Sharon Harding
Whatever your reason for needing an extra screen, a portable monitor can help you increase your productivity, and often for less money than other types of monitors.
When choosing a portable monitor, your primary concern should be image quality, but there’s more to it than just finding the best display. Port selection is important depending on what you will be using the panel for. And since you carry the screen with you and put it in different locations, you have to pay close attention to the build quality.
We tested three portable monitors with strong potential for different use cases. This is what we found.
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Lenovo ThinkVision M14 connected to a Dell XPS 13.
Sharon Harding
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The hinge of the monitor allows you to lay it flat.
Sharon Harding
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Display controls, including a low blue light filter, are located on the left side of the monitor.
Sharon Harding
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The cover doesn’t close shut, but is still sturdier than most.
Sharon Harding
Ars’s choice
Lenovo ThinkVision M14
Buy: $269 from Lenovo, Best Buy
| Specifications at a glance: Lenovo ThinkVision M14 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 14 inch, 1920×1080 resolution | ||
| Panel type: | IPS | ||
| Ports | 2x USB-C, Kensington lock slot | ||
| speakers | No | ||
| Dimensions | 12.7 × 8.2–8.7 × 3.8 in (323.4×209–220×96.5mm) |
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| Weight | 1.3 pounds (0.6kg) |
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| Price (list price) | $269 | ||
With excellent dual stands that make setting up easier, a decent carrying case, and solid picture quality that’s worth its price, Lenovo’s ThinkVision M14 is the best portable monitor option for most people.
We recorded a maximum brightness of 250.2 nits and 97.4 percent coverage of sRGB and 69 percent of DCI-P3. The contrast ratio was a solid 1,064:1. Colors in Windows don’t look oversaturated, and the panel is bright enough for watching movies in a sunny room.
The M14’s pair of stands makes the monitor feel much more stable and easier to adjust than many portable monitors that use a thin, origami-style cover that folds up like a makeshift stand. I have the M14 . can make looks its best in a variety of working conditions and lighting environments† The monitor’s largest stand, emerging from the back, allows for a tilt of -5 degrees to 90 degrees. Extending from the bottom edge, the smaller stand allows for 0 to 90 degrees of tilt and can reach up to 1 inch in height.
The panel is thin, but the rubber back of the chassis and thicker base provide extra support. The monitor’s cloth cover is thicker than many other portable monitors.
Since the M14 has one USB-C port on the left and right, it’s easier to create a clean setup. Unfortunately, these are the only two ports of the M14. An HDMI port would make it easier to connect the panel to types of devices other than laptops, such as game consoles or a Raspberry Pi. And there are rivals, such as the Lepow C2S below, which come with additional ports, such as DisplayPort or an audio jack. Finally, the M14 is the only monitor on our list without speakers.
The good
- Excellent double standards
- Quality image
- Ports on both sides of the screen
The bad
- No audio capabilities
- Restricted Ports
