The InnoView portable monitor adds a 15.6-inch second screen to a laptop and connects via a single USB-C cable that carries both video and power. The panel is a Full HD IPS at 1920 by 1080 with a 178-degree viewing angle. Two full-function USB-C ports and one full-size HDMI port sit on the side, so a phone, a console, or a mini PC plugs in as easily as a laptop does. Speakers are built in, a protective case comes with it, and there are no drivers or apps to install first. And the good news is that Amazon is selling this InnoView monitor for just $59, down from its usual price of $99.
A simple portable monitor that acts as the perfect second screen
Portable monitors let you set up a secondary screen just about anywhere, whether that’s at a hotel desk, on your kitchen table, or even on a plane’s tray table. This one measures 15.6 inches, matching many standard laptop screens, so moving windows across will maintain the original proportions of those windows. The monitor has an A+ IPS panel at 1920 by 1080 with a 178-degree viewing angle. Wide viewing angles are beneficial on a secondary monitor, since it doesn’t always sit right in front of you and is often situated at an angle to your line of sight.
Connecting it takes one USB-C cable as long as your laptop supports Thunderbolt 3 or 4, or USB 3.1 Type-C with DP Alt Mode. That one cable carries the video signal and the power together. If your laptop does not do video over USB-C, you take the other route and use the full-size HDMI port for the picture along with a separate cable for power. InnoView went with a standard HDMI port rather than a mini-HDMI one, so the cables are easier to find and less likely to work themselves loose.
The monitor’s contrast ratio is 1200:1, and it has HDR that creates darker black levels and much brighter highlights. The monitor also has low blue light emission and flicker-free technology to help you work in front of the screen for hours at a time. It has a maximum brightness of 250 nits, which is sufficient for use in most offices, hotel rooms, or other areas with a typical amount of indoor lighting.
The monitor is thin and light enough to slide into a backpack next to the laptop, and the case that comes with it keeps the screen from getting scratched along the way. Power output varies from one device to another, so if the screen flickers or restarts on you, InnoView recommends plugging it into a 15W or larger adapter rather than pulling all of its power from the laptop.
At $50, down from $100, the InnoView Portable Monitor costs about half what a portable screen this size usually does. The USB-C connection also supports reverse charging, so with the monitor plugged into wall power, it can send some of that back to the laptop.
