Dell's Canvas 27 display for creators now available — if you can spare $1,799

After initially making its debut at CES 2017 in January, the Dell Canvas 27 is finally available, Dell has announced. The 27-inch touch display can now be purchased for a hefty $1,799 directly from Dell's online store. (opens in new tab)

With its focus on catering to creators, the Canvas 27 is sure to draw comparisons with the Surface Studio. The one big difference between the two, of course, is that the Surface Studio is a full all-in-one PC, while the Canvas 27 is an interactive display meant to lay horizontally on your desk while paired to your current PC.

In terms of specs, the 27-inch Canvas packs a 2560 x 1440 QHD resolution and 100 percent coverage of the Adobe RGB color gamut. The display also supports inking from a companion pen with 2048 pressure levels. In terms of accessories, however, the Canvas works with what Dell calls a Totem, which is essentially the PC maker's take on the Surface Dial. Like Surface Dial, the Totem allows for new interactions with apps you're working in, allowing you to do things like quickly scrub back and forth in a video editor or select different colors in a sketching app.

The display also features other little niceties like a magnetic pen holder, along with a number of ports and connectors for things like Mini-HDMI and USB-C. Dell also promised an optional articulating stand would be available to give users more range beyond the display's built-in legs.

If you've wanted to get your hands on something like the Surface Studio, but don't need its PC guts, then the Dell Canvas 27 is certainly a compelling option. The display is up for order now at $1,799 with an estimated shipping date of September 15.

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Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl

9 Comments
  • why does the picture show two different "totems"
  • It's an older picture. The Dell Canvas was originally supposed to ship with two totems. One big one that was similar ot the Dial, and one smaller one. Dell was courting developers to make software that would use both of these, so you could adjust two different things without having to change the mode that your totem is in. It appears now that the Dell Canvas will not be launching with two totems, but instead will only come with the one large one because there wasn't enough developer support for a second one yet. It would have just been a waste of money to include it.
  • Because there are two diffrent "totems"!
  • This looks great. Now to buy this, or wait til the 4K comes out next year...
  • Have they officially announced a 4K version for next year?
  • Well, Wacom announced two new 4k Cintiq Pros next year. A 22" one and a 32" one. Yes. Thirty-two.
  • I hope microsoft has made some kind of API for the surface dial that can also be used by other manufacturers. This would boost adoption of developers actually writing for things like the dial or this totem. However if you have to code for each of these accessories seperate, I can't see many developers actually using them ...
  • Both the Dell totem and the Microsoft Surface Dial work off the Win 10 Radial Menu API.  https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/uwp/api/windows.ui.input.radialcontroll...
  • Ah, very cool to see! I was worried there for a sec.