Plugable USB-C 15.6-inch Portable Monitor Review

At a glance

Expert Rating

Benefits

Full HD IPS display (1920×1080 at 60 Hz)
Light
Integrated foldable travel case and stand
85W direct charge
2 USB-C 10 Gbps downstream ports

Our verdict

This 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display doubles the screen space of most laptops and is simple to set up and connect, then disconnect, and light enough to take with you when you’re done.

Best Price Today: Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Monitor

$179.95

A second display makes your MacBook more useful and turns a laptop into a true desktop alternative. Adding one or more external displays to your MacBook is easy and recommended for a home office or even an old-school desk setup. But you can’t (or at least shouldn’t) lug a 32-inch monitor to meetings or the local coffee shop.

Having a second display next to your MacBook’s built-in display gives you more space to view open windows at the same time—for example, to view documents or apps while you’re on a video call or giving a presentation. Or if you want to watch a movie with better viewing comfort than a 13-inch laptop, a larger second display gives you more viewing flexibility.

A portable display is a more realistic solution if you want the convenience of a laptop, but with more screen real estate to accommodate your multiple apps and window needs. We’ve reviewed several of these portable displays, and this latest 15.6-inch Full HD portable monitor is the simplest we’ve tested. It works with MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones. Note that it will only mirror what’s on the iPhone’s screen, while it can extend the display of a Mac or iPad.

Foundry

15.6-inch USB-C Plug-and-Play Portable Display: Portability

We’ve long been fans of Plugable’s docking stations, hubs, and other smart accessories, and now the company has released its first display, the Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Display, or USBC-PDMON to its friends.

Weighing just 840g (1.85lbs) with its case/stand or 615g (1.35lbs) without, it’s barely noticeable next to your laptop in your backpack or briefcase, although you’ll need to remember to bring a USB-C cable (one’s included in the box), and perhaps a charger if you’re using the display for an extended period.

It measures 14.2 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches (3.6 x 2.2 x 1.1 cm).

On the back of the screen is a removable PU vinyl cover that can protect the screen during transport or storage and also serves as an easy-to-install foldable stand. It looks and works like a protective iPad case and feels durable.

Foundry

Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C portable monitor: Setup

While some portable displays rely on old-school mini-HDMI connections, the USBC-PDMON connects via USB-C (including Thunderbolt and the MacBook’s USB4) to laptops, tablets, phones, or computers that support USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode. It will work with any Mac released since 2016.

There is no need to download any software drivers and the connection is plug and play.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Monitor: Specs

The Plugable portable monitor is a 15.6-inch anti-glare IPS LCD display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. It supports Full HD 1920 x 1080p resolution at a healthy 60Hz refresh rate.

It offers a 178-degree viewing angle (89 degrees vertical + 89 degrees horizontal) and can display 16.7 million colors. The brightness range reaches an impressive luminance of 300 nits. That’s brighter than the popular ViewSonic VA1655 (also 15.6-inch), which maxes out at 250 nits.

Some portable monitors, like the LG Gram +view 2,560 x 1,600p, have higher resolutions that offer a sharper experience, but at a price: that display costs 1.5 times as much. There are 4K portable displays, like the UPerfect True 4K 3,840 x 2,160p, which, again, will cost you significantly more.

We found the Plugable portable display to be fine for web browsing and productivity apps, and it was also acceptable for streaming, but perhaps not for creative applications. There’s no portrait mode, so it might not be for coders or readers of long documents.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

15.6-inch USB-C Plug-in Portable Display: Power Delivery

The display itself can be powered by the connected laptop, or you can connect a charger or power bank to one of the display’s USB-C ports, which keeps the MacBook charged at up to 85W. Connect another device to the display’s third USB-C port and the passthrough can supply power to it as well.

Some portable monitors have a built-in battery that lets you use them for longer on the go, but this adds significant weight to the monitor. Staying lightweight and giving you the option to draw power from the laptop or connect to a charger via the USB-C port gives you some flexibility.

The Plugable portable display comes with a 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C cable, but no charger. Check out our comparison reviews of the best Mac laptop chargers for options.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Monitor: Ports and Controls

On the right side of the display are three USB-C ports and three control buttons. The top buttons control brightness up and down, as well as quick adjustment of the color mode.

USB-C ports are upstream from the host computer, delivering PD 3.0 power to the display and pass-through power to the laptop if needed, and a downstream USB-C port lets you connect other devices. As Plugable is a market leader in docking stations and hubs, we trust this display hub to work with nearly any compatible device.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C portable monitor: price

The Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Monitor is available in the US and Canada for $199.95 / $275.95 CAD. You can buy cheaper portable monitors, but you’ll likely sacrifice features and specs like screen resolution and brightness.

There are alternatives we’ve tested, like the Limink Al Alloy 14-inch Triple Portable Display and the 14-inch Mobile Pixels DUEX Max , both of which physically attach to the MacBook. The Plugable Portable Display sits out of the way and is therefore more versatile.

Sure, you can add much larger screens (check out our roundup of the best monitors for Mac), but few of them will be as portable.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C portable monitor: verdict

Even the 16-inch MacBook Pro display often isn’t big enough to show all the windows you need at once. This 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display doubles the screen space of most laptops. It’s easy to set up and connect, and light enough to take with you when you’re done.