School assignments needed multiple websites and documents to be opened the same time. Having more than one screen was a timesaver!
My search for a portable monitor started when I realized it would be great if I can take the monitor to a different room in my house rather than being stuck in my home office with multiple external monitors.
My Use Case
Although my initial requirement was to have a portable extended display that I can use anywhere in my house, I used the monitor in my other scenarios since I got the monitor back in 2022. Below are a few other use cases:
- Working from university before my school started – great portable second screen that improved my productivity
- Temporarily setup my Mac Mini in my bedroom or living room when I felt I did not want to be confined to the four walls of my home office
Design
You will not feel any awe when you pull the Lenovo L15 monitor out of the box unfortunately. It seems that the product was design to get the job down, at a relatively lower cost. The aim of the manufacturers was not to generate excitement. That said the product sits stably on a table. It is relatively lightweight and lives up to the portability standards. The monitor has two USB-C ports. Hence, you do not have to give up one of the USB-C port on your laptop. You lose one USB-C port when you connect the monitor to the laptop, but the 2nd USB-C port on the monitor can be used for charging the laptop when you plug the laptop’s charger into the USB-C on the monitor. The monitor can passthrough power to the laptop when the monitor is plugged into power via USB-C. The USB-C cable is provided out of the box, so no need to run to Best Buy looking for the connector! The monitor does not require any external power adaptor, which is great for a portable monitor. It is powered by the laptop. The monitor also has a power off button to turn on/off the display. It also has way to turn on / off bluelight emission for night time viewing. However, when I tried to use it initially the brightness went up. The monitor does not have an inbuilt speakers, a design that is understandable given the need for portability.
TGF Review Snapshot
Description
Great portable monitor for traveling or moving second screen for your laptop around the house.Positives
- Lightweight
- Works with PC and Mac
- No power needed
Negatives
- No HDMI support
- Flimsy design
- Awkward feeling 16:9 aspect ratio
Although my Lenovo L15 has survived may trips, the design do not feel as sturdy feel as the display screen of my laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga Gen 6. The provided case is fairly flimsy and will only protect the screen against scratches. I would advice anyone to carrying the monitor to store it in the padded section of the backpack to keep it safe.
My Experience
Lenovo L15 has definitely got the job done for my use cases over the years. It has fantastic portability, a requirement that was not compromisable.
Below are a few things I would wish the product could improve on in the next iterator:
- Considering the portability of the L15 monitor, a high quality padded sleeve shipped out of the box is in order
- When I use my ThinkPad Yoga X1 Gen 6 and extend using the Lenovo L15, I prefer to do most of the reading on the X1’s display rather than on the L15. My X1 Yoga’s display is not WQUXGA (3840×2400) but it still feel way better
- The aspect ratio of the 16:9 on the L15 feels weird when you are working on 16:10 laptop. It is a minor inconvenience but noticeable nevertheless.
Competitors
When I was researching for a portable monitor, I found different monitors that were very similar to the L15. Lenovo’s ThinkVision M14 was supposed to be a premium version. Honestly, I do not think Lenovo did enough to target different audience for ThinkVision M14 to command a higher price. Not surprisingly that is not much of a difference in the price after discounts at the time of writing. Almost all I came across had the same aspect ratio of 16:9, which made me go with Lenovo L15. The ASUS – ZenScreen 15.6” IPS FHD 1080P USB Type-C Portable Monitor with Foldable Smart Case would be another portable monitor from a different brand that is very similar and worth considering.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the Lenovo L15 is definitely worth it for anyone seeking a portable second monitor. Especially, at the price point of $149.99 in the US that it is selling at the time of writing this article. That said the product can definitely use some improvements that will give a premium feel to it. Hopefully a next edition of the L15 will be the one!
