Mobile monitors with battery: small, practical and not just for the home office

Sven Wernicke

sven wernicke 22.05.2020 22.02.2021 0

little space in the apartment or often on the road – there are many reasons why mobile monitors with battery or extra small displays are worthwhile. An overview.

Are there actually portable monitors or mobile screens with battery?? I’ve often asked myself this question, because in my home office and in my free time, I "only" use a surface pro 6 with a 12.3-inch small display. In the office, on the other hand, I use two relatively large monitors for comfortable work. You can create a similarly comfortable environment at home despite limited space – and it’s not even expensive or complex.

Why do I need a mobile monitor??

Two monitors are perfect for me: one I need for research work on the internet, the other I prefer to use in the pivot function for office and email program. One display in landscape format, a second one in portrait format – that’s how I enjoy my job the most. But I only have room for two displays in the office. At home, I use the living room table for my home office. to put massive monitors here, that wouldn’t bring joy to me or the rest of my small family.

I think many of you are not completely unfamiliar with such a scenario. And there are also other applications for mobile monitors, which in the best case can even be stowed away in a drawer. Be it as an "emergency" display, if you want to watch a netflix series or play a game in another room, or as a monitor to take with you on vacation. I see a lot of scenarios, surprisingly the offer is very limited, especially from well known manufacturers. The companies in this field probably serve a niche market with good and creative ideas.

Mobile monitor with battery: asus zenscreen MB16

Probably the most prominent representative in this segment is the asus zenscreen MB16, which is available in several models. It’s always a 15.6 inch IPS screen, which you can operate via a 7800 mah battery. It lasts up to four hours before you have to refill it with energy or use the power socket.

Depending on the variant you choose, you get a USB Type-C port as well as an HDMI input. You can also connect blu-ray players or game consoles. adapters for USB, HDMI and displayport are included in the scope of delivery.

I particularly like the stand that comes with it, which not only allows you to position the asus zenscreen according to your preferences, but also to set it up in portrait mode. A pity, though: there’s nothing more than full-HD resolution. Personally, 4K and HDR would appeal to me.

4K display for maximum flexibility: desklab

Mobile monitors for demanding users hit a nerve, as desklab’s kickstarter campaign shows. Some time ago, the Chinese startup of the same name raised well over 500 million euros via crowdfunding.000 euros to finance a display with 4K resolution.

desklab, which is also available in a 1080p resolution variant, will start shipping at the end of may 2020. Interesting here: you get full touchscreen support, a 3.5 mm audio output in addition to USB and HDMI, and the option to charge other devices via USB. High-quality loudspeakers and above all a coherent 15.6 inch IPS display with 400 cd/m2 are promised by the inventors.

Desklab promises 4K resolution. But the mobile monitor does without a battery. (Photo: Desklab)

presumably, desklab will not be available in this form on a regular basis, but you can only purchase the mobile monitor directly from the manufacturer.

There’s also a "catch": desklab has deliberately dispensed with a battery, and in return you get an extremely compact device that’s even thinner than an ordinary tablet and thus fits in a desk drawer. In addition to PCs, the accessories are also designed for game consoles, cameras, smartphones and tablets.

Uperfect: 4K and HDR from china

The manufacturer uperfect stands symbolically for many other chinese "noname" producers, who offer countless devices in various shapes, colors, sizes and features. Uperfect enjoys a certain degree of fame in this country; the company sells various mobile monitors. One of them supports 4K resolutions with HDR as well as AMD freesync and response times of less than 5ms. This does not only sound like something for gamers, to whom such a configuration is explicitly addressed.

Portable monitors for gamers? Uperfect has something on offer. (Photo: Uperfect)

it’s not just uperfect that hides a few drawbacks here and there. The displays used are not always the brightest, for example, or the installed loudspeakers are somewhat weak. With 4K displays, suppliers are doing away with batteries because they would run out far too quickly anyway. On the other hand, the portable screens, which almost always have USB, HDMI, DVI and some even VGA, are attractively priced.

Alternative: small monitors for small spaces

Mobile monitors usually have diagonals of 15.6 inches. They can be set up thanks to the stand and can disappear into the bag or closet when not in use. If these dimensions do not fit your ideas, the alternative would be especially small monitors. You can also use smartphones and tablets as monitors, which can be useful more often.

Small monitors mean displays 14 inches and smaller. Although notebooks often manage with 12 to 13 inches, monitors in this size range are hardly available. here, too, it may be worth taking a look at chinese manufacturers such as wimaxit or johnwill.

My personal tip: try to create enough space for monitors around 20 inches in the home office for example. Very productive work is possible with these monitors. And the choice of suitable monitors is also increasing significantly, as shown, for example, by the range on offer at euronics. Or you can go for mobile monitors that focus on portability and flexibility. in case of doubt, you could even use your tv as a monitor and maybe save a lot of space and effort. However, this is not the perfect solution for a longer working day at home.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *