Best portable Monitor for MBP?

[SparkFlash]

I am looking for a good portable monitor to take with me on travel. I want something that works flawlessly with my MBP via USB-C as the previous monitor I bought didn't work for crap (AOC).

Any suggestions?

 

[Stephen.R]

I’ve been considering this recently too. I found an Asus but it’s ridiculously expensive.

My current plan is to just buy an iPad Air (or whatever the big screen non-pro iPad is called by the end of the year) with minimal storage and use that when Catalina is out. It’s no more expensive, and I have another device I can use to read on when not using it for work.

 

[gymrat2k]

I've got older tech, but the 15.6" Asus MB169B+ via USB3 has been awesome these last four years.
One single connection for power and data. Perfectly fine for Excel, but no full screen video.

1920x1080, not optimized for Mac (automatic rotation only works on PC), but a trooper nonetheless.

The USB-C version Asus MB16AC might be what your looking for.
15.6" gives you more screen estate than the largest iPad.

 

[Stephen.R]

15.6" gives you more screen estate than the largest iPad.

Screen real estate typically refers to the resolution of the display not the physical size.

The 10.5” iPad Air is 2224x1668, with a PPI of 264. The 15.6" Asus is 1920x1080 with a PPI of 141.

What I can’t find is how much control the user has over rendering mode on a sidecar-connected iPad (ie what the resolution “looks like”). It's also not entirely clear at what PPI macOS will change defaults from regular @1x display mode, to @2x mode.

 

[gymrat2k]

Screen real estate typically refers to the resolution of the display not the physical size.

The 10.5” iPad Air is 2224x1668, with a PPI of 264. The 15.6" Asus is 1920x1080 with a PPI of 141.

What I can’t find is how much control the user has over rendering mode on a sidecar-connected iPad (ie what the resolution “looks like”). It's also not entirely clear at what PPI macOS will change defaults from regular @1x display mode, to @2x mode.

Area then. Now after 45yo i find that the "viewability" of an excel sheet is much better on a larger screen even if it lower resolution. I've got a 10.5" iPad, but would seldom or never choose it (or a 12.9" iPad) for sidecar instead of a 15.6" screen.

 

[Stephen.R]

That’s perfectly reasonable - different tools for different tasks and different people.

 

[SparkFlash]

Thanks all. Yes currently I too use an iPad Pro for a secondary monitor. Mine is just blurry and not clear, especially right next to the MBP screen. The size is also cumbersome as everything feels so much smaller. I considered upgrading to a 12" iPad just for this, but it feels excessive. So I began looking for the portable monitor option. The first one I got was an AOC at BB and it just blinked. Complete waste.

Ill take a peak at that 15" ASUS you mentioned above. Thanks!

 

[gymrat2k]

Thanks all. Yes currently I too use an iPad Pro for a secondary monitor. Mine is just blurry and not clear, especially right next to the MBP screen. The size is also cumbersome as everything feels so much smaller. I considered upgrading to a 12" iPad just for this, but it feels excessive. So I began looking for the portable monitor option. The first one I got was an AOC at BB and it just blinked. Complete waste.

Ill take a peak at that 15" ASUS you mentioned above. Thanks!

Try many different cables, the USB-C "standard" is still a mess. https://www.androidauthority.com/state-of-usb-c-870996/

Devices and cables are just as problematic when it comes to support for “Alternate Modes” and other protocols. These fall under the USB-C specification rather than the port’s data speed specification. These include DisplayPort, MHL, HDMI, Ethernet, and audio functionality provided over the connector, all of which rely on the connected devices and cables to support them. These are not a compulsory part of the specification, as the capabilities and needs clearly vary from device to device. A USB battery pack doesn’t need to support HDMI, for example.

The problem with this is that certain functionality that a user might expect in a product isn’t necessarily provided. Consumers may assume HDMI or Ethernet are supported over a USB-C port if a laptop is missing the regular ports, but that might not be the case. Even more frustratingly, functionality might only be restricted to certain Type-C ports on the device, so you might have 3 ports but only one that offers the functions you want.

 

[Cosmo M3]

iPad Pro + Sidecar in the next OS update