- Overall
The Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro is designed for gaming anywhere or while on the road with the latest gaming consoles. This is the second attempt at portable monitors by the brand who is famous for creating premium gaming console gadgets. The firm’s products are at times, an improvement over the default console accessories, but is the Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro good enough as well?
Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro Specifications
- Screen Size: 16 Inches
- Resolution:1366 x 768 HD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Response Time: 5ms
- Contrast Ratio:400:1
- Brightness: ?cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: No
- Stand: Height – No
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – No
- Stand: Pivot– No
- VESA Compatibility: No
- Connectivity: HDMI 1.4 x 2, 3.5mm Jacks x 2
- Dimensions With Stand(WxHxD):15.27″ x 9.45″ x .57″
- Weight: 3lbs
Design and Features
The Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro isn’t the prettiest mobile display we’ve held since its a bit bulkier and plain-looking. The bezels are too thick for the masses’ tastes, making the product look like it was from 2010. the three-pound weight isn’t much, but this model weighs twice as much as the nearest competitor.
The good side is that the Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro feels more durable than its slimmer competitors. The device is as thick as two mobile phones on top of each other, reaching more than half an inch on the bulge. Build quality is excellent and reliable, especially the included flip cover that doubles as a stand.
The Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro’s stand-slash-cover is a bit unconventional for us since it uses screws as attachments. That isn’t totally bad, but its a chore to remove this part if in case you want to do so. However, detaching it defeats the purpose of the product since its difficult to prop it up without the cover.
Of course, the Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro doesn’t have ergonomic options like conventional monitors. You get three tilt positions via three ridges on the lower flap of the cover, but it isn’t as secure as we had hoped. It’s also visually unappealing that half of that part sticks out in front of the display.
But what’s excellent about the Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro is its connectivity ports which include dual HDMI and 3.5mm jack slots. The device ships with a 1.5-foot cable which is long enough for the display’s intended use. USB-C portable monitors are easier to use, but opting for HDMI instead increases the device’s usability for the majority of the consumers.
We also like that Hori separated the OSD buttons on the other side of the chassis. It’s easier to access buttons if there are no protruding cables beside it, plus, its easy to master. There is also a pair of built-in speakers, but we still prefer headsets for better audio quality.
Display and Performance
The Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro sports a 15.6-inch IPS panel with a 1366 x 768 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and 5ms response time. The contrast ratio is rated too low at 400:1, while maximum brightness is unconfirmed. We measured the device to have a 180cd/m2 backlight which is reasonable for daily use, but too dim by today’s monitor standards.
The first complaint we have is the low resolution offered by the Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro. 768p is yesterday’s format, while most of this model’s competitors already offer a 1920 x 1080 native resolution. This limitation doesn’t sit well with games which rely on this characteristic for sharpness and details, while text appears blocky or jagged.
The Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro isn’t the most vibrant we’ve tested since it can only reach 60% of the sRGB color gamut with a dismal accuracy of Delta E 4.0. You can tweak the monitor’s output in its decently-equipped OSD to lessen the excess blues of the display. To be fair, color accuracy isn’t crucial to the monitor’s purpose, but we know users will want the best of the best.
The display on the Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro looks grayish or washed out in low-light conditions due to the low 488:1 contrast ratio. This score actually exceeded the manufacturer’s specifications, but it isn’t sufficient to produce a likable image output. Black luminance suffered a result, posting a hit to grayscale performance and the display’s dynamic range.
Panel uniformity for the Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro’s smaller screen is reasonable as well since illumination deviances did not go over 12% on all quadrants. The corners look slightly more washed out if you look hard enough, but it’s difficult to notice when streaming or playing games. Take note that not all units will come out equal in this aspect since no two panels are perfectly identical.
Motion handling on the Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro is within acceptable limits since blurring is minimal at best for a 60Hz display. We noticed a few trails and smudges while playing Apex Legends, but it isn’t significant to ruin the experience. This kind of blurring is more related to the low refresh rate more than slow pixel transitions.
The Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro isn’t FreeSync compatible, so gaming with buttery smooth frames is impossible. That’s not surprising since this offering isn’t similar to your typical gaming display in many ways. Input lag falls within 10ms, so games will feel natural and on point.
Thoughts on the Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro
The Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro incurs too many negatives to outweigh its positives such as the excellent feature layout. We like the build quality of the chassis and the dual HDMI slots for flexibility, but the overall performance just doesn’t cut it. The worst part of the display is its 1366 x 768 resolution which is too low for today’s standards.
The Hori Portable HD Gaming Monitor Pro is a bit expensive at its current price point, especially similarly-priced models fair better in image quality and resolution. The idea of the product’s design is brilliant, but the execution and implementation left a lot of things to be desired. Consider alternatives such as the Asus MB16AC and an additional adapter if you want a secondary or mobile display for work or entertainment.
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