Having portable monitors can be super useful to both beginner traders and experienced traveling traders. For pleasure or work-related use, a laptop paired with a good portable monitor will do wonders. An extra screen makes chart management much easier, and scrolling about your favorite news site becomes a breeze. A solid portable monitor will give you the ease of a dedicated home station with the flexibility of a laptop. In the blog post below, we will look at some of the top portable monitors for laptops.
What Are the Best Portable Monitors?
Here are some of the best portable monitors on the market today:
Computer Setup
We as traders need all the simplicity in our day trading computer setup so we can focus on forming the best trading plans possible. The last thing you want is to be stuck trading off your phone or tiny laptop when traveling. This is where the concept of a portable monitor comes into play.
With minimalism in mind, many of the portable monitors in the market today can run from $100 to well over $400. Their thickness and features will all play into this pricing, but you can find a great portable monitor that fits any budget. Your main concerns should be the size and how it is powered.
The next major deal breakers can be how it will be held up and how the display will receive it. Your laptop or travel desktop will only have so many allotted display ports. As well, the graphics card that it runs on can only handle so many portable monitors. I suggest keeping it to a maximum of two extra monitors on the go. More than that, you are going to end up running into trouble lugging everything around.
What Are the Deal Breakers?
Below is a simple breakdown of what a portable monitor is and what you should look for. There is no need to overthink everything about the monitor. A clear, no-fuzzy display and ease of power are the biggest features we looked for when making this list.
A Portable Power Source Is A Must
Power management is a big part of your mobile setup, so keep it in mind. And there is nothing worse than the panic you feel when the low battery warning comes on and you’re in the middle of a trade. A large number of nomadic traders understand the struggle of finding an outlet. If the trading gods shine upon you, then you might get lucky to find a quad outlet, but this is unlikely. It is even more unlikely if you are traveling to other countries with different outlets altogether. To prevent being stuck, we suggest the Omni Charge! It’s a bit pricey, but it has extensive features needed for serious traders and travelers alike.
The Minimum Display Requirements
Moving on to the display itself. You will see in our day trading setup that there are many types of portable monitor displays in varying resolutions. For a basic setup, you can stick with a 1080p resolution. This will keep the charts crisp, and any videos you choose to watch will look great. For those with a bit of extra money to burn, they do make 4k variants, which don’t disappoint!
Portable Monitors for the Budget Conscious Trader
Money matters, and we get that. So, for the budget-conscious trader, the AOCe1659Fwu portable monitor takes the cake. It’s sleek, it’s sexy, and it delivers high-quality images with just one USB cable. With a 6″ diagonally viewable image, it offers a 500:1 contrast ratio, 5ms response time, and a 1366 x 768 resolution at 60Hz. What’s super convenient about this monitor is that it has a flexi-stand built in for viewing in landscape or portrait mode.
It will adapt to many tablet stands and other monitor stands. The stand can seem a little flimsy, but for what it is, it gets the job done.
A great overall portable monitor at 16 inches wide, it will give you the space to get done what you need to, without breaking the bank. The USB 3.0 is a well-tested and reliable connection delivering you an awesome picture quality. This same connection powers the portable monitor, so you don’t have to carry an external power brick.
The Best Features
ASUS has always been a top-tier company for electronics. Their portable monitors are no exception. It is almost twice as much as our budget monitor. A monitor like this commands a price.
Like software and information, everything comes at a higher price when you start to add options. Trust me when I say almost all of ASUS’s portable monitors have options, and the ZenScreen MB16AC leads the pack.
Powered by USB 3.0, this portable monitor allows you to roam freely without the worry of finding a plug. The USB 3.0 also acts as a display connection. This portable monitor comes with a protective case that also doubles as the stand.
Coming with an HD 1080P display, it will have your charts looking as crisp as your home unit. Able to be stood on its side for a tall view, the auto-rotate is a big plus, but can be finicky at times.
Having a built-in blue light filter, it will be a pleasant viewing experience. Check out our article on computer glasses for other blue light filtering options to protect your eyes.
A nice feature of the ASUS portable monitors is the Pen Hole stand option. In the ASUS Zen model, you are able to slip a pen into the pre-drilled hole and prop your screen up at a moment’s notice. Also sporting an ASUS 3-year warranty, which is great if the screen ever has any issues.
Coming in at $250, the ASUS MB16AC is a great portable monitor for laptops. Whether for an upgrade to your current setup or for the beginning trader with a little extra money to spend.
Top of the Line Portable Monitors
Coming in at $400, the GeChic OnLap1503i is the top of the line in portable monitors. Other models of this brand are also of supreme quality. The 1503i portable monitor has a true 1080p HD display with a 16:1 aspect ratio.
Powered by USB Type-C and HDMI, it delivers amazing response time for videos and high-speed actions. A built-in touchscreen allows for adaptation to be a small tablet. Secured in a hard plastic case for travelling and a built-in magnetic stand, it is a nice all-in-one package.
Other features include a cable to adapt it to USB 2.0/3.0 Type-C and HDMI for power and display sharing. The Type C is also used as the power supply, so it will work off of many portable power supplies when using the USB or HDMI as your screen share link.
It has built-in speakers. While not the best, since this is such a small unit, you can still watch all the Bullish Bears course videos and Live Streams you so desire as you travel the world and trade.
The screen has great color and serious back-lighting to be bright in outdoor trading situations with minimal screen glare. 16:1 aspect ratio makes viewing all of your market news and charts a breeze. Small bezels give you more screen space without all the extra plastic on the sides.
Overall, this portable monitor is the “Lambo” of portable monitors for laptops. If you have the cash, then it is well worth it. After all, you do get what you pay for when it comes to hardware!
