Purported Dell 23-inch SP2309 LCD monitor leaked, tasty specs and all

We could tell from the past couple of Dell LCDs that the Round Rock powerhouse was moving in this direction in terms of design, but it's the specifications that have us most captivated on this one. We've received word that the above pictured SP2309 will boast a 23-inch 16:9 panel with a wicked 2,048 x 1,152 (QWXGA) native resolution, an 80,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 98% color gamut (NTSC, we presume), 2-millisecond response time, 2-megapixel camera (with microphone) and VGA / DVI / HDMI inputs. We're hearing that it should be available for purchase later this month, though pricing details remain a mystery.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Update: Looks like Canada will get it first (in "one to two weeks") for $419.99. Thanks, Alex!

[Ron @ Nov 9th 2008 4:28PM]

Nice to see that Dell is finally switching to OSX..

[maveric101 @ Nov 9th 2008 5:36PM]

or it could be firefox on windows with the mac theme...

[crsh @ Nov 9th 2008 5:51PM]

Word on the street has it that Apple released Safari for Windows several years ago.

[maveric101 @ Nov 9th 2008 6:11PM]

@ crsh

no, its definitely firefox, if you look at the forward/back buttons...

[El Taco @ Nov 9th 2008 6:11PM]

THIS JUST IN! You can use Dell monitors on an Macs also!

[Luke @ Nov 9th 2008 6:55PM]

Just like El Taco said, you can use any brand of monitor on a mac, theres the mac mini, the mac pro, all the other macs with built in monitors have DVI outputs. PS: Its firefox on mac os x.

[Keith @ Nov 9th 2008 7:24PM]

or you guys can look at the buttons on the top left instead of right?

[KRIS_C_123 @ Nov 9th 2008 7:56PM]

how the hell can you see any buttons, anywhere??

[Ashwin @ Nov 9th 2008 8:09PM]

Or you could be using the Firefox mac theme with WindowBlinds on Windows.

[1234321 @ Nov 9th 2008 9:32PM]

windowblinds, I think still keeps the close button on the right, but even if I'm wrong, it's a lot of modding at work just to promote a monitor, and it's not like you couldn't plug this into a mac computer

[Jay Evans @ Nov 9th 2008 11:42PM]

I think it's absolutely hilarious that people would think that is the actual display image. It's just two screen captures off the ad agency's Mac's Photoshopped in.

[Jay Evans @ Nov 9th 2008 11:48PM]

It's just the Engaget boys having a chuckle.

[Elora HRanma @ Nov 10th 2008 8:24AM]

Guys, it is Linux, looking however it pleases.

[roach @ Nov 10th 2008 11:17AM]

Actually this look like my HP w2207 monitor.

http://images.us.ciao.com/ius/images/products/normal/214/product-15219214.jpg

[yesreally @ Nov 9th 2008 4:28PM]

in soviet russia, the monitor watches you

[Mike @ Nov 9th 2008 4:31PM]

But in the United States, you watch the monitor.

[El Taco @ Nov 9th 2008 6:12PM]

I don't think this is available in Russia

[Matthew C @ Nov 9th 2008 7:03PM]

nice taco

[unnamed @ Nov 9th 2008 9:59PM]

well duh "2-megapixel camera (with microphone)"

[Valicore @ Nov 10th 2008 2:27AM]

Actually the reality The Monitor watches you, and you watch the monitor, and from the building across the street, the US watches you watching each other.

[r3loaded @ Nov 10th 2008 4:28AM]

In Soviet Russia, tedious meme repeats you.

[Chris @ Nov 9th 2008 4:30PM]

And they're demoing it on a mac because? Maybe its cause macs don't play games and it would take a pretty powerful pc to play games at that resolution.

[HunterXI @ Nov 9th 2008 4:43PM]

Or because Dell recognizes that Windows * isn't a terribly attractive OS.

[puhsitch @ Nov 9th 2008 4:44PM]

I don't think that makes much sense...

[El Taco @ Nov 9th 2008 6:17PM]

chris, did you even read your comment before pressing "add comment"?

[Squid7085 @ Nov 9th 2008 7:03PM]

How silly of me, I thought my Mac ran Windows and could run just about any game on the market, due to the fact my Mac uses very nice hardware. You just keep on doing what you are doing, I am going to go play World of Warcraft on my Mac.

[Peter @ Nov 9th 2008 4:31PM]

Crysis would look amazing running on this; if you find a PC that can run it at that res.

[El Taco @ Nov 9th 2008 6:18PM]

*cough* http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/03/intel-core-i7-equipped-falcon-northwest-mach-v-gaming-desktop-ha/ *cough*

[Mike @ Nov 9th 2008 4:32PM]

You think this monitor would come with a magnifying glass to read all the text with that resolution?

