We put the best portable monitors to the test - and these are our top recommendations for extending your laptop screen, games console, or desktop monitor.
From comparing screen resolution and size, to testing refresh rates and color accuracy, my team and I tested the top portable displays in the same way we test all the best monitors and best business monitors.
The best portable display overall is the Arzopa Z1RC. In our experience, this 16in 2.5K portable screen will be suitable for most people, delivering vivid picture quality in a compact form. Check out my full list of recommendations below, based on extensive testing by the team.
The quick list
Best portable monitor overall
High-resolution and a big, portable screen make this our top pick, with a reasonable price for the specs.
Best cheap portable monitor
A top choice for the home and home office, this AOC portable screen won't break the bank.
Best portable monitor for business
A great choice for professionals on the go, the 14in portable display is light and easy to carry, and boasts 1440p resolution.
Best portable monitor for gaming
If you’re more of a business or productivity power user needing to extend your MacBook’s display, then this is the ideal choice.
Best portable monitor for Mac
As beautifully designed as an Apple device, this space-grey portable monitor worked seamlessly on our Mac, and looks great too.
Best OLED portable monitor
If you want bright, vivid colors on the small screen, the Innocn 15A1F is a great choice in a portable package.
Load next products...
Best large portable monitor
For a big screen experience, we recommend this device, with a 17.3in screen and 4K resolution for clarity.
Best laptop screen extender
Two 15.6in portable displays rest either side of most laptops, giving you plenty of screen real estate for any project.
Best small portable monitor
Elecrow offers a range of small portable displays, but we especially like this 13.3in model that's highly compact.
The best portable monitors 2024
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
The best portable monitor overall
✅ You want a cheap portable monitor: For the size and specs, this is an excellently priced device that won’t break the bank.
✅ You want a big screen, high-resolution portable display: There’s plenty of screen real estate here if you’re mirroring or extending your screen here - in 2.5K res, which is more than enough for a screen this size.
❌ You need a small screen for extra portability: At 16in, this device isn’t the lightest and smallest display you can get.
❌ You travel regularly: Without a protective case, we don’t feel the Z1RC could survive a particularly bumpy drive or fierce commute.
The Arzopa Z1RC is the best portable monitor for most people thanks to its clear 16-inch, 2.5K display, and USB-C and mini HDMI connectivity - all at a reasonable price.
Generally well-reviewed, Arzopa’s range tends to be cheap, portable, and powerful enough. A display like the Z1RC might not have every bell and whistle, but like most of the company’s line-up, it’s affordable and suitable for most uses, like working, streaming, presenting, and light gaming.
The IPS panel on the Z1RC features 2560 x 1600 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, two USB-C ports and a mini HDMI port. Dimensions run to 356 x 240 x 9mm, weighing 763g. Color coverage is fair, and we recorded 100% sRGB, 89% AdobeRGB, 95% P3, and 69% of Rec 2020. We did find the viewing angle to be somewhat narrow at 85 degrees. Nor is it the brightest portable screen we’ve tested. Despite claims of 500nits peak brightness, it’s arguably closer to 400, with our own tests showing the backlight hit around 337nits with a contrast of 1060:1. We also felt a protective case is a necessity if you plan to use this portable monitor for travel.
Overall, there may be better portable monitors out there, but not at this price. Top lternatives we like include the gaming-focused Arzopa Z1FC and the 15.6in Arzopa S1 Table.
Read our full Arzopa Z1RC review
The best budget portable monitor
✅ You want a standard FHD display that won’t break the bank: The AOC 16T3EA is a solid all-rounder that delivers what most need from a portable monitor at a reasonable price.
✅ You want a lightweight, slimline screen for on the go work: In our tests, we found the AOC 16T3EA felt particularly good for business use.
❌ You need high-resolution and high color coverage: It’s only 1080p, has a low 250cd/m² brightness, and scrapes by on 56% sRGB, 41% Adobe RGB, and 41% DCI-P3 - so, this is not a display for content creators.
❌ You need a portable monitor for gaming: With only 60Hz refresh rate, this will be fine for single-player games on the go, but won’t meet demands for high-speed multiplayer gaming.
The AOC 16T3EA may have some minor limitations, notably the color accuracy, it’s well-priced for a portable full HD display.
With its 15.6in 1080p IPS display and a slim, lightweight design, we found it a very effective multi-tasking companion for on-the-go professionals. We were impressed by the 14mm profile and 870g weight, even with two built-in kick-stands tucked away around the back for portrait and landscape orientation. Helping to maintain that compact form is the inclusion of a single USB-C connection. Just plug it into any compatible Windows or Mac laptop and you’re away.
And this may be the first deal-breaker. There are no other ports along the display. Not even an audio jack. We also noted the disappointing brightness (just 250cd/m²), while color coverage is effectively non-existent (56% sRGB, 41% Adobe RGB, and 41% DCI-P3). And the lack of anything beyond OSD controls means we can’t recommend this for content creators and photographers. But for anyone looking for a smartly designed portable second-screen, there’s a lot to like.
Read our full AOC 16T3EA review
The best portable monitor for business
✅ You want excellent resolution: With a resolution of 1440p (or 2.2K), this portable screen offers a bit more than the standard 1080p you’ll find on most displays of this size.
✅ You want real portability: We’ve long been championing 14in as the perfect size for a business laptop, and the M14t Gen 2 fits nicely in that niche, too - big enough to see, small enough to travel.
❌ You need true color coverage: 100% sRGB isn’t bad for a portable display, but it won’t suit professional photographers and designers.
