ARMORR Orion 11.6" 2024

The ARMORR Orion is a portable monitor with a built-in Switch dock that owners genuinely like, especially for travel. The screen is bright and clear despite the low 768p resolution, and setup is dead simple. Just know the Switch reportedly needs to go in backwards, and there's no battery inside. At $70 in the US it's a no-brainer for Switch fans; at EUR 200 in Europe, think twice.

Let's be real about the specs here. A 1366 x 768 resolution at 250 nits puts this display in the bottom 3% of monitors in our database. That sounds brutal, and for office work or entertainment it kind of is. But context matters. The Switch outputs at 720p in handheld mode and 1080p docked, so this panel handles the Switch's native resolutions without much fuss. The stereo speakers are a pleasant surprise at 2.5 watts each, and owners say they get plenty loud. The real performance story is the docking system itself. It works, mostly, though several users report the Switch only functions when inserted backwards, which is a baffling design quirk. For HDMI devices like a PS5 or laptop, it's a basic 768p display with a single HDMI port. Fine for casual use, not for anything demanding.

Stacking this against the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQL5A or the Samsung Odyssey LS27BG402ENXGO feels almost unfair. Those are proper 27-inch gaming monitors with high refresh rates and real resolutions. The Orion isn't competing with them. It's competing with the Switch's built-in screen and maybe a cheap portable monitor. Against the Switch OLED's 7-inch display, the Orion's 11.6 inches is a genuine upgrade. Against something like the SANSUI 27 inch, it's not even the same product category. The Orion wins on portability and the integrated dock, but loses on every single display metric that matters for non-Switch use.

Pricing is all over the map depending on where you live. US buyers can snag this for $70, which is an absolute steal for a portable Switch dock and screen combo. UK buyers pay £138, which is still reasonable. But European buyers get hit with EUR 182 to EUR 205 depending on the vendor, and that's a much harder sell. If you're in the EU, shop around because the spread between listings is significant. At the lower end of that range, it's a solid value for Switch owners who want a bigger screen on the go. At the top end, you're creeping into territory where a proper portable monitor with better specs starts to make more sense.

The ARMORR Orion is a weird little gadget that makes a lot of sense for a specific person. It's an 11.6-inch portable monitor with a built-in dock for the Nintendo Switch. You slide the console into the back, plug in the Switch's own power adapter, and suddenly you're playing on a screen that's roughly triple the size of the Switch OLED's built-in display. No HDMI cable needed for the Switch itself, which is a nice touch.

At 580 grams, it's light enough to toss in a bag. The 1366 x 768 IPS panel is nothing to write home about on paper, but owners seem genuinely happy with how bright and clear it looks in practice. Just don't expect it to replace your desktop monitor for anything serious.

Skip this if you don't own a Switch. The entire value proposition is the built-in dock, and without that you're left with a 768p portable monitor with tilt-only ergonomics and no battery. Also skip it if you're in Europe and can't find it below EUR 190, because at that price you're paying a premium for a niche feature. And if you're planning to upgrade to the Switch 2, this won't work with it, so hold off.

If you're a Switch owner who travels, has a broken Switch screen, or just wants a bigger display without buying a full TV setup, the Orion is a clever solution. The integrated dock is the killer feature here. You're not juggling cables and a separate dock, you just slide the console in and go. The backwards insertion quirk is annoying but apparently consistent enough that you'll figure it out once and move on. For anyone else, this is a 768p portable monitor with mediocre ergonomics and no battery. There are better general-purpose options out there.