Thankfully, most of us found our work-from-home groove and have dedicated home office space now. However, there are times when you would like a change of scenery and work from a coffee shop or even just another room of the house without sacrificing your dual-screen setup. Portable monitors have become popular, more affordable, and allow you to be productive from virtually anywhere. The Mobile Pixels Duex Lite monitor goes beyond many other portable monitor by actually attaching to your laptop and sliding out when needed.

Benefits of an extra screen

Having two monitors is incredibly useful for anyone who does a lot of multitasking. With two monitors, you can keep an eye on multiple windows and applications at the same time, which allows you to work more efficiently. Additionally, two monitors can make it easier to work on larger projects, such as spreadsheets and presentations, as you can have the data or slides on one monitor and the tools or editing window on the other. Furthermore, two monitors also make it easy to research online while working on a project, as you can have one window open for the project and one window open for research. Finally, two monitors also allow you to multitask in other ways, such as watching videos or streaming music while working on a project.

One such portable monitor is the Mobile Pixels Duex Lite. It’s a 12.5 inch monitor with a 1080p resolution and weighs just 1.3 lbs. It’s compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux, and has both a USB Type-C port (no driver needed if your laptop supports video via USB-C) and a USB-A adapter (which usually requires the installation of a driver).

Setup

The Mobile Pixels Duex Lite portable monitor includes 4 magnets with adhesive that can be attached to the back of your laptop’s monitor. The entire unit can then be mounted on the back of your laptop, and conveniently slides out when needed. This will add a bit of bulk to your laptop, but you can remove the monitor (except the 4 magnets) whenever it is not needed.

Depending on your laptop and how “thin” it is, this monitor may be too heavy to attach to the back of your laptop without pulling the screen down. In that case, you can use the monitor in portrait mode with the built-in stand. Or, you can use something like a stand made for iPads (not included) to prop the monitor up horizontally.

If your laptop supports video via USB-C (which many laptops manufactured in the past few years do), you can simply connect the included USB-C cable to both deliver video and power the monitor. If you laptop does not have a compatible USB-C port, a regular USB-A adapter is included, but requires the installation of Mobile Pixels’ driver which can easily be downloaded from their website.

This particular model of the DUEX Lite does not have an HDMI port, so you cannot connect this monitor using a simple HDMI cable.

Performance

I tested this monitor with a Windows Surface Pro 8 first. Being a tablet with its own kickstand, it’s not possible to attach the monitor to the back of it, but it worked fine in portrait mode using the built-in stand. I was also able to use it horizontally with a simple tablet stand (not included). Windows detected the monitor immediately upon connecting the USB-C and duplicated my display at first, but I was able to extend the monitor (and flip the upside down image) easily within the display settings in Windows.

I also wanted to test the monitor on a Linux machine, so I used my Lenovo (model 14w) laptop’s USB-C port and found that Ubuntu 20.04 detected the monitor without an issue as well. It’s important to note that there are no Linux drivers available for this monitor, so you will need to use a USB-C interface that supports DisplayPort as the USA-A connection will not work without the drivers.

I also tested the Mobile Pixel Duex Lite portable monitor by mounting it to my Dell Chromebook. While there is not official driver support for Chrome OS, this monitor still worked because this Dell Chromebook (model C7486-3250GRY-PUS) can output video and power via a single USB-C connection.

The monitor is very lightweight at only 1.3 pounds, although this might be enough to cause your laptop’s delicately balanced monitor to fall back under the additional weight. The monitor can display a 1080p resolution on the 12.5” panel.

The screen’s brightness and color and more than sufficient for multitasking with emails, Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets. However, colors can be presented differently on the DUEX Lite compared to the main laptop screen. Therefore, if you’re doing any sort of photo or video editing, you’ll probably want to stick with the your laptop’s main display.

The size of the screen will likely be smaller than your laptop’s built-in screen, so text may display smaller and be inconsistent with the size on your laptop’s built-in display. This can be a little jarring at first, but I was able to quickly adapt to it.

The monitor has some built-in controls to manually adjust the brightness and color tone of the display. There is also an option to enable the blue light blocking feature which is nice to enable close to bedtime.

