Why you can trust Creative Bloq
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Portable Monitor Review: Acer PD3
Portable monitors come in all sizes, though not shapes, and can range from the extremely cheap to premium models. They’re extremely useful for extending your laptop’s screen space, perhaps when you’re working away or if you just like to keep an uncluttered desk, as they can easily be packed away when not needed. We’ve never seen one like this before though: Acer has paired two panels to create a folding device that triples your screen space, allowing you to have more apps open at the same time and impress those around you too. But can it compete with the best monitors for working from home?
Key Specifications
| Screen size: | 2x 18.5in |
| Screen type: | LED backlit TFT non-touch |
| Resolution: | 1920 x 1080 x 2 (1920 x 2160) |
| Refresh rate: | 100Hz |
| Colour gamut (measured): | 100% sRGB, 84% Adobe RGB, 91% P3 |
| Brightness (measured): | 165 nits |
| Ports: | 2x USB-C, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm headphone |
| Wireless connectivity: | none |
| Dimensions: | 256 x 423 x 24.5 mm |
| Weight: | 2.33 kg |
Design and Build
If you’re familiar with portable monitors, you might expect each panel of the P3 to be about the size of a 15in laptop screen, and a reasonably light, flat thing not too dissimilar to a tablet computer. It’s really not. Each of the P3’s halves is a 18.5in 1080p panel. The thing is massive, and when folded up looks like you’ve bought yourself an 18in gaming laptop.
However, it is nicely made. At 2.33 kg and with a metal frame you’re not going to get any of the flex you might expect from plastic construction, and the stand that folds out from the back keeps it well supported. It’s also possible to fold the screen over backwards so that it enters the ‘tent’ position beloved of 2-in-1 laptops. There are two modes, one that treats it as a single display (known as ‘fill’), and one which shows the same picture on both halves of the screen. If you bend it over backwards it detects this and rotates the top half of the screen, so you could use it to show the same content on both sides at the same time.
Performance
The Acer PD3 costs $449 / £469, only a little more than the Asus ZenScreen OLED MQ13AH – the Asus is an OLED, so comes with excellent brightness and colours, but is also a single panel and only 13.3 inches across. You get a lot more for your money with the PD3, but you might still prefer the way the OLED looks – and it’s much easier to carry with you too.
Who is it for?
- Hybrid workers
Traveller’s are going to probably want something smaller and easier to pop in a bag, perhaps even something with wireless capabilities such as the Asus ZenScreen Go. Those who regularly work out of unusual places, perhaps a regular trip to a photo studio or a hotel with the kind of bags that can take the PD3, will appreciate the extra screen space it provides, but it’s too bulky for cramped spaces such as plane seats.
Scorecard
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Made to last, but might not fit in every bag. | 4/5 |
| Features | Enough ports, but controls can be fiddly. | 3/5 |
| Performance | Not as bright as we might like, but good colour. | 3/5 |
| Value | You get a lot for your money, but other screens may suit your needs better. | 3/5 |
Buy it if…
- You want an innovative portable screen
- The line down the middle doesn’t bother you
- Bigger is better
Don’t buy it if…
- You want OLED brightness
- You don’t have the room to use it
- A standard desktop screen would do
Also consider…
- Other portable monitors with more compact designs
- Monitors with wireless connectivity
- Monitors with higher brightness levels
