Although standard desktop monitors are what most people need for working at home or at the office, a different type of monitor is beneficial if you work on the go. Known as portable monitors, these displays are about the same size as a laptop screen and give you extra screen space while being lightweight and easy to carry around. Like laptops, they can also deliver sharp text thanks to their high pixel density.
Through our extensive testing, we've found that portable monitors have some drawbacks, as they don't have as good picture quality as desktop monitors, which is why they're better to use as a secondary display next to your main display. Most of them still require power from an external source, so you'll need a cable to power the display and another charger handy for your laptop, but some do have built-in batteries or power passthrough. Most come with USB-C ports, making it easy to connect your laptop quickly.
We've bought and tested over 340 monitors, and below, you'll find our recommendations for the best portable displays. For more options, check out our recommendations for the best USB-C monitors, the best monitors for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, and the best work monitors. Check out the best lightweight laptops if you're also looking for a laptop.
Quick Look
Best Portable Monitor
Weight (Without Stand)1.9 lbs (0.8 kg)Thickness (Without Stand)0.3" (0.7 cm)Size15"Pixel TypeIPSMax Refresh Rate60 HzNative Resolution1920 x 1080Office7.0Media Creation7.1Gaming5.1SDR Brightness6.5Build Quality8.5The best portable monitor we've tested is the espresso Display 15 Touch. It has good enough picture quality for a portable display and a few handy features. However, it's best to get this monitor directly from espresso's website if you can't find it easily available from retailers. It has a responsive touchscreen that works well with Windows and macOS PCs, letting you easily complete work that requires touch movements. It even has a rotation lock that adjusts the image into portrait mode when you turn the display.
What makes this better than most portable monitors is that it's available with different accessories. One of those is its stand, which can lift the display above a table and offers versatile ergonomics. You can also get a case with a kickstand if you prefer. On top of that, it has good picture quality for a portable display with sharp text clarity and great color accuracy. It also displays a wide range of colors in SDR, resulting in life-like images. Besides that, it has a standard range of inputs with two USB-C ports, so it's easy to connect your laptop.
Best Budget Portable Monitor
Weight (without stand)1.3 lbs (0.6 kg)Thickness (without stand)0.5" (1.3 cm)Size14"Pixel TypeIPSMax Refresh Rate60 HzNative Resolution1920 x 1080Office7.0Media Creation6.5Gaming6.1SDR Peak Brightness6.8Build Quality7.0If you don't need or want a premium monitor like the espresso Display 15 Touch, the Lenovo ThinkVision M14 is a good alternative that you can get for a low cost. It's different from the espresso monitor because it doesn't have a touchscreen or as good picture quality, but this is what you have to expect for a cheaper portable display. That said, it also has two USB-C ports, which each support DisplayPort Alt Mode. You can connect your laptop to either port, and if you connect a power source to the other input, the monitor can pass power through to your laptop, so you won't need a separate charger.
Aside from that, it has a built-in kickstand that offers tilt adjustment and even has a small height adjustment, though it doesn't get nearly as high as the espresso's stand accessory. It also offers decent picture quality for a portable laptop, but it's limited in extra features. If you need something simple and don't necessarily care about picture quality, you can sometimes find the ViewSonic VG1655 for cheaper, but it doesn't get as bright as the Lenovo.
Best Portable Monitor For Gaming
Weight (without stand)2.4 lbs (1.1 kg)Thickness (without stand)0.4" (1.0 cm)Size17"Pixel TypeIPSMax Refresh Rate240 HzNative Resolution1920 x 1080Office7.2Media Creation6.8Gaming8.0SDR Peak Brightness7.3Build Quality8.5Although portable gaming monitors are less common than portable monitors for work, you can still find some options if you're looking for the best portable monitor for gaming on the go. The ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHPE is a great choice for mobile gaming or if you need something on the side of your main gaming monitor. It has an incredibly high 240Hz refresh rate to provide a smooth gaming feel, but if you aren't going to take advantage of such a high refresh rate, then the ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE is a good alternative. It has a lower 144Hz refresh rate and is similar otherwise, but it can be harder to find.
