ViewSonic VG1655 16" Black 2020

The ViewSonic VG1655 is a 15.6 inch portable monitor built for office work on the go. It's light, compact, and the USB-C single-cable setup is genuinely convenient. But the dim 250 nits panel, weak color accuracy, and 14ms response time mean it's not for gaming or creative work.

Let's be honest about what this thing is. The VG1655 runs at 60Hz with a 14ms response time, which puts it near the bottom of our performance charts for portable monitors. That's fine for office work, but if you try to play anything faster than a turn-based strategy game, you'll notice ghosting and motion blur. The 250 nits brightness is also on the dim side. In a bright room or near a window, you'll be cranking it to max and wishing for more.

Color performance is where this monitor really shows its budget roots. It's a 6-bit panel with FRC to fake 16.2 million colors, and it lands in the 3rd percentile for color in our database. That's rough. HDR10 support is listed, but with 250 nits and no real wide color gamut, HDR content will look basically identical to SDR. For office documents and web browsing, the colors are fine. For photo editing or watching movies where color matters, this isn't the screen you want.

The connectivity is actually a bright spot. You get two USB-C ports and a mini-HDMI input, which covers most modern laptops and even some phones. The dual USB-C setup means you can charge your laptop through the monitor while using it as a display, assuming your laptop supports USB-C power delivery. That's a nice touch for a portable setup.

The VG1655 sits in a different world from the gaming-focused competitors in our database. The ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQDMG, MSI MAG 271QPX QD-OLED E2, and LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B are all 27-inch high-refresh gaming monitors with OLED or fast IPS panels. They absolutely destroy the VG1655 in performance, color, and brightness, but they're also bigger, heavier, and not portable. Comparing them directly is a bit unfair, but it highlights the trade-off: the VG1655 sacrifices everything for portability.

Against other portable monitors, the VG1655 holds its own on connectivity and build quality, but falls behind on display quality. The Samsung Odyssey G7 G75F and BenQ MA Series MA270U are also desktop monitors, not portable ones, so they're not direct alternatives. If you're shopping for a portable second screen, the VG1655 is a solid choice for office work, but if you can live with a slightly larger or heavier unit, there are portable monitors with better panels and higher brightness for similar money. The key question is whether the 816g weight and compact footprint are worth the display compromises. For many travelers, the answer is yes.

At around $200 USD, the VG1655 is priced like a mid-range portable monitor, but the display specs feel more like a budget option. Canadian buyers should shop around, since prices range from CAD 250 to CAD 277 across three listings. That's a meaningful spread for what's essentially the same product. If you're in Canada, grab the CAD 250 deal and don't look back. In Europe, the EUR 317 and GBP 270 prices feel steep for what you get, especially when competitors with better panels are available for similar money. The value proposition really depends on how much you value the compact size and the clean USB-C setup. If those matter more than color accuracy and brightness, it's a reasonable buy. If not, you can do better.

The ViewSonic VG1655 is a 15.6 inch portable monitor that sits in the budget-friendly end of the portable display market, usually around $200 USD. It's built for one thing: giving laptop users a second 1080p screen without dragging a full-size monitor around. The pitch is simple. One USB-C cable handles video, audio, and power, so you can set up a dual-screen workstation at a coffee shop or a cramped hotel desk in about ten seconds.

People searching for a portable monitor for work or travel will find a lot to like here. The IPS panel gives you decent viewing angles, the built-in stand with magnetic cover is genuinely clever, and at 816 grams it won't break your back. But this is not a gaming monitor, and it's not a color-critical display either. The 14ms response time and 60Hz refresh rate tell you exactly who this is for: spreadsheets, documents, email, and maybe some light video.

We've seen a lot of portable monitors come through our database, and the VG1655 lands in a weird spot. It's one of the most compact options out there, and buyers seem happy with it overall, but the display specs are pretty modest compared to what's available now. If you just need more screen real estate on the go, it does the job. If you want anything beyond that, keep reading.

Skip the VG1655 if you're a gamer, a photo or video editor, or anyone who works in bright environments. The 14ms response time and 60Hz refresh rate will frustrate gamers, the 3rd percentile color accuracy makes it useless for color-critical work, and the 250 nits brightness washes out in sunlight. If you need a portable monitor for creative work, look for something with better color coverage and higher brightness, even if it costs a bit more. And if you're in Europe, the EUR 317 price makes this a poor value compared to alternatives with better panels. This monitor is for office work and office work only.

Should you buy the ViewSonic VG1655? If you're a road warrior who needs a second screen for documents, email, and spreadsheets, and you value portability above everything else, this is a solid pick. The USB-C single-cable setup is genuinely convenient, the magnetic cover stand is clever, and the whole package is light enough to forget it's in your bag. For that use case, it's a good buy at $200 USD or the lower end of the Canadian price range.

But if you want a portable monitor for gaming, photo editing, or watching movies in bright rooms, look elsewhere. The 14ms response time, 250 nits brightness, and weak color performance are real limitations that will frustrate you. And if you're in Europe, the EUR 317 price tag makes this a much harder sell. The VG1655 is a one-trick pony, but it does that trick well enough for the right buyer.