I really wanted to like the Acer PD163Q Dual Portable Monitor. The idea of being able to carry around two screens with me and plug a single cable in was alluring, though that thought process came to an abrupt end thanks to this portable display’s constant connectivity issues.
Acer PD163Q
$250 $279 Save
$29
The Acer PD163Q Dual Portable Monitor has a lot of potential, but is held back by a connectivity nightmare. Getting both screens to work simultaneously is a chore, and one that doesn’t work every time. When used as a single display, or during one of the few times it works as intended, the 15.6-inch 1080p screens are great to work with and offer lots of extra screen real estate for on-the-go workflows. The build quality is also pretty great, though ultimately held back by a slew of connectivity issues.
- Good build quality
- Decent screen quality
- Connectivity issues galore
- Rarely could get both screens to work at the same time
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Price and Availability
The Acer PD163Q Portable Monitor costs $249.99 at Amazon.
A Connectivity Nightmare
I was really excited about the PD163Q. The idea of having two displays that take up the size of one in my laptop bag and running them over a single cable? Well, it was too good to be true.
While the PD163Q is technically supposed to be able to work over a single cable for both displays, this is more of a pipe dream than a reality. I got the dual cable setup working one time, and one time only on my Windows desktop. With my M1 Max MacBook Pro, I was finally able to get the single-cable setup functioning. However, I had to install the drivers and allow macOS to let the drivers through multiple layers of my computer’s security. Then, and only then, would the two monitors work simultaneously.
Also, when using the two monitors over a single cable, it took at least a minute, if not longer, before they would come up after being plugged in. I tried this multiple times, and it happened each time. My MacBook’s internal display would refresh, dim, brighten, and do all kinds of weird things that Apple Silicon-powered Macs no longer do when connected to external displays. I have no idea what driver hoops Acer is jumping through to get this to work, but I’m not a fan. However, once it finally stopped the connecting/disconnecting nightmare, it did work, and it was a solid connection.
You need specific cables with specific ratings to use the display effectively. I used USB 3.1 5Gbps cables to get the screen to work.
On Windows, the USB drivers worked once or twice, but that’s about it. I tried for a good while to get it to be stable, but I never could get it to be super reliable when running two displays on Windows.
When I Needed Them the Most, Only One Screen Would Work
I brought the Acer PD163Q along with me to a coffee shop one day to get some work done. I was planning to use both screens and my 14-inch MacBook Pro to be ultra-productive. Hah! That was a great idea in theory.
In practice? I could only get one screen to work. No matter what I did with the drivers, no matter what USB-C cable I used, I couldn’t get the second screen to even think about coming on. It was quite frustrating.
I eventually just gave up trying to get both monitors to work, folded the top one down, and used the bottom monitor by itself. This worked great, actually. But, that isn’t what the PD163Q is designed for.
An Overall Decent Design With a Lot of Potential
Honestly, I really like the design of the Acer PD163Q. It feels a little thick, but it’s understandable since there are two screens here after all. The kickstand was also pretty solid. I enjoyed using it, and I always felt that the displays, even when both were upright, were quite stable.
I was also happy with the quality of the two screens. The 1080p resolution is a little low, but it worked just fine to have as a secondary display to keep YouTube on, monitor my email, or other things that I didn’t really care about resolution or color accuracy for.
The Acer PD163Q had so much potential, but the connectivity issues really hold this monitor back from what it could have been.
Should You Buy the Acer PD163Q Portable Monitor?
At the end of the day, this monitor is nothing short of a connectivity nightmare. When used as a single display, it was reliable and worked well. The moment you want to use it as two displays? Forget it. If Acer could have figured out the connectivity issues, then this would have been the ultimate portable productivity setup.
As it stands, however, I can’t recommend anyone buy the Acer PD163Q. Plugable’s USBC-PDMON monitor offers more capability at a lower price and is at least reliable. Or, really, any other USB-C monitor out there would be a better buy. Just don’t get the Acer PD163Q. If you need a dual portable monitor solution, just buy two monitors and call it a day.
Acer PD163Q
$250 $279 Save
$29
The Acer PD163Q Dual Portable Monitor has a lot of potential, but is held back by a connectivity nightmare. Getting both screens to work simultaneously is a chore, and one that doesn’t work every time. When used as a single display, or during one of the few times it works as intended, the 15.6-inch 1080p screens are great to work with and offer lots of extra screen real estate for on-the-go workflows. The build quality is also pretty great, though ultimately held back by a slew of connectivity issues.
