Anyone who travels knows the value of a good portable monitor. At the cheap end of the spectrum you’ll get muted colors, poor build quality, no built-in speakers, and very few screen adjustment options. Spring for the most expensive displays and you’ll have a device that rivals your home office or gaming setup. Lepow’s 15.6-inch portable monitor falls decidedly in the middle of the pack, and is a decent option for those seeking a reasonable solution to gaming on the road.

A Slim Design Built For Travel

As far as looks are concerned, Lepow doesn’t do anything to rock the boat. It’s an understated design with a few bezels and Lepow’s logo on the front, speakers and ports on the side, and not much else to speak of. The display is protected by the usual PU leather screen protector that pulls double duty as an adjustable stand. It can be altered to accommodate multiple viewing angles, and anyone who has used a portable monitor in the last few years will immediately recognize its folding design.

The best part of the monitor is its tiny dimensions, allowing it to easily stow away in whichever bag has a bit of leftover space. It’s incredibly slim with a 0.3-inch profile, clocks in under two pounds, and still gives you a gaming screen that’s 15.6 inches in size. Here are a few of the important specs:

  • Display: 15.6 inches Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Dimensions: 14.50 x 8.80 x 0.34 inches Weight: 1.70 lbs Refresh Rate: 60Hz

Feature Complete (Batteries Not Included)

Lepow has outfitted the portable display with both a mini HDMI port and a Type-C port. It also has a 3.5mm jack if you want to plug in your old wired headphones, and there’s even a navigational wheel to quickly scroll through the options menu and adjust the brightness, color temperature, picture modes, and a few other settings.

It’s compatible with all the big gaming systems, but unless you’re hooked up to a device via a powered USB-C port, you’ll need to plug the display into an outlet or portable charger to turn it on. It also can’t connect directly to the Nintendo Switch, meaning you’ll need to bring the dock with you on your travels if you want to use it with the monitor.

Not Quite The Full Rainbow

All told, I only had two complaints about the portable monitor. The most obvious issue is it’s muted color range. The blacks aren’t very deep, the reds aren’t very vivid, and no matter how much I adjusted the settings, I couldn’t find something that made the colors more vibrant. That being said, as a portable screen for temporary gaming it’ll work in a pinch, but it would have been nice to have a cleaner image.

The next complaint is moreso an issue I have with all budget portable monitors, and that’s the power situation. Not having a built-in battery means you’ll need to hook the Lepow display up to a wall or portable battery, neither of which are ideal. Its charging cable runs on the shorter end and only extends a few feet, making it difficult to get the ideal setup if your current location happens to be lacking in outlets. Instead, you’ll likely be hooking it up to a portable battery, which means you’ll have a crowded desktop that consists of your monitor, battery, gaming console, and all the wires that go with it.

Verdict: Snag It During A Sale

Lepow’s monitor gets my recommendation with one major caveat — wait for it to go on sale! The list price of the portable display is $269.99, and at that price it’s just not feature complete enough to earn a recommendation. However, it’s often discounted well below the $200 price point, and in that range it’s certainly a great value. If your device of choice has a powered USB-C port and can eliminate the need for an external power source, then the Lepow monitor could be a perfect fit for your travel-gaming needs.

READ NEXT: WD_Black D10 External Hard Drive Review: A Gamer’s Best Friend