I’ve reviewed a handful of portable monitors, but ViewSonic’s TD1656-2K
You could potentially get an entire eight-hour day running on battery and using this monitor with some laptops, but for the majority of devices running on battery, you can count on a noticeable reduction in battery life, especially if you’re running the monitor on high brightness.
This is a device that you thus wouldn’t want to plug in and use all day if you’re not plugged into a power source, but intermittent use on battery with video calls throughout the day should be good enough. Instead, it’s best as a premium quality-of-life device to extend your laptop’s display, whether that’s for productivity, creative tasks, or gaming.
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The monitor features two speakers on either side, which can be helpful for some users, but might be a little confusing for others. It’s just another device you’ll have to monitor for input/output controls, as even if you access media through your laptop’s display, it could still play on the monitor.
When I was using it, I ended up switching all audio back to my laptop’s internal speakers, even while using the monitor for video calls. The audio quality on the monitor isn’t particularly good. The thin form factor of the device isn’t going to provide much sound depth, but you’re not using a portable monitor for high-fidelity sound, anyway.
This, combined with the display’s glossy finish, resulted in a sharp, balanced visual profile with no flickering or stuttering at all during the two weeks I used this device.
There aren’t many things about this device that I don’t like, but keep in mind that the case/stand may require some fiddling to get just right. One side is magnetic, which is the optimal way to prop it up, but that means a large footprint in the back, something to consider if your workspace is tight.
Also, the monitor’s settings menu isn’t something you’ll access all the time, but it would have been great if that was accessible via touch, instead of using the physical buttons. This is hardly a dealbreaker — I’m just nitpicking.