10 Best Portable Monitor Reviews in 2023 | The Features To Consider For Your On-The-Go Screen

The ASUS ZenScreen portable monitor is a 15.6-inch monitor with IPS-type LCD screen designed to be ultra-portable. It weighs at only 2 pounds, and is as thin as a pencil (at around 9 millimeters). 

The portable monitors mount, which are included out of the box, is quality made and doubles as a stand too! The foldable smart case cover features a pen hole that can accommodate both portrait and landscape orientations. 

When it comes to connectivity, you have several options because it is compatible with any mini HDMI port, USB C type and USB A type gadgets. Also  comes with a 7800mAh battery that lasts for up to four hours.

I like that the ASUS portable monitors have a built in battery (7800mAh to be exact). It lasts up to 4 hours and supports QuickCharge 3.0, making it a genuine on-the-go device. 

Another cool feature of the Asus ZenScreen Touch is the use of TUV Rheinland-certified backlighting and Asus Eye Care technology to ensure flicker-free viewing, making it one of the best monitors for the eyes.

The AUZAI portable monitor is designed for maximum portability, so expect a display that’s ultra slim, compact and lightweight. The display size may not wow you, but if you’re after something small that packs light, this 15.6-inch long LED is worthy of consideration for anybody who wants more screen real estate.

Out of the box, you’ll see that the AUZAI monitor comes with a hard plastic case that also serves as its stand. And since it is marketed as an on-the-go LED, this portable computer screen already comes with a polycarbonate screen protector. 

It’s a perfect second screen, but the built-in speakers are just true stereo with average quality (they’re definitely better than your phone speakers, but not as good as standalone speakers). This LED is also compatible with any headphones with 3.5mm aux port, so you could just bring along your branded headset if audio is a priority for your work. 

The AUZAI portable monitor has full 1080p video quality, which is top-notch for a display this size. It uses HDR technology that gives vibrant color. The IPS results in darker darks, so make sure to adjust settings for a quick fix.  

You’ll have several options for charging this portable display, including USB C port to USB Type-A port, as well as USB C to USB C port. 

Good news for raspberry-pi fans – the AUZAI portable monitor is compatible with raspberry units via DVD. 

HP Pavilion’s 21.5-inch LED isn’t something you’d call portable, nor is it advertised as such, but it could definitely cater to the on-the-go crowd in need of a portable VGA monitor with overall good image, audio and response times. 

This HP Pavilion has a micro-edge design, which is ideal if you’re planning to use this as a second screen for dual monitor setups. The anti-glare feature is a huge plus, especially if you’re going to bring this display everywhere you go. 

Built with the HP Enhance+ resolution, which means you can expect crispier videos, photos and games with less noise and motion blur. It supports 178-degree wide angle viewing and adjustable tilt (from -5° to 25°) so you can ensure your work or gaming continues to provide the best quality images or videos at any angle. 

Refresh rates for the HP Pavilion 21.5-Inch LED is only at 60 hertz, so better take note of this if you’re planning to use this for gaming. But for high-level editing, the HP Pavilion’s monitor is powerful enough to display all your work in its glorious bezel-less display. In fact, this model is a favorite among graphic designers and professional photographers. 

EVICIV is a brand made popular by the Raspberry Pi hobbyists. If you’re looking for the best portable monitor with top-notch image and video quality for on-the-go computing, editing or even gaming, then this model will suit you well. 

Made with IPS panel technology, the 15.6-inch EVICIV 4K portable gaming monitor is flicker-free with ultra-low blue light filter and 178-degree wide-viewing angles. It’s plug-and-play, so it is compatible with many gadgets and requires virtually no cables and drivers. 

The EVICIV portable monitor looks and feels solid, but it is light enough (below 2 pounds) and compact enough (it measures only 14.00 x 8.80 x 0.20 inches) to be brought everywhere. And since it can be charged by power bank, like most portable USB monitors are, you can virtually have it as your phone’s bigger display, or go-to presentation screen for field meetings. 

