Dell put a 4K webcam in its new 4K video conferencing monitor

With the pandemic now almost in its third year, it’s fair to say video calling won’t become a smaller part of our lives anytime soon. So it’s surprising we haven’t seen more monitors like the new U3223QZ from Dell. It has a webcam built directly into its frame. And judging by the spec sheet the company shared, it’s a pretty good one too.

It features a Stravis CMOS sensor from Sony that can capture 4K HDR video at 30 frames per second or 1080p footage at 60 frames per second. It also features an adjustable field of view you can switch between 65, 78 or 90 degrees depending on how much your environment you want your contacts to see. The camera automatically closes its shutter when you don’t have a video conferencing app open. On the front, there’s also a toggle to disable it entirely. But best of all, the webcam works seamlessly with Windows Hello, so no need to type in your PIN each time you want to unlock your PC.

As for the display itself, it’s a 31.5-inch 4K IPS panel that is DisplayHDR 400 certified and covers 98 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. Dell claims the U3223QZ is the first monitor in its class to feature IPS Black technology. As a result, it has a 2,000:1 contrast ratio. For context, most IPS panels have contrast ratios of 1000:1, so they don’t display blacks as deeply as VA panels and OLEDs do.

As with most Dell monitors, the U3223QZ comes with plenty of ports. You’ll find Display Port 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 connections, as well as five USB-A ports capable of 10Gbps data transfers. If you need to power other devices, there’s one USB-C port capable of 90W PD and another capable of 15W PD. What you won’t find here is an HDMI 2.1 connection. If it wasn’t already clear, this is not a monitor Dell designed for gaming. So don’t expect FreeSync support or a faster than 60Hz refresh rate.

Dell will begin selling the U3223QZ on March 29th. The company said it would share pricing information closer to release.

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