I was recently surprised to learn that only three reputable brands offer a portable monitor that matches Apple’s Retina displays (4K resolution with at least 220 Pixels Per Inch), and they were all released around Autumn of 2023:
- ViewSonic VX1655–4K (15.6" no touch, $400)
- ViewSonic VX1655–4K-OLED (15.6" no touch, $500)
- ASUS ProArt PA169CDV (15.6" touch screen, $900)
- Espresso 17 Pro (17.3" touch screen, $800)
In this article I’ll share my experience with the most affordable of these options: the ViewSonic VX1655–4K (IPS version). It’s still crazy expensive for a portable monitor though, and unfortunately I did have buyer’s remorse. 😔
Also, before buying the ViewSonic VX1655–4K, I had the even cheaper LG Gram +view 16MR70 (16" at 2.5K resolution). So you’ll see me comparing the ViewSonic to this LG as well. Spoiler alert: the ViewSonic does NOT always come out on top. 🙊
Competition
Before we go into details about the VX1655–4K, here’s some context about how it compares against the other 4K options and the 2.5K LG:
IPS vs OLED
When buying the VX1655–4K, you’ll need to decide if you want the IPS version ($400) or OLED version ($500).
I bought the IPS version because…
- The IPS version has a lower power usage (10W vs 24W for OLED), making it easier to run from a laptop.
- The IPS version is $100 USD less than OLED and this thing is already expensive to import to where I live (ViewSonic doesn’t sell them directly in Asia for some reason).
- The IPS version is more comparable to the majority of devices on the market, thus allowing you to better empathize with how most people will see your work (though this is slowing changing with Apple’s new mini-LED displays).
- OLED screens have a shorter lifespan as the organic materials in them degrade over time. In particular, the blue subpixels deteriorate faster than red and green ones, which means that with age an OLED display will become more warm/yellow and less color accurate.
- OLED screens can suffer from burn-in when static (non-moving) content is displayed for long periods of time. Static content can include things like MacOS’s menu bar and app dock, window headings, a browser’s searchbar / toolbar / bookmarks bar, and sidebar panels in apps like Photoshop and Lightroom. ViewSonic’s OLED warranty specifically excludes “Damage caused by static (non-moving) images displayed for lengthy periods of time (also referred to as image burn-in).”
- The OLED version of VX1655–4K has no burn-in protection features (see message from ViewSonic support below):
Advantages of the OLED version:
- The OLED version has more colors (1.07 billion vs 16.77 million for the IPS version).
- The OLED version has 100% coverage of Display-P3 (the IPS version just covers sRGB).
- The OLED version is certified DisplayHDR TrueBlack 500 (the IPS version has no HDR certification, though it does have HDR setting options).
- The OLED version has better contrast (100,000:1 vs 1,000:1 for the IPS version). And in particular, black/dark colors on OLEDs are more pure and not faded from backlighting.
In hindsight, the 100% coverage of Display-P3 alone would have made the OLED version worth it. I didn’t realize that the IPS version only covers sRGB until it arrived at my home. 🤦🙈 But the lack of burn-in protection features in the OLED version, and the exclusion of burn-in from warranty, are two huge red flags. 🚩🚩 So both the IPS and OLED versions of the VX1655–4K have significant deal-breakers.
First Impressions (bad)
The first thing that stood out to me after connecting my brand new VX1655–4K (IPS) is how warm, green-tinted, and dim the colors are compared to my MacBook Pro (2018), iPad Air 4 (2020), and LG 16MR70 (2023). All three of my existing devices look consistent with each other, whereas the VX1655–4K is the odd one out. And yes, I checked that the blue light filter is off.
Brightness (good)
The dim look was quickly solved in the settings — it turns out the VX1655–4K comes set at just 60% brightness by default. When I increase the brightness setting to 100%, it actually ends up being a bit too bright. I found 80–90% to be my sweet spot.
