Dell monitors come in three major types, though their labeling is far from distinct: professional grade, consumer grade, and enthusiast grade. Each grade is different and does a reasonably good job at competing in their respective markets because they address specific concerns of each type of consumer. In order to properly understand why Dell monitors are considered to be a good overall choice, it is important to look at the needs and wants of each group of consumer that Dell actively targets.

When it comes to monitors the term professional grade really applies more to those with a need for high colour accuracy and incredible pixel counts. These features each cost additional money but are highly sought after, and when combined cost a heightened premium. Professionals of all kinds know that premiums must be paid for professional grade equipment, but Dell monitors targeted at professional grade consumers actually come at a very reasonable premium. In fact, Dell's lineup of 30" monitors has consistently fared well in reviews despite costing significantly less than anything from most of its rivals. Only HP's lineup for 30" monitors competes with the highly rated lineup of 30" Dell monitors in terms of price, yet most reviewers tend to favour Dell in terms of overall colour accuracy.

On the 27" front, Dell monitors offer uniquely high pixel densities that have only recently been matched by Apple. Apple's long association with graphical arts and image editing make the company's entry into the 27" high-density arena a wholly expected event, yet again Dell tends to win when it comes to price comparison. The fact that both monitors are believed to use the same actual panel makes a quality comparison almost academic, but it is worth noting that Dell's professional offerings are considered to be on the low to middle end of the colour accuracy spectrum. There are far more expensive monitors that do a lot better job for extremely demanding tasks, but Dell does not honestly compete in this arena.

Consumers tend to want reasonable colour accuracy, reasonable response time, and low prices. Dell's overall volume has enabled them to compete favourably in terms of price while retaining a level of colour accuracy and response time that consumers tend to generally find no fault with. Even demanding video gamers and movie enthusiasts tend to find Dell monitors more than satisfactory, and the price is difficult to beat without leaving the safety and security of brand names. While a handful of well-known OEMs offer comparable consumer grade monitors, few of them have the brand recognition as Dell. For example, Acer and Dell are close rivals when it comes to global units shipped in the PC arena, yet Dell is nearly a household name throughout the developed nations of the world while Acer is a less known brand. Rival HP arguably has comparable products at comparable prices while maintaining a similar level of brand recognition.

Enthusiasts have recently gravitated to Dell for enthusiast grade monitors that feature full 3D support or other unique features that are usually the result of Dell's partnership with leading hardware developers. Some of the enthusiast grade Dell monitors have recently been rebranded as Alienware monitors, which is Dell's boutique computer brand. This move signifies the relatively strength of monitors with unique features, and Dell's belief that enthusiasts will pay a premium for similar or identical products with only a different branding to distinguish them.




It is worth noting that Dell monitors again rely heavily on brand recognition, something that plays more of a role in enthusiast and consumer grade products than it does in the company's professional grade offers.