Portable monitors are becoming more popular these days, for everything from extending your workspace to enhancing your gaming experience.
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Our ViewSonic VX1755 review looks at an ultra-light 17-inch portable gaming monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate, which also makes for a great second productivity monitor. Read on for our full review.
Table of contents
Specifications
The ViewSonic VX1755 17-inch portable gaming monitor we reviewed has the following features and specifications:
| Display size | 17″ (17.2″ viewable area) |
| Panel type | IPS |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 (FHD) |
| Static contrast ratio | 800:1 (typical) |
| Dynamic contrast ratio | 80M:1 |
| Light source | LED |
| Brightness | 250 cd/m² (typical) |
| Colors | 16.7M |
| Color space support | 8 bit (6 bit + FRC) |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Response time | 4ms (typical GtG) |
| Viewing angles | 170º horizontal, 170º vertical |
| Backlight life | 15,000 hours (minimum) |
| Curvature | Flat |
| Refresh rate | 144Hz |
| Adaptive sync | FreeSync |
| Blue light filter | Yes |
| Color gamut | 45% NTSC (typical), 64% sRGB (typical) |
| Pixel size | 0.199mm |
| Surface treatment | Anti-glare, 3H hard coating |
| Connectors | • USB 3.2 Type-C DisplayPort Alt Mode only • Mini HDMI • 3.5mm Audio Out • USB Type-C power in |
| Audio | 2x 0.8 Watts internal speakers |
| Controls | • Physical: Key 1 (favorite), Key 2, Key 3, Key 4, Key 5 (power) • On screen display: Input select, audio adjust, ViewMode, color adjust, manual image adjust, setup menu |
| Input signal | • Frequency Horizontal: mini HDMI (v2.0): 24 ~ 165KHz, Type C: 165 ~ 165KHz • Frequency Vertical: mini HDMI (v2.0): 48 ~ 144Hz, Type C: 48 ~ 144Hz |
| Video input | Digital Sync: TMDS – mini HDMI (v2.0), Micro-Packet – Type C |
| Ergonomics | Tilt (Forward/Back): 20º / 62º |
| Compatibility | PC, Mac, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Android (depending on device) |
| Dimensions | 396 x 247 x 17mm (15.6 x 9.7 x 0.7in) |
| Weight | 1kg (2.2lbs) |
What’s in the box
- ViewSonic VX1755 Portable Gaming Monitor
- mini-HDMI to HDMI v1.4 cable
- USB Type-C to Type-C cable
- USB Type-C to Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 cable
- AC Adapter
- Protective Cover
- Quick Start Guide
Design
Like most portable monitors, the ViewSonic VX755 portable gaming monitor has a pretty thin design, thickening out near the bottom for stability and to house the various ports. For a 17-inch monitor, it is pretty compact and light. The VX1755 portable gaming monitor measures 15.6 inches wide, 9.7 inches in height, and a mere 0.7 inches at its thickest point and 0.375 inches at its thinnest. Being portable, it’s also pretty light. It weighs 2.2lb but feels much lighter.
Starting thin at the top, it angles out uniformly until it’s just under 3/4 of an inch at the bottom. The bottom left is where you’ll find your USB-C power, USBV-C connection, Mini HDMI, and 3.5mm audio jack. On the bottom right are five control panel keys (four menu keys and a power button) with an LED power light at the bottom. Any of the four menu keys will open the side menu, then selecting the fourth key will give you access to the OSD menu and other settings.
The physical bezels are pretty thin, measuring about 1/4-inch on the top and sides and an inch on the bottom. Centered here is the ViewSonic logo in silver. On the back of the monitor is a series of grooved lines forming a triangle motive. The bottom middle of the back pops out in a trapezoidal shape, shorter on the bottom, and acts as the stand. The stand has the ViewSonic logo printed in grey on it.
Finally, there is a flip cover that can be fully detached. The inside has a soft felt finish to protect the screen when it’s placed over it. The outside is a more vinyl-type finish in grey. The cover attaches magnetically, folding over the top of the monitor slightly and also attaching magnetically along the thicker bottom bezel to prevent it from sliding around when stored in a bag or backpack.
Protective Cover
The included protective cover is pretty decent as well. The outer side has a soft, non-slip surface. Grey in colour, the ViewSonic logo is printed on the lower right corner. The inner side has a soft felt-like surface. Slightly larger than the monitor, the cover has a groove going lengthwise across the middle and another near the back. These grooves help you place the monitor when in use. The top inch or so folds over the monitor’s top and attaches magnetically when not in use. The cover then protects the screen when you’re transporting it. While it does cover the screen, I’d probably be inclined to pick up a tablet pouch or something big enough to slide the monitor with the cover on it while tossing it in your backpack.
