People cannot seem to get enough of screens – the larger, the better. The dumbphone used to shrink when Nokia was at the top of its game, but when smartphones entered the fray, the opposite occurred: screens began to grow larger, adding heft and size along the way.
The living room and computing space have also seen screen sizes expand over the years, from the 4:3 format to the widescreen displays known and loved today.
With work from home being the de-facto operational model of late, one cannot underline how important it is to have additional viewing real estate. A secondary monitor is always a good thing to have, and it is even better to have one that is portable.
Enter ViewSonic’s business-centric TD1655 portable monitor. Tipping the scales at 1kg and measuring 8.8 x 14 x 0.6 inches (22cm x 36cm x 1.5cm), it comes with an integrated stand, a mini-joystick display controller, and an on-screen display (OSD) system that is easy to navigate.
You will find the capacitive touch screen to be a boon when it comes to finger-based gestures, or you could always use the stylus that comes bundled with the purchase.
Other included accessories are a cleaning cloth, a magnetic cover, a HDMI to mini-HDMI cable, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a power cable. There is no built-in battery, but this is not an issue since it can be powered by USB-C when connected to a compatible device.
There is no built-in webcam in the TD1655, but you do get stereo speakers that are more out of courtesy than functional.
The 15.6-inch (40cm) IPS panel features a native resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, automatically ruling it out from the race of being suited for serious content creators who have since moved to the 4K space.
Design
The ViewSonic TD1655 is certainly easy on the eyes. It is not the slimmest portable monitor around, but you do get a feel of its premium build.
A hinged stand behind it provides a solid and stable anchor regardless of how you wish to place the TD1655 – in portrait or landscape mode. You will be able to eke up to a 45° tilt angle, which is impressive, and enjoy a 178° viewing angle for both orientations.
The included magnetic cover doubles as protection for the screen, and you can also use it as a base since the grooves will be able to support the monitor nicely regardless of the orientation.
On the left side are a couple of USB Type-C ports with a mini-HDMI port. Of the two USB ports, one supports both video and data transfer, while the other offers a maximum of 60 watts of power delivery.
As if ViewSonic could read your mind about its integrated 0.8-watt stereo speakers’ lack of punch, a 3.5mm audio jack lets you hook up your favourite pair of headphones for better audio performance.
Located behind the TD1655’s bottom-right corner is a five-way joystick controller that lets you navigate the OSD menu. Using this is a no-brainer, as it mimics the action of up, down, left and right, while pressing it in will emulate the Enter key.
Among the adjustable settings are its brightness, contrast, input select, volume level, and viewing mode.
Touchscreen performance
The 10-point capacitive touchscreen works great, where you can smudge its surface with your fingertips or take advantage of the included stylus. The latter is highly recommended, and ViewSonic has very thoughtfully included an additional nib in the box.
Hand gestures work as expected – you can stretch, scroll, pinch, and select in a highly responsive manner. Of course, leaving out touchscreen capability does not make it a deal breaker, but knowing it is there is worth the admission price alone.
The 60 Hz refresh rate is rather dated, but it is sufficient if you are a bean counter or are simply reading material with it. Gamers and power users will definitely give this a pass due to the lower refresh rate.
Conclusion
As a portable monitor, the ViewSonic TD1655 gets the job done without any hassle, and the beauty of its USB-C connectivity makes life a whole lot easier when you are travelling. Hooking it up to your laptop, desktop, or even tablet is a cinch, and the touchscreen capability is an added bonus.
The only thing that would let it down is the speaker performance, but when you remember that this is meant to display information as opposed to being a multimedia powerhouse, all can be forgiven.
The ViewSonic TD1655 retails for RM1,349. For more information, click here.
Edwin Kee dreamt of being a pro-gamer only to have circumstances mould him into a programmer in a past life. He has since moved on to write about consumer electronics and other topics. Check out his blog at manatau.com.