The DUEX Lite version of this monitor only has one USB-C port and is therefore not compatible with the Nintendo Switch or other devices that cannot deliver both power and video over a single USB-C port connection. The DUEX Plus version of this monitor offers two USB-C ports and is therefore compatible with the Nintendo Switch (using one of the USB-C ports for the video) when paired with another USB-C connection providing power. The DUEX Plus monitor also offers a larger display size at 13.3”.

Duex Lite Mobile Pixels Portable Monitor, 12.5" Full HD IPS Dual Monitor for laptops, USB C/USB A...

Duex Lite Mobile Pixels Portable Monitor, 12.5" Full HD IPS Dual Monitor for laptops, USB C/USB A...

$306.68

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Last updated on June 17, 2023 7:20 am

The post Mobile Pixels Duex Lite 12.5″ Portable Monitor Review appeared first on Technically Well.

Probably the standout feature for this monitor (Model S2422HZ) is the fact that it basically has the functionality of a USB-C hub built into it!  With just one USB-C cable (included), you can connect this monitor to a compatible laptop in order to:

• Extend the display to this monitor
• Charge your laptop
• Add a Windows Hello-compatible webcam and microphone
• Add speakers (built-in to this Dell monitor)
• Add two USB devices (such as a keyboard or mouse) using the 2 USB ports on the monitor

This is extremely convenient for hybrid work and learning from home, as when you want to work from home, you can simply connect the USB-C cable to your (hopefully) compatible work laptop and get a full desktop experience.  Then if your significant other or child needs to connect their (hopefully) compatible laptop to work at the same desk, swapping is just a matter of unplugging the USB-C cable from one laptop and plugging in the next.

So which computers are compatible? You’ll probably need to Google the technical specs of your laptop to see if it supports DisplayPort 1.2 via USB-C.  Most modern Dell laptops with a USB-C port seem to work, but there is no rule that states that a manufacturer must support DisplayPort if they include a USB-C port on a machine.

The USB-C cable also supports charging via the Power Delivery standard up to 65 watts. Even if your laptop came with a more powerful charger (such as a 100-watt charger), it might still accept a smaller charge over USB-C at a slower rate. Again, you may need to Google the specs of your laptop because there is no definite rule that a USB-C port must support charging.

Performance

The display on this monitor is vivid and clear and both photos and movies look great on it. The IPS panel allows the display to look sharp even when it is at an angle. And the monitor can be set to a low 4ms refresh rate for casual gaming.  Just note that this is not a 4K monitor as it maxes out at a 1080 resolution.

I tested this monitor with the Dell G15 gaming laptop (which came with a 100-watt charger) and although it didn’t seem to indicate that it was charging, it seemed to discharge at a slower rate. The display, camera, and USB devices connected to the monitor all worked correctly regardless. Testing this monitor with the new Surface Pro 8 tablet produced similar results and did indeed activate the charging indicator in Windows.

The built-in webcam can be lowered into the monitor for privacy when not in use. When you’re ready to make a video call, simply press down on it to pop it up. The video quality is great in bright lighting conditions but does become very grainy in low light. If you have a relatively dark home office, you may need to add a light ring to your setup to get the best picture quality. 

The speakers are fine for online meetings, but they can sound tinny and are not great for music due to their lack of bass.

-28%

Dell - 24" IPS LED FHD FreeSync Compatible Monitor (DisplayPort, HDMI, USB) - Silver

$199.99 $279.99

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Last update was on: October 11, 2023 6:39 pm

1920 x 1080 - 4 ms (extreme) (gray to gray) - 1 x USB-C (Alternate mode with DisplayPort, USB 3.2 Gen 1 upstream port and Power Delivery), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 (5 Gbps) downstream, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) downstream port, 1 x HDMI 1.4 port, 1 x DP 1.2, 1 x Audio line-out port - 75 Hz- 1,000 : 1 -...

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The monitor was conveniently packaged in its box. When opening the box as directed, you can access the back of the monitor immediately for installing your wall mount bracket if you wish to do so. Otherwise, you can install the included base. I was surprised to find that an HDMI cable is also included in the packaging.

