COOLHOOD 17.3 inch Portable Monitor for Laptop, 1080P FHD IPS Laptop Monitor USB C HDMI Gaming Ultra-Thin Display w/Invisible Stand & Speaker, External Monitor for Laptop PC Mac Xbox PS4/5 Switch

I got this because I travel quite frequently for work. This screen fits in my backpack and is super light. It’s also a good size for less eye strain as I do a lot of reading on-screen. This screen makes my corporate life so much easier because now I can travel with that extra screen I always need.

This monitor is thin, yet sturdy. Thickness is about like a tablet. It has a kickstand that folds out about 45 degrees when set up. This is perfect for meetings, travel, or to extend a laptops display with a second monitor. This is a 1080 display. It appears to be 8 bit color. This is fine for my use, but others may want more color depth. The color has more of a flat display compared to my laptops more vibrant color display. If you are a casual game or just need a larger screen to watch movies while traveling, this is a good solution. I use this to extend my laptops display on my desk. Very useful. If you need something for video editing or where color reproduction is more of a priority, this may not be for you.

PROS: High end monitor at a midrange price point Excellent resolution Excellent color quality/vibrant Excellent brightness for a USB monitor Great viewing angles Matte monitor Many options for connectivity Many adjustment options Comes with multiple cables and a USB 2 wall plug Comes with neoprene case Integrated stand All metal casing CONS: No touch screen capabilities Mediocre speakers The Coolhood 17.3 inch 1080P FHD IPS laptop monitor is an excellent, USB powered, non-touch, portable monitor. The monitor itself is well packaged in a resilient, cardboard box. Although not Apple-worthy, elite level packaging, it is more than adequate and not over-done. There is more than enough pockets and padding to send this monitor safely without excess waste. The monitor itself comes with two USB cords--a USB 2.0 to USB C, a USB C to USB C, and a conventional HDMI cord. There is also a USB 2.0 wall plug. This allows for a number of different combinations for connectivity with a device and with power. The wall plug is a nice bonus, as such things often have to be supplied by the buyer. As an added bonus, there is a padded neoprene sleeve for the monitor. (Of note, there is no pocket for cords or the wall plug in the sleeve.) There is also a sheet with startup instructions. The monitor itself has a vibrant, IPS, 17.3 inch screen with excellent brightness. The viewing angles are excellent side to side and up and down. You can view almost 90 degrees horizontally or vertically without any change in brightness and you still get an excellent view with a slight deterioration in brightness up to 180 degrees. This is superb. The monitor is framed with aluminum, giving it a more solid feel than your typical plastic housing on most of these kinds of monitors. I did not notice any abberations or out of place pixels. The brightness and resolution are excellent for a portable, USB powered monitor. The controls to adjust the monitor are simple--there is a rocker and a button below it on the right side of the monitor. The top rocker controls the brightness. When you hit the lower button, you go into system settings and have a wide variety of adjustments that can be made to the monitor. This monitor remembers all of the settings, except for brightness, when you disconnect and then reconnect the monitor. This is not a major issue, as you simply use the rocker to adjust the brightness. (I have a very similar type monitor in 14 FHD size where you have to go into settings to adjust the brightness each time you reconnect, which is frustrating.) The monitor is matte, not glossy. I prefer matte for office work as you dont have pesky reflections that make for difficult viewing. If you want to take advantage of the highest resolutions (for pictures or movie watching), however, glossy is usually better. That said, those of us who use a monitor for productivity purposes will appreciate the matte screen. Connectivity is excellent--there are two USB C ports, a USB 2.0 port, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack. As noted above, you can connect multiple ways to the monitor. If your device cannot supply sufficient power to the monitor, you can use the USB A to USB C cable to power the device and then connect via USB C or HDMI. A thunderbolt capable device can connect and power the screen using a single USB C cable. The sound from the monitor is serviceable. This is not high fidelity sound and will not do too much better than your native laptop speakers, but can work in a pinch. The monitor has an integrated kickstand that is stable and can position the monitor at a number of angles. Of note, the kickstand only works in landscape mode. You can configure the monitor to display in portrait mode, but will have to supply an external stand. All in all, the major features that separate this monitor for the competition are: excellent resolution, excellent picture at this price point, all metal casing, integrated stand (for landscape mode), and great brightness for a USB monitor. Highly recommended.

I use this for presentations, the only thing to keep in mind if you power the screen off of your laptop is it does use quite a bit of battery. There is a power cord though, so not much of an issue.

I actually ordered this to use with my iPhone, and while I couldnt figure out how to make it work (kept getting a no signal message) I was able to hook it up easily to my laptop and use it as a 2nd monitor. The kids can use it with their Switch and Nintendo as well, comes with multiple types of cables (usb, usbc, hdmi, etc) to hook up to just about anything. Im sure if I called Customer Support they could help me hook it up to my phone. Brightness is good, honestly it makes my old laptop monitor look dull! Comes with a nice carrying case and is boxed up nicely (similar to how Apple products are boxed). Nice and hefty, would like the stand to have more than one tilt option but you can just lean it on something so no big deal there. All in all its a good size, color and brightness are good, easy to hook up, a good buy.

TLDR: This is an awesome travel monitor. Period. It is so thin and light and plug and play. I love the built in stand on the back and power delivery over USB-C. It supports multiple inputs and even sound as well. The whole point of this thing is that it is awesome for travel. I can definitely see a use if you had a couple of kids in the car with an XBOX or something like that. It comes with all the needed cables, which is a huge plus. WHAT I LIKE: -Incredibly Portable -It seems silly but it comes in premium packaging. I find that if a brand is willing to pay extra for nice packaging, then the product is usually of a far higher quality than competitors. -Supports multiple video imports -Built in kickstand is great. SUPER convenient. -Cables included -It is Plug and Play WHAT I DONT LIKE -When it comes to my monitors, be it a laptop or desktop, I ALWAYS buy at least 144Hz. I find that the smoothness of the screen is so noticeable that it is usually not something I will compromise on. BUT, I think that the portability of a 17 inch screen is enough to offset the lower refresh rate.