Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED review: A portable monitor that impresses

Price When Reviewed

$499.99

Best Prices Today: Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED

Portable screens typically make sacrifices to realize the portability and finances pricing they’re recognized for. Even OLED shows are sometimes cheap, with costs for some fashions dipping under $250. The Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED takes a distinct strategy. It goals to ship wonderful picture high quality in each SDR and HDR content material and is priced to match this aspiration. Fortunately, Viewsonic hits its mark.

Further studying: See our roundup of the best portable monitors to find out about competing merchandise.

Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED specs and options

The Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED’s specs are spectacular on paper. It delivers a 4K OLED panel which, though actually not distinctive to this monitor, is often discovered solely in costly transportable screens and laptops. The panel can be VESA DisplayHDR 500 licensed, which is uncommon for a transportable monitor. Most lack a VESA DisplayHDR certification.

• Display dimension: 16-inch widescreen
• Native decision: 3840×2160
• Panel sort: OLED
• Refresh fee: 60Hz
• Adaptive sync: No
• HDR: Yes, VESA DisplayHDR 500 licensed
• Ports: 2x USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 60 watts Power Delivery, 1x Mini-HDMI 2.0, 1x 3.5mm audio-out, 1x USB-C power-in
• VESA mount: None
• Speakers: Included
• Price: $499.99 MSRP / $449.99 retail

These premium specs come at a premium MSRP of $499.99 which might be discovered for $449.99 at some on-line retailers. That’s a excessive value for a transportable monitor and will instantly ship budget-conscious buyers to flight. If you’re keen to pay up for premium picture high quality, although, you’ll like what you see.

Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED design

Viewsonic engineers had a troublesome job designing the VX1655-4K-OLED. It’s an costly transportable monitor, which means it ought to look nicer than its competitors. Fortunately, Viewsonic manages to tug it off due to slim bezels on three sides and a glass panel that covers your complete entrance of the show. The rear of the transportable monitor can be sturdy with a metallic really feel and a remarkably inflexible chassis. There’s near zero flex evident when dealing with the show, which isn’t typical for a transportable monitor.

The VX1655 is a 16-inch widescreen monitor, so it requires a big purse or backpack to hold. However, the monitor weighs solely 1.5 kilos by itself and is skinny at simply 0.6 inches its thickest level. It’s straightforward to slide in any bag that may accommodate a 15-inch or 16-inch laptop computer, and will even match alongside the laptop computer as long as the laptop computer isn’t unusually thick.

A kickstand is constructed into the monitor’s chassis and may’t be indifferent. That’s a departure from most opponents, which usually characteristic a removable stand that usually doubles as a canopy or case. The built-in kickstand improves stability, nevertheless, because it received’t unexpectedly detach or collapse when the monitor is bumped or moved.

The monitor comes with a removable cowl that protects the entrance of the monitor. It will guard towards scratches and delicate bumps however felt skinny in my fingers, so I like to recommend shopping for a protecting sleeve. On the plus facet, the quilt provides only a couple tenths of a pound to the general weight, so it doesn’t make the monitor tougher to pack.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED connectivity and menus

The Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED integrates its connectivity into the kickstand, which incorporates two USB-C ports, every supporting DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 60W of energy supply to energy the monitor. A single mini-HDMI port and a 3.5mm audio jack spherical out the choices. It’s a great vary of connectivity, although I might have most popular a full-sized HDMI port.

It’s doable to energy the monitor by way of a single USB-C connection if it’s used with a tool that gives sufficient energy (Viewsonic lists the utmost energy consumption at 24 watts). Otherwise, energy might be provided with the included USB-C energy adapter. The included energy adapter is bigger than I might count on at roughly 3.5 inches deep, 2 inches excessive, and an inch thick, which might be inconvenient. Many vacationers will choose utilizing their very own USB-C charger, and any that may present a minimum of 30W ought to work.

A joystick on the precise facet of the kickstand supplies entry to the monitor’s on-screen menus. It’s responsive, straightforward to make use of, and a major improve from the menu controls discovered on many competing transportable screens. They’re typically built-in into the amount and energy buttons and ask customers to press them for a selected interval or in particular combos (that are straightforward to neglect).

The on-screen menus are well-labeled and straightforward to learn, providing a good vary of picture high quality changes, together with colour temperature and gamma presets, in addition to colour calibration choices. While usually straightforward to make use of, I seen the joystick enter generally flipped unexpectedly whereas navigating by way of the menus. This means an enter that had opened a menu may change to cancel a menu, or vice versa, which regularly led to unintentional or incorrect navigation.

