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This evaluation first appeared in situation 350 of PC Pro.
With 16in laptops all the trend, it’s hardly surprising to see that measurement class invade the moveable monitor area. Neither is it a shock to see Asus main the cost, with its ZenScreen MB16QHG priced at a heavyweight £399.
That’s 4 occasions the price of a 15.6in 1080p monitor you’d discover on Amazon, however the ZenScreen not solely contains a 2,560 x 1,600 IPS panel but additionally gives a 120Hz refresh charge. Throw in sturdy coloration efficiency, a strong stand and one of many brightest panels we’ve seen in a transportable show, and the MB16QHG has rather a lot going for it.
Asus opts for a hinged base moderately than a kickstand or removable/magnetic stand. This makes the unit heavier, however it’s a stable design that gives quick access to the ports. I additionally like the truth that the cables join low down at desktop degree and behind the display. So, whereas most moveable screens have ugly cables protruding from the aspect, right here they’re far much less apparent.
The show’s hinge permits it to take a seat utterly vertical or lay flat towards the bottom (and any angle in between). Asus additionally integrates a tripod socket into the underside of the bottom, including but extra flexibility.
Talking of the bottom, you’ll discover a single full-size HDMI port and a full-function USB-C port on the best. The left aspect is dwelling to a second USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. I used the included USB-C cable for my testing, because it’s a easy one-cable affair for energy, video and audio. The OSD joystick and an influence button are positioned on the again of the monitor.
Construct high quality matches different members of the ZenScreen household, which means it’s primarily constructed of plastic to maintain prices in examine and weight down. Nevertheless, it doesn’t really feel low cost because of a classy grain impact. I’m much less satisfied by the backlit Asus brand within the middle of the underside bezel, because it’s nearly too eye-catching.
Fortuitously, the standard and backbone of the display distracted me. For instance, I used the monitor to edit Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and tremendously appreciated the two,560 x 1,600 decision. And whereas the 120Hz refresh charge is there to draw gamers, I additionally appreciated it for mundane duties such fast-scrolling in Edge; textual content and pictures stayed crisp as they whirled by. Players ought to observe that this display isn’t Adaptive Sync compliant, so there’s no AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync help.
The MB16QHG stood out in our brightness testing, delivering 417cd/m2 in comparison with the everyday 250cd/m2 of a regular moveable monitor (albeit wanting the 500cd/m2 that Asus claims). To realize 100% brightness, plug the monitor in with the included wall adapter. Counting on a single USB-C cable to deal with all of the heavy lifting for energy and video limits you to a 60% brightness.
The ZenScreen coated 116% of the DCI-P3 coloration gamut and 163% of sRGB, which is great for an IPS panel. Panel uniformity was good, with no apparent backlight bleeding. The one space it fell behind OLED was once I watched Incredibles 2, with blacks showing extra like a darkish gray.
As regular with Asus, there are numerous image modes to select from by way of the OSD. Navigation is intuitive by way of a joystick, which is far faster than the norm of up/down/choose buttons discovered on lesser moveable screens.
The Asus ZenScreen MB16QHG is a superb all-around portable monitor. Not solely does the two,560 x 1,600 decision provide additional element over FHD panels, however its 16in diagonal is the proper match for the rising military of 16in laptops. With excessive brightness ranges and powerful coloration protection, it may even entice photographers (that’s the place the tripod mount is useful).
Admittedly, the MB16QHG doesn’t come low cost. You should purchase 15.6in OLED moveable screens (together with one from Asus) for this cash. Nevertheless, that’s a Full HD panel, and in the event you’re on the lookout for further decision, and bumping as much as 4K decision is overkill, the MB16QHG is properly price contemplating regardless of its excessive worth.