Hooking up your MacBook Pro to a monitor will up your productivity levels. The versatile USB-C Thunderbolt connection ensures that you can connect either a USB-C monitor or a Thunderbolt monitor. However, standard monitors are large and it’s a challenge to move them around. That’s when portable monitors for MacBook Pro come into the picture.
The portability makes them easy to use in a home office, cafe, or outdoors. Besides being lightweight, these monitors are feature-rich and let you go about your daily grind with ease.
In this post, we will explore four popular portable monitors for Apple MacBook Pro users. So, let’s get going, shall we? But before that,
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1. Lenovo Thinkvision M14
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Panel: IPS
- Size: 14-inch | Weight: 1.26 pounds
The Lenovo Thinkvision M14 is an affordable mobile monitor for your MacBook Pro. The highlight of this monitor is its clever design and high-quality panel. The latter is responsible for sharp and rich colors on the screen. Like the one above, it’s a USB-C monitor. At 14-inch, the screen is a little on the smaller side.
One of the main advantages is that you can tilt the screen as per your comfort. The base connects to the monitor separately, and you can tilt it anywhere between -5 to 90 degrees. And like conventional monitors, you can tweak the panel’s display as per your preference.
Apart from that, the Thinkvision also comes with a dedicated power button and a duo of USB-C ports. There’s a handy Kensington cable lock as well. The USB-C ports on both sides give you the flexibility to connect the monitor to either side of your MacBook. The good part is that the display can be powered directly from the connected laptop.
The MacBook Pro users received this monitor well, with users appreciating it for its bright screen, picture quality, and lightweight form factor.
2. HP EliteDisplay S14
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Panel: IPS
- Size: 14-inch | Weight: 2.20 pounds
The HP EliteDisplay S14 is a close competitor of the Lenovo Thinkvision and shares quite similar features. However, at 2.2 lbs, this portable monitor for MacBook is slightly on the heavier side. It has a cover that folds back to form the stand. And while you can tilt the screen up to a certain extent, it’s not as flexible as the Lenovo Thinkvision monitor above.
It has an anti-glare finish that certainly helps view the content on screen. However, the screen is not overly bright, and it can be an issue, especially if you work outdoors. On the upside, the IPS screen offers great viewing angles.
The only issue with the EliteDisplay S14 is its connection. It has a single USB-C connection. It gets the majority of the work done (from transferring the video signal to power to the screen). But it would have been great to have a secondary port as well.
On the upside, EliteDisplay S14 comes with a slew of controls for tweaking the brightness, contrast, and color. It’s perfect as a second monitor, and the height makes it easy to view content at eye level.
3. Asus ZenScreen Portable Monitor (MB16AHP)
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 | Panel: IPS
- Size: 15.6-inch | Weight: 1.9 pounds
The ASUS Zenscreen Go MB16AHP brings several interesting features to the table. For one, it’s one of the few screens to be powered by a built-in rechargeable battery. Naturally, this gives you the flexibility of extending the display without worrying about the power source. Secondly, it has a clever design and can stand on its own via a simple ink pen. And yes, the company ships the pen along with the monitor.
Like the one above, the OSD options are quite flexible, and you can play with the contrast or brightness of the screen. The display is bright and colorful. It’s not the most color-accurate monitor out there and can display around 72% of the sRGB color gamut.
Again, the connection options are decent. The USB-C or the mini-HDMI connection makes it easy to connect to your MacBook. And if you want to use it with another Windows laptop, you can utilize the built-in HDMI port for that.
It’s a popular mobile monitor on Amazon and has received considerable praise from its user base. From older MacBooks to the newer MacBook Pro with an M1 chip, the Zenscreen Go runs seamlessly on all devices. Just make sure to use a high-quality hub, if you are using an adapter in between.
4. Virzen UHD OLED Portable Monitor
- Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Panel: IPS
- Size: 15.6-inch | Weight: 2.16 pounds
If you want higher resolution on your portable monitor, you should check out the Virzen UHD monitor. It is similar to its predecessor in many respects, including size and design. The highlight of this monitor is its color accuracy which makes way for impressive visuals and picture quality. More important, the USB-C port supports Power Delivery, and you can use the secondary USB-C port to connect peripherals like keyboards and mice.Â
The folks at Virzen advertise a 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut. As a matter of fact, several users have praised the picture quality of this small 15.6-inch portable monitor. A 10,000mAh battery powers it, and you can use it to its full advantage when you do not want cable clutter on your desk. For now, you can power this monitor using a simple USB-C cable.
The setup and installation process is simple and straight. All you need to do is connect it to your laptop, and you should be in the clear. Plus, there are ample ports (USB-C, HDMI, mini-HDMI) for a portable monitor.Â
So far, the Virzen UHD monitor has been praised by its user base for its visuals and lightweight form factor. It weighs just around 2.16 lbs, which makes it incredibly easy to carry it in your laptop bag.Â
5. SideTrak Attachable Portable Monitor
- Resolution: 1920×1080 | Panel: IPS
- Size: 14-inch | Weight: 1.5 pounds
Last but not least, we have the SideTrak Attachable Portable Monitor. This one pushes the concept of portable monitors up by several notches and lets you attach the monitor to your MacBook’s lid. This setup comes into the picture if you travel often. You will need to attach a metal plate to your laptop to attach the monitor. But if you are uncomfortable with having a metal plate on your laptop’s lid, you may want to skip this.
It’s a simple 14-inch FHD IPS screen. While the brightness may not be as per the monitors above, text and graphics appear normally. The monitors are ergonomic, and you can swivel and rotate them to an extent. Plus, they work well with MacBook Pro laptops.
The SideTrak attachable monitors are expensive compared to some of the portable monitors on this list. Though the company advertises two screens, some users have complained of receiving only one. Nevertheless, if you want a nifty solution and want a bigger screen, you can consider this portable monitor for your MacBook Pro.
The Power of Two
It goes without a doubt that adding a second screen to your laptop will increase your productivity. From splitting your browser tabs to using it to reference large spreadsheets and graphs, you can do a lot.
If you are looking for the best deal (less price and good features), the Lenovo Thinkvision M14 should be your best bet. The screen is perfect for everyday work, and the clever stand ensures that you can tilt it as per your preference. Besides that, it won’t burn a hole in your pocket.
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Last updated on 27 September, 2022
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