❌ You need a budget portable display: It may be cheaper than the Gen 1 was, but the Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 is still about $400 / £400 new.
Part of Lenovo’s Think series, the M14t Gen 2 is a 14in touchscreen portable business monitor that’s overall optimal for working, watching, and low-level photo and video editing.
We’ve used plenty of ThinkPads in our time, and while the laptops’ keyboard and build quality are outstanding, the screens never stood out against the likes of Apple MacBook Pro. So, how does the ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 measure up?
This iteration boasts 1440p resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio, 100% sRGB color gamut, and 1500:1 contrast ratio. At $400 / £400, it’s around a hundred bucks cheaper than the Gen 1 was on release (as an older model, it’s decidedly cheaper now). So, in every way, it addresses the issues we had with the otherwise perfectly acceptable predecessor.
Image quality is excellent, and we had no issues editing videos and photos, or watching YouTube videos. Text was crisp, colors were accurate, vibrant, blacks were deep. Using the touchscreen and included stylus was simple and snappy - although it’s not going to be your go-to drawing tablet. Nor will it meet serious gaming needs due to high input latency. If that’s not an issue, the Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 is one of the best portable computer monitors you can get.
Read our full Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen 2 review
The best portable monitor for gaming
✅ You want to play games: With a future-proof 240Hz refresh rate, this Asus portable screen is geared towards gamers.
✅ You want a large portable monitor with built-in battery: The Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE boasts a 7,800 mAh battery built in, lasting up to four hours at 240Hz on a single charge.
❌ You want to watch or work: If you’ll mostly be watching YouTube and Netflix, or using office apps, this monitor is probably overkill.
❌ You need a cheap portable monitor: As you’d expect with specs like this, the portable monitor isn’t as cheap as the sub-$100 displays you’ll find on Amazon.
A 17.3in full HD display with a 240Hz refresh rate gives the Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE the edge. The best portable gaming monitor we’ve tried, this device is focused, offers no compromises, suitable for the most dedicated players.
Even with its broad screen, the device is just 0.4in thin, weighing around 1kg, with a USB-C and miniHDMI ports along the side. In our hands, the well-built ROG Strix XG17AHPE showed no signs of bend or flex. It comes packages with a case and compact tripod, which is a thoughtful touch.
In use, the large portable display is vivid, crisp. When we tried games like Overwatch, Valorant, and Call of Duty, colors were popping off the screen without oversaturation, remaining distinct even in darker areas of the game. And we loved the smoothness that came with a higher refresh rate, with no ghosting and blur. Audio is loud and clear, too.
Yes, it’s a bit overkill if you’re presenting or Netflix-ing the night away (although it’s perfectly capable of doing it). Also, while current-gen consoles are only capable of 120Hz, the refresh rate here offers in-built future-proofing, and the Switch and PlayStation still felt smooth during our gameplay tests.
Read our full Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE review
The best portable monitor for Mac & MacBook Pro
✅ You want an attractive portable display: We love the slick, professional design of the espressoDisplay, which neatly fits Apple’s eye-catching aesthetic.
✅ You want a portable laptop monitor to boost productivity: One of the reasons we love the espressoDisplay is the boost to productivity we found from this slim, minimalist screen.
❌ You need a simple travel monitor for a laptop: This portable display is, like an Apple device, a bit of a statement piece as much as it is a productivity tool.
❌ You need a cheap portable laptop monitor: The premium build and design of this display is reflected in the price.
The espressoDisplay is our pick for best portable for Mac,MacBook Pro, and Mac mini devices. True, most displays here are compatible with Apple devices, but the espressoDisplay’s sleek design fits well with the Mac aesthetic - and it showed outstanding performance when we hooked it up to our MacBook Pro 16in. With two USB-C inputs, though, you’ll find it works well with most Windows laptops, too.
Attached to the magnetic stand, you can smoothly switch from landscape to portrait mode quickly - an essential feature for photographers and designers. There’s also a Creator screen protector, adding a matte finish to the glass screen, which we found made it easier to view in direct sunlight, and write on using the espresso stylus.
Using the screen for everything from work communications to review writing and photo editing, the portable display never missed a beat. It felt a natural fit for a more productive and efficient working environment. We’re not saying we got obsessed with the espressoDisplay, but we did find multiple reasons during the review period to work from home, just to have an excuse to use it. We also like the option of choosing a 13- or 15-in version depending on how portable you need it to be.
Read our full espressoDisplay review
The best OLED portable monitor
✅ You want OLED brightness: The standout feature of this portable computer monitor is the OLED screen that really makes colors pop.
✅ You want a portable screen for on-the-go color work: While not ideal for everyone, a decent color space coverage makes this a fair choice for those working with colors.
❌ You don’t need OLED: Not everyone using a portable monitor will need this sort of screen, which adds a fair amount to the price-tag and may be overkill for many uses.
❌ You need exact pantones: Color coverage is fair, but it's not precise, and the lack of high resolutions may make this unsuited for professional designers.
The Innocn 15A1F is one of the best portable monitors around - light, compact, a well-sized 15.6in screen at 1080p, it covers most bases. It’s not the only portable OLED display out there, but it’s a great option if you’re looking for a crisp, bright screen at a relatively affordable price.
Along the device you’ll find two USB-C ports (one for 45W power) and a HDMI 1.4 port. This means you can easily connect it straight to a laptop or games console. However, the 60Hz refresh rate will have limited appeal to serious gamers. Using it on a Windows comp