The portable InnoView 15.6″ 4K HDR touchscreen monitor is a superior accessory for productivity and entertainment on your desktop and mobile devices. It checks almost all the boxes for performance and usability.
Portable screens are often more of a hassle to use than a convenience, especially when traveling. They also usually don’t fulfill the pleasure of playing games and watching movies as secondary screens unless the tablet or computer monitor has been shrunk for space.
However, the 10-point touch technology and metal construction of this portable IPS LCD display leaves little to be desired, no matter what mobile or desktop hardware is connected.
It is made of premium aluminum alloy, built-in dual stereo speakers, adjustable metal stand and 4K touchscreen that delivers 16:9 aspect ratio. The portable screen offers 500 nits of brightness and brightness with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels.
Overall, this model offers the best performance I’ve found from both larger and smaller portable monitors. Unlike many portable displays I’ve tested, this one turned on with just a single USB-C cable tethered to the host device.
Not having to plug in with a separate cable redefines mobility for portable monitors.
Lightweight yet heavy duty
Until my hands-on experience with this two-pound featherweight 15.6-inch monitor, I generally eschewed lower portable screens. Usually they are little more than a computer accessory that you can put up with on the go. The limited functionality and less capable visual displays literally make them a last resort for business and home office productivity as a second monitor.
That is not the case with this InnoView model. Admittedly, however, this device is not a budget or midrange device. Still, it’s worth the higher price for the performance it delivers.
The PM004 from InnoView is solidly built and modern looking, with rounded thin edges on three sides in a space gray aluminum frame. The color looks grayish on the back panel, but the mostly black hue of the bottom quadrant of the bezel blends nicely with the blackish screen when it’s not turned on.
The screen is sharp and brilliant with excellent resolution that has a full visual angle of 178 degrees. Video performance has no lag and has an eye-catching contrast. The performance is always impressive whether playing games, consuming videos or engaging streamed content.
The item measures 13.98 x 8.86 x 0.43 inches. It comes with an attractive padded cover.
No special drivers are needed. Out of the box, this model works with no configuration changes on the host computer or portable device. It comes with cables to connect to most devices. These include two USB Type-C to USB Type-C cables, one Mini HDMI to HDMI cable, and one On-the-Go (OTG) cable with a 30-watt wall outlet adapter.
The monitor is compatible with Windows, Macintosh, and Linux PCs and laptops, as well as Chromebooks, most smartphones, and many Android tablets. It also works well with PS3, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, plus other gaming devices.
Side View Overview
The compact design of the PM004 provides ample connection ports and controls on both the left and right sides of the monitor’s lower portion, where a thicker base holds the device’s hardware components. The gates are located in a recessed area behind the ring.
At the bottom of this base are dual speakers. They are one of the few disappointing aspects of this otherwise exemplary portable monitor. The sound lacks much in the way of basic or stereo sound separation. Their downward-facing position dampens the volume slightly when the monitor is not held or placed flat on a desk.
On the left are three USB Type-C ports for the power adapter (if needed) and cables to connect to the host computer, game console, tablet or smartphone. On the right side are the power button, the mini HDMI port, and the mini headphone port.
Press the power switch to turn the portable monitor on/off. The power button also acts as an access point to the function buttons on the screen.
The screen controls are touch-based, making it easy to adjust settings. Slide the power switch down to open the touchscreen control panel.
High-quality elements
The G+FF technology (cover glass, plus dual film sensor) supports a more precise and sensitive touch for both fingertips and stylus to draw. The wide Adobe RGB color gamut covers a wider range to see more color details, gives full reproduction of photos in RAW format and gives photographers more post-production space.
The 10-bit high color depth capability compared to 8-bit provides up to 1.07 billion colors, which can provide a more natural and smooth color transition. This monitor also supports hardware color calibration.
This portable monitor works well to mirror or extend the primary monitor for anything you create, watch, or play with its 4K UHD onscreen capabilities.
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When connected to a mobile phone or laptop, the portable monitor detects the orientation and automatically switches the screen to horizontal or vertical mode depending on the position of the product. This feature improves work efficiency and entertainment when using the monitor as a handheld device, placing it on a flat surface or angled with the adjustable stand.
The true plug-and-play functionality of the dual USB Type-C ports generally allows you to use this monitor with just one USB-C cable attached. This ensures better video streaming and a great viewing experience when sharing screens, editing images and videos, watching a movie or playing games.
Practical impressions
InnoView set the tone with its portable monitor PM004. It is a hassle-free companion for expanding screen space with small screen mobile phones, laptops and tablets.
Frankly, the ease of use and functionality surprised me. This portable monitor easily doubles its usefulness as a pretty capable second monitor for my desktop workstation.
Why? The sharp 4K resolution and 15.6″ display allow me to spread out my viewing space when creating content and performing graphics editing. Even watching streaming content is much more enjoyable thanks to the vibrant colors and great screen display.
Yet another productivity benefit
Usually second monitors – portable or full desktop – only show the contents of a window that has been dragged into it. You cannot access menus or other startup programs because there are no desktop elements from the panel bar on the secondary display. Not so with the PM004.
The InnoView 4K touchscreen can replicate the desktop display on the main screen. Includes, as shown here, the dock and icons in Chrome OS that are fully functional.
That functionality also exists with another portable InnoView monitor I tested recently. But that functionality doesn’t exist on Windows and Linux computers. I have not tested this on a Mac computer.
This is an ideal feature if you use Chromebooks. It gives you the ability to control the computer from both screens, giving you more productivity as if you were using two computers in one.
Where to buy
The InnoView PMO04 15.6″ touchscreen portable monitor is available on the manufacturer’s website and with Amazon. The published prices currently range from $599.99 to $669.99.
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