Summary
- The Dell Pro 14 Plus Portable Monitor has just been released, and it works with many laptops, desktops, phones, and tablets.
- The monitor has 1920 x 1200 IPS panel, 16:10 aspect ratio, 100% sRGB coverage, and can be used horizontally or vertically.
Dell has introduced a 1080p 14-inch portable monitor, with only one USB-C cable required for both power and display input. Importantly, you can also use it horizontally or vertically, which is somewhat unique with these portable monitors.
The monitor has a 14.0-inch 1920 x 1200 In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel, with a 16:10 aspect ratio, an anti-glare coating, and a contrast ratio of 1500:1. Dell says it also has 100% sRGB color gamut coverage and a response time of 7ms. A 4K resolution would have been appreciated, but 1080p at 14 inches isn’t bad at all, especially if you’re just using it as a secondary monitor for a laptop or tablet.
Portable monitors that use USB-C for both power and display input are nothing new: we have even reviewed a few of them here at How-To Geek, like the Plugable USBC-PDMON Portable Monitor. The Dell Pro 14 Plus Portable Monitor is not bringing any revolutionary new features to the table, but it seems like a great all-around option for adding another screen to your laptop, tablet, or other USB-C device.
Like many other portable monitors, you can use a single USB-C cable for display and power, eliminating the need to bring around power cables just for the monitor. There are ports on both sides of the display, and power pass-through at up to 65W is supported. That means you can connect the monitor to a USB-C power source (like a wall charger), then use the second USB-C port on the monitor to have one cable running to the connected device. I have a similar Lenovo USB-C portable monitor with that feature, and I use it a lot with my MacBook Air, since plugging both power and the monitor into the laptop leaves me with no remaining USB ports.
There are two features that help set the Dell monitor apart from (some of) the competition. For one, the monitor can be set up either vertically or horizontally, with a built-in rotation sensor to report the correct orientation to the connected device. Hopefully, that means you won’t have to go into your device’s display options and manually fix the orientation. The other helpful addition is VESA mount compatibility—you could conceivably attach this to a monitor stand while you’re at a desk, then take it off to bring the monitor with you. That will probably only be useful to businesses and other in-person workplaces, but nothing’s stopping you from setting that up at home, too.
Importantly, this monitor requires that the connected device supports DisplayPort 1.2 Alt Mode over USB-C. That means it should work with most laptops, desktops, phones, and tablets equipped with a USB-C port with video support, including MacBook laptops, many PC ultrabooks and desktops, some Android phones, iPads, and other devices. It won’t work with devices that only support HDMI, even if you use an HDMI-to-USB-C cable.
Dell is also including a 1-meter USB-C-to-C cable in the box with an L-shaped connector. That helps the cable fit properly underneath the monitor in the vertical orientation, and it won’t stick out as much on your desk while in horizontal mode. You should be able to use any other USB-C cable that supports data and power, though, if you happen to lose or break the included cable.
You can buy the Dell Pro 14 Plus Portable Monitor (P1425) from Dell’s online store now for $300, and it should show up at other retail stores soon. Don’t get it confused for the last-generation model, which has a model number of P124H.
Source: Dell