What I like best about this unit is the ability to use it both in portrait and landscape mode. The LED arm isn’t included in the kit, but having the option is already a huge plus.  

The only issue some people may have about the EVICIV portable monitor is the 60 hertz refresh rate, which isn’t really bad per se, but if you want a portable gaming monitor, you might see a hint of lag. When it comes to editing, watching, or basic computing, you’ll find this refresh rate ample enough for your needs. 

Like the ASUS model that came before this, the ZenScreen MB16AC is another portable monitor 1080p with the same slim profile and exceptional image quality. 

The most noticeable difference between the two models is the menu navigation buttons. In the MB16AMT above, the display has a hybrid button with a tiny joystick. On the ASUS portable monitors (the MB16AC), you’ll have two navigation buttons and a slightly thinner and lighter profile.    

This is a true on-the-go LED, weighing only 780 grams (1.72 pounds). It is also just 88 millimeters thin, so you don’t have to worry about bulking up your bag. And as for the best portable monitor, the ASUS ZenScreen MB16AC can be detected as a display and switches from portrait mode to landscape modes whenever you choose. 

This portable ASUS monitor is compatible with any laptop with a USB C type or Type A port. It gets power and video from the same cable removing the need for any power outlet. Samsung phones can even power the display, but some brands may not work. 

Advertised as Raspberry Pi display, the 13.3-inch Elecrow portable monitors can also be used for PS3/PS4, XBOX360 gaming consoles, industrial equipment, medical equipment, car video accessories, and other devices with mini HDMI/HDMI input.

Out of the box, the Elecrow portable monitor includes a 5V/2A power adapter, HDMI cable and metal rack. 

The images of this best portable monitor are legitimately vivid and clear thanks to the IPS screen’s 1920x1080 resolution, wide-viewing angle, and technology that improve color, brightness, contrast, and sharpness for optimal viewing. 

Don’t let this fool you into thinking that it is just exclusive as an indoors display because the ultra-thin (it measures just 15 millimeters thin) and weighs only a pound and a half means it is very easy to bring with you everywhere. 

Probably the biggest downside to this LED is the sound quality. It has one of the lowest retail prices in this display size group, so expect the quality of its built-in speakers and included rack to be appropriate to its price. However, if you do require top-notch audio for work, there’s always an option of using third-party speakers via the 3.5mm stereo-out jack.

As I stated before, this is a favorite display among the Raspberry Pi crowd because not only as a budget portable monitor; the Elecrow portable monitors can also use any power bank for juice and run up to 5 hours at each charge. Of course, the bigger your power bank size, the longer you can use the display. 

If you’re looking for the best portable monitor that feels solid and doesn’t wobble on you when you work on the go, you’d be happy with Lenovo’s ThinkVision M14. This 14-inch IPS display with full 1920x1080 HD resolution is super lightweight. It only weighs 1.26 pounds because it is mostly made of black plastic, which is quite appropriate to the entire Lenovo look. 

Admittedly, the all-black isn’t as stylish as displays with silver steel or chrome, but once you hold the LED, you’d realize this is a quality-made unit with the soft-touch back and sturdy built-in stand with flip-out foot. 

The LED has anti-glare too, which is always a welcome addition to monitors. The brightness and color production is perfect for texts, charts, and even movies/videos. However, this LED isn’t for hardcore competitive gaming since the 60 Hertz refresh rates would be more appropriate for all-around computing. 

The Lenovo ThinkVision M14 is equipped with two USB C ports on each side to support DisplayPort 1. 2 Alt Mode and Pd2. 0. The only thing I would have loved this LED to have is an HDMI port, so it could accommodate multiple devices like a game console or Raspberry Pi. 

