In an ever progressing landscape of technology, whether you're working, playing or creating - whatever you're doing, an extra screen is always handy.
But what if you want a great display, but need to use it on different machines? Travel a lot but still want a big screen experience for work or gaming?
The CrowVi VF156T portable monitor from Elecrow may be just the thing you're looking for.
**The VF156T was reviewed using hardware provided and sent to us by Elecrow, but in no way influenced the review.
DESIGN
Weighing in at 1020g and at only 10mm thick, the VF156T is a super slim device. The monitor comes with a magnetised kick stand, that also doubles up as a screen protector when not in in use, and gives confidence it will be protected when placing it in a bag for travel. The body of the monitor is aluminum alloy, and whilst it looks and feels incredibly premium, the $159 USD / £125.09 GBP asking price is certainly a more than reasonable price for the excellent quality.
The sides of the VF156T contain the inputs, the left side (with screen facing you) houses the power and menu button/rocker, with a USB-C input (with PD support) underneath, whilst the right side has mini HDMI, USB-C and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The substantial 15.6-inch IPS display takes up the front of the unit, and whilst the chin of the bezel is rather large, this is where all the connections are placed, and when in use, isn't really noticable.
OSD OPTIONS
Using the aforementioned menu button/rocker switch brings up the OSD (on-screen display) and gives you a variety of options to scroll through. The button/rocker is tiny, so it's not the easiest to press without looking, and as a 37 year old man, my fingers were a bit big when it came to pressing the rocker in order to bring up the OSD, and a remote would have made the process a little easier.
Once you've found the sweet spot, you have 6 option menus to work through, all of which give you a variety of settings to play with.
Brightness
Contrast
Black Levels
Sharpness
ECO
DCR
Aspect
Colour Temp
RED
Green
Blue
OSD Timer
Transparency
Sound
Mute (speakers)
Volume
Signal Source (HDMI or USB-C)
Low Blue Light
HDR Mode (2084, Auto, OFF)
SCREEN
The 1920x1080 15.6-inch IPS display is more than bright enough, with a max brightness of 300nits, and refresh rate of 60Hz and HDR support, and a 178° viewing angle. The display is incredibly clear and crisp, and dependent on your laptops screen size, you might find yourself using the VF156T as your main display and the laptop screen as the second.
Obviously, being a portable monitor and having various inputs means you can use the VF156T on almost any device - whether it's a laptop, desktop, gaming console, or even a mobile phone, the VF156T performs tremendously well regardless of the device.
A cool feature for Samsung users is the ability to use the VF156T with your phone to turn it into a mini PC via the Samsung DeX software, which is built into most modern Samsung devices. I'm a big fan of DeX, and with a bluetooth mouse and keyboard, the VF156T is the perfect accessory to turning your phone into a portable mini PC on the go.
ALL YOU NEED
Elecrow treat you with everything you'll need to be up and running straight out the box - inside you'll find:
The VF156T 15.6-inch touchscreen monitor
Smart case / Stand
1.5m HDMI to Mini HDMI cable
1m USB-C to USB-C cable
1m USB-A to USB-C Power Cable
HDMI to Mini HDMI adapter
Screen wipe cleaner
USAGE
I connected the VF156T to a Dell Latitude 5330, which is my daily driver for portable work, and connecting via USB-C meant the 5330 provided enough power to the monitor, and so required one less cable.
Using the provided USB-C to USB-C cable allowed the VF156T to be used as an extra monitor, and also allowed for touchscreen use as well, and Windows picked up the VF156T the second it was connected (NOTE: you'll need to power the monitor when connecting via HDMI).
Something that did surprise me, was connecting the Nintendo Switch via the provided USB-C to USB-C cable allowed it to be displayed on the VF156T without using the Switches dock - making it a perfect travel gaming set up.
DAILY DRIVER
I've been using the VF156T daily for two weeks - using it out in the office with the Dell Latitude 5330 and at home with my PC, as well as gaming sessions for testing.
The 15.6-inch IPS display is fantastic, and ensured that no matter what I was using the screen for, everything looked crisp and clear, and in some instances, I prefered working on it compared to the 13.3-inch screen of the Dell Latitude 5330; and this is what I think the VF156T excells at - being versitile.
Whether you need an additional monitor for your PC, your laptop, Rasberry Pi or a portable screen to connect your Nintendo Switch, media player or any other device like a phone - the VF156T allows you to do all of this in order to enjoy on a large yet portable screen with a great display, all in a compact device that's only 10mm thick.
OVERALL
From build quality to the fantastic screen, included smart case and all the cables you'll need, the VF156T is a brilliant portable touchscreen monitor, and for an incredibly affordable price.
ELECROW
Whilst we were sent the CrowVi VF156T portable monitor from Elecow, they actually specialise in a wide variety of different things.
Founded in 2014, the company has grown to become a leading supplier of open-source hardware and electronic components, offering a wide range of products and services to customers around the world.
Elecrow's focus on innovation, quality, and affordability has earned them a reputation as a trusted and reliable partner, and they provide expert technical support and advanced manufacturing services (PCB manufacturing, 3D printing, wood & acrylic laser cutting, component sourcing, molding, CNC milling, sub-assembly, and kitting services, etc.) to create a maker-oriented PCB & Open Hardware & Market Place.
People may not be looking for a portable monitor, but if they're looking into PCB assembly, 3D Printing or looking to dabble in Rassberry Pi kits, then I think it's important to point people in a direction where they can browse quality items, and seek support from people who know what they're talking about.
Feel free to check out more at Elecrow.
And if the 15.5-inch is a tad too big, there is also a 13.3-inch variant, as well as other displays, all available here.