Settings (good)
On the VX1655–4 you have many settings you can tinker with using the OSD (On Screen Display) menu system that is controlled with a joystick on the back of the monitor. This includes contrast and the intensity of Red vs Green vs Blue pixels.
My only complaint is that changing the brightness is not as fast/convenient as on the LG 16MR70 which has a dedicated brightness button on the side (similar to a the volume buttons on a phone). The downside of the LG is that brightness is the only thing you can change.
Colors (bad)
This has been my biggest pain point with the VX1655–4K. Out of the box, the colors look very off compared to calibrated displays. The default Native preset, as well as the sRGB preset, are both visibly green-tinted.
Even after color calibrating using Calibrite’s Display Pro HL, the ViewSonic remains warmer and more green-tinted compared to all my other color calibrated displays.
The issue seems to be that the VX1655–4K only has 6 bits per pixel. This means it can only generate 262,000 colors, whereas sRGB contains 16.7 million colors. To make up for this, the VX1655–4K uses a trick called FRC (Frame Rate Control) to quickly flash a pixel between 2 colors to trick the human eye into thinking it’s a 3rd color. A calibration tool can’t be tricked the same way as a human eye though, and so it makes it difficult to properly calibrate a display that uses FRC with just 6 bits. Ideally, the display should be at least 8 bits, and FRC should only be used to go from 16.77 million colors to 1.07 billion colors. This is what the OLED version of the VX1655–4K does and why the OLED version is significantly better.
Screen Space (good)
Initially, it feels like the VX1655–4K (15.6" at 16x9) has less vertical space to work with than the LG 16MR70 (16" at 16x10). The ViewSonic is almost an inch shorter vertically than the LG. But due to ViewSonic’s much higher resolution and pixel density, you actually end up seeing more content on the ViewSonic than on the LG.
On the LG, if you increase the resolution even a little bit to 1600x1000 to get things down to a more normal and usable size, you start to see significant pixilation and loss of quality.
Mounts
On the back of the VX1655–4K, in the lower center half, there is a box that contains the speakers, ports (1 mini HDMI, 2 USB-C, and 1 audio output), and the joy-stick control for settings menu.
- The benefit of this is that the VX1655–4K can fold out to act as a stand.
- The downside of this is that it makes the VX1655–4K incompatible with most tablet clamps and tablet stands. Even VIVO’s Universal VESA Holder for Tablets and Monitors does NOT fit the VX1655–4K.
ViewSonic makes up for this by adding a tripod mount to the bottom of the VX1655–4K. However, this is the most finicky tripod mount I’ve ever used. When trying to screw in any standard 1/4"-20 thread attachment into the monitor, it often ends up going off center and getting stuck at an angle. It takes a lot of concentration and focus to get the thread to go in straight which is not something I’ve ever experienced before with 1/4"-20 mounts (and I’ve used some really cheap 1/4"-20 mounts from China).
Summary & Conclusions
I bought the ViewSonic VX1655–4K after owning the LG 16MR70. The goal was to replace the LG because the lower resolution of the LG was bothering me. But after owning both, I’ve come to appreciate some things about the LG and ended up torn between the two monitors.
Areas where the ViewSonic VX1655–4K is better:
- The Apple Retina-like HiDPI resolution.
- The high level of details visible in shadows and dark areas of photos.
- The inclusion of a HDMI mini port and audio output port.
- The tripod mount on the bottom (though it is very finicky).
- A proper OSD settings menu.
Areas where the LG 16MR70 is better:
- The 16x10 aspect ratio (it’s just a shame the resolution isn’t higher).
- The wide color gamut (99% Display-P3).
- The color accuracy (whites, blacks, and grays seem more “true” / less tinted).
- The ease of adjusting brightness (convenient buttons on the side of the monitor; but no ability to adjust anything else — not even contrast).
- The slimmer profile and flat back (makes it more compatible with tablet clamps and stands).
In hindsight, it would have been better if I skipped both the ViewSonic VX1655–4K and LG 16MR70 and gone directly for the Espresso 17 Pro.
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.
