© The Portable Monitor
We too were a little skeptical when we discovered the product. So we adopted it for almost three months to check if it really kept its promises… And we were not disappointed.
The Portable Monitor is not an American, English or Chinese box, but a Belgian one. Created in 2015, it set out to create mobile external monitors of good quality and easy to implement. As its name suggests, the Flex 14 adds two 14″ screens.
The official price of the Flex 14 is 562 euros, but it is very often offered on sale for around 430 euros. It can be purchased on the manufacturer's website. With the promo code PRESSECITRON you can benefit from a discount of 40 euros. It has recently been available in a “lite” version. with a less qualitative finish, because it is partially made of plastic. Its list price is 403 euros (347 euros on promotion). Finally, a version with 15.6” screens – still in Full HD – is sold for 608 euros (on promotion at 516 euros).
Buy Flex 14
Design-wise, nothing to complain about. Flex 14 takes the form of an articulated triptych whose external flaps each house a monitor. When folded, it has dimensions equivalent to that of a 14″ notebook while remaining thicker. Entirely made of aluminum and benefiting from an impeccable finish, it weighs 1.9 kg and can therefore easily follow its owner when traveling. Its designers have also provided a vent in the middle panel which can act as a carrying handle. Practical.
© Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron
The hinges allow three configurations. The most natural is the left and right positioning of the notebook screen thanks to the integrated kickstand. To do this, the width of the machine must not exceed 38 cm so as not to encroach on the interior borders of the screens. Concretely, this allows you to accommodate a 17″ notebook without any problem.
© The Portable Monitor
More original, a triangle positioning allows people seated on either side of the notebook to see the contents of its screen. This can be useful for running a PowerPoint presentation, for example. Each monitor displays the slides, the presenter using the computer monitor to control the progress and possibly consult his notes or a script.
© The Portable Monitor
Finally, Flex 14 allows the use of a single screen in portrait mode. The second then serves as a support, its protection being provided by the aluminum chassis. This configuration can be useful if you need to display a document vertically (word processing, layout software) or for developers who will thus be able to have a larger view of the code they create .
Two USB-C connectors are housed on the right side. One allows the screens to be connected to the computer using the cable provided. The other is only there to authorize the connection of a power supply. It will only be used if the computer's USB connector is not capable of delivering the 15 watts necessary to power the screens.
© Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron
During our tests, we never needed to use this solution. Apple MacBooks provide the power needed to do without it, as do the Dell and Lenovo laptops that we have had in our hands. Same observation for a machine as atypical as Microsoft's Surface Pro. Of course, the autonomy of the computer takes a big hit (between 30 and 50% less depending on the model), the screens being by definition of large energy consumers.
The Portable Monitor has opted for two Full HD panels with a matte finish whose brightness of 300 cd/m2 allows comfortable use. A pleasant detail is that you can adjust the settings of each panel independently of the other, each having its own settings menu. Let us note in passing that the panels can display 16 million shades.
© Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron
Before you can use the Flex 14, you will need to install a driver to make it recognized by the machine. This is provided on a USB key, but can also be downloaded from the manufacturer's website. Its installation poses no problem and does not require restarting the machine. Windows and macOS then recognize the Flex as two monitors, each of which can benefit from its own display resolution.
© Marc Mitrani for Presse-citron
The image produced by the two monitors is of very good quality. The matte coating allows pleasant reading on the screen, the absence of parasitic reflections being appreciable. When the computer goes to sleep, the screens turn off to minimize power consumption. They light up again when he comes out.
The Flex 14 is one of those peripherals that quickly becomes indispensable after a few days of use. It provides excellent comfort of use in the office, at home or even on the move. Once folded, it stores very easily in a bag or drawer. In short, it's perfect… or almost.
© The Portable Monitor
Passing the video signal through a USB port makes it impossible to view protected content. So don't expect to be able to watch Netflix or any other VOD service requiring a subscription, as an anti-copy mechanism called HDCP makes it impossible to display content.
And the least we can say is that it doesn't go into detail since it also prevents them from being displayed on the notebook's monitor! When asked about this problem, The Portable Monitor told us that it affects all products using USB. The only solution is to unplug the Flex 14 in order to access protected content normally.
Buy Flex #4
Well designed, efficient and very easy to implement, the Flex 14 will be useful if you use several applications simultaneously. Its low weight and compactness allow you to take it almost anywhere with you without having to carry a power supply. In short, it does the job (and does it very well) as long as you don't want to watch Netflix or any VOD service with protected content whose copy protection device does not allow display.
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