Being away from the office means working on my laptop—and with that comes productivity slipping away into oblivion. The problem, for me at least, is the screen, or rather, the lack of them. A portable monitor solves this dilemma handily, working just like an external monitor setup does in the office, but with mobility also in mind. While larger portable monitors (especially multi-panel ones) may require a dedicated power connection, most can use your laptop’s USB port for all the juice they need.
The portable monitor category is a very large one, occupied by both name-brand producers of laptops and desktop monitors as well as plenty of companies you’ve never heard of. For this buying guide, I evaluated 20 portable monitors from a wide range of manufacturers that represent price points ranging from $70 to nearly $700. I’m splitting my top recommendations across four major categories, with runners-up available for most of them.
The Best Overall Portable Monitor
Arzopa
Z3FC Portable Monitor
If you are simply looking for a single extra screen to have alongside your laptop and don’t need touch features, Arzopa’s Z3FC is the best pick for most users. This spacious 16.1-inch display costs just $136, but it’s absolutely loaded with features. Resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels offers ample detail for any type of task whether work or leisure, and the screen unusually offers a whiplash-fast 180 Hz refresh rate. It’s got one of the brighter displays available across all portable monitors — and an outstanding color gamut rating, with a measured 99% of the sRGB space covered in my tests. Color quality is equally solid, with a 1.10 average accuracy rating measured.
The hardware is simple but effective, with the monitor held up by a slim arm that flips out from the back of the display and connection options that include mini-HDMI and two USB-C ports. Because it draws just 13 watts, you don’t need an external power adapter if you connect via USB to your laptop. (Note that since HDMI connections don’t carry power, you’ll need to use one of the USB ports to connect to a power source if you choose that option.) The second USB port can be used to charge a phone or connect other USB peripherals, and the monitor even includes dual 2-watt speakers which, while not altogether useful, are at least better than nothing.
Best of all is how portable the screen is: At just 1.64 pounds, it’s one of the lightest portable monitors on the market, especially at this display size.
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