The XG17AHPE is great for gaming as it has a faster response time than the espresso Display 15 Touch, resulting in better motion handling with minimal blur behind fast-moving objects. It even has a 7800 mAh battery, lasting nearly three hours of gaming. Lastly, it supports FreeSync VRR technology with G-SYNC compatibility, ensuring a nearly tear-free gaming experience from almost any source.
Notable Mentions
- ASUS ProArt PA148CTV:
The ASUS ProArt PA148CTV is a budget portable monitor that has more features than the Lenovo ThinkVision M14, like a touchscreen, but it costs more for a minimal difference in performance.
See our review - Lepow Z1:
The Lepow Z1 is a cheap portable monitor that costs less than the Lenovo ThinkVision M14. It's something to consider if you're on a tight budget, but it also has very limited picture quality.
See our review - ZenScreen OLED MQ16AH:
The ASUS ZenScreen OLED MQ16AH is a premium model that delivers better picture quality than most portable monitors, like the espresso Display 15 Touch, thanks to its OLED panel. It's a good choice if you want something with such great picture quality, but it also risks permanent burn-in with exposure to static elements over time.
Untested - Join the discussion
Recent Updates
Feb 19, 2025:
We added the Lepow Z1 to the Notable Mentions, introduced a new format to the article, and updated the text to reflect these changes.
Nov 29, 2024:
Checked that our selections are consistent and accurate.
Sep 10, 2024: Confirmed that our picks are available and accurate.
Jul 15, 2024: Confirmed the availability and accuracy of our picks and verified proper linking to each product.
May 16, 2024: Verified our picks for accuracy and consistency.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best portable displays currently available. They're adapted to be valid for most people in each price range. The rating is based on our review, factoring in price and feedback from our visitors.
If you would prefer to make your own decision, here's a list of our portable monitor reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. Most monitors are good enough to please most people, and the things we fault monitors on are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.
As we haven't updated all portable monitors to the latest test benches, the table below doesn't show all we've tested. Instead, you can see more in an alternative table.
Suggested Reads
Recommended Articles
Best Monitors For Gaming
Comments
Best Portable Monitors: Main Discussion
What do you think of our picks? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying recommendation from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.
Update: We added the Lepow Z1 to the Notable Mentions, introduced a new format to the article, and updated the text to reflect these changes.
What do you think of these changes? Let us know
- 21010
There have been a few requests to review the Uperfect 16” 3K OLED but your replies seem that it’s not something you want to do…? On paper, its value vs features is unrivalled IMO but I have always been guided my your reviews and expertise. Is this one on your todo list or are you avoiding it for a reason?
We’re definitely not avoiding it! But there’s a lot of different products we have to buy and test and a limited amount of resources. So, we simply can’t buy and test every product. As mentioned though, if enough people vote for it via our review pipeline page, we’re happy to buy and test it then!
- 32120
There have been a few requests to review the Uperfect 16” 3K OLED but your replies seem that it’s not something you want to do…?
On paper, its value vs features is unrivalled IMO but I have always been guided my your reviews and expertise. Is this one on your todo list or are you avoiding it for a reason?
Update: Checked that our selections are consistent and accurate.
What do you think of these changes? Let us know
- 54340
I’d love to see testing of some portable OLED monitors.
One of the biggest downsides of portable LCD’s is how they often have abysmal response time. OLED response times are potentially way better, but I’d love to see some tangible results to support that.
Some potential test candidates are the Innocn PU15-PRE, the Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED, and the ASUS ZenScreen OLED MQ16AH, and the UPerfect UColor O.
Update: Confirmed the availability and accuracy of our picks and verified proper linking to each product.
What do you think of these changes? Let us know
- 21010
I have two UPerfect portable monitors. I love them and they are price competitive.
I’ve got the UPERFECT UPlays C2 16:10 - 120hz - 2160x1600, and it works amazingly well as a 2nd display off to the side of my TV PC gaming setup. I use it mainly for Discord and other auxiliary tasks.
I haven’t gotten it to play as nicely with my 16" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, however. It works, but the scaled resolution settings are totally broken, without doing some manual black magic to force the right resolution and scaling. Still figuring that out. By default, it scales to 1280x800 at the native 1600p resolution, making everything enormous.
I’d like it to scale to 1200p at 1600p native. If I set it to 1600p native with no scaling applied, everything is way too small. It blows my mind that macOS still doesn’t have a way to control HiDPI independently, like Windows does with percentages.