For professionals and digital nomads, a Travel Monitor For Laptop has become an indispensable tool. Extending your laptop screen real estate while on the move can significantly boost productivity and make working remotely much more comfortable. In this review, we delve into a range of portable monitors, evaluating their performance to help you choose the best travel monitor for laptop to suit your needs. We’ve put various models through rigorous testing, assessing everything from color accuracy and brightness to portability and ease of use. Let’s explore how these portable displays stack up as the ideal travel monitor for laptop.
ViewSonic Portable Monitors: A Detailed Look
ViewSonic offers several options in the portable monitor category, and we tested a few to see how they perform as a travel monitor for laptop.
ViewSonic VG1656-2K
The ViewSonic VG1656-2K shares similarities with our top touchscreen pick but omits the touchscreen functionality. It boasts impressive color accuracy and achieved a peak brightness of 396 nits in our tests, making it the brightest portable monitor we examined in this round. However, with a price tag of $300, the 2K resolution might not represent a substantial enough upgrade for most users to justify paying more than double the cost of our top recommendation for a travel monitor for laptop. If you specifically require the enhanced resolution for improved scaling, this is a solid travel monitor for laptop option, though it is pricier than we would ideally like.
ViewSonic VX1655
The ViewSonic VX1655, in comparison to other monitors we tested, didn’t appear as sharp. Furthermore, when we switched to sRGB mode to evaluate its color accuracy, the contrast ratio diminished to approximately 630:1. There are other budget-friendly portable monitors available that offer a superior overall user experience as a travel monitor for laptop.
ViewSonic VX1655-4K
The ViewSonic VX1655-4K stands out as a competitive 4K display, and would have been our upgrade pick, if not for the superior OLED version. This model is both color-accurate and bright, reaching almost 500 nits in our tests. While we recommend the OLED version for its even greater brightness and enhanced contrast inherent in OLED screens, the VX1655-4K remains a worthwhile travel monitor for laptop alternative, particularly if you prefer to avoid the glossy screen coating of the OLED model.
Pluggable USB-C Portable Monitor: Features vs. Image Quality
The Pluggable USB-C Portable Monitor initially presented an acceptable visual experience upon powering it on. However, it performed poorly in subsequent tests, particularly in contrast and color accuracy. Our measurements consistently showed a contrast ratio around 460:1, significantly below our 1000:1 threshold for an IPS display. On the positive side, it offers a higher rate of pass-through charging, delivering 100W of power to a connected laptop, and includes an additional USB-C port with up to 10 Gbps data throughput. While these features could be beneficial, they don’t compensate for the subpar image quality compared to its competitors in the realm of travel monitor for laptop options.
Espresso Displays Portable Monitors: Design and Potential Issues
Espresso Displays offers sleek and thin portable monitors, designed with portability in mind, appealing to users seeking a stylish travel monitor for laptop.
Espresso Displays 15
The Espresso Displays 15 unit sent to us for review exhibited an issue that caused the screen to go black when connected to an input source, unless power was supplied through the second USB-C port. Espresso stated that this was a firmware update issue specifically affecting review units. However, we cannot recommend this monitor as a travel monitor for laptop until we have successfully tested another unit.
Espresso Displays 17 Pro
Designed for creative professionals, the Espresso Displays 17 Pro is a 17-inch, touchscreen, 4K portable monitor. Our tests revealed it could reproduce 97% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, making it excellent for creative tasks. It also provides touchscreen and stylus capabilities when connected to a Mac, features typically found in much more expensive pen displays. While impressive on paper as a high-end travel monitor for laptop, we found it too bulky and heavy for comfortable portability. The Pro Stand for the 17 Pro adds 1.8 pounds, bringing the total portable setup weight to over 4 pounds, excluding the laptop and charging accessories. Additionally, the absence of physical buttons necessitates using the espressoFlow software for settings adjustments, and we found the color settings within the app too limited for quick display fine-tuning for a travel monitor for laptop.
