Since Plugable Technologies made its name creating USB peripherals and docking stations, it’s no surprise that the company’s first portable monitor, the $199.95 Plugable 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Display (USBC-PDMON), has no fewer than three USB-C ports to provide connectivity and power delivery. When connected to an optional AC adapter, it can charge an attached laptop as well as a small device like a phone or tablet. The PDMON also has an origami-style stand that’s more user-friendly than most competing designs. However, the display’s color coverage is limited and its contrast ratio proved unusually low in our testing, making the more feature-rich, Editors’ Choice award-winning ViewSonic VG1655 a better option for on-the-go laptop users.Design: A Monitor That Doubles as a USB-C HubThe sleek and minimalist PDMON measures 8.5 by 14.2 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.9 pounds. Its matte black frame holds a 15.6-inch anti-glare IPS panel with a native resolution of 1080p (1,920 by 1,080 pixels), also known as full HD or FHD. This is the most common screen type, size, and resolution for recent notebook-friendly mobile monitors. Thin bezels frame the top and sides; the bottom bezel is slightly thicker (about 0.4 inches) but still thinner than that of most portable screens.
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(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
All of the monitor’s controls and ports are on the frame’s right side. Near the top are three small buttons. The top two act as arrow keys to increase or decrease brightness, and the bottom button lets you control the color temperature with settings for Cold, Normal, Warm, sRGB, and User.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Near the bottom of the PDMON’s right side are one downstream and two upstream 10GBps USB-C ports, your only connection option with this monitor. The bottom (upstream) port is for connecting to a host—any USB-C enabled laptop, plus phones and tablets with USB-C that support DisplayPort over USB Alternate Mode, including recent iPads, the iPhone 15 and 16, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S-series (excluding Lite versions).
The upstream port also supports DisplayPort over USB Alternate Mode, either drawing its power from the host or providing the host with up to 85 watts of pass-through USB Power Delivery (PD) when the second USB-C port is connected to a power adapter (not included). The third USB-C port can connect to another device or peripheral—I used it to both charge my iPhone and access its photo library from my computer. Fittingly, the initials in the product’s name stand for “USB-C power delivery monitor.”
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The PDMON includes a folding stand that doubles as a protective cover. It is affixed to the back of the monitor’s frame (though it can easily be removed or reattached), which helps stabilize it as a stand. Although we’ve found origami-style stands can be problematic, this one works better than most. The fact that one end of the stand is anchored to the back of the monitor helps stabilize it and makes it easier to fold.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The stand is stable and rigid enough that you can prop the PDMON upright on its side for use in portrait mode.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Testing the USBC-PDMON: Poor Contrast, Limited Color CoverageI tested the USBC-PDMON’s brightness, contrast, and color coverage using a Klein K10-A colorimeter and Portrait Displays’ CalMAN Ultimate for Business software. Plugable rates the PDMON’s luminance at 300 nits (candelas per square meter); in my testing, it easily exceeded this, tallying 362 nits.Plugable does not cite a contrast-ratio figure for the PDMON. In our testing, it turned in a woeful 324:1. Most competitors have rated contrast ratios between 600:1 and 1,000:1.
(Credit: Portrait Displays)
The PDMON showed mediocre sRGB color coverage, typical of lower-end portable monitors, covering 66.7% of that space in my testing (see the chromaticity chart above). The triangle represents the colors that comprise sRGB—essentially, all the colors that can be made by mixing different percentages of red, green, and blue. The white boxes show where the data points would be for a monitor that covers the full sRGB space, and the circles represent our own measurements. Several of our test points are well within the triangle, showing a cramped color gamut, particularly in the red, orange, and pink parts of the range. Notice, though, that the blue circle is slightly outside of the triangle.This pattern is very familiar, as we’ve seen it on 1080p IPS portable monitors many times since 2019—most of these panels likely come from the same manufacturer. Although the color coverage of midrange and high-end portable monitors has generally gotten much better in recent years, often exceeding 90% for sRGB, we still often see monitors with color coverage similar to the PDMON (covering less than 70% of the sRGB palette), though most come in at a lower price. Some examples include the AOC 16T3EA, MSI Pro MP161 E2, and Arzopa A1.Although the PDMON is not the best choice for entertainment or photo work, it’s fine for general-purpose personal and business use. Our formal image testing, in which I viewed our selected film clips and our photo suite on the PDMON, bears this out. The monitor is usable, though less than ideal, for watching short videos or looking at photos. In both cases, colors seemed muted, with reds looking a bit orange, some greens appearing yellowish, and blues generally on the dull side. I also noticed some loss of fine detail, particularly in dark areas in certain video clips, which is unsurprising considering the PDMON’s low contrast-ratio results.Verdict: The PDMON’s Got the Power (Less So the Quality)As Plugable’s first foray into the portable monitor arena, the PDMON shows promise but could stand improvement. The three USB-C ports provide both connectivity and power delivery, though we would prefer to see an included power adapter (Plugable sells various options separately). The design earns kudos for incorporating an origami-style stand that doesn’t make users want to tear their hair out. The screen is bright, but its mediocre color coverage and low contrast ratio make it better for general productivity and personal use rather than film viewing or photo editing.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
As a result, other options are more appealing. The Editors’ Choice-winning ViewSonic VG1655 also has limited sRGB color coverage, but it has a better contrast ratio, a full on-screen display (OSD) menu controlled by a mini joystick, built-in speakers, and a fold-out stand. The LG Gram +View costs a bit more than the PDMON, but its bright screen provides excellent contrast and full sRGB and Adobe RGB color coverage. It also has a 16:10 aspect ratio, so it’s a good fit for laptops whose screens are a little taller than the standard widescreen format. Still, the PDMON does have at least one thing going for it: Plugable is a master of USB-C connectivity, so its mix of connectivity and power delivery makes it a viable choice as a portable monitor for general use in situations where image quality isn’t paramount.
Plugable 15.6-Inch USB-C Portable Display (USBC-PDMON)
The Bottom Line
The Plugable USBC-PDMON’s three USB-C ports and well-designed stand offer plenty of flexibility, but poor image quality prevents it from being an excellent portable monitor.
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About Tony Hoffman
Senior Analyst, Hardware
Since 2004, I have worked on PCMag’s hardware team, covering at various times printers, scanners, projectors, storage, and monitors. I currently focus my testing efforts on 3D printers, pro and productivity displays, and drives and SSDs of all sorts. Over the years, I have reviewed iPad and iPhone science apps, plus the occasional camera, laptop, keyboard, and mouse. I’ve also written a host of articles about astronomy, space science, travel photography, and astrophotography for PCMag and its past and present sibling publications (among them, Mashable and ExtremeTech), as well as for the PCMag Digital Edition.
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