There is a very vocal school of thought that extols the productivity benefits of having more than one computer monitor. There are, in fact, some who strongly believe this that they have started to design not only multi-monitor accessories for laptops but also laptops with more than one built-in screen. You might not buy into the hype, but those that do are unfortunately forced to make compromises in order to adopt that multi-monitor lifestyle.
Extra screens naturally take up more space, requiring you to have a larger desk if you don’t already own one. Multi-monitor setups mostly presume a horizontal configuration, resulting in the aforementioned problem. It’s also something you can’t take with you if you happen to work more on a laptop, and portable dual monitors tend to be too expensive for their benefits. That said, we might be seeing a new generation of such external screens that aim for affordability and accessibility, such as this new product from MINISFORUM.
Designer: MINISFORUM
For people who always work on a computer, a multi-monitor setup is still a luxury they can’t afford. If you’re the type to work on a laptop away from your desk, it’s both unfeasible and impractical. Portable dual monitors try to offer a more compact solution, but their price tags immediately make them a no-go for many people. If they were more affordable, we might see more interest in these accessories even among desktop users.
The MINISFORUM MDSA156 is taking a stab at that problem. Truth be told, its biggest and perhaps only killer feature is its $231 price tag. That’s almost half of the cheapest portable dual monitor we’ve seen so far, and from a somewhat reputable brand no less. The question, however, is whether this dual-monitor design is actually a good thing.
Compared to a side-by-side arrangement where all monitors are, in theory, on the same ergonomic eye level, a vertical configuration will have one of the screens lower than the other, forcing you to glance down a lot. In exchange, this takes up less space on your desk and even lets you easily rearrange your setup without having to mess with a bunch of cables, especially since this can use a single USB-C cable for both power and data.
Laptop users will probably benefit the most from this as they can easily switch to a configuration that fits their needs wherever they are. In the office or at home, they can enjoy three screens, including the laptop’s built-in display. On the go, they can use either both or just one of the portable screens, depending on the available table space they have, and they can fold the display back to go into tent mode when sharing their screens with clients or friends. At 2.2lbs (1kg) heavy and 0.95 inches (2.4cm) thick, it might be stretching the definition of “portable.” Then again, you will be carrying two monitors, so that’s not that surprising either.
