Espresso 15 Pro review: Just a really nice (though pricey) portable monitor

Espresso Shows makes a few of our favourite portable monitors, however up till now, it felt like there was a gap in its portfolio. That is as a result of apart from its flagship mannequin — the $800 Espresso 17 Professional — the opposite family members are barely extra inexpensive fare just like the $469 Espresso Contact 13 and $499 Contact 15. At the moment, the corporate is plugging that hole with the Espresso 15 Professional, which packs every thing I like about its greater sibling in a extra moveable bundle for $699 (with a stand included).

Design and show

One of many issues I respect about Espresso is that it does not attempt to do an excessive amount of. The 15 Professional options an extremely minimalist design created from easy sheets of matte black aluminum together with shiny glass in entrance (should you want matte shows, you may all the time add one of many firm’s textured screen protectors). Granted, the monitor does have a little bit of a chin, however apart from two USB-C ports stashed within the nook, that is actually the 15 Professional’s solely defining exterior function, so I am not that bothered. All instructed, the show weighs 1 pound and 11 ounces, which sounds lots heavier than it feels.

As for its specs, the Espresso 15 Professional’s 4K LCD panel delivers practically every thing you need after which some. Brightness tops out at 550 nits (it was really 556 nits in line with my gentle meter), which is greater than the 450 nits on the 17-inch mannequin. It additionally covers 100% of the Adobe RGB spectrum with 10-bit shade (8-bit + 2-bit body charge management). The one factor I want Espresso included was a 120Hz refresh charge as a substitute of being capped at 60Hz. That mentioned, until you are gaming or enhancing movies, that limitation is probably not an enormous issue.

Setup and particular options

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Getting the 15 Professional up and working could not be simpler. Every USB-C port has sufficient bandwidth to hold energy and knowledge over a single cable, so that you simply have to plug within the included wire, and off you go. The one exception is for laptops that may’t ship out a lot energy through USB-C, however I examined the monitor with 4 totally different laptops (each Mac and PC) and none of them had points. The show even mechanically downloaded the EspressoFlow software program, which provides contact help to your Apple notebooks. You additionally get the brand new Glide function that mechanically positions the monitor in the appropriate place relying on how you will have it organized subsequent to your laptop computer. And by some black magic, the 15 Professional nailed it when it accurately laid out the monitor to the left of my pocket book’s built-in display screen.

As somebody who has just lately been pressured to make use of a Mac for work, the power to rapidly and simply add contact help to Apple’s laptop computer is tremendous good. And whereas I am removed from a digital Degas, you may even use the show for drawing and sketching because the monitor additionally works with the corporate’s optional stylus. This makes the 15 Professional an excellent journey companion for each individuals who need extra display screen actual property or a conveyable approach of making artwork on the go.

Equipment

Along with display screen protectors and pens, there are additionally a few essential stand equipment for the 15 Professional. The primary is the $49 Espresso Case, which is extra of a magnetic folding cowl that protects the display screen whereas in transit that may additionally flip round again to grow to be a kickstand if you’re working. Just like the show itself, it is a pretty easy affair that does precisely what you count on it to.

Nevertheless, for individuals who need one thing extra substantial, the 15 Professional additionally works with Espresso’s $69 Stand+. It is extra like what you’d see on a conventional desktop monitor, besides that it may well fold up for improved portability whereas additionally packing a extremely robust magnet that lets you mount the monitor in quite a lot of positions. This factor is perhaps too dear for some, however I’ve rapidly grown to understand how simple it makes placing the 15 Professional within the excellent place. It is extra well-built than loads of the desktop monitor stands I’ve. The apparent disadvantage is that at 1 pound and 4 ounces, the Stand+ weighs virtually as a lot because the show itself, which is reasonably hefty.

Wrap-up

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The Espresso 15 Professional has practically every thing I search for in a premium moveable monitor. It options nicely above common brightness, a smooth however sturdy design and tremendous easy setup. It additionally comes with just a few particular options like Glide and added contact help for Macs that enable you get extra out of the gadgets you already personal. And due to a wealth of equipment, it may well adapt to virtually any use case.

Whereas I would like the next refresh charge, not having it’s removed from a deal-breaker. That may virtually definitely enhance its value, and contemplating that the 15 Professional is already considerably expensive, beginning at $699 for the monitor and the Stand+, I am unsure the added expense can be price it. Regardless, if you’d like a extremely moveable monitor that is additionally greater than ok to make use of at residence, there aren’t many different shows that may match the Espresso 15 Professional.

This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/equipment/espresso-15-pro-review-just-a-really-nice-though-pricey-portable-monitor-230046315.html?src=rss

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