Dell UltraSharp U5226KW: An Outstanding 52-Inch 6K Monitor With Extensive Connectivity Review

Earlier this month Dell sent over a review sample of their new UltraSharp U5226KW monitor. While the model number may not imply much, this monitor is outright incredible. The Dell UltraSharp U5226KW is a 52-inch 6K @ 120Hz monitor with integrated USB hub also working as a KVM switch, 140 Watt power delivery support for USB-C/Thunderbolt laptops, 2.5G Ethernet, and the color reproduction and visuals with this Dell 6K monitor are impeccable.

While typically preferring to review products where I can quantitatively assess the performance with benchmarks, Dell sent over a review unit of their U5226KW monitor. Not the typical review focus at Phoronix but in using it extensively every day, I have a lot of praise for this new ultra high-end monitor. With typically foregoing trade shows and other events, this was my first time seeing a 6K display up close and it was quite impressive. Even the packaging for the monitor is show-stopping with my FedEx courier delivering the monitor stopped to ask more about it and commented he was looking up the product on his phone as he wasn’t aware such a massive desktop monitor was in existence. Even with servers, big cases, and other delivers he typically makes, this was the first time he was in awe at such a delivery that his curiosity piqued.

The footprint of the monitor is massive but with Dell’s picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture support for multiple display outputs, this can effectively replace multiple desktop monitors without losing any productivity. In fact, it’s been working out fine for one of my test setups the past few weeks in replacing dual 4K ~28 inch displays in around the same desk footprint.

With the 51.5-inch screen size for this 6144 x 2560 display, the pixel density is slightly less than smaller 4K monitors at 129 PPI but still looked fabulous. My wife, son, and I were all captivated when powering on the Dell UltraSharp U5226KW. The display on the U5226KW is curved (4200R curvature), uses IPS Black Technology for its panel, and does have anti-glare low reflectance that did work out well even when testing the monitor near a window in direct sunlight.

The Dell U5226KW features two HDMI 2.1 FRL ports, two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, four USB Type-A 10 Gbps downstream ports, three USB-C 10Gbps upstream ports, one Thunderbolt 4 40 Gbps port with DP 1.4 Alt Mode support and 140W power delivery, one Ethernet port with 2.5GbE connectivity, one USB Type-A downstream port with battery charging, and two USB-C 10Gbps downstream ports with 27 Watt power delivery. There is a heck of a lot of connectivity with this display. Having picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture capabilities opens up a lot more practicality for this display in being able to effectively replace multiple monitors on your desk. With the picture in/by picture modes, via the on-screen display is a “USB switch” option when wanting to switch input/USB devices between the connected systems.

The stand for this massive monitor is quite versatile with height, swivel, and tilt adjustments. The monitor height can be adjusted up to 3.54 inches, -5 to 10 degree tilt, -20 to 20 degree swivel, and -2 / 2 degree slant. Or this 52 inch monitor can also be attached to 100 x 100 to 200 x 200 VESA monitor mounts. The weight on the monitor with the stand comes out to 40.2 lbs (18.2 kg). The monitor held up fine on one of my custom built butcherblock desks.

The prior monitor setup being replaced.

By now you are likely wondering about the price for this premium 52 inch monitor. As of writing it comes in at $2,899 USD. While it is priced quite high for a monitor, it does become easier to justify when considering that it can effectively replace multiple monitors. With the picture in/by picture and having a built-in KVM switch able to handle 6K@120Hz is a significant advantage. For example, searching for this article there are 4K@60 KVM switches currently retailing in the $500~600 price range or even higher for some more premium options.

The build quality of the Dell U5226KW is great and inline with other Dell monitors I’ve enjoyed and continued to hold up well over the years. The on-screen display was effective and easy to utilize with the different functionality as was setting up the monitor for the KVM functionality. At first I was a bit skeptical how it would pan out for multi-system use but it’s been a breeze with my testing this month across different devices.

There are dual 9 Watt speakers built into this monitor for decent audio capabilities. At least for my typical desktop purposes and not being an audiophile, the speakers were sufficient and more powerful than some of the speakers in the less expensive and smaller monitors.

All the systems tested, of course, have been running Linux. From various desktops to the NVIDIA GB10 powered Dell Pro Max have all worked quite nicely with this Dell UltraSharp 52-inch monitor. For those using AMD Radeon graphics, for 6K@120 it’s also important to use DisplayPort connectivity there given the AMDGPU Linux driver lacking the HDMI 2.1 FRL support as is widely known. The Radeon graphics on Linux with this monitor were working out fine at 6K via DisplayPort even with the likes of the Framework Desktop Strix Halo model. The NVIDIA graphics with the official Linux driver stack worked well on either HDMI or DisplayPort.

With now having a 6K monitor in the lab, there will be graphics card benchmarks coming up looking at the Linux gaming performance at 6K. Those will be coming in a separate article soon.

Overall the Dell UltraSharp U5226KW has been exceeding my expectations in all of the testing thus far. While a bit apprehensive at first over the effectiveness of a 52-inch desktop monitor, the picture in/by picture mode and built-in KVM/USB switching functionality really make it a very versatile display for creators, power users, and others that may be engaging multiple systems simultaneously and resorting to multiple monitors currently. It’s with that functionality that also makes the $2899 USD list price easier to justify for the Dell U5226KW when considering prices for high quality 4K/6K KVM switches and the like. Plus with the U5226KW all of it’s nicely integrated into the display itself for reducing the cable jungle.

Those are my initial thoughts on this dazzling 52-inch 6K monitor; stay tuned for any follow-ups in the upcoming Linux 6K GPU benchmark comparison with this Dell UltraSharp U5226KW.