A small speaker is constructed into the kickstand. It’s weak, however crisp — a minimum of when dealing with easy audio sources like a podcast. More advanced duties, like music or motion pictures, simply overwhelm it. I wouldn’t wish to depend on it, nevertheless it could possibly be helpful for a video name in a pinch.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED SDR picture high quality

The Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED’s show panel is the star of the present. It’s a 4K OLED panel with a refresh fee of 60Hz and 16:9 facet ratio. While OLED panels usually are not unusual in 2024, even amongst transportable screens, it’s nonetheless a premium panel with an especially pixel density. It additionally carried out nicely in most checks.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Brightness was a little bit of a shock, because the VX1655-4K-OLED achieved a most SDR brightness of 457 nits. That is excessive for any transportable monitor and robust for an OLED panel in a transportable monitor or laptop computer. The show stays comfy to view in practically any room. However, the glass masking the panel is extraordinarily reflective, so glare can nonetheless be a problem when utilizing the monitor outdoor or close to a sunny window.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The VX1655’s wonderful distinction ratio was much less stunning, because it’s a characteristic practically all OLED shows supply. Still, it contributes to a wealthy and immersive viewing expertise with deep, inky black ranges that convey a superb sense of depth.

It’s a major enchancment over the IPS panel expertise present in most budget-friendly transportable screens. IPS shows sometimes have a distinction ratio round 1,000:1 and may look hazy and grey when they need to seem pitch black. The VX1655’s distinction ratio makes it superior for leisure, together with PC video games and streaming providers.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Color gamut is one other spotlight, because the VX1655 covers your complete sRGB and DCI-P3 colour house, in addition to 94 p.c of Adobe RGB. These are top-notch outcomes for a transportable monitor and make it helpful for color-critical pictures, design, and video modifying duties. It additionally makes the show look saturated and vivid in on a regular basis use.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Color accuracy, however, was simply okay, although that comes with a caveat. OLED panels can fluctuate in brightness relying on what’s displayed, and that fluctuation may cause issues when testing colour accuracy. Some competing manufacturers, particularly Asus, clear up the issue with a uniform brightness mode that forestalls brightness fluctuations however barely reduces the utmost brightness of the show. Viewsonic ought to contemplate including the same possibility. I do know this is a matter, as I used to be in a position to see refined brightness fluctuations as checks have been carried out.

The VX1655 carried out nicely in gamma and colour temperature checks. It achieved a gamma curve of two.2, which is straight heading in the right direction, and a colour temperature of 6600Ok, only a hair cooler than the perfect goal of 6500Ok. The monitor additionally supplies a number of gamma and colour temperature choices for tuning the picture to your wants.

Sharpness is a perk. The 16-inch 4K panel delivers 275 pixels per inch, an unbelievable pixel density that simply exceeds a 27-inch 4K monitor, which packs simply 163 pixels per inch. Text and high-resolution photos look splendidly sharp, and at instances, they’ll even seem a bit unreal. In my opinion, it’s a bit overkill for a monitor of this dimension, however in the event you’re searching for the sharpest picture doable in a transportable monitor, you’ll not be disillusioned.

On the entire, the picture high quality of the VX1655 is outstanding. The Viewsonic ColorPro VP16 OLED surpasses it in some respects, together with colour gamut and colour accuracy. However, for most individuals, the superior sharpness and brightness of the VX1655 ought to show interesting. The VX1655 additionally defeats OLED transportable screens I’ve beforehand reviewed from manufacturers which are standard on Amazon, like the Innocn 15A1F. We nonetheless advocate the 15A1F, because it’s rather more inexpensive, however the VX1655’s improved decision and brightness make it higher for content material creation and leisure.

Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED HDR picture high quality

The Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED’s HDR efficiency was a pleasing shock. The monitor is VESA DisplayHDR 500 licensed and, in my testing, proved able to reaching a most brightness of simply over 500 nits.

That’s necessary as a result of the added brightness permits HDR content material to disclose extra element, which creates the vivid, crisp, and real looking look of HDR content material. It additionally delivers a “wow” consider vivid scenes or scenes that characteristic occasional bursts of brightness. 500 nits remains to be decrease than superb (I’d wish to see 1,000 nits or extra), however the VX1655’s HDR efficiency is the perfect of any transportable monitor we’ve examined up to now.

Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED movement efficiency

Gaming isn’t the Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED’s focus, so it sticks to a refresh fee of 60Hz. That can’t present the improved movement fluidity you’ll take pleasure in from screens with a 120Hz or 240Hz refresh fee, which can be found for a similar value or much less.

Still, the VX1655’s movement readability is okay. That’s principally because of the low pixel response instances that OLED panels present. Put merely, every pixel responds rapidly to modifications, which reduces the quantity of movement blur behind shifting objects. There’s nonetheless loads of blur seen behind fast-moving objects, nevertheless it’s acceptable for much less aggressive PC video games.

Should you purchase the Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED?

The Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED is an distinctive transportable monitor. It has a vivid, vivid, high-contrast OLED panel that delivers wonderful picture high quality in each SDR and HDR content material. The monitor’s design additionally stands out with a built-in kickstand and a inflexible chassis. I seen a pair minor flaws: The bundled show cowl felt flimsy, and the on-screen menus have been at instances complicated to navigate, however these are minor points. If you need wonderful picture high quality from a monitor you can simply slot in a backpack, it’s onerous to beat the VX1655.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry