The Arzopa A1 ($109.99) is a bright portable display that offers connectivity via either USB-C or HDMI, and can be had for under $100 if you shop around. Its fold-out kickstand is a step up from the origami-style folding stands frequently found in lower-price portable monitors. The A1’s panel has better contrast than we expect for its price range; its main downside is unimpressive color coverage. This makes it best for business and general-purpose personal use, such as working with office documents and web surfing, instead of photo editing and video consumption. It’s not alone in this regard; the Editors’ Choice-winning ViewSonic VG1655 has similar color coverage, but it offers a more well-rounded feature set and still comes in under $200. It remains our top pick. Design: Thin, Sleek, and MinimalistThe Arzopa A1 is a typical budget portable monitor, with a 15.6-inch in-plane switching (IPS) screen packing full HD resolution (1080p, or 1,920 by 1,080 pixels) at a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. The panel sits in a thin matte-black frame, with minimal bezels on the top and the sides and a bezel about an inch tall on the bottom.
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(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Near the bottom of the A1’s left edge are three connectors: two USB-C and one mini HDMI port. Included are two cables, one USB-C-to-USB-C and one mini HDMI-to-HDMI. You can power the A1 either by connecting it via the USB-C cable to a wall-wart-style AC power adapter (not included) or from a computer over a USB-C connection. I did some of our testing with the A1 powered (and receiving data and video) from my laptop over the USB-C connection, and some of it receiving data and video over the HDMI connection while being powered from an AC adapter.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
On the top of the A1’s left edge are the monitor’s controls: an on/off button, a button to access the on-screen display (OSD) menu, and between them, a two-way rocker switch to control brightness, contrast, and speaker volume.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
For a stand, the Arzopa A1 uses a tall and thin kickstand that folds out from the top of one side of the monitor and can be positioned at a range of angles down to about 45 degrees. It seems to be sturdy enough, although it doesn’t feel as strong as the stands that have hinges on either side, and it’s an improvement over the so-called “origami” stands made from stiff folded board, which are usually limited to letting the screen sit at one or two specific angles.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The A1 has dual speakers; Arzopa doesn’t provide their wattage, but they produce low-volume audio with limited bass response, which is no better or worse than numerous similar portable-monitor speakers we have encountered.Arzopa covers the A1 with a mere one-year warranty, which is not unusual for a budget monitor, though you can find longer periods. Philips backs its budget-model Philips 221V8LB for four years, for example.Testing the Arzopa A1: High Brightness, Good Contrast, Muted ColorsI tested color and brightness using a Klein K10-A colorimeter, our Murideo Six-G signal generator, and Portrait Displays’ CalMAN 5 software. Arzopa rates the A1’s luminance at 300 nits (candelas per square meter); it came in a bit brighter, at 351 nits in my testing. This is in the upper tier of brightness for general-purpose portable monitors.The A1’s advertised contrast ratio is 1,000:1; I measured it at an even better 1,221:1. Most competitors have contrast ratios between 600:1 and 1,000:1.
(Credit: Portrait Displays)
The A1 has lackluster sRGB color coverage for a portable monitor, covering 63.3% of that space in my testing (see the chromaticity chart above). The triangle represents the colors that comprise sRGB—essentially, all the colors that can be made by mixing different percentages of red, green, and blue. The white boxes show where the data points would be for a monitor that covers the full sRGB space, and the circles represent our own measurements. Several of our test points are well within the triangle, showing a crimped color gamut, particularly in the red, orange, and pink part of the range. Notice, though, that the blue circle is slightly outside of the triangle.This pattern is very familiar, as we have seen it from numerous portable monitors, particularly ones we tested from 2019 to 2022—we suspect that most of these panels came from the same source or similar sources. Although color coverage in portable monitors has generally been much better, usually exceeding 90% for sRGB, we still occasionally see panels with similar color coverage, including the MSI Pro MP161 E2. Although they’re not great for entertainment or photo work, they’re fine for general-purpose use and keep the price down. In addition to our formal image testing, I viewed our selected film clips and our photo suite on the Arzopa A1. The monitor is usable, though not ideal, for watching videos or looking at photos. The colors—especially reds, oranges, and purples—seemed rather muted in both cases. However, the monitor did well in retaining detail in light and dark areas. Verdict: An Inexpensive Take-Anywhere MonitorThe Arzopa A1 Portable Monitor is a bright 15.6-inch monitor at a bargain price. It can be powered over an included USB-C cable from a laptop or desktop computer, or over USB-C from a power adapter (not included), with data and video from a computer coming over the HDMI connection. When paired with a laptop, it can be used from anywhere, so long as the laptop doesn’t run out of power.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The A1’s main downside is its limited color coverage. While this likely helps keep the monitor’s cost down, it limits its effective use to simple business tasks (using Microsoft Office-type apps, for instance) and web surfing. It is less than ideal for rendering photos or videos due to its mediocre color coverage, especially toward the red part of the spectrum. The Editors’ Choice-winning ViewSonic VG1655, which comes in at a slightly higher price, covers just 61.1% of sRGB, but it redeems itself with a very good on-screen display (OSD) that you navigate with a mini-joystick controller.
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