[thatrotierkid @ Nov 9th 2008 4:44PM]

its a 23" monitor. you will be able to read it no problem. it has a pixel pitch of 0.249mm. theres an 19" acer on newegg with 0.243mm.

[KA @ Nov 9th 2008 5:09PM]

It's only 100 ppi.

[thethirdmoose @ Nov 9th 2008 5:31PM]

I have that 19", and it ROCKS!

[omf @ Nov 9th 2008 5:49PM]

I have a Dell 24" 1920x1024. Great monitor, but no way I'd want even higher resolution. I'd go for a 30" or 32" QWXGA, though.

[Abuzar Baloach @ Nov 9th 2008 7:57PM]

Your 24" Dell is 1920 x 1200.

[cppguy @ Nov 9th 2008 10:10PM]

I don't understand you people. Higher pixel density is always better, it actually makes fonts a lot easier to read. I always opt for the highest possible resolution, regardless the screen size, and regardless the cost. Have you ever seen the Nikon D300's LCD? It has a pixel density several times higher than any monitor, so it's capable of displaying extraordinary detail.

In modern operating systems you can easily make your fonts and icons as large as you can comfortably read. I'd rather have a 10pt font 25 pixels high than 5 pixels high. Higher resolution is more readable, not less.

[KarlW @ Nov 10th 2008 1:18AM]

If today's operating systems were fully resolution-independent, you wouldn't have a problem.

- Vista: Partial. High DPIs half-supported. GDI+ apps need to declare themselves DPI aware and scale themselves. If not, they'll get stretched like a picture (ugly, but usable). WPF apps are vector based and are automatically DPI aware.
- OSX: No official high DPI support. Partial implementation in Tiger and Leopard, but buggy and not enabled by default.
- Linux: Don't know.

Right now, you'll have a hard time with high DPIs. Windows 7 looks to be improving high DPI support, and many expect Snow Leopard will bring the same.

[AC @ Nov 9th 2008 4:35PM]

2ms response time?

sounds like just another crappy TN.

[Jon @ Nov 9th 2008 5:00PM]

Yeah, 2ms response time is pretty weak. My current monitor has a .5ms response time. *rolls eyes*

[web2.oh @ Nov 9th 2008 5:21PM]

I had the same thoughts on this being a TN panel...but the 98% color gamut makes me wonder.

Display quality aside, the native resolution is kinda goofy. There was an article here a few days earlier about a monitor with the same res, I wonder how common displays like this will be. It sounds attractive, but I have to imagine many games will shit a brick when dealing with it. Back to manually editing config files to get games to run at 16:9 resolutions!

[shimman @ Nov 9th 2008 6:36PM]

you got it right according to the Candian dell website; not sure where engadget got the 80k:1 contrast ratio & 98% NTSC color specs...

Image Contrast Ratio 1000:1 (dynamic)
Image Max H-View Angle 160
Image Max V-View Angle 160

it i were you, i would get a samsung (for me having a webcam without a cover is a big negative; think about the security issues..)

[KorruptioN @ Nov 9th 2008 6:56PM]

I hate TN panels.

[Shawn @ Nov 10th 2008 12:40AM]

@shimman

Dells Canadian website clearly shows '98% colour gamut' as one of its Display features... But ya, I don't know where they got the "80,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio" spec.

[Zinger314 @ Nov 9th 2008 4:36PM]

I bet I can play some hardcore World of Warcraft on this!

[Nytrojen @ Nov 9th 2008 5:13PM]

I feel sad that I was actually excited about that prospect

[Patrick @ Nov 9th 2008 5:43PM]

that thought, combined with your picture, makes you an epic nerd. dude, i am totally jealous.
fyi, that is the highest compliment i can offer you

[El Taco @ Nov 9th 2008 11:12PM]

@Patrick

Don't worry. You, too, can be an epic nerd, at the low low cost of your dignity.*

*S&H not included in price

[Big Sam @ Nov 9th 2008 4:38PM]

"though pricing details remain a mystery"

If you have to ask, you don't want to know.

[John Strickland @ Nov 9th 2008 6:00PM]

If I have to ask it means I need to know how much green I gotta lay down for that fine piece. So I have to pawn my .357? Do I need to sell my car?

For gods sake do have any idea what kind of movies I could be watching?

[Cunthor @ Nov 9th 2008 4:38PM]

Can anyone tell me what "98% colour gamut" means? What colour space do manufacturers quote when they say this? sRGB?

It is a nice monitor though, but have to agree with the resolution - I'm struggling to read websites on 1280x800 on a 13" screen, and something tells me the text size would be similar on 23" panel at that native rez.

[mike @ Nov 9th 2008 4:45PM]

They usually use the NTSC gamut as the benchmark.