As for the grooves on the inside of the cover, these help you place the monitor when in use.
Display
ViewSonic does market the VX1755 as a 17″ portable gaming monitor and it has a 17.2″ viewable area, giving you plenty of real estate. It does lack a bit in the colours department with 45% NTSC and 64% sRGB colour gamut coverage. It does have 16.7 million, 8-bit (6-bit + FRC) colour support which makes it decent enough for most office work and video watching.
It’s pretty suitable for most workspaces at 250 cd/m² brightness and with a refresh rate of 144Hz. I had no screen brightness issues, even when sitting in front of a window with the screen facing it. This portable gaming monitor also has a matte screen so you don’t have to worry as much about glare or reflection on a glossy surface.
The higher refresh rate helps the monitor perform at what its target market is: gaming. I used this on a number of devices, including a couple of laptops, an Xbox Series X, a Nintendo Switch, and an Android smartphone. Gaming on all was nice and smooth, although the colours could be a bit richer and the contrast a bit better. You can play around a bit with the colour and dynamic contrast a bit to adjust the image to something more to your liking. It excelled mostly with Android and Switch gaming as it gave a much larger view. It did underwhelm compared to the OLED display on the Switch, as was expected. As for laptop gaming, it did allow for smoother gameplay as a second screen on laptops with a 60 or 120Hz refresh rate.
While there are better monitors, TVs, and projectors available for gaming, when it comes to a portable monitor you can set up easily almost anywhere, the VX1755 is a pretty decent option.
Ease of Use
Depending on your scenario, there are several different ways to connect the ViewSonic VX1755 portable monitor. Fortunately, ViewSonic has included cables for pretty much every scenario imaginable. The first and easiest is if you have a Thunderbolt USB-C port on your laptop or computer. Connect the included USB Type-C to Type-C cable into your computer, then the other end into one of the two USB-C ports on the monitor. The same goes for supported smartphones with USB-C power/data ports.
No USB-C? No problem. Use the included USB-A to USB-C and HDMI to mini HDMI cables. Plug the USB-A and HDMI ends into the appropriate ports on your computer. Next, plug in the USB-C and mini HDMI into the appropriate ports on the VX1755, and you should be good to go. If the monitor doesn’t power up, it’s likely that thew USB-A port on your computer doesn’t support more than 10W power output. In that case, remove the USB-A to USB-C cable, plug the USB-C to USB-C cable into the included adapter, and then plug the adapter into a wall outlet.
OSD
As mentioned above, you can adjust different settings through the OSD menu, accessible by using the joy key on the monitor’s back. From here, you can choose between USB-C or HDMI input, adjust the volume, or select Standard, Game, Movie, Web, Text, MAC, or Mono modes. You can also adjust the contrast, brightness, colour temperature, colour space, colour range, and gamma. Users can also manually adjust sharpness, blue light filter, aspect ratio, overscan, black stabilization, advanced CDR, and response time. Finally, you can toggle other options like sleep mode, ECO mode, Adaptive Sync, DDC/CI, auto-detect, auto power-off, power indicator, and more. Even though it’s a portable monitor, it has pretty much the same adjustable settings as a desktop monitor.
Performance
With a 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSycn Premium, the ViewSonic VX1755 performs rather well as a portable gaming monitor. It does have a slightly lower response rate at 4.5ms as opposed to the standard 1ms, but I didn’t notice a difference, to be honest. While attached to a laptop with a smaller and lower refresh rate screen, it’s an easy upgrade for faster and smoother gaming. I was also able to use it fairly easily with the Nintendo Switch and the Xbox Series X. While it is still only an FHD display, it does offer smooth gaming on both of those systems as well. To be honest, I had no issues with the performance here.
Gaming aside, the VX1755 also works great as a second monitor for a laptop without taking up a ton of extra space on your desk or table.
Sound Quality
The ViewSonic VX1755 sports a pair of 0.8 Watt internal speakers. I’ve never really been a fan of speakers in monitors, but these ones are surprisingly loud for their size. Even though they are located on the bottom edge of the display, the sound was fuller than I expected. Again, as is usually the case, there isn’t much in the way of bass but they are more than adequate in a pinch.
Price/Value
The ViewSonic VX1755 portable gaming monitor has an MSRP of $309.99 It is currently on sale for $249.99 on Amazon. While most portable monitors run in the $229.99 range, they are typically smaller (at 15.6″) and lack the 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync compatibility. Given the size, refresh rate, and portability, it is pretty reasonably priced if you are looking for a portable gaming monitor.
Photo Gallery
Wrap-up
While there are other more affordable portable monitors on the market, the size, refresh rate, and AMD FreeSync compatibility make this a great choice for gaming on the go. In addition, it works well with multiple devices including compatible smartphones and gaming consoles.
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