One of the great things about reviews for portable monitors is reading about the various ways people actually use them: From displays for a Pi raspberry to gaming with a smartphone or watching online films on holiday; the options seem limitless. As even greater computing power is being packed into ever small devices, the use of a portable monitor to connect to an existing device that you already own, rather than buy a dedicated laptop, PC or TV is becoming increasingly attractive, which is why I chose this product.- Occasional travel with mini-PCAt home I use a mini-PC and larger desktop monitor, but just once or twice a year I travel and take a big and heavy 17.3 inch laptop with me for office work while away. So, I thought: why not take the mini-PC with this monitor and a compact keyboard? Not only is it lighter than the laptop, I don't have to waste time making sure e-mail and files are synced between PC and laptop.For me, there are two key criteria for selecting a monitor like this: Portability & Connectivity- PortabilityWhat I particularly like about this monitor is the compact size (13.3) and the light weight. I originally tried out a different brand of 15.6 inch monitor, which was significantly heavier and bulkier. If you are looking for portability then choose the size and weight to suit.- ConnectivityAs I have discovered, connectivity can be an issue with portable monitors. There are two sides to this: a) the output connector on your device (smartphone/PC/etc.), and b) the sensitivity of the external monitor to insufficient power supply.a) Output connector: I have a new Minisforum mini-PC and an older ASRock Beebox – both have a USB C connector. However, the Minisforum has USB C 3.0 and delivers audio and vision through the USB C cable without a problem, but the Beebox will not – it is only USB C 2.0. For the Beebox, I use the HDMI input.If you only have a USB C type connector (typical for a smartphone) then you need to check if your device will support an external display. It appears that recent, Apple devices and top of the range Samsung and Huawei devices support an external display. I have a Redmi Note 7 and it does not support external display, though I believe there are adapters (USB C to HDMI powered, with a built-in chip) that will work with an App, e.g. DisplayLink (if I find out more I will update this review).b) Sensitivity of monitor to power supply: With this monitor I have no trouble connecting my two mini-PCs, either through USB C or HDMI. This monitor comes with a 5V/3A power plug, which is more powerful than the usual USB charger plug. As noted in the user manual, it is important to use this adapter. If the screen shows “No signal” or “Energy saving mode” then it recommends changing over the USB C charger cable to the other input. I experienced this problem with the other monitor I previously mentioned, but it was particularly acute and almost impossible to get the HDMI connection with my Beebox. Luckily, the power charger and connectivity with this monitor works fine for me, which seems to be echoed in previous reviews.- Dual and single mode displayIn addition to using the monitor in single mode for occasional travel, I can also use the monitor as a second display, either as an extended or mirror display. In single mode the built-in speakers are adequate and better than other monitors speakers I have heard. In the photos you can see the monitor connected to the Beebox (white) in mirror mode. The BeeBox is also connected to a home cinema sound system. For listening to music, it is more convenient to use the portable monitor in mirror mode, without turning the large TV on.With my Minisforum mini-PC I can also use the monitor in extended display mode. This is particularly useful when I have to refer across multiple documents.I liked the quality of the packing and the accessories, including the user manual (in German) with FAQs that cover the above points and more. Of less use was the included screen protector – but I always find these difficult to get exactly right anyway.Other plus points that I like with this monitor are:- Good quality wallet/case (no too heavy) that also acts as stand- The “pen hole” for supporting the monitor without the case- The separate control buttons (much more user friendly for me than a toggle switch)- A full-size HDMI input, not a mini HDMI – also allows standard cables to be usedOverall, this monitor is well designed and built and demonstrates the way this technology is developing. It won’t be long before standard smartphones will catch up with the connectivity of top of the range devices, and “Display Desktop” will be come a standard feature on Android. In the meanwhile, I have already sold the “brick” of my old laptop and I am very happy with my new light and handy monitor.