Everybody realizes that utilizing two monitors on your PC makes you increasingly profitable. Up to this point, however, the best portable monitor for laptop, pc and smartphones have beaten out at a humble 1366 x 768 goals. ASUS is changing all that with its new MB168B+, a 15.6-inch USB monitor with a 1920 x 1080 display. With a cost of just $199 and a svelte, 1.6-lb. suspension, the MB168B+ is an absolute necessity have adornment for business explorers or any individual who should be beneficial away from home.
Design
Snap to EnlargeAt 14.9 x 9.26 x 0.26 inches and simply 1.6 lbs., the ASUS MB168B+ is altogether more slender and lighter than the AOC e1659fwu (14.8 x 9.2 x 0.9 inches, 2.4 lbs.), which is likewise 15.6 inches, and the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkVision LT1421 (13.2 x 8.6 x 0.85 inches, 2.4 lbs.). Notwithstanding, in contrast to the Lenovo and AOC gadgets, the MB168B+ doesn’t have an arm. The ASUS requires its 1-lb. canvas conveying case, which overlays over for mounting.
When inside its case, the ASUS MB168B+ weighs 2.6 lbs. furthermore, measures 15.25 x 10.75 x 0.7 inches. In our testing, the case fit effectively into one pocket of our enormous workstation pack, leaving space for a littler note pad or tablet.
The ASUS MB168B+ looks particularly like a top notch item, with a metallic-shaded plastic back suggestive of the covers on ASUS’ Zenbook line of Ultrabooks. The front and sides are an inconspicuous matte plastic, which is a lot more tasteful than the modest polished plastic on the AOC e1659fwu. The left side houses the entirety of the MB168B+’s connectors and catches: a solitary small scale USB 3.0 port, a brilliance rocker and a power on/off catch.
Setting Up
Snap to EnlargeASUS incorporates a CD-ROM with its EZlink and Multiframe programming, which causes you deal with your windows, yet for those without optical drives, the utilities are accessible on support.asus.com. Like most portable USB monitors, the MB168B+ is controlled by a DisplayLink chip, so EZlink just introduces either the Mac or Windows DisplayLink drivers for you. In any case, we favored downloading the most recent rendition of the driver legitimately from DisplayLink.com. On the off chance that you as of now utilize a DisplayLink-controlled dock or other monitor on your PC, you may as of now have the product you need introduced.
When you have DisplayLink programming, you should simply connect the monitor to a USB port on your PC and it should illuminate and show a second work area for you. Similarly as with every optional monitor, you can modify its position, goals and different settings in Windows by right-tapping on the work area and choosing monitor Resolution or in Mac by visiting the Display segment of the System Preferences menu. On Windows 7, our work area backdrop didn’t fill the whole monitor if the essential monitor was a lower goals than the MB168B+, however the foundation shading did.
The unstable 26-inch microUSB 3.0-to-USB link ASUS groups with the MB168B+ is the monitor’s greatest disadvantage. In our tests, we found the link excessively short, and its microUSB 3.0 fitting flew out of the monitor extremely effectively. Much more terrible, various PCs we appended it to – incorporating a MacBook Air with USB 3.0 ports and an old Acer Timeline 1810T with just USB 2.0 – didn’t radiate enough squeeze to control the monitor over a solitary port. Luckily, when we utilized a USB Y link to associate it to double ports on these frameworks, the monitor worked fine and dandy.
At the point when we utilized an alternate USB 3.0 link, it fit into the USB port on the monitor substantially more safely. In case you’re going to buy the ASUS MB168B+, we unequivocally prescribe that you buy a USB 3.0 Y link, which you can purchase on a site, for example, NewEgg for as meager as $10.
Mounting
Snap to EnlargeOnce you see how to crease its case, mounting the ASUS MB168B+ USB monitor is genuinely simple. You should crease down a fold on the front side of the canvas case, which at that point frames a little 2-inch back to lean the monitor against. There are two Velcro strips within the case that you should use to hold the front of the monitor set up. Position the monitor against the base strip and it sits at an almost 90-degree edge. Spot it against the top strip and it reclines around 15 degrees, which is the position we liked. When you’ve set the monitor against the strip, you should overlap down the case’s top fold and secure it against the Velcro.
Utilizing Velcro strips and a fabric back appears to be a feeble method to mount the monitor, however it had a sense of safety in our tests. In any case, we wouldn’t suggest putting the monitor on a flimsy surface or jarring it to an extreme. We were likewise ready to situate the monitor in redisplay mode on the mount, yet it appeared to be exceptionally top-substantial and we stressed it may in the long run fall over.
Picture Quality
Snap to EnlargeThe ASUS MB168B+ gives wide review points, brilliant pictures and a lot of monitor land. At the point when we viewed a 1080p video of “The Avengers,” pictures stayed valid from up to 60 degrees to one side or right, and hues, for example, Iron Man’s red protective layer and Captain America’s blue outfit seemed precise, however not excessively rich. Since the monitor utilizes a matte instead of a reflexive board, we didn’t perceive any reflections until we drew nearer to 90 degrees.
At 163 lux on our light meter, the MB168B+ is a lot more brilliant than the 103-lux ThinkVision LT1421, however falls a couple of focuses shy of the 177-lux AOC e1659fwu.
While the 1920 x 1080 goals is incredible for observing full HD films, it’s far and away superior for efficiency work. Utilizing Excel 2013 at 100 percent zoom, we had the option to fit 24 sections and 41 lines of substance on the MB168B+’s display. In Word 2013 at 100 percent zoom, the ASUS monitor showed two pages one next to the other with 49 columns of content each. By correlation, the 1366 x 768 ThinkVision LT1421 demonstrated just 16 segments and 25 columns in Excel and one page with 27 lines of content in Word.
Performance
The ASUS MB168B+ USB monitor gave smooth, sharp pictures regardless of what we tossed at it. Regardless of whether we were altering in Excel or playing a high edge rate 1080p video, movement was splendidly smooth and consistent on the PC. On a Macbook Air running OS X Mountain Lion, we had no issues playing 1080p video or surfing the Web.
Bottom line
Snap to EnlargeThe ASUS MB168B+ is the best portable monitor we’ve utilized, offering fast execution, exact shading and a lot of monitor land in a lightweight, portable bundle. In spite of the fact that different monitors, for example, the $129 AOC e1659fwu are more affordable, the $199 MB168B+ merits each penny since its high-goals show will make you progressively beneficial out and about. Simply try to purchase your own USB link.
