The Best Portable Monitors for a Reasonable Price

The MSI PRO MP161 E2 mobile monitor captivates with its flexible placement. Its screen is supported by a folding stand at the rear of the case, which has a 1/4" thread for mounting the monitor on a tripod.

The ergonomic holder allows you to adjust the screen position both in the traditional landscape orientation and in the portrait installation vector. The display here is a 15.6-inch IPS panel with a diagonal resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Its refresh rate is standard (60 Hz), and the color rendering is mediocre (about 53% of the sRGB "triangle"). In contrast, it is worth mentioning the proprietary MSI EyesErgo system for eye comfort - it includes flicker suppression and blue light filtering functions.

The monitor is connected to video sources via onboard USB type C connectors (2 pcs.) and miniHDMI v 2.0. The standard cables are made in a convenient format with L-shaped connectors. The model can work as a second laptop screen, an additional display for a PC, or a means of displaying images from a connected smartphone or tablet. It is also quite suitable for working with game consoles, but this monitor is definitely not a gaming monitor.

MSI PRO MP161 E2 boasts a thin and light case. Its minimum thickness is about 10.8 mm, and the weight is 750 g . A practical case is included for storing and carrying the monitor. Special mention should be made of the stereo speakers of 2 x 1.5 W format, allowing you to do without headphones. By the way, there is no wired connector for them.

Lenovo L15 is a compact model of a monitor for a laptop or smartphone. It is equipped with a 15.6-inch IPS-screen of the traditional Full HD format (1920x1080 pixels).

The display of the device has ordinary characteristics: its scanning frequency is 60 Hz, the peak brightness threshold is 250 cd/m², and the color rendering covers only 45% of the NTSC space. Nevertheless, the Lenovo L15 shows itself perfectly as a convenient second screen with TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light certification. The lower segment of its rear panel is designed as a stand, which contains connection ports.

The monitor is equipped with two USB type C ports and a Kensington anti-theft lock. It is noteworthy that USB supports pass-through power transmission of up to 65 W for charging a laptop or smartphone and simultaneously powering the L15. However, the model still lacks an HDMI connector and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

The monitor's shelter during transportation is provided by the complete protective case. The model will not burden the owner with extra weight and easily fits into the laptop compartment of any backpack. The weight of the Lenovo L15 is about 860 g.

A separate display of laptop caliber Viewsonic VA1655 will be suitable as a second monitor for a laptop and will serve as a means of displaying images from connected mobile gadgets.

The front panel of the model's case is occupied by a 15.6-inch IPS matrix with a standard Full HD resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. It is framed by thin frames at the top and sides. The screen has a refresh rate of 60 Hz, a response time of about 7 ms, and viewing angles of 170° in the horizontal and vertical viewing planes. The only complaint about it is the meager color gamut at 45% of the NTSC space and 64% of the sRGB color model.

On one of the side ends of the Viewsonic VA1655 , connection interfaces are concentrated: one USB type C purely for power supply, a combined type C (for power and data exchange), a miniHDMI connector, a 3.5-mm audio jack for headphones. The model also has built-in acoustics - two speakers of 0.8 W each.

The portable monitor is compatible with both laptops and mobile devices. And it can be used in landscape and portrait orientation. The support point for the model's body is a folding stand integrated into the "back". You can carry the monitor with you even in your daily rhythm - it takes up a minimum of space and weighs about 0.7 kg.

Portable monitors can also be gaming monitors. A striking example is the 15.6-inch AOC 16G3 model, which is perfect for a mobile console, smartphone or laptop.

The gaming background of the model is revealed by the IPS-screen of the Full HD format (1920x1080 pixels). It has a low response time (from 4 ms) and a refresh rate of 144 Hz. And to eliminate frame drops and breaks, the monitor provides support for AMD FreeSync technologies coupled with VESA Adaptive-Sync. You can flexibly configure gaming functions through the AOC G-Menu utility - with its help you can display a crosshair, an fps counter in the corner of the screen, etc.

Spending time playing games is not the only purpose of a portable monitor. It is suitable for holding presentations in small "meeting rooms", consuming multimedia content and even working with graphics. Still, the color rendering of the model's screen turned out to be decent (100% of the sRGB space). The monitor can be used in both landscape and portrait orientations.

The model's assets include microHDMI interfaces, a couple of USB type C (one of them with DisplayPort Alt Mode) and a 3.5 mm audio jack. The monitor also has a pair of speakers with a power of 1 W each. In terms of dimensions, the "portable" easily fits into the laptop compartment of any bag or city backpack. A storage and carrying case provides some protection for its body.

At a quick glance, the Asus MB16AHV can easily be confused with the closed lid of a conventional ZenBook laptop. But in fact, this is a completely original device from the caste of portable monitors.

The model comes to the rescue when one screen in the laptop is no longer enough. It is also useful for scaling images from connected mobile devices (smartphone, tablet, etc.). The monitor is based on an IPS panel with a diagonal size of 15.6 inches, a resolution of Full HD, a refresh rate of 60 Hz and viewing angles within 178 ° in all planes.

To avoid eye fatigue during long periods of sitting in front of the screen, the model has blue light filtration. The safety of the monitor for the visual apparatus is supported by TÜV Rheinland certification. The user has the right to change the orientation of the image on the display through the proprietary DisplayWidget Center application. The monitor displays the image in both landscape and portrait mode.

Power and video signal are transmitted to the monitor via one of two USB type C connectors. These ports can also be used to charge mobile devices with a power of up to 15 W. The model has a miniHDMI interface at its disposal, but there are no built-in speakers. The monitor has an integrated stand on the rear panel of the case, a 1/4" tripod socket, and "for dessert" it has antibacterial protection of the frame and back cover with silver ions (Ag+).