Why is it Worth Getting a Portable Monitor?

In recent years, the digital screens that are central to many of our lives have become ever lighter, slimmer, and sharper. However, it wasn’t until the USB-C standard became widespread that portable monitors became a valid option for many people. Full-featured USB-C ports allow simultaneous powering and signal transfer, meaning you can use one without needing to plug an AC adapter into an outlet. If you’re curious about what a portable monitor can do for you, here are some possibilities:

Travel with your dual monitor workstation setup

By this point, most of us who spend a lot of time on the computer – whether for work or leisure – are familiar with using two (or more) monitors at once. That extra screen space brings a lot of convenience just by letting us keep more than one full-sized window open at a time. It also cuts down on the likelihood of losing focus while juggling multiple apps.

But as business travel is growing once again, the question arises of how to translate that experience to working on the go. Since you probably don’t want to lug your home monitor on the plane with you, a portable monitor could be just the ticket.

Portable monitors have a lot of advantages. The obvious strength is that they’re lightweight and easy to fit inside a travel bag without putting it over the carry-on limit. They are also designed to connect easily with most devices, often drawing power and video signal through a single USB-C cable, so there’s less to worry about packing.

Portable monitor screen sizes tend to hover in the 13-to-17-inch range – the same as most laptop screens. That makes them perfect for extending your display in a way that feels smooth and intuitive.

Modern phone cameras have become so advanced that they’re often capable of producing professional-quality photos and videos. However, they’re also designed to be quick to use, meaning they automate a lot of settings which you would adjust manually in a standalone camera. For that reason, it’s usually necessary to edit your phone’s photos and videos after the fact for things like color correction, contrast, exposure, cropping, and fixing flaws.

However, phone screens are just too small to reasonably handle fine detail adjustments - or even to easily see if your photo is out of focus in some cases. Enter the portable monitor: Plug one into your phone (or camera) to create a display for viewing, editing, and showing off your photos and videos. Some even have touch screens so you can edit with a stylus for extra convenience.

Nexigo’s flagship NG17QH portable monitor, which has 4K resolution and covers 100% of the Adobe RGB color spectrum, is a great option for professional photographers who need to edit on the go.

Turn your phone into a laptop

It’s often pointed out that the phones in our pockets are many times more powerful than the computer that sent astronauts to the moon. Frankly, they’re more powerful than we need for most of the tasks we use them for. So why not take better advantage of that power?

Android and iOS can run many of the apps you use on your desktop, often with cheaper versions, but those apps are less commonly used because they’re designed with a keyboard, mouse, and larger screen in mind. In the past, this was where tablets came in, but portable monitors have the potential to make them obsolete.

Nearly all portable monitors have their own compact stand (either built-in or part of the cover), so you don’t have to worry about propping it up. For instance, all of the Nexigo portable monitors include magnetic “smart covers” that fold out to double as stands. With a portable monitor plus a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, you can effectively turn your phone into a mini laptop.

Entertain yourself on the go

Sure, your phone has video streaming apps, but do you use them? Large screen TVs have grown so affordable in recent years that we’re accustomed to the full home theater experience, so watching on a tiny phone screen feels silly and wrong. But when you have a portable high resolution screen that you can connect to your phone and that looks as good as the one in your living room, it’s suddenly a lot more appealing.

Portable monitors may even be available at higher resolutions and/or refresh rates than your laptop screen. The Nexigo NG17FGQ is the world’s first 300Hz portable monitor, perfect for gamers and anyone looking to get the most out of their system.

A portable monitor with some decent wireless earbuds can provide a far more immersive cinematic experience than a phone screen. You can also hook up your game console for gaming on the go. Some screens – including all of our Nexigo portable screens – support USB-C input for video, so you can hook up your Nintendo Switch directly via its USB-C port.

Free yourself from the wall for endless possibilities

Since you can power a portable monitor with a battery pack, or even the device it’s connected to, you’re able to take one camping, on a plane, or in the car to keep your family entertained on long drives. You can also use it in meetings to share your screen with people on the other end of the table - no need for an oversized display.

In sum: portable monitors are a growing part of the digital screen ecosystem for a reason. They’re handy in a lot of situations, so it’s well worth the investment to have one (or a few) in your life. And if you do decide you want a portable monitor, one of NexiGo’s options may be just what you’re after.