Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Display review: Easy on the eyes (and arms)

Macworld

At a glance

Expert's Rating

Pros

Full HD (1920×1080 at 60Hz) IPS display
Lightweight
Integrated folding travel cover and stand
85W pass-through charging
2x downstream 10Gbps USB-C ports

Cons

Not 4K if you need it

Our Verdict

This 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display doubles most laptops’ screen space and is simple to setup and connect, and then disconnect and lightweight enough to carry away when you’re done.

Price When Reviewed

$199.95

Best Prices Today: Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Display

$179.95

View Deal

A second screen makes your MacBook more useful and turns a laptop into a real alternative to a desktop computer. Adding one or more external displays to your MacBook is easy and recommended for a home office or indeed an old-fashioned real office setup. But you can’t—or at least shouldn’t—lug a 32-inch monitor around to meetings or the local coffee shop.

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

A properly portable display is a more realistic solution if you want the convenience of a laptop but more screen real estate to match your multi-app and window needs. We’ve reviewed several of these portable displays, and this latest 15.6-inch full HD portable monitor is the most straightforward we’ve tested. It works with MacBook, iPad, and iPhone. Note that it will only mirror what is on the iPhone’s screen, while it can extend the display of a Mac or iPad.

Foundry

Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Display: Portability

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

Weighing just 1.85lb (840g) with its cover/stand or 1.35lb (615g) without, it is barely noticeable alongside your laptop in your backpack or briefcase—although you’ll need to remember to pack a USB-C cable (one is included in the box), and maybe a charger if using the screen for an extended period.

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

On the back of the display is a detachable PU vinyl cover that can protect the screen in transit or storage and doubles up as a foldable stand that is easy to setup. This looks and works like an iPad protective cover and feels durable.

Foundry

Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Display: Setup

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

There’s no need to download software drivers, and the connection is plug and play.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Display: Specs

The Plugable Portable Display is a 15.6-inch anti-glare IPS LCD panel with a 16:9 ratio. It supports a full HD 1920-x-1080p resolution at a healthy 60Hz refresh rate.

It boasts a 178-degree viewing angle (89-degree vertical + 89-degree horizontal) and can display 16.7 million colors. The brightness range is up to an impressive 300 nits luminance. This is brighter than the popular ViewSonic VA1655 (also 15.6 inches), which maxes at 250 nits.

Some portable monitors, such as the 2,560-x-1,600p LG Gram +view, have higher resolutions that give a crisper experience, but at a price—that display costs 1.5x as much. There are 4K portable displays, such as the 3,840×2,160p UPerfect True 4K, that, again, will set you back significantly more.

We found the Plugable Portable Display to be fine for web browsing and productivity apps, and it’s acceptable for streaming, too—but maybe not for creative applications. There’s no Portrait Mode, so it’s maybe not for coders or readers of long documents.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Display: Power

The display itself can draw power from 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 deliver power to that, too.

Some portable displays include a built-in battery so you can use them longer on the go, but this adds considerable weight to the monitor. Staying light and giving you flexibility to draw power from the laptop or connect to a charger via the USB-C port offers you flexibility.

The Plugable Portable Display ships with a 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C cable, but no charger. See our comparison reviews of the best Mac laptop chargers for options.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Display: Ports and controls

Along the display’s right side are three USB-C port and three control buttons. The top buttons control brightness up and down, and quick color mode setting.

The USB-C ports are upstream to the host computer, PD 3.0 power delivery to the screen and passthrough power to the laptop if required, and a downstream USB-C to connect other devices. With Plugable being a market leader in docks and hubs we’d trust this display hub to work with just about any compatible device.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Display: Price

The Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Display is available in the U.S. and Canada for $199.95 / CA$275.95. You can buy cheaper portable monitors but you’ll probably sacrifice features and specs such as screen resolution and brightness.

There are alternatives that we have tested such as the dual 14-inch Limink Al Alloy Portable Triple Monitor and magnetic 14-inch Mobile Pixels DUEX Max, which both physically attach to the MacBook. The Plugable Portable Display stands aside and is therefore more versatile.

Of course, you can add much larger displays—see our roundup of the best monitors for Mac—but few will be as portable.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Display: Verdict

Even the 16-inch MacBook Pro’s own screen is often not enough to include all the windows you need visible at the same time. This 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display doubles most laptops’ screen space and is simple to set up and connect, and is lightweight enough to carry away when you’re done.