The monitor has a very minimal design with a very thin bezel around the top and sides (the bottom bezel is a little larger). The buttons for power and navigating the on-screen menus are located on the bottom of the monitor.

Performance

I fired up Fortnite to test this monitor out for gaming. It definitely did not disappoint! Graphics are sharp and I did not notice any issues with responsiveness or ghosting. I also found the monitor to work well for working-from-home as well as doing photo editing.

The LED backlight and IPS display provides a consistent viewing experience across the display, even if you’re viewing the monitor from an angle or if you’re looking up at the monitor while slouched in your chair.

Features

• 4ms response time: A low response time is a must-have for gaming, and the Dell S2721NX monitor’s low 4ms worked great for Fortnite gaming. I did not have any issues with delays or ghosting while playing.
• FreeSync: This prevents “tearing” in fast-moving game play. This Dell monitor supports this technology (if your graphics card also supports it).
• IPS: An “IPS” display means that the picture looks consistent from an angle. This Dell monitor looks great whether you’re sitting directly in front of it, or if you’re slouched in your seat and not seeing it head-on.
• VESA Mount: I was able to mount this monitor to the wall thanks to the standard 100 mm x 100 mm VESA holes.
• ComfortView: Although the shift to warmer colors is built-in to many operating systems now, you can manually reduce the amount of blue light with the “ComfortView” setting directly on the monitor.

Dell - S2721NX 27" IPS LED FHD - AMD FreeSync -VESA - Monitor - Black

$299.99

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Dell S2721NX Monitor - 27" LED FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution - 4 ms response time - 2x HDMI 1.4 - Refresh rate of 75Hz - 1,000 : 1 contrast ratio - 300 cd/m2 brightness - tilt - VESA mountable - built-in cable management slot - AMD FreeSync - Dell Display Manager

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LG - 34WL500-B 34" IPS LED UltraWide FHD FreeSync Monitor...

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Display

This display is a beauty to see! I constantly have multiple windows open and the ultrawide resolution of the LG 34WL500-B allows me to create an ideal layout for my workflow. Previously, I used two widescreen monitors (16:9) and while I don’t quite have the same screen real estate on the LG, there’s something about having everything on one screen that makes it feel more seamless.

The monitor features a 2560×1080 resolution with a 5 ms response time which is suitable for gaming. The display also has a matte finish which helps reduce glare from lighting behind you.

Setup and Connectivity

The monitor has 2 HDMI inputs. There is no DVI or VGA connections. There is also a headphone jack on the back of the speaker for audio output delivered over the HDMI connection, but there are no built-in speakers.

I was a little nervous that my aging Mac Mini (Late 2012) model would not be able to handle the resolution of this monitor. Unfortunately, I was not able to use the HDMI port on the Mac Mini itself. However, I was able to use an Active Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (the keyword here is that it must be an “Active” adapter) to get the monitor’s native resolution as follows.

• Connect the Active Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter to the Mac Mini’s DisplayPort (aka Thunderbolt) connection.
• Then, use the HDMI cable (included with the monitor) to plug into the adapter and the monitor.
• Make sure nothing is plugged into the Mac Mini’s HDMI port. It took me awhile to pinpoint this as my issue as it was preventing me from reaching the 2560×1080 resolution.
• On your Mac, navigate to System Preferences, then Display. You should be able to set the Resolution to “Default” and the Refresh Rate to “60 Hertz” to reach an output of 2560×1080.

Features

There are no speakers on the monitor, but there is a headphone jack so you can plug in your own headphones to listen to any audio delivered over the HDMI connection. While the Active DisplayPort to HDMI adapter did deliver audio to the headphone jack, I was not able to control the volume on my Mac Mini; I needed to use the volume controls on the monitor.

Speaking of the monitor controls, there is a small joystick underneath the center portion of the monitor. It’s a little tricky to use at first, but I quickly got the hang of it. I like that the control is hidden out of view. When the menu is not on the screen, pressing the joystick left and right will adjust the volume

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