My MacBook Pro laptop recently died after 6–7 years of use, and I wanted to take this chance to try the MacMini desktop while still enjoying a Retina-like portable display. In other words, I was looking for a 15–17" portable monitor with a resolution of at least 2880x1800 (also known as “WQXGA+”), and a wide color gamut (i.e. Display-P3).
The closest I could find were two 16" portable monitors with a resolution of 2560x1600 (also known as “WQXGA” without the “+”):
- ASUS ZenScreen MB16QHG ($400 USD)
- LG Gram +view 16MR70 ($350 USD)
- Bonus: SOTSU FlipAction Pro 16" ($500 USD — but it’s just the LG 16MR70 repackaged inside of a cool frame with a portable stand and travel case)
- Update: ViewSonic recently launched the VG1656–2K, but it only supports a narrow color gamut (sRGB) which is not acceptable in 2024.
There were a few more options at 3840x2160 (aka “4K UHD”), however, they were significantly more expensive.
So I ended up buying the LG Gram +view 16MR70 thinking it is a good deal with a close enough resolution. Here’s what I learned.
Resolution (bad)
The LG 16MR70 has a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels (WQXGA), and on a 16" screen this means a pixel density of 189 PPI (Pixels Per Inch).
In comparison, the 2880x1800 (WQXGA+) Retina display that I’m used to on my 15.4" MacBook Pro has a pixel density of 220 PPI.
With HiDPI scaling (what Apple calls the “Retina” effect), a WQXGA monitor scales down to 1280x800, whereas a WQXGA+ monitor scales down to 1680x1050.
Here’s how that looks:
The issue with 1280x800 is that everything looks too big and many applications (like Lightroom, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, etc) become a pain to use. And if you increase the resolution even a little bit to 1600x1000 to get things down to a more normal and usable size, you lose HiDPI and start to see significant pixilation which defeats the whole purpose of paying extra for a higher resolution display.
Color Profile (good)
Out of the box, the colors on the LG 16MR70 look much more saturated compared to my MacBook Pro and iPad Air, despite all three devices being marketed as using the Display-P3 color gamut.
In MacOS settings, I noticed the LG 16MR70’s default color profile was the same as the “sRGB” color profile. When I changed the color profile to “Display P3”, the LG 16MR70 became consistent with my MacBook Pro and iPad Air. It was an incredibly satisfying moment for my color perfectionism.
LG is one of Apple’s main suppliers of displays, so this is probably why it was so easy to have my LG monitor match my Apple devices.
(Side note: can someone please explain in the comments why the sRGB color profile makes the monitor look more saturated than the Display-P3 color profile? This seems counter-intuitive given that sRGB covers fewer colors than Display-P3…)
Contrast (bad)
After getting the colors to look right, a new issue emerged: the contrast level. When looking at shadows or dark areas in photos, it quickly becomes apparent that the LG 16MR70 has an overly punchy contrast which makes it difficult to see details in those areas.
There is no physical button to adjust the contrast.
According to the user manual, the only way to adjust the contrast setting is to install the LG Switch app, and the app is only available for Windows.
As of 24-June-2024, a MacOS version of LG Switch is available, however, it lacks any functionality to tweak the monitor settings. The only functionality the app has is LG’s split screen mode (a feature already native to MacOS and done better by apps like Magnet) and a tab with shortcuts to video calling apps for some reason. So LG Switch on MacOS is the most useless app I’ve seen in years.
This leaves just one option if you want to adjust the contrast on a Mac, and that’s a monitor calibration tool like the Calibrite Display Pro HL ($280 USD). This ends up almost doubling the cost of the monitor if you don’t already have one.
Settings (bad)
As seen above, you can’t control something as basic as contrast on the LG 16MR70 if you’re a Mac user. So what CAN you configure?
The LG 16MR70 has an up and down button located on the bottom right side of the screen to adjust brightness. It is very handy for this purpose; I wish more portable monitors had such easily accessible brightness controls. The issue is that there are no other settings buttons and not even a power button.
To change any settings on this monitor, you need to do so from the computer it is connected to. On MacOS, you can only change the following:
- Resolution (1280x800 is the only HiDPI option)
- Refresh rate (60Hz is the only option, period)
- Rotation
- Color profile
The LG 16MR70 is the least configurable monitor I’ve ever seen. This wouldn’t be a problem if the monitor was pre-configured and certified for color accuracy like how BenQ and ASUS ProArt monitors are known to be, but unfortunately this is not the case with LG.
Brightness (good)
On paper, the LG 16MR70 has the lowest brightness among its competition at just 350 nits. But in practice, I’ve found it to be just as bright, if not a bit brighter, than the ViewSonic VX1655–4K which is supposedly 400 nits. And yes, I made sure to set the ViewSonic to 100% brightness, and even used the ViewSonic with it’s official power adapter instead of relying on power from my MacMini.
One possible reason for the perceived higher brightness of the LG 16MR70 might be the previously mentioned high contrast setting. It will be interesting to see if the 16MR70 maintains its high brightness after I get a chance to calibrate it with the Calibrite Display Pro HL.
