Best portable monitor in 2024 – our top picks

We find the best portable monitor for gaming

Table of Contents Table of Contents

If you are in the market for the best portable monitor, then we have you covered right here. 

Ever wanted to take your PC or console on a road trip but find little room for your large gaming monitor or TV? Well, there is a solution – the portable gaming monitor. That’s right, a portable monitor with specs to rival some gaming displays. Now, these resemble tablets at first glance, which is unsurprising, seeing as they have been developed from laptops. However, they offer a far more impressive visual experience compared to the humble tablet, though touchscreen support is rare.

If you look at the options available on the market, you will find that most portable monitors range from 13-inch to 17-inch and more. Most of them weigh under 4 pounds and come with a built-in stand. Depending on your requirements, you can go for a daily-use monitor or a power gaming variant. 

With that being said, we have researched, compared, and listed some of the best portable monitors available out there. Plus, our team is always looking for new items to add to the list, so check back here again for an update. 

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Best portable monitors

Finding the best portable gaming monitor can be quite tricky, seeing as there aren’t a lot of options, especially for gamers. Furthermore, gamers will end up paying a premium for the convenience of a portable gaming monitor compared to desktop monitors, which can be quite off-putting for those on a tight budget. Despite all that, we’ve found a good bunch – check out the in-depth reviews just below.

Best portable monitor for laptop: Lenovo ThinkVision M15

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Lenovo ThinkVision M15

How We Review

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Pros

• 15.6-inch FHD monitor
• 250 nits brightness
• VESA compatible

Cons

• Slightly heavy

If you want a portable monitor to accompany your Windows laptop, then we think you should check out the Lenovo ThinkVision M15 monitor. 

The monitor comes with a standard 15.6-inch screen, which should give you sufficient screen space without compromising on portability. Further, this monitor offers a 1080p resolution, which should deliver good picture quality. 

To add to this, the monitor has 250 nits of brightness, which may not sound like a lot but is bright enough to be used in well-lit rooms. The display also offers a 60Hz refresh rate, which is sufficient for performing day-to-day activities, streaming, and casual gaming without a hitch – just don’t expect blazing-fast heavy graphics performance.

As far as portability is concerned, the monitor weighs ‎4.6 pounds, which is portable but slightly heavier than the options we have seen so far. Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that the display is VESA compatible, so you can mount it on the wall or a stand. 

Best portable monitor for Mac: ASUS ZenScreen OLED (MQ13AH)

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ASUS ZenScreen OLED (MQ13AH)

How We Review

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Pros

• 13.3-inch OLED display
• HDR support
• 100% DCI-P3 color gamut

Cons

• Expensive

If you want a portable monitor for your Mac devices, then we think that the Asus ZenScreen OLED might be a good choice. 

To begin with, the monitor sports a 13.3-inch screen, which is smaller than most of the monitors we have seen so far. However, if you want a more compact option, then we think this Asus display is a good choice. 

As mentioned, the Asus monitor is backed by an OLED panel, so you can expect vibrant contrast and realistic-looking visuals. Further, you get an FHD resolution, which, on a 13-inch display, should deliver high picture quality – thanks to high pixel density. 

The display offers a 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, so you can expect it to put out a wide spectrum of colors. It also supports HDR, which should give you better contrast and realistic pictures. While the refresh rate is only 60Hz, it does have a fast 1ms response time, so casual games should run smoothly. 

Coming to portability, the Asus ZenScreen monitor does not weigh a ton, which makes it easily portable. To add to the portability aspect, the Asus monitor also has a tripod socket, so you can mount it easily.

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How we choose

Whether we’re reviewing portable gaming monitors or the best GPU on the market, choosing the right hardware can always be a tricky task. It requires hours of product research, performance benchmarking, and reviewing user feedback to get anywhere close to a definitive conclusion on what to recommend.

If you aren’t tech-savvy and struggle to put the time aside to go through the above requirements, you may end up purchasing a gaming monitor that isn’t right for you. Fear not, though, friends! Here at WePC, we like to take the stress of research away, and transform the whole process into an easy-to-follow, complete buyers guide. That’s right, our team of PC enthusiasts has done all the hard work for you!

How we test

Testing the products we recommend is a huge part of the overall selection process in our best of guides. It’s a way to make sure what we recommend is, without a doubt, the best option in its specific category. To be sure a portable gaming monitor is “the best,” it must show excellent performance in our tests and display better qualities and features than the competition it faces.

Many of the products we recommend here at WePC have gone through a strict testing process that involves everything from price and performance to building quality, efficiency, and aesthetics. Each product is pushed to the limit to see how it performs under intense stress to make sure it warrants our coveted top spot.

Doing this enables us to provide you with the most accurate review of how the product performs and, ultimately, whether it’s worth your hard-earned cash. You can review our full monitor testing process here.

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How to pick the best portable monitor

Whether you are buying a brand new gaming monitor, mouse, keyboard, or portable gaming monitor, there are always going to be things to consider first. Understanding the main factors behind what makes a portable monitor the “best”, is a great way to prevent you from wasting money. It’s not just about portability – there’s much more to it!

