6 Best Portable Monitors for Macbook Pro

If you need a second monitor for your MacBook Pro and want the flexibility of a portable solution, you’re in the right place. 

We’ve curated a list of the best portable monitors for the MacBook Pro based on resolution, display panel, weight, and connectivity options. 

Without further ado, let’s find the best portable monitor for your MacBook.

1. ASUS ROG Strix 15.6

🛠️ Feature

1. Brand: ASUS
2. Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
3. Size: 16 Inches
4. Aspect Ratio: 16:9
5. Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
6. Special Features: Flicker-Free, Anti-Glare Coating, Blue Light Filter, Built-In Speakers
7. Item Weight: 1.98 lbs

The Asus ROG Strix is a 16-inch lightweight Full HD monitor featuring a 144 Hz refresh rate under a 16:9 aspect ratio. This IPS monitor is perfectly suitable for gaming and multimedia experiences. 

When it comes to connectivity, this monitor boasts a good number of ports, including USB-C and micro HDMI, making it an essential companion for Macbook Pro gamers.

What sets this monitor apart is its substantial 7800 mAh built-in battery, providing an uninterrupted three-hour gaming experience with an impressive 144 Hz refresh rate during work or play. 

Additionally, the monitor offers fast charging, providing you with an edge of two hours of usage after just one hour of charging. 

So, the Asus ROG Strix is the ultimate choice for Macbook Pro gamers looking for high performance and portability.

Pros

• Super smooth 144Hz refresh rate, which is great for gamers
• G-SYNC compatibility ensures tear-free gaming experiences
• The fold-out kickstand support lets you change how you view the screen
• The 7800 mAh battery lets you play games for up to three hours at 144Hz without recharging

Cons

• The side buttons are not very responsive
• The plastic case feels a little weak

2. Dragon Touch 4K Portable

🛠️ Feature

1. Brand: Dragon touch
2. Display Resolution: 3840 x 2160 Pixels
3. Size: 15.6 Inches
4. Aspect Ratio: 16:9
5. Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
6. Special Features: Portable, VESA Compatible, HDR, 100% sRGB, Built-In Speakers
7. Item Weight: 1.7 lbs

The Dragon Portable Monitor features a 4K 60 Hz IPS display with wide viewing angles, making it a compelling choice for immersive experiences. The monitor boasts a 100% sRGB color gamut, 300cd/㎡ brightness, and a 1000:1 contrast ratio, ensuring vibrant images and brilliant colors.

In terms of connectivity, it offers versatility with Mini HDMI, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and two full-featured USB-C ports. An added benefit is its low blue light eye-care technology, designed to reduce eye strain during extended usage.

It also has built-in dual speakers and a headphone jack, and the sound quality is average, not particularly impressive. For better audio, it would be much better to buy some external speakers. 

Pros 

• Breathtaking 4K Ultra HD resolution (3840 x 2160) 
• It features low blue light eye-care technology, reducing eye strain during extended use
• Its ultra-thin (0.34 inches) and lightweight design (1.7 lbs) make it super portable
• The monitor has built-in dual speakers

Cons

• Magnetic attachment to its folding stand isn’t of the best quality
• The built-in speaker aren’t loud enough

3. HP 14 E14

🛠️ Feature

1. Brand: HP
2. Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
3. Size: 14 Inches
4. Aspect Ratio: 16:9
5. Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
6. Special Features: Blue Light Filter, Anti-Glare Coating
7. Weight: 1.41 lbs

The HP 14 E14 is a sleek FHD monitor with a 14-inch IPS display. This monitor offers vibrant and clear visuals from various viewing angles. While its standard refresh rate is set at 60 Hz, it impresses with a responsive 5 ms response time.

One standout feature is its remarkable brightness, boasting 400 nits, making it the brightest among 14-inch portable monitors. However, it’s worth noting that this monitor lacks vertical rotation capability.

This HP 14 E14 monitor offers two SuperSpeed USB Type-C ports and a DisplayPort 1.2, ensuring versatile connectivity options. It’s important to mention, though, that it does not support VESA mounting.

Pros

• Gorgeous display performance. No bleed at all. Very even back-lid
• 400 nits of brightness, making it one of the brightest 14-inch portable monitors available
• Single-cable, hassle-free configuration
• Screen orientation is locked in landscape mode and doesn’t convert to other modes

Cons

• Screen orientation is locked in landscape mode and doesn’t convert to other modes.

4. Dell P1424H 14

🛠️ Feature

1. Brand: Dell 
2. Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
3. Size: 14 Inches
4. Aspect Ratio: 16:9
5. Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
6. Special Features: Blue Light Filter, Anti-Glare Coating, Dell ComfortView
7. Item Weight: 1.3 lbs

The Dell 14″ Portable Monitor is an FHD 14-inch monitor that boasts an IPS panel with good viewing angles, making it particularly suitable for tasks where color precision is crucial, such as content creation, graphic design and photo editing.