You can never really go wrong with an ASUS product, but if you’re looking for the best portable monitor that will help you through on-the-go working day in, day out, the ASUS MB168B won’t disappoint. It is designed with a LED backlit TN display that supports resolutions up to 1366 x 768 and boasts of 11 ms response time and a 500:1 contrast ratio. 

Out of the box, you’ll get a USB 3.0 cable, the portable monitor, CD, and the ASUS smart case, which is pretty impressive for its two-way adjustable stand and protective sleeve dual purpose.   

The ASUS MB168B portable monitors are USB-powered, which means it can run with USB 3.0 for video signal and power simultaneously. It is also compatible with USB 2.0 connection, but it could affect brightness settings and image quality.

Plus, this model is equipped with ASUS EzLink technology, which is designed to offload graphics processing from the PC to a dedicated hardware in the LED. As a result, even a low graphics capable notebook or PC can drive up to five MB168B monitors simultaneously as long as you have enough USB ports compatible with Linux, Chrome OS, Mac OS and Microsoft Windows. 

At the time of its release, the ASUS MB168B portable monitor was ahead of the pack for its weight, so it truly was one of the lightest on-the-go displays in the market. But today, other portable monitors model weighs much less.

Thse AOC portable monitors may be an old model, but it still has a lot of things to be desired. For example, this 16-inch is designed with a slim and thin profile, a cool-looking built-in stand at the back, and a Vesa wall mount option, if you’re going to use this LED at a permanent location. 

There are 3 things that make the AOC e1659Fwu Portable LED Monitor stand out:

• Built-in DisplayLink Technology makes it possible to use multiple USB monitors simultaneously. You just need to install the DisplayLink driver.
• USB 3.0 connection means the LED has high transfer rates and high quality images. 
• The flexi-stand accommodates both landscape and portrait modes, and auto-pivots automatically according to the monitor’s orientation.

Note that there may also be some tweaking to be done if you’re going to pair this with a Mac or Linux. It works flawless with Windows though.  

I’ve been using Desklab’s Touchscreen Portable Monitor extensively over the past 1.5 months and it’s easy to say it is one of my newest, favorite toys that helps me get that much needed extra screen space.

I do have my own portable gaming monitor to use at home which I enjoy, and this is not a replacement. However, like many others, I’ve been stuck working from home for the past 1.5 years due to COVID. I’ve been going to coffee shops in the past 6 weeks to test this monitor and it is a game changer with its lightweight, ease of use, and touch input capability.

I absolutely love working from coffee shops, but only using my laptop screen certainly hurts productivity. In comes Desklab’s Touchscreen Portable Monitor to give me that additional screen real estate. It’s extremely lightweight weighing in at just 1.6 pounds and extremely thin so it fits in my backpack with my laptop very easily, even tahough I have both cases for my laptop AND a cover for the monitor.

It took some playing around to switch it from 4K to 1080P even though I tried googling around on how to fix it for Macs. I had to make sure the mouse focus was on the screen (not my laptop) and THEN the appropriate settings displayed when I followed the instructions. Once I switched it to 1080P it was a GAME CHANGER - I felt like I could actually use the screen properly.

My biggest complaint is that the cord to plug in the screen is REALLY short. It might be 2 feet but that’s hardly long enough to be used at coffee shops or airports (where most people are probably using their best portable monitor) so I bring an extension cord with me. However, this might not be a problem for most people.

I have a 2015 Macbook Pro - newer models and laptops with a lightning cable can serve as a power source to the LED meaning you won’t need the electrical power cord.

The screen also has stereo speakers built in. I don’t use them a ton since I usually use my airpods (I am in public after all). The quality seems decent but nothing to write home about to be honest, but honestly I’m not really looking for speaker quality when it comes to the best portable monitor.

Overall, it’s a great monitor with some minor issues that you can easily get around. As you’ll see in my other reviews, I’ve tested monitors that are 2x the cost. Now that I have this Desklab Monitor, I won’t be going back - it’s not only half the cost but it works great with a number of customizable settings.