Below, we have outlined the main areas for your consideration, helping smoothen out the buying process, targeting what specific needs you have as a gamer, and finding the best portable monitor to suit those needs.

Resolution

If you were buying a regular gaming monitor, one of the first things to consider would be what resolution to go for. You would be able to select from a variety of 1080p, 1440p, and 4K monitors, but with portable gaming monitors, this is slightly limited.

Screen resolutions can directly impact performance on large screen sizes, but as we are dealing with laptop-size portable monitors, this isn’t going to make as much difference to FPS counts.

Most portable gaming monitors are full HD, a.k.a. 1080p, and our recommendations reflect this, but we have still managed to find a 4K option for the single-player lovers out there. Beware, though, the pixel density in a 4K portable gaming monitor will deliver crisp playback but could be hard to read for some.

Refresh rate

For regular monitors, a refresh rate is considered one of the more important features. A refresh rate is measured in hertz and is a way of measuring how fast a monitor can refresh the image on the screen. When it comes to portable gaming monitors, it is a less common feature, but regardless, refresh rates vary from 60Hz all the way up to 240Hz.

Generally, the faster the refresh rate, the better your gaming experience can be, but there are still certain scenarios that make 60Hz viable. Many portable gaming monitors on the market are 60Hz, but we have still managed to get some variety with our recommendations.

Our best portable monitor picks feature 240Hz and 144Hz, making these selections great for competitive gaming too.

Power and connectivity

These highly mobile portable monitors have the added benefit of using USB-C connectivity recently, allowing them to charge up rapidly and become even more viable. A lot of USB-C ports support both DisplayPort over USB and USB power, allowing the data and power to flow through the same port.

Quite a lot of portable gaming monitors sport a USB Type-C port but will often come with additional HDMI ports to hook this up to your gaming device, too.

Panel type

Most modern monitors are manufactured using TFT-LCD (thin-film transistor–liquid crystal display) technology. There are other technologies with their own plus points and drawbacks, but we see the same technology with our portable monitor panels. Some panel technologies are more responsive, while others offer a better overall viewing experience at the cost of responsiveness.

The three main types are TN (twisted nematic), VA (vertical alignment), and IPS (in-plane switching). The majority of portable displays in our round-up feature an IPS panel, giving you better color accuracy and viewing angles when you are gaming on the go. We’re actually seeing a number of portable OLED monitors out there too, in case you’re interested. For a better understanding of the differences in panel types, see our table below:

Extra features

One thing all the portable gaming monitors share on this list is some form of carry-case that acts as a stand. The stand works in much the same way you would use one to hold up a tablet, by folding over and allowing you to lean your screen on top.

Some of the more premium portable gaming monitors also feature other nice-to-have features such as tripods, bags, speakers, thin bezels, and plenty of connection ports. You are paying a premium for the convenience of having a monitor that is portable, so be prepared to pay an excessive amount for premium features, too.

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Best portable gaming monitor video

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a portable gaming monitor?

Any monitor that offers the versatility of being ‘portable’ can be classed as a portable monitor. That said, they are often on the smaller side, do not have a conventional stand, and can be paired easily with phones, tablets, and laptops.

Contrary to popular opinion, portable monitors aren’t just sub 11″ displays either. The market now offers a slew of quality portable gaming monitors that sit at 17-22″, offering a truly enjoyable experience for those that require the additional screen size.

The ‘gaming’ aspect comes from the high refresh rate (144Hz or higher) and relatively fast response times.

What makes a good portable monitor?

Like conventional monitors, specifications and features are often the most important factors that add to a portable monitor’s quality. The best portable gaming monitors offer large screen resolutions, fast refresh rates, low response times, and great additional features too.

Build quality, aesthetics, and value can also be key considerations when deciding whether or not a portable gaming monitor is good – not to mention key features such as charging ports, inputs, and a versatile OSD.

Why buy a portable gaming monitor?

First off, let’s talk about gamers who use laptops. Laptop gamers love the convenience of being able to set up and play their AAA titles anywhere, whether it’s around the house or on the go. The issue with gaming on a laptop is usually down to the limited screen size, and I don’t know if you have tried to use a laptop screen, but it does become tiresome. So, a quick fix to this issue would naturally be a portable gaming monitor. You can pack away this device with your laptop and set it up in a hurry, giving you extra screen real estate to play with.

Another reason you should buy a portable gaming monitor could be down to how small the environment your PC or console resides in. You may travel a lot for work and have been looking for a less bulky solution to finally play some games when you’re in a hotel or staying a friend’s house, without packing your 27” gaming monitor into a suitcase.

Final word

If you want a portable monitor for everyday use, then we think that the LG Gram monitor is a good fit. The monitor has a 16-inch screen along with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, which should deliver good immersion and picture quality. Plus, it packs a bunch of impressive specs, like a 99% DCI-P3 color gamut, 60Hz refresh rate, and decent response time. It also comes with the LG Switch app, which should let you adjust settings easily.

However, if you are planning to run heavy games on the monitor, then the ASUS ROG Strix (XG17AHPE), with its high refresh rate, will be a better alternative.