Portable USB-C Monitors

[GotNoRice]

I'm looking to get a portable USB-C monitor in the 14-17" range. For me this would serve two purposes.

-A 2nd monitor for my Laptop while traveling. I use 6 monitors on my Desktop at home and it's painful using just one 17" Laptop monitor while I travel. Having a 2nd display would help a lot with that I think.

-A monitor I can connect to my phone (Samsung S25 Ultra), in combination with a small portable keyboard and mouse, to use Samsung DeX for a minimalist yet functional setup when I don't want to lug my actual laptop around.

What have your experiences been with these portable USB-C monitors? Any tips on what to look for vs what to avoid?

 

[El_Capitan]

I have test and used quite a lot of portable monitors, but only 2 for sale in my FS thread. If you want a really cheap used one to try out, let me know.

I think 14" is a little small, even for 1080P, but they are better for portability.
15.6" and larger with 1080P is what I would recommend. While 2K and 2.5K is nice, you'll mostly end up scaling it to 125% or 150%.

I don't know if there's anything to avoid, but all the speakers don't get very loud. There are some that are cheaper that don't have speakers.

Pretty much get anything with IPS and high NITS. With regards to Samsung DEX, I think 2K is the resolution limit, but you can get apps to support 4K. However, getting 4K on a 14" - 17" portable monitor is a waste, imo.

If you can get a touchscreen portable monitor, it's really nice to have. High refresh rates is also not really needed, 60Hz is all you'll get from Samsung DEX.

Also, because most portable monitors don't have high NITS, don't worry about using HDR, it's too dark to work in. However, it's still good to enable HDR if you're watching a movie.

 

[bobsuncledan]

I picked up this Tanxjia 15.6" portable OLED monitor last month for $250 or so. I wanted a 4k portable to use with my Lenovo laptop that also has an OLED screen and that was close to the same size as my laptop screen with the same color and brightness. It comes with a nice stand as well. The display so far is great - I have used it with Switch 2 and my laptop. You can use it with just the USB-C connected to a laptop but the brightness is 50%. You need to connect an additional USB-C power cable to it to get full power. It does not charge something connected to it when it is powered. It also comes with a soft case to store the portable monitor in when not used that also can be used as a stand in addition to the separate metal stand included.

This monitor is 4K @ 60hz or 120hz @ 1080P and also HDR. It also has G-Sync/Freesync and 10 point touchscreen. The OSD is touchscreen only and there is a single button on the left side to either power the monitor fully off w/ long press or short press open the OSD.

I used a Calibrite Display One to calibrate my laptop and this monitor to get them as close to color accurate and matching one another as possible. I don't do photo/video editing, I'm a student, but I hate when 2 monitors differ in brightness and color when next to one another.

If anyone is interested I can add pics later. Waiting for a small desk to arrive to move my temp stuff on.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRHYZRXQ?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

 

[sethk]

I have an older oled 13.3” usb c touchscreen that’s 1080p and I like the portability and size / res combo. Some of 15” Qhd panels are a little squished and require scaling but 4k / 1080p @120 is a nice combo, I might have picked that if it was available when I was buying.

 

[Nobu]

I got this asus a while back: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0C9MZTBSL?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image

It's nice, 1080p, cheap, usbc power and a second port, hdmi (mini or micro, forget which -- get the right one!) for video. 14ns, 800:1 contrast, 250 nits. It's not a gaming monitor, but it gets the job done.

 

[derek533]

The main thing with these portable monitors is to try and fine one that has a similar color profile to your laptop screen. I tried one, and the white was so "dirty" looking I literally had to adjust my eyes when I'd go from my laptop screen to the portable monitor. Sent it back and tried a different one and found one that is decent.

Runs off one usb c cable and it works great. About $50 give or take. Also important is to match the aspect ratio of your laptop's screen. It's weird going from a 16:10 Lenovo laptop to a 16:9 widescreen monitor.

This is the one I have. No complaints after a month's of use.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FDGD6KH2

 

[Erebus]

I've had an ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHP almost 3 years now, and it's held up on business trips all over the world. I usually use a portable/folding laptop stand with a keyboard + mouse when I'm gonna be set up somewhere for awhile and it's been great for that. Sometimes I place it above the laptop monitor, sometimes off to the side. Brightness isn't amazing but usable for the intended purpose. I like the stand that comes with it alot more than I thought I would at first. Although it has DP over USBC, I really wish the HDMI port was normal sized, the micro HDMI ports are super super fragile and you can feel how delicate it is if you use any kind of adapters. Works great with Steam deck and Switch as far as I've tried too. The built in speakers suck but for the use case its enough.

Best pic I have unfortunately:

As far as what to look for, I'd say port selection and refresh rate depending on use case. Do you need it to have a built in battery, or fine with a USBC power supply or powered from the DEX dock (I'm not super familiar with that system)? Do you need/want HDMI at all? If so, I'd recommend a full size HDMI if possible. Does it need built in speakers? etc. Good / Portable / Cheap, pick any 2!

What did the OP end up with?