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This external USB laptop display is a shining example of a device created by enthusiasts in
Five reasons to buy Mobile Pixels DUEX Plus:
- the ability to use a second screen with a laptop in mobile mode;
- three usage scenarios (additional screen, duplicating the screen with a presentation, separate monitor with a stand in portrait orientation);
- the same size as an ultraportable laptop;
- a great gift for a gadget lover;
- reasonable price, comparable to the cost of a regular smartphone.
Two reasons not to buy Mobile Pixels DUEX Plus:
- You under no circumstances need a second monitor;
- you are not ready to tinker with magnets and see them on the laptop lid;
Mobile Pixels DUEX Plus
13.3 '' Laptop Display Convertible
FullHD display from Mobile Pixels, which decidedReinvent external portable displays for laptops and make them as convenient to use as possible. Works with Windows and MacOS, connects to laptop via USB (including power). Thanks to its clever design with magnets on the sled, it stays firmly on the laptop lid. But, if necessary, it can easily be rotated 180 degrees for presentation or removed and installed next to the laptop in portrait orientation.
DUEX Plus
DUEX Lite
DUEX Trio
+100 productivity
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A bit of history
The first portable monitors as a class appearedaround 2010, just after USB specifications introduced power transfer capabilities. Samsung was one of the first to notice; HP presented its models for corporate clients, but, as often happens, external monitors turned out to be a rather narrow niche, with the specific needs of clients. As a result, Asus has gained a foothold in the niche, regularly updating and supporting its line of portable monitors (we even had a couple of reviews: MB168B and MB168B+ and ZenScreen GO MB16AP). I tried to use such external monitors, but somehow it didn’t work out. I also tried to use an iPad as an external monitor. This feature appeared in MacOS a couple of years ago and was available for MacBooks starting, I remember, in 2018. On the one hand, the idea looked interesting: the iPad connects as a second screen wirelessly. On the other hand, it still needs power, and a stand. And with such a connection, everything was incredibly slow, so I abandoned these experiments.
What is it
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Mobile's DUEX Plus External MonitorPixels interested me for several reasons. First, it offered a smart design solution and addressed both portability (the display mounts on the back of the laptop and is so easy to transport and unfold/retract in one motion) and power. Secondly, it was the same size as a 13-inch MacBook (DUEX Plus 13.3″ diagonal, there is also a DUEX Lite version, it has 12.5″). Finally, a separate advantage was that the manufacturer is completely focused only on these devices, and does not produce anything else. In practice, such startups, created on the basis of passion and the desire to solve one problem, but to do it with ingenuity, often achieve good results. I was also intrigued by the possibility of transforming the display. It also has drivers for Windows and MacOS, it can work with Samsung smartphones in Dex mode and with the Nintendo Switch game console, which expands the potential audience well. The technical characteristics of the display are simple: FullHD resolution, 300 nits brightness, power consumption of 4.5 watts and a modest scanning frequency of 60 hertz. There are two USB-C inputs and touch buttons on the body for menu control (yes, it has a simple menu for brightness control).
What is in the box
In addition to the monitor itself, the box contains a USB cable(on one end is USB-C, on the other there is a hybrid adapter that allows you to connect it to both USB-C and traditional USB-A), a booklet with installation instructions, 4 strong neodymium magnets 20x2 mm, a set of 12 gel dots for attaching magnets (at first I was worried that they would not be able to be found in the future, but they are easily on sale for the search “adhesive gel dots droplets for balloons” - this is exactly the area in which they are used in our country, as it turned out). By the way, magnets are also easy to buy; if, as in that joke, you break or lose them, they cost pennies. There are also two A4 sheets. One contains a reminder of monitor usage scenarios and a QR code for downloading drivers. The second sheet is… template for correct placement of magnets on the back cover of the laptop.
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Appearance and installation
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With all the simplicity of design and lightnessinstallation, for the very first time everything looks too unusual not to pass. But here a visual instruction comes to the rescue. It will only be needed once, because everything is very simple (perhaps you are a better mind than me and you will not need it at all). The design trick is that the display moves on a slide, but has additional freedom of movement thanks to 4 more slide with magnets. Thanks to this, the display can move a few centimeters beyond the surface of the lid.
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If this is not done, then part of the screen will becovered with laptop lid. Installing the screen is simple: take the gel dots, glue them onto magnets, install the magnets in the center of the slide (use a sheet with a template), release the second surface of the gel dots and firmly attach the entire structure to the back cover of the laptop. That's it, now you can even unfasten the screen - the magnets will remain on the back cover. All that remains is to install the drivers and you are ready to work (the manufacturer strongly does not recommend connecting the monitor before installing the drivers).
