The ViewSonic VA1655 is meant to be a wallet-friendly portable solution for individuals who are always on the go. Its design and specs look better than most budget options, but everything will still depend on performance. Let’s check out this sub-$120 option to know if it should be in your laptop bag or not.
ViewSonic VA1655 Specifications
- Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
- Resolution:1920 x 1080 FHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Response Time: 7ms
- Contrast Ratio: 800:1
- Brightness: 250 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 0.8 Watts)
- Stand: Height – No
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – No
- Stand: Pivot – No
- VESA Compatibility: No
- Connectivity: USB-C x 2, Mini HDMI 1.4 x 1, 3.5mm Jack x 1
- Dimensions With Stand (WxHxD): 14.1″ x 8.9″ x .7″
- Weight: 1.5 lbs
Design and Features
The ViewSonic VA1655 has a simple design, so it doesn’t stand out too much while sitting beside any laptop. The monitor has a matte black finish, so it’s easy to clean and maintain after hard use. The display has thin bezels on three sides, but it has a thicker bottom strip that stands out.
We like how light this monitor is compared to the other ViewSonic portables at 1.5 pounds. It is chunkier at the bottom half, so some might need something more than a sleeve to slip it into next to a laptop. The latter characteristic makes it seem more like a budget option since premium variants are often thin and sleek.
Build quality is where it falls behind the most since it’s plasticky and, as mentioned, very light to the touch. This makes it seem like it’s less durable than the aluminum-clad options in the market. However, we feel that the plastics used will absorb moderate force quite well, so they won’t crack or flex just like that.
The ViewSonic VA1655 has a five-way joystick beside the kickstand at the back. This feature makes it tremendously easier to adjust some settings or tweak the screen on the fly. Buttons would work since you typically hold the monitor in both hands like a tablet when adjusting something, but having a quicker alternative doesn’t hurt as well.
The ViewSonic VA1655 does have a kickstand, so you don’t have to rely on flimsy flip covers or your drink to prop it up. It’s offset to the left side of the back panel, but the monitor balances well if you place it on a proper surface. It gives you a decent amount of tilt, but you will need a monitor clamp if something beyond that.
Its connectivity layout includes two USB-C slots, a mini HDMI port, and a 3.5mm jack for headphones. Using HDMI will necessitate the need for a 5-volt power source through the 2nd USB-C port, but you avoid all that if you use the first USB-C slot as the video input. It’s also noteworthy that there is no wall adapter for the monitor, so you have to source that yourself if you can only use the HDMI connection.
It also has speakers, but they are very limited, so most users will probably leave them alone. Built-in speakers on laptops will sound more powerful, even if most of them are limited in various ways, too.
Display and Performance
The ViewSonic VA1655 sports a 16-inch IPS panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a 7ms response time. The backlight has a 250 cd/m2 output, while the contrast is listed at 800:1. This model doesn’t have entertainment-grade add-ons like HDR, but that’s understandable since it wasn’t designed for that.
1080p is the bare minimum today when it comes to resolution, but it is still viable, especially on smaller screens like this. The clarity and visibility are comparable with typical laptops since they use a similar panel. It’s great for work and entertainment, but it’s not too demanding so that most laptops can run it properly.
The ViewSonic VA1655 has dismal color performance due to its limited color coverage. It only provided 61% sRGB and 42% DCI-P3, so it looks washed out compared to other portable screens. Its default accuracy had a deltaE average of 2.51, which is decent for a secondary display.
There isn’t much you can do when it comes to calibrating it except if you have a colorimeter. Using it improved the dE average to a more balanced 1.61, but it is still far from what we’ve seen on prosumer monitors. It is not worth getting the gadget just to tweak this since its imaging performance limits it to a secondary display for office work or basic media consumption.
Its backlight reached 241 cd/m2 at 100%, which is plenty, but it might not be able to fight off glare when used outdoors. Its contrast reached 691:1 at 50% brightness, so it’s not the best at rendering black or dark backgrounds. This makes it less ideal for movies and games, but that’s a common issue with IPS panels.
Its uniformity was great overall since there were no visible defects like backlight leaks. Some quadrants can be a bit dimmer, but it’s difficult to notice unless you pay attention to every detail. Note that this can vary with every unit made due to tolerances, so there are better and worse ones out there.
The ViewSonic VA1655 isn’t the best for gaming, but that’s acceptable since it wasn’t meant for it. It shows some persistence and blurring in contrasting transitions. However, that’s expected since it is limited to 60Hz and not advertised for gaming.
The ViewSonic VA1655 also doesn’t have VRR, but most portable monitors don’t because of how they are designed. 1080p 60Hz isn’t a lot anyway, and most gaming systems will be able to handle that smoothly. Its input lag sits at 11ms at 60Hz, so it is still fairly responsive for most types of use.
Thoughts on the ViewSonic VA1655
The ViewSonic VA1655 is an excellent choice if you need a second screen for working or studying on the go. It’s affordable and does its job as an extension of your laptop screen for improved productivity or multitasking. It has all the essential features and functionalities that would make it user-friendly, such as its kickstand or OSD joystick.
However, its color quality is quite disappointing since its gamut coverage is very limited. We have a sea of options now that offer more than 90% sRGB, so the panel ViewSonic used seems like it’s a blast from the past. However, it’s still reasonable since it’s so cheap, but we’d rather spend a bit more and get richer colors for movies and the like.
Pros:
- Very Affordable
- USB-C Connectivity
- Kickstand and Joystick Included
Cons:
- Dismal Contrast and Color Coverage
- Plasticky Build
About the Author: 
Paolo has been a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since junior high. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations; he believes that every citizen has the right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear and create reviews that accentuate the seldom-explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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