Best Portable Monitor for 2025
Portable monitors are a simple way to instantly increase your screen space almost anywhere. Ranging in size from 13 to 18.5 inches, they can connect to a laptop with a single USB-C cable for picture and power or via an HDMI cable. There are many models to choose from, from big names like Lenovo, Acer, ViewSonic and Asus and smaller, unfamiliar brands. Features, design, build quality and image quality can vary greatly, as can prices, with options starting under $100 and going up to hundreds of dollars. Extras like speakers, a built-in battery or even touch and stylus support add to the cost. The best portable monitor I tested, though, delivered on performance, features and price.
What is the best portable monitor overall?
The Arzopa Z1RC is the best portable monitor I've tested, checking off almost every box for what makes a good everyday portable monitor. Its 16-inch panel gets you lots of extra screen real estate, but the monitor has slim bezels and a lightweight design, so you don't have too much extra to carry around. I'm not just ranking the Z1RC at the top of the pack for its design, though: It has good technical specifications and delivers on performance, too. It's also one of the most affordable options I've tested.
Read more: Best Gaming Monitors
If you need advice on whether a particular type of monitor is right for you, there are some answers to common questions at the bottom of the list and a lot more guidance available in our general monitor and gaming monitor buying guides.
Arzopa Z1RC
From its 16-inch size to its versatile kickstand to its slim, lightweight build, the Z1RC is impressive for its price. The 2,560x1,600 resolution helps make everything sharp at this size, and it's exceptionally colorful, covering as much as 94% of the DCI-P3 color space and completely covering the sRGB color space. It's not the brightest display, but at over 360 nits, it's impressive for a portable monitor, and combined with an anti-glare finish, it's easy to see in most conditions.
The Z1RC is pretty flexible with how you set it up, too. It has two USB-C ports and can run off a single-cable connection with a compatible device. Its second port is handy if you need auxiliary power or when you need broader compatibility with its mini HDMI input. A built-in kickstand also makes it easy to prop the monitor up horizontally and vertically. Of the portable monitors I've tested recently, the Arzopa Z1RC leads the way in many respects, and the fact that it's also one of the most affordable options cements its place as a leading option.
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InnoView INVPM501
If a 16-inch monitor isn't quite large enough for your on-the-go needs but your budget is still small, short-list this InnoView. If you factor in the $40 coupon on Amazon , the INVPM501 costs just a bit more than the Arzopa Z1RC, but the 18.5-inch display gives you more room to work (or play). The package includes all the necessary cabling, a sleeve for carrying the monitor and even a power adapter in case your laptop can't pump enough juice to power the monitor. If your device can output 20 watts to run the monitor and send a DisplayPort signal over USB-C, you can run it off a single cable. Connecting over mini HDMI is also an option. The built-in stand gives you positioning flexibility, too.
Across all its main picture settings, it maintains a respectable color gamut, hitting 100% coverage of the sRGB color space and always getting a little over 90% of the DCI-P3 color space. This allows for fairly vibrant visuals. Plus, its 100Hz refresh rate helps for gaming, offering more fluid visuals, but the panel has only a modest pixel response time and exhibits obvious ghosting in Blur Busters' UFO test. It's also not especially bright, and its 1080p resolution means the picture isn't the sharpest for its size. However, if you're after size most of all and like the idea of a 100Hz refresh rate providing slightly smoother visuals, the InnoView INVPM501 gets the job done.
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Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2
It would be easy to write off the M14t Gen 2 based on its 14-inch size and $350 price. And if you're just after a small, cheap portable monitor, you'd be right to keep looking. However, once you consider its specs and design, you understand why this costs more than others. For starters, the compact, lightweight display (it weighs under 1.5 pounds) has a higher 2,240x1,400-pixel resolution than you'll find on cheaper options this size. It's also a touchscreen with support for an active pen, allowing you to use it as a portable whiteboard for presentations, a notepad or a sketchbook. An active pen is an extra expense, but a passive stylus is included along with a felt case.
