In late 2025, the portable monitor market has matured into an essential category for remote workers, travelers, and students. The best models are defined by the rise of vibrant OLED panels for creatives, high-refresh-rate options for gamers, and excellent, affordable IPS displays for everyday productivity.
The Best Overall: ASUS ZenScreen OLED (Latest Model) 🎨
Best for: Creatives, photographers, and anyone who values perfect image quality.
The ZenScreen OLED series continues to be the benchmark for portable display quality.
- Key Features: Its stunning OLED panel delivers perfect blacks, infinite contrast, and incredibly vibrant, accurate colors (typically covering 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut). It’s incredibly thin and lightweight, making it easy to slip into a backpack.
- Why You’d Choose It: You work with photos or videos, or you simply want the most beautiful possible second screen for media consumption. The image quality is a class above standard LCD/IPS panels.
The Best for Gaming: A High-Refresh-Rate Model 🎮
Best for: Gamers who want a smooth, responsive second screen for their laptop or console.
Brands like ASUS ROG and Razer now offer portable monitors built specifically for gaming.
- Key Features: The defining feature is a high refresh rate (144Hz or higher) and a low response time, which results in buttery-smooth motion clarity, essential for fast-paced games. They often include features like adaptive sync (FreeSync/G-Sync) to prevent screen tearing.
- Why You’d Choose It: Your primary use is gaming on the go, and you refuse to compromise on a high-refresh-rate experience.
The Best Budget All-Rounder: A Reputable IPS Model 💼
Best for: Students and professionals who need a reliable second screen without breaking the bank.
Brands like Dell, Lenovo, and ViewSonic offer excellent value in this space.
- Key Features: These monitors typically feature a solid 1080p (Full HD) IPS display, which offers good colors and viewing angles. Connectivity is usually a simple, single USB-C cable that handles both power and video from your laptop.
- Why You’d Choose It: You need the core productivity boost of a second monitor for tasks like coding, writing, or referencing documents, and you don’t need premium features like OLED or a high refresh rate.
Step 2: Offer Next Step
The review of the best portable monitors is now complete. The next topic on our list is about the differences between OLED, QLED, and Mini-LED TVs. Shall I prepare that for you?