      • Two digit year it was released.
    4. Ratio or Resolution - The first uppercase letter after the digits is most commonly the aspect ratio or QHD/UHD resolution
      • S - standard ratio (4:3 or 5:4),
      • no letter - computer widescreen (16:10)
      • H - HD widescreen (16:9)
      • W - Ultrawide (21:9)
      • D - QHD (1440p)
      • Q - 4K UHD (2160p)
      • K - 8K UHD (4320p)
      • The following have also been the first letter, but either on 16:10 (no letter) or discontinued models:
      • T - Touch
      • M - No HDMI (S/U-series only)
      • L - With HDMI (only used when the same model without HDMI exists)
      • N - With VGA (only used when the same model without VGA exists)
    5. Features - The second uppercase letter after the digits can represent a large variety of features such as:
      • C - USB-C input (DisplayPort alternate mode)
      • X - HDMI cable included (instead of standard DisplayPort)
      • T - Touch
      • G - Nvidia G-Sync
      • F - AMD FreeSync
      • J - Wireless charging stand
      • Z - Video conferencing camera
      • A - Arm included (no stand)

    Jason

    Posted 2017-11-28T16:38:26.273

    Reputation: 5 925

    I own two U2412Ms - any idea what the M stands for?

    – flolilo – 2017-11-28T21:29:36.873

    @einpoklum I'm trying to stick to current monitors. The convention has continually changed. – Jason – 2017-11-28T21:56:35.577

    @Jason: Oh, you're saying the meaning of the letters (and other name components) has changed over time? :-( :-( :-( – einpoklum – 2017-11-28T21:58:02.563

    2@Jason so Dell is as consistent in naming their products as I am consistent in naming my scripts' $variables :D – flolilo – 2017-11-28T23:43:03.817

    2@flolilolilo I finally figured it out and updated my answer. – Jason – 2017-11-29T16:54:55.533

    @Jason did you have to go through WikiLeaks? – flolilo – 2017-11-29T16:59:43.307

    Someone suggested that H means height adjustable. Is that not true? Also, I have a U2212HMc and I'm not sure what the 'c' means. – Joe Phillips – 2018-02-04T02:44:29.643

    @JoePhillips No, definitely not. – Jason – 2018-02-05T15:43:33.827

    @jason the U2715H is a QCD monitor... I was hoping to figure out the HD version of this but cannot! – Mr. Boy – 2018-02-16T16:36:31.053

    @Mr.Boy Yes, it's QHD, but it's also 16:9. My guess is that Dell didn't adopt the "D" until 2016: P2416D, UP2516D, S2417DG, U2717D, S2718D, etc. – Jason – 2018-02-16T17:59:45.210

    @Mr.Boy To clarify, "H" monitors can be different resolutions, e.g. 1366x768, 1600x900, 1920x1080, etc. These are all 16:9 and "high definition". – Jason – 2018-02-16T18:03:13.770

    1

    ockquote>

    M - No HDMI (S/U-series only) But this model, S2719DM has dual HDMI ports.

    – user900519 – 2018-05-01T09:38:52.477

    @user900519 "First letter after digits..." – Jason – 2018-05-02T17:49:45.043

    Interesting I was wondering about the main difference between monitors ending with H and D as I have the 2017 27 inch D variant and I saw a lot of H monitors with QHD resolution. – Mathijs Segers – 2018-08-17T07:25:21.943

    So, apparently there's also an A suffix, see here.

    – einpoklum – 2018-09-08T23:02:49.297

    @einpoklum Are you referring to U2717DA? The first letter would be D for QHD. – Jason – 2018-09-11T15:42:14.913

    Yes, but there's also an A. – einpoklum – 2018-09-11T15:44:12.297

    @einpoklum My answer says, "the first letter after the digits". I've seen Dell monitors with 6 or 7 letters after the digits. I wasn't going to get into that amount of detail. – Jason – 2018-09-12T16:04:01.540

    @Jason: Fair enough. But - do you know those extra details? Or is there a link to somewhere with them? – einpoklum – 2018-09-12T17:21:31.527

    @einpoklum No link. I've been figuring everything out through process of elimination. From memory I know the extra letters can refer to things like "without base", "arm included", built in speakers, usb hubs, etc. – Jason – 2018-09-12T18:39:05.923

    Apparently there's a C that can go into the final element of the name. – einpoklum – 2018-12-17T22:11:19.937

    I think C as a suffix might mean USB-C input. Example: https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-22-usb-c-monitor-p2219hc/apd/210-aqgd/monitors-monitor-accessories

    – ninj – 2019-01-06T13:33:12.593

    Recently found out that X feature means a variant with HDMI cable instead of DP cable like: U2419H vs U2419HX See connectivity section here: https://www.displayspecifications.com/en/model/d1c21595

    – MeTTeO – 2019-07-09T16:04:40.733

    I inquired as to whether the Dell S2719DGF has both FreeSync and G-Sync due to the GF naming. Two different contacts at Dell could not give me an answer. The first one would just tell me to consider the S2716DG, and the second as well, while additionally telling me that the G stands for Gaming, not G-Sync - despite none of the FreeSync-Gaming-monitors being labeled with G. – Marie. P. – 2019-10-15T17:00:44.813

    @Marie.P. S2719DGF is FreeSync, but it's also "G-Sync Compatible" (which is different than G-Sync...). Whether the "G" stands for Gaming or G-Sync Compatible is anyone's guess... – Jason – 2019-10-15T21:55:57.497

    Asked: 2017-11-28T16:38:26.273

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    Active: 2019-10-18T20:14:06.693