In my tests, brightness maxed out at 267 nits, which is plenty indoors but not quite bright enough for outdoor use, especially with its glossy coating. It does have excellent contrast for an IPS LCD, though, and covers 100% of sRGB and 79% of P3 color gamuts.
The display's attached base can tilt the screen at any angle from 0 to 90 degrees, and the screen can be rotated to use the base as an elevated support while drawing or writing. The base can also lift the display up 11 millimeters. A USB-C port is available on each side of the base so that it can be powered or connected from either side. The USB ports support 65-watt power delivery, too, allowing for pass-through charging of your laptop with a single power adapter. You'll also find two USB-A ports.
While this is more expensive than the typical 14-inch portable monitor, there are reasons for it. Plus, since it is made primarily for commercial users, you're more likely to get one from your IT department and will buy it in bulk at a lower cost. If don't need the pen or touch capabilities, the ThinkVision M14d is available and cuts the price to about $200 .
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Asus ZenScreen MB229CF
The MB229CF pushes the boundaries of portability with a 21.5-inch display, but its versatile design and included accessories make it a top pick for setting up a small area anywhere. Its built-in sturdy metal kickstand allows for a wide range of angles. Moving the kickstand all the way up to the top of the display lets you hang it on the included hooks that fit over standard partition walls, giving you more desk space in a cubicle. The monitor has a quick-release mount that works with an included C-clamp desk stand, so it can quickly be set up like a regular desktop monitor. There's also a standard VESA 100x100 mount.
The display has room for improvement; it's not terribly bright and the 1080p resolution is not especially sharp for its size. But the ZenScreen MB229CF makes up for those with 97% sRGB color gamut coverage -- fine for office work -- and a 100Hz refresh rate for smoother-looking scrolling and video.
For connections, it has a USB-C port that can handle power and video or provide 60 watts of pass-through charging to a connected device when the monitor is powered by the included 90-watt adapter. It even has a full-size HDMI port for broader compatibility. There are built-in speakers if you need audio in a pinch; there's also a headphone jack. The Asus ZenScreen MB229CF may not be the most mobile monitor you can get, and it's not the best desktop monitor for the money, either. Still, its ability to serve in both capacities makes it a unique and compelling option for those who want that flexibility. Plus, it has a three-year warranty.
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How we test portable monitors
Measurements are taken using a Spyder X2 Ultra colorimeter using DataColor's Spyder X2 software for SDR. Color accuracy measurement results are reported in Delta E 1976 using Datacolor's 48-color patch test.
In addition, HDR results are gathered using the VESA DisplayHDR Test app's patterns to display 100% and 10% windows for brightness measurements as well as RGBW values, again measured using the Spyder X2 Ultra, to get CIE xyY color values and compared against the DCI-P3 color space's xyY color values to calculate HDR gamut coverage using this gamut calculator .
On the most basic monitors, we may stick with just brightness, contrast and color gamut, while on more capable displays, we may run tests of most user-selectable modes for gaming or color-critical usage, uniformity and so on. For the color work, we may also run tests to verify how white point accuracy varies with brightness. We also use Blur Busters' motion tests to judge motion artifacts (such as ghosting) or refresh rate-related problems that can affect gaming.
Keep in mind that individual results can vary from a manufacturer's reported results for a variety of reasons. For instance, you can be using a different set of color patches for the accuracy tests (as I do), a different colorimeter (as most individuals do), a different way of calculating (such as determining gamut using RGB and CMY primaries rather than the more common RGB only), monitor settings (manufacturers rarely provide the OSD settings used for its tests) and so on.
Things to know about portable monitors
Connections
There's no universal rule about what connections portable monitors have to offer. From one to the next, you can find any combination of ports. Some portable monitors rely on just a single USB-C connection for power and video, and others may need auxiliary power. Many of the best options include a USB-C port to handle all your needs, so you only need one cable. Most also include an HDMI or mini HDMI port, which provides broader compatibility. Newer laptops can handle display output over USB, while game consoles, older laptops and desktops might not, so having any kind of HDMI port is useful.
