I bought the ViewSonic VA1655 last week and received it a few days ago. Here is an early review after connecting it to my stuff.
Sharpness:
The display is full HD, so it looks fairly sharp. It won't be as sharp as the retina displays of my 14-inch MacBook Pro M! or my 11-inch iPad Pro M2. But I think trying to retina on this portable monitor would be overkill.
Brightness:
At work, I use a Chromebook that is rated 220 nits. Its display is bright enough, even in the cubical/office space where many big windows expose lots of sunlight. Since the Viwwsonic VA1655 is rated 250 nits, I expected it would be bright enough. It is. I would not expect to be able to use it if I had a huge beam of direct sunlight on the screen, but frankly, I think I'd have some trouble using my iPad or MacBook that way.
Colors:
I connected the Viewsonic to my MacBook Pro M1, duplicated a photo, and displayed it on the Viewsonic and the MacBook. I did not see a difference. Granted, I am not a photographer, and I am a little colorblind. But I read reviews claiming the colors on the Viewsonic looked washed out, and I did see that. But those with higher standards than mine might want to put in the proper research, since I have read that the Viewsonic color gamut is not real high. Your milage may vary.
Gaming:
I do not play video games, so I cannot judge how well the Viewsonic handles that. I rated gaming at 3 stars to try to be neutral. And I know that not paying video games might damage my geek cred. I still read comic books.
MacBook Pro:
The USB-C cable connects to my MacBook Pro and the display and the display instantly shows up. It looks decent side-by-side. Not bad!
iPad Pro:
The USB-C connection works fine, although I had to find the right Settings and turn on Stage Manager to make the Viewsonic show as an external display without mirroring. I use a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. The mouse is needed to navigate the Viewsonic display (I doubt that a touchscreen portable monitor would have touchscreen functionality with the iPad). But it does drain the iPad battery faster. I can plug power into the extra USB-C port on the monitor to charge the iPad, that works fine.
iPad Pro and USB hub:
I have a USB hub that I use to plug stuff into my iPad (like flash drives and external hard drives or SD drives). When I connected the hub to the iPad Pro, and then connected the USB-C data port on the hub to the Viewsonic, it did not carry a video signal. So I connect the Viewsonic display to the USB hub like this:
1. Bluetooth-connect my external keyboard and mouse to the iPad.
2. To power the Viewsonic, connect a USB-A-to-USB-C cable to a USB 3.0 port on the hub, then to the USB-C port on the Viewsonic.
3. To carry the video signal, connect the Viewsonic HDMI cable to the hub, and then to the Viewsonic mini HDMI port.
4. Optional: Plug power into the USB-C PD (power delivery) port on the hub to supply power to the iPad.
5. Connect the hub to the iPad USB-C port.
From this experience, my advice is if you buy a portable monitor, buy one with an HDMI port, two USB-C ports, and an audio port. I have used them on my Viewsonic VA1655. (Except the audio port, but I am sure it works.)
Audio:
The speakers sound tinny, but I did not expect good sound from them anyhow.
When I connect the Viewsonic to my MacBook Pro, I select the MacBook Pro speakers for better sound.
When I plug the Viewsonic into the iPad, the iPad audio automatically switches to the Viewsonic speakers with no option to switch back to the iPad speakers. (I believe this would happen with any portable monitor.) If I want better sound, I can connect to one of my Bluetooth speakers and switch to it. Or I could plug a speaker or headphones into the Viewsonic audio port.
The little kickstand:
Some reviews comment that the kickstand can break easily. I take that into account when I pull the kickstand out, I open it with care. I get my fingers in underneath, close to the hinge, to avoid stress on that hinge. The kickstand works well, the little rubber feet grip smooth surfaces well (in landscape orientation). The Viewsonic is steady enough on a flat surface in landscape orientation, but portrait is kinda tippy (I am unlikely to use portrait anyhow).
Weight and Sturdiness:
The Viewsonic VA1655 display is lightweight, which feels nice. It makes my old 22-inch display (lower resolution, so iPad would only allow mirrored display) feel like a boat anchor (I will donate it somewhere). The Viewsonic does feel plasticy, because it is made of plastic. No metal frame to sturdy it up. However, It does not feel flimsy. I keep it in the included pouch when not in use.
iPad as a MacBook:
The Viewsonic monitor and the USB hub will let me use the iPad more like a MacBook, which I am likely to do if I have to take my MacBook Pro into the shop. I can plug other devices into the hub, like a USB flash drive or an external hard drive or SD drive, but I have read that it is best to not plug too much into the hub at once. I have read that can overwork the iPad USB-C port and give the iPad a heart attack.
Price:
I bought the Viewsonic VA1655 for about about $100 (normally $140), so it was a very good deal. I am happy with it.
| Standing screen display size | 15.6 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1920x1080 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