Ricoh Portable Monitors: Premium Features at a Premium Price
Ricoh ventured into the portable monitor market with the 150 and 150BW models, both 15.6-inch, 1080p touchscreen OLED displays. The 150BW also offers wireless video reception over Wi-Fi from Windows computers. These monitors are remarkably slim and feature an elegant built-in kickstand. While these specifications sound promising for a high-end travel monitor for laptop, the Ricoh 150’s typical price of $550 and the Ricoh 150BW’s $850 price tag are excessively expensive for a portable monitor. For these features to be realistically competitive in the travel monitor for laptop market, they would need to be priced closer to $400.
AOC 16T3EA: Budget Concerns
The AOC 16T3EA presented an issue where its contrast ratio decreased when brightness was maximized, a recurring problem observed in budget monitors. Its stand was also somewhat restrictive, and we preferred the aesthetic design of other portable monitors in this category as a travel monitor for laptop.
Arzopa Portable Monitors: Varied Experiences
Arzopa offers a range of portable monitors, and we tested a couple of their models to assess their suitability as a travel monitor for laptop.
Arzopa S1 Table
We purchased the Arzopa S1 Table but were unable to test it due to a high-pitched whine emitted upon powering it on, an issue reported by other buyers in online reviews. Arzopa processed the return and replaced the unit in approximately three weeks, and the replacement functioned without the same issue. Despite the replacement, we still believe our top pick offers a better overall experience due to its kickstand design. A Wirecutter staff member conducting long-term testing of the replacement unit noted initial confusion with the case stand and occasional collapses when bumped.
Arzopa Z1C
The Arzopa Z1C is similar to our top pick, the Z1FC, but lacks the 144 Hz refresh rate for smoother motion. The Z1C unit we tested exhibited significantly less color accuracy than the Z1FC, and we also perceived the Z1FC’s picture quality as superior. For users prioritizing color accuracy in a travel monitor for laptop, the Z1FC might be a better choice.
Asus ZenScreen Portable Monitors: Innovative Features with Design Flaws
Asus ZenScreen series aims to provide portable monitors with unique features, but some design choices might hinder user experience as a travel monitor for laptop.
Asus ZenScreen MB166CR
The Asus ZenScreen MB166CR is positioned as a more affordable portable monitor within Asus’s product line. However, its screw-on kickstand proves to be frustratingly inconvenient to use. Adjusting the stand loosens it, requiring tightening the screw—but tightening the screw changes the stand’s position. The time spent struggling with this stand makes it less appealing as a user-friendly travel monitor for laptop.
Asus ZenScreen Go MB16AWP
The Asus ZenScreen Go MB16AWP is a higher-end display featuring wireless connectivity and its own built-in battery. This model can connect to your phone to serve as a larger screen for media consumption. However, during wireless feature testing, we found that many popular streaming services restrict video viewing, including local streaming to nearby wireless devices. While we successfully streamed video via Plex, the playback was choppy and unwatchable. Wireless communication functioned effectively for adding a second wireless display to Windows computers. If this specific need is paramount, this monitor could be a viable option. However, the premium price for the battery and wireless features of the MB16AWP might not be justified given these limitations for a travel monitor for laptop.
HP E14 G4: Solid but Pricey
The HP E14 G4 is a reliable portable monitor with a 14-inch, 1080p display, a robust stand, and a basic on-screen menu for brightness, contrast, and color adjustments. However, it is smaller and considerably more expensive than our top pick, while offering comparable image quality as a travel monitor for laptop.
Dell C1422H: Outdated and Outperformed
The Dell C1422H is remarkably similar to HP’s E14 G4 in size and image quality but offers fewer image settings. Being a few years old, it is now possible to obtain better picture quality for a significantly lower price in the travel monitor for laptop market.
Lenovo ThinkVision M14d: High Resolution, High Price
The Lenovo ThinkVision M14d is a 14-inch display with a notable 2240×1400 resolution. It is a decent monitor, but its $475 price at the time of our review was simply too high for this resolution and its IPS display technology, especially when considering other travel monitor for laptop alternatives.
Conclusion: Choosing the Right Travel Monitor for Your Laptop
Selecting the ideal travel monitor for laptop depends on your specific needs and priorities. Factors such as desired resolution, color accuracy, brightness, portability, and budget all play crucial roles. While some monitors offer advanced features like touchscreens or wireless connectivity, these often come at a premium. Carefully consider your use case and weigh the pros and cons of each model to make an informed decision and enhance your mobile workspace with the best travel monitor for laptop for you.
