Pixio PX160 Wave 15.6" White 2025

The Pixio PX160 Wave is a lightweight, portable 1080p monitor that's great for basic productivity on the go. It's not a gaming monitor, and the display quality is mediocre. At $130-140, it's a fair deal if you just need a second screen.

The 1080p IPS panel is fine for documents, spreadsheets, and the occasional YouTube video. Colors are decent but not spectacular, and 250 nits means you'll be squinting outdoors. The 8ms response time and 60Hz refresh rate put this in the bottom tier for gaming, so don't expect smooth motion in fast-paced titles. The single USB-C connection is the real star here, one cable for power, signal, and audio is genuinely convenient.

Compared to the LG UltraGear 27G810A-B or ASUS TUF Gaming VG34VQL1B, the PX160 Wave is in a completely different league. Those are desktop gaming monitors with high refresh rates and big screens. The Pixio is a portable panel for productivity. Against other portable monitors, it holds its own on portability and connectivity, but the display quality and performance are below average. The Dell S2725QC and HP OMEN 27qs G2 are also desktop options that outclass this in every performance metric, but they're not portable, so it's apples to oranges.

At $130-140 USD, this is a budget-friendly portable monitor. You're not paying for premium features, and you're not getting them either. The value proposition is simple: a basic second screen that's easy to carry. If that's all you need, it's a fair deal. If you want better brightness or color, you'll need to spend more.

The Pixio PX160 Wave is a 15.6-inch portable monitor that nails the basics. It's light, it's pink (or blue or white), and it runs off a single USB-C cable. That's the whole pitch, and for a lot of people, that's enough.

But the specs tell a different story. 60Hz, 8ms response time, 250 nits. This is not a gaming monitor, no matter what the marketing copy says. It's a second screen for your laptop, and it's pretty good at that.

Skip this if you need a gaming monitor, a color-accurate display for photo or video editing, or anything brighter than 250 nits. Also skip it if you're expecting a premium build, the plastic case feels budget-friendly, which it is.

Buy this if you need a lightweight second screen for your laptop and don't care about gaming or color-critical work. It's a solid travel companion for productivity. Skip it if you want a gaming monitor or need accurate colors for photo editing.