Power
Some portable monitors can draw all their power from the same USB-C cable they get their video signal. Bigger, brighter and higher-resolution monitors typically need more power, and this can be too much for USB ports. In these cases, the monitor may have a second port for auxiliary power. Unfortunately, the matter of powering portable monitors is incredibly variable. Some laptop USB ports can supply enough power for a portable monitor, but another port on the laptop might not. Some monitors I've tested will work fine with a single USB connection to a laptop but then turn off if the brightness is set too high. Given the variability, it's important to check each monitor's specific power requirements and try to ascertain whether your computer has a port to meet the requirement. If you're particularly concerned about power on the go and using fewer cable connections, some portable monitors include built-in batteries.
Size
Size is an important consideration for a portable monitor. You want to maximize the additional screen real estate you're getting on the go, but you also want to avoid ending up with a monitor that's so big that it limits mobility or uses too much desk space. You'll generally find a listed size with each monitor that indicates the diagonal size of the display area only. So, to make sure the monitor you're looking at will actually work for you, be sure to also check the physical dimensions of the monitor.
Color
Just like size and resolution, color gamut is an important consideration. Put simply, it's a measure of the range of colors a monitor can display, and it's presented as a percentage of a specific color space. Lower ratings will mean a less vibrant, more drab monitor. Higher ratings mean more lifelike colors. If you're just doing office work and want extra space for spreadsheets, just about any monitor will do, regardless of color gamut. A 95% or more rating for the sRGB color space is good for entertainment and general web work. Monitors that cover 95% or more of the DCI-P3 color space can display a wider range of colors, making photos, videos and games more enjoyable, but these will generally be more expensive options. For professional use, you'll want to check for a measurement of color accuracy, too; a value of Delta E≦2 is optimal. Most portable displays are not color-calibrated out of the box and can look significantly better after calibration with . Short of that, you can use tools in MacOS and Windows to improve image quality manually.
Portable monitor FAQs
What's important if I want to travel with a portable monitor?
Portable monitors, unlike laptop displays, don't all have built-in protection. When you travel with your laptop, you close it, in turn protecting the display. The rest of the laptop covers the display and adds some structural rigidity to it. Portable monitors don't have these benefits. So, if you take a portable monitor with you, it's a good idea to have a sleeve or cover for the screen itself to protect it from scratching, and you'll want to ensure it won't get bent in your bag. Thankfully, many portable monitors come with covers and sleeves. Most also include some sort of stand, so you can prop them up easily wherever you go.
Can I use a portable monitor with my phone?
This depends on a couple of factors. Many phones don't support display output, so you won't be able to use your phone with these monitors. Some phones, such as recent iPhones, support display output over their USB-C port. But these are unlikely to supply enough electricity to power the external monitor. That means while you can still use the portable monitor, you will likely need auxiliary power for the monitor itself.
Are portable monitors good for gaming?
Portable monitors don't have any inherent advantages for gaming. Many are built with lower-quality display panels and have low refresh rates. Many I've tested suffer from some ghosting, which doesn't impact day-to-day use heavily but negatively affects gaming. Low refresh rates also keep games from looking as smooth. That said, plenty of portable monitors have special gaming optimizations. You can find models with fast 120Hz and higher refresh rates, and some even offer OLED panels, which exhibit almost no ghosting. That said, most portable monitors are larger than the screens on mobile gaming devices like the Steam Deck" target="_self or Nintendo Switch , which alone can be worth it.
Can I use a tablet as a portable monitor instead?
If you own a tablet, there's a good chance you can use it as a portable monitor. Many iPads work with more recent Macs as extra monitors . Some Android tablets will work similarly with Windows PCs, either with their own tools or with third-party software, like SuperDisplay, an app I've used to run a Galaxy Tab S7 Plus as a portable monitor for my Windows laptops. Many tablets have high-quality displays that rival portable monitors. They also offer touch controls and are also tablets when not connected to a computer. There can be drawbacks, though. Wireless connections aren't always reliable. Plus, in my experience with SuperDisplay, video signal compression hurts moving visuals and the software comes with a bit of latency that rules out gaming.