Ports
The LG 16MR70 has a two USB-C ports; one on each side of the screen. This makes it easy to connect to regardless of the layout of your desk setup.
The ports use a protocol called “DisplayPort (DP Alt Mode)”, so both your computer and your USB-C cable need to be compatible with it (the LG 16MR70 does come with a compatible cable).
Note that there is no HDMI port or any other type of port on this monitor.
What can you do with the spare USB-C port? Not much. When the LG 16MR70 is connected to a computer, the spare port won’t charge anything and it doesn’t passthrough any data. So it cannot be used for an SSD or even a Yubikey.
The only purpose of the spare port is to allow for charging when using the LG 16MR70 with a battery-powered device (as detailed in the 16MR70 vs 16MQ70 section at the end).
Speakers
The LG 16MR70 (and ASUS MB16QHG) do not have any speakers, and that’s ok. Whether you’re using this as a primary monitor for a MacMini, or secondary monitor for a MacBook Pro, your setup will already have better speakers than what could be expected from a portable monitor.
It’s not the norm for portable monitors to have speakers, though this is starting to change with super-high-end 4K models like the ViewSonic VX1655–4K, ASUS ProArt PA169CDV, and Espresso 17 Pro.
Mount/Stand
A nice thing about the LG 16MR70 is that it is slim and has a flat back. This makes it easy to place on an elevated and portable tablet stand like the one below.
The flat back also makes the LG compatible with tripod mounts, though few models are able to extend to the LG’s high vertical length of 9.66". One such rare mount is by Leaplumin (shown above); it can extend up to 11.2".
In contrast to the LG, the ASUS MB16QHG and ViewSonic VX1655–4K both have a box on the back to handle their ports and other components. This makes it impossible for them to fit on most tablet stands and tripod clamps. But they make up for it by having a built-in tripod socket.
Customer Service (bad)
When trying to register the warranty for my LG 16MR70, I noticed that this model number was missing from the form. Only the older 16MQ70 model number would show up, and when trying to submit the form with the serial number for my 16MR70 it would give an error.
Also, I wanted to get clarification on some tech specs, like whether the LG 16MR70 is true 8-bit or 6-bit with FRC.
For both support tickets, I’ve been waiting for a response for a few weeks now and counting…
Summary
As a primary monitor, 2.5K (WQXGA) resolution displays like the LG 16MR70 and ASUS MB16QHG are NOT sufficient to match the pixel density we’ve become used to on Apple devices. 4K resolution is a must if this is what you’re looking for (see my ViewSonic VX1655–4K review).
As a secondary monitor, the LG 16MR70 would be a decent option if the ASUS MB16QHG didn’t exist at a similar price point:
- ASUS has 500 nits of brights; LG just has 350 nits.
- ASUS has a 120 Hz refresh rate; LG just has 60 Hz.
- ASUS covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut; LG covers 99%.
- ASUS has VESA DisplayHDR 400; LG has no HDR.
- ASUS has a tripod socket; LG has no tripod socket.
- ASUS has HDMI and audio output ports; LG only has USB-C ports.
- ASUS has a 5-way button for a wide variety of settings; LG only has a 2-way button that can only adjust brightness (other settings like contrast can only be changed on a Windows computer).
- ASUS has a power button; LG has no power button (needs to be unplugged to turn off).
- ASUS comes with 3 months of Adobe Creative Cloud; LG has no promos.
All this extra value and functionality on the ASUS costs just $50 USD more (or as little as $21 USD based on the current deals on Amazon.com). So if you want a WQXGA monitor, the ASUS ZenScreen MB16QHG is a no-brainer compared to the LG.
In summary, out of the four top-tier portable monitors, the LG 16MR70 is the weakest but also the least expensive. But the slightly cheaper price is not worth all the specs and features you will be missing out on for just a little bit extra $.
16MR70 vs 16MQ70
If, for some crazy reason, you still want to buy the LG Gram +view then note that a single letter (R vs Q) can make a big difference in what you receive.
In March 2022, the LG Gram +view was released under the model number “16MQ70” and it received a lot of complaints about the cover/stand and the lack of passthrough charging.
The lack of passthrough charging means that 16MQ70 is only able to take power from the device it’s connected to. When that device is a computer that has it’s own power connection, then it is not a problem. But when that device is battery-powered and only has one USB-C port (like a tablet or phone or gaming device), then the 16MQ70 needs to take power from that device’s battery and can only run at around 50% brightness. It also means that it’s NOT possible to simultaneously charge the device AND use the monitor.
So a year later, in March 2023, LG released the “16MR70”. This new model comes with power passthrough and an improved cover/stand. Power passthrough allows you to connect the 16MR70 directly to a power source (an outlet or battery pack) using one of the USB-C ports, and then connect to a device using the other USB-C port. This means the 16MR70 can charge the device it is connected to rather than draining it.
I hope this guide was helpful! 🙏 I’m new to writing on Medium so please share your feedback in the comments, don’t be shy to ask any questions, and let me know your experience with any portable monitors you’ve tried.
