Best Portable Gaming Monitors Buying Guide

Gaming monitors are essential to enjoying your games to the fullest – and this isn’t just true for desktop monitors. For those who don’t want to compromise their gaming when on the move, the best portable gaming monitors can be great additions to your laptop or gaming handheld.

FYI: looking for the best overall picks? Consider one of the best portable monitors.

UPERFECT 2K 144Hz Portable Gaming Monitor

Best Overall Pick

See It

Read more detail

MAGICRAVEN 16″ 165Hz Portable Gaming Monitor

Best Overall Value

See It

Read more detail

Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE

Best High Refresh Rate

See It

Read more detail

ZSCMALLS 14.5” 4K 60Hz Portable Gaming Monitor

Best 4K

See It

Read more detail

Asus ZenScreen Touch MB16AMT

Best Touchscreen

See It

Read more detail

Our Criteria

To choose the best portable gaming monitor, you need to assess your needs in terms of the size, resolution, refresh rate, and weight, before making a decision. Battery life can also play a part if your laptop doesn’t have enough juice to power the monitor. Otherwise, you can buy a dedicated battery pack for the monitor.

Screen Size and Resolution

Portable gaming monitors can’t be huge, but you still need a decently-sized screen for maximum immersion. Anything from 15″ to 18″ is ideal. As for resolution, while Full HD is perfectly sharp at this size, having 1440p or 4K enhances the gaming experience.

Portability

Portability is one of the biggest considerations when you’re lugging around a monitor with your laptop or gaming handheld. Monitors weighing between 1 and 2 pounds are common, but you’ll have to consider heavier models in case of larger screens.

Refresh Rate

The higher the refresh rate of your monitor, the more fluid and responsive your screen will feel. Look for 144Hz at minimum for Full HD and 1440p models. Also, look for variable refresh rate technology, like FreeSync or G-SYNC.

Good to know: chasing high refresh rates? Find out whether you really need a 360Hz monitor.

Connectivity and Battery Life

A portable monitor needs to have enough connectivity options to connect to your gaming device of choice. Longer battery life can be a lifesaver when you can’t afford to share your laptop’s battery power.

Panel Type

Portable gaming monitors mostly have IPS or OLED panels. OLED screens will result in better blacks, better HDR, and faster response time. IPS panels look great and are fast enough for gaming, but don’t have the excellent contrast ratio of OLED monitors.

Response Time

OLED panels have resulted in near-instantaneous response times, but you can get 3-5ms response times from decent IPS models, too.

Brightness, Contrast, and HDR

OLED panels are unparalleled in terms of contrast and black levels, which contribute to a great HDR experience. High brightness is also necessary for highlights to pop. Some IPS panels can have decent HDR, but they can’t rival OLED competitors.

Good to know: facing bad HDR image quality? Learn why HDR looks bad in Windows and how to fix it.

Best Portable Gaming Monitors Buying Guide

Portable monitors first appeared on the market in the early 2000s, before becoming more popular in the early 2010s, as models from HP, Asus, and others became relatively more affordable. Portable gaming monitors, on the other hand, became available only in the mid-2010s.

Unlike regular portable monitors, those intended for gaming saw features like higher refresh rates, higher resolution screens, lower response times, and better panel technology come to the fore.

The demand for portable monitors began rising as people felt limited by the displays of their laptops or gaming handhelds. Today, you can even spot foldable OLED monitors from brands like Asus, so it’s clear that the market is only going to get bigger and more interesting.

Tip: If you’re a fan of gaming on the go, you likely have a gaming laptop or handheld, like the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or ROG Ally.

1. Best Overall Pick – UPERFECT 2K 144Hz Portable Gaming Monitor

In a sea of 1080p and 4K portable monitors, the UPERFECT 2K 144Hz Portable Gaming Monitor stands out: the resolution and refresh rate sweet spot of 1440p and 144Hz brings an ultra-sharp, responsive screen for your gaming sessions. The massive 18″ IPS screen also includes FreeSync to eliminate screen tearing. The slim-bezel design would appeal to gamers.

The wide 16:10 aspect ratio enhances immersion, and the fast response time keeps fast-moving images in focus. The panel shines for its brightness and superior color accuracy. You get dual Type-C ports and a Mini HDMI port for connectivity. The built-in speakers aren’t exceptional, and the monitor weight could be an issue for some.

2. Best Overall Value – MAGICRAVEN 16″ 165Hz Portable Gaming Monitor

Budget portable monitors tend to be mostly functional and short on features, but the MAGICRAVEN 16″ 165Hz Portable Gaming Monitor challenges that notion. Providing a large 16″, 1920 x 1200 resolution IPS screen with a 165Hz refresh rate at this price is frankly astonishing. You’re also getting a 1ms response time and AMD FreeSync.

The brightness and contrast ratio are also excellent, and the monitor is extremely thin and light. You’re getting the usual dual USB-C ports (USB 3.2) and a mini HDMI port (HDMI 2.0), plus built-in speakers.

3. Best High Refresh Rate – Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE

When you’re gaming on portable monitors, you generally don’t have access to desktop-grade hardware. Insanely high refresh rates aren’t a concern. But for the framerate-chasers using the best gaming laptops, the Asus ROG Strix XG17AHPE, with its 240Hz refresh rate and large 17.3″ IPS screen, is a great option. The FreeSync-enabled Full HD monitor also comes with a smart case.

Another great thing about this Asus monitor is the built-in 7800 mAh battery that supports fast charging. Response time is fantastic, and screen brightness is also decent. Connectivity is enabled by USB-C and micro-HDMI. The monitor’s build is thin but weighs more than 2 pounds.

Good to know: unsure how fast your display is? Learn about the best sites to check your monitor’s refresh rate.

4. Best 4K – ZSCMALLS 14.5” 4K 60Hz Portable Gaming Monitor

If you want the sharpest image quality, the ZSCMALLS 14.5” 4K 60Hz Portable Gaming Monitor offers 4K+ resolution in a 16:10, 14.5″ IPS screen, resulting in an impressively high PPI. The 60Hz refresh rate shouldn’t be a big issue unless you’re playing incredibly easy-to-run eSports, titles like Counter Strike and Valorant.

This 4K monitor manages to weigh just over a pound and is only 0.2-inch thick. The brightness and contrast ratio keep up with the super-sharp panel, resulting in great image quality. AMD FreeSync support is there, and the screen is color-accurate too. You get a Mini HDMI, a Mini USB Type-B, and dual USB Type-C ports.

5. Best Touchscreen – Asus ZenScreen Touch MB16AMT

If you like touchscreen functionality for your games, the Asus ZenScreen Touch MB16AMT is a great 15.6″ Full HD IPS monitor for you. Its 60Hz, 10-point touchscreen is ideal for single-player, story-driven games. You get a large integrated battery for a long-lasting gaming experience.

In terms of connectivity, USB-C and Mini HDMI ports are included. The design of the laptop is thin, but it weighs close to 2 pounds. Creatives would love the complimentary three-month Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. You also get integrated speakers and a bundled smart cover that supports both portrait and landscape orientations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Image credit: Flickr

Tanveer Singh - Staff Writer

After a 7-year corporate stint, Tanveer found his love for writing and tech too much to resist. An MBA in Marketing and the owner of a PC building business, he writes on PC hardware, technology, video games, and Windows. When not scouring the web for ideas, he can be found building PCs, watching anime, or playing Smash Karts on his RTX 3080 (sigh).