With a responsive 6 ms response time, this monitor delivers smooth visuals without motion blur, enhancing the experience for gamers and fans of action-packed videos. 

Moreover, its 300 nits of brightness makes it a solid choice for various indoor and outdoor settings. The USB-C connectivity option is a standout feature, simplifying the setup process, and its lightweight design makes it easy to carry around. 

Overall, it’s a stylish and functional choice that enhances productivity and visual quality for a wide range of tasks.

Pros

• The monitor covers nearly 97.7% of the sRGB color space, making it suitable for tasks like photo editing and providing vivid and accurate colors
• Brightness of up to 300 nits
• It offers two USB Type-C ports that support both data transfer and power delivery
• It has an ultra-slim design without compromising the built quality

Cons

• The monitor lacks additional connectivity options, such as HDMI. Users who need to connect devices that do not support USB-C may find this limitation inconvenient
• There is no mention of built-in speakers in the description. Users who require audio output from their monitor would need to use external speakers or headphones

5. LG 16MR70 ASDU1 16

🛠️ Feature

1. Brand: LG
2. Display Resolution: 2560 x 1600 Pixels
3. Size: 16 Inches
4. Aspect Ratio: 16:10
5. Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
6. Special Features: Blue Light Filter, Anti-Glare Coating, LG Switch App5 support
7. Item Weight: 1.41 lbs

The LG Gram View is an incredibly lightweight and portable monitor that elevates productivity and convenience in any workspace.

At its core, it boasts a 2K 60 Hz display with a non-reflective IPS 16-inch screen, ensuring comfortable usage in various lighting conditions without the hassle of glare or distractions. 

With a DCI-P3 99% color gamut, this monitor brings colors to life, enhancing the visual experience with brilliant and vibrant hues. However, it’s important to note that it may not quite match up to the display quality of your MacBook.

In terms of connectivity, the LG Gram View easily pairs with your MacBook through USB-C. 

Overall, its convenient features and incredibly lightweight design can satisfy needs for a second monitor.

Pros 

• It has a super sharp 2K IPS display
• It allows for both horizontal and vertical views with the auto pivot feature, adapting to your preferred screen orientation
• The LG Switch app provides intuitive controls for managing on-screen functions, including setting up split screens for multitasking, adjusting brightness, contrast, and sharpness, and even configuring hotkeys for video calls

Cons

• There is no HDMI/DP port; the only connection is USB-C
• No OSD control
• There are no built-in speakers

6. AOC I1601FWUX 15.6

🛠️ Feature

1. Brand: AOC
2. Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
3. Size: 15.6 Inches
4. Aspect Ratio: 16:9
5. Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
6. Special Features: Blue Light Filter, Anti-Glare Coating, Flicker-Free
7. Item Weight: 1.41 lbs

The AOC portable monitor features an FHD 15.6-inch IPS screen with a brightness level of around 220 nits and a refresh rate of 60 Hz.

This monitor requires a USB-C DP Alt Mode, and it lacks an HDMI input. The USB Type-C feels straightforward plug-and-play connectivity. 

Its slim and lightweight design, coupled with a stylish piano-black glossy finish, not only adds a touch of elegance to your workspace but also makes it highly portable and easy to move around with your Macbook Pro.

Along with these features, there’s the auto-pivot feature, which allows the monitor to automatically adjust its display orientation between landscape and portrait modes. So, it’s pretty useful.

Pros

• The included SmartCover serves a dual purpose: protects the display and acts as a flexible screen holder
• This also features Auto-Pivot, which can automatically detect the orientation
• It is slim and lightweight, with a sleek and modern design
• It’s quite affordable

Cons

• Average image quality, not very vibrant 
• There is no protection against pulling the cable out sideways and damaging the interface connector.

Final Verdict

When it comes to choosing the best portable monitor for your MacBook Pro, it ultimately depends on your specific needs and priorities.  

Here, the ASUS ROG Strix 15.6 turns out to be the best because of its rich colors, nice design, long-lasting battery, ultra-thin weight, and super responsiveness. 

Every one of the monitors I’ve mentioned has a unique set of features and benefits. Here’s a quick rating of all of my best portable monitors for Macbook Pro to help you decide: 

Monitors	Size	Resolution	Rating
ASUS ROG Strix 15.6	16 Inches	1920 x 1080 Pixels	9.2/10
Dragon Touch 4K	15.6 inches	3840 x 2160 Pixels	9.0/10
HP 14 E14	14 Inches	1920 x 1080 Pixels	8.4/10
Dell P1424H 14	14 Inches	1920 x 1080 Pixels	8.4/10
LG 16MR70 ASDU1	16 Inches	2560 x 1600 Pixels	8.0/10
AOC I1601FWUX	15.6 inches	1920 x 1080 Pixels	7.6/10

Related Articles:

Do Monitors Affect FPS?
Best Monitors For iPad Pro
Do External Monitors Drain MacBook Battery?
Do External Monitors Slow Down Laptops?