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This additional displacement is achieved thanks toa clever design that allows magnets to move inside the horizontal troughs. They all move at the same time (which is why it is important to set them exactly at the correct distance from each other using a template sheet). At the same time, the magnets, on the one hand, easily move along the metal plate and hold the monitor on the laptop lid. On the other hand, they allow, if necessary, to completely detach the monitor from the laptop lid, leaving the magnets on the gel Velcro on the lid.
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Without an attached monitor, a laptop lid may seem unattractive to some, but that is the price to pay for this portable monitor.
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Customization features (for macOS)
A child can also cope with the installation of drivers, but for the first time I faced the need to reboot the MacBook when installing the software. However, the instruction honestly warned me about this.
After rebooting, you can connect the display and in the screen settings choose which side of the MacBook screen will be the external display.
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Voila! I now have a second display with my own settings!
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The monitor has its own simple menu, whichcontrolled by three buttons on the body. Two USB-C connectors can be seen nearby. Why there are two of them, I still did not understand - one is used only for power supply, the second allows both powering the monitor and transmitting the image, so, of course, I used only it.
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Three operating modes
The advantages of DUEX Plus includethe versatility of its use is something I have never encountered before. Firstly, it can be kept folded on the back cover of the laptop, and simply pulled out when necessary in one motion. Moreover, it can be located either to the left or to the right of the laptop screen. In the end, I left it on the left, simply because the MacBook has USB outputs on the left.
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Additional magnet travel allows the monitor to slide out of the laptop lid and even unfold slightly for ease of use. At the same time, the magnets hold the weight of the structure well.
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Secondly, the screen can be rotated 180 degreesand then it will look like an Asus Taichi laptop, which has displays on both sides of the lid. This mode is called "presentation", meaning that it is convenient for delivering a presentation in which the audience sits in front of the speaker rather than around him. For me, the scenario is not typical, but, for sure, someone will be delighted with it.
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Third, you can detach the monitor from the coverlaptop and set the screen vertically. In this case, you need to select a rotation of 90 or 270 degrees in the settings of the second monitor (depending on how the monitor is deployed, it stands on the left or right, in my case it is 270 degrees).
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Accordingly, in the settings for the location of the second monitor, it is displayed already in portrait orientation:
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This option will be appreciated by everyone who loves monitors with the Pivot function, in my experience programmers and web designers love doing it so much.
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A spoon of tar
In all this barrel of honey, of course, there was someand without a fly in the ointment. In using the second screen, I had only one inconvenience when working with a MacBook - moving the cursor on the external screen was a little slower than with the main one, which creates discomfort. But if the second screen is used more for viewing than for work (usually all sorts of dashboards with real-time updates are displayed on it, I also added instant messengers), then you can work. This is the only aftertaste that I had while working with DUEX Plus.
Neighbors in the lineup
Mobile Pixels currently has three models in totalsuch portable monitors. In addition to DUEX Plus, there is also DUEX Lite, which is distinguished by its reduced resolution to 12.5″ diagonal and one USB-C connector. And there's the Trio, an uber-device with two screens. It is available in three versions: with diagonals 12.5″ (actually, Trio) and with diagonals 14″ (Trio Max). Although on the website, when purchasing, they offer to choose versions for laptops with diagonals 15″-16″ and 17.3″. But since the capabilities of the MacBook's built-in video card are not unlimited, the resolution of the main screen drops from 3360x2100 to 1786x1226.
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At the same time, the monitor settings begin to look like this:
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It looks, of course, amazing (but the specifications say that MacBooks with an M1 processor are not yet supported):
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What competitors have
It’s a paradox, but portable monitors with a diagonal13 inches and smaller are not currently on the market. The most common are the Asus MB16 series monitor models, but they have 15.6" diagonals, which makes them less convenient for carrying with ultraportable laptops (ultrabooks and MacBooks). Perhaps this is the main reason for the emergence of the company Mobile Pixels, which saw a market where there was, albeit a niche demand (after all, not every laptop owner needs a second monitor), but also a lack of competitors.
Three things to remember about the Mobile Pixels DUEX Plus
- This is a portable USB monitor for 13 '' laptops with magnet mount
- It works with Windows and macOS operating systems
- It has three operating scenarios (additional screen, presentation mode with screen duplication and vertical mode on a stand)