Lepow C2S 15.4-in Full HD Portable Monitor review: Great for work and play

Whether you need it for work or leisure, the best portable monitors can really make your life a whole lot easier. The truly effective ones offer several ports to connect to your various devices, great resolution, and can be used horizontally or vertically to meet your needs.

I recently had the chance to review the Lepow C2S 15.4-in Full HD Portable Monitor. While it didn't blow me away, it's a decently priced device that can work well for most people. Just beware of that included screen protector.

Lepow C2S 15.4-in Full HD Portable Monitor: Price and availability

The Lepow C2S 15.4-inch Full HD Portable Monitor has an MSRP of $200 and can be purchased on Amazon. However, it often can be found selling at a discount. For instance, at the time of this review, it was selling for $190 with the option for Amazon Prime members to click on a $30 off coupon. This is a good price for a portable monitor of this caliber.

Lepow C2S 15.4-in Full HD Portable Monitor: What's good

Source: Rebecca Spear / iMore

In order to test this portable monitor, I used it with both my laptop and my Nintendo Switch. I'm happy to report that it connected to both devices easily and immediately changed to the correct input when I connected a compatible device to it.

The screen feels very large with plenty of room for me to work on one big project or split the screen between two documents. When I first turned it on, the display seemed rather dark, so I used the buttons on the back to adjust color, brightness, contrast, and then volume to fit my needs. The image quality comes through plenty sharp and you can even adjust the sharpness if you need to.

When using both my Switch and my laptop, I didn't notice any delays between the devices. Typing letters showed up as quickly as if I was working on a desktop computer and I didn't feel like there was a lag between me moving my Switch joystick and my character's movements in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

The kickstand feels plenty sturdy and holds the monitor up just as well both vertically and horizontally. Although, I did need to reposition the cables coming from the display more when using the vertical positioning, but it's easy enough to do. It's worth noting that this particular portable monitor doesn't come with a case or anything that makes it easy to transport, so you'll need to purchase something separately.

Lepow C2S 15.4-in Full HD Portable Monitor: What's not good

This is the second Lepow portable monitor I've tested, and in both cases, the included screen protectors have been film ones. On this particular one, I spent over 10 minutes trying to get rid of bubbles using the included cardstock, but I had to eventually come to terms with the fact that they would never fully go away. The bubbles are rather unsightly when the screen is off, but hardly noticeable when the monitor is on. Additionally, the whole far left side of the screen protector didn't have any adhesive and therefore didn't seal like the rest of it.

Another issue to be aware of is that while the screen itself is matte, the screen protector is incredibly glossy. As such, if there is a light or a window behind you, it will likely show up on the screen protector and make it hard to see what's being displayed.

Additionally, the power cord is very short at only 3-foot-7-inches long. As such, I needed an extension cord to reach my desk outlet. I can see very few hotel or trip situations where a cord this short would be useful on its own.

Lastly, while colors and sound came through well enough, this monitor doesn't get very bright nor does it get very loud. If you're in a crowded or bright location, it might not be as useful for you. The same applied whether I was using the headphone jack or the built-in speakers.

Lepow C2S 15.4-in Full HD Portable Monitor: Competition

If you're wanting something a bit smaller, Lepow LITE H1 Portable Monitor is a 14-inch display that works relatively similarly. Only this one has a built-in case that doubles as a kickstand. As I said before, this one also had screen protector issues, especially when it came to getting rid of bubbles.

There are also plenty of other portable monitors for Mac out there to choose from. The one we recommend most is the GeChic 15.6 inch which features built-in speakers, 1080p resolution, and a kickstand that works vertically and horizontally.

Lepow C2S 15.4-in Full HD Portable Monitor: Should you buy it?

• You want a decently priced portable monitor
• You want a portable monitor with a big screen
• You use devices that require USB-C, mini HDMI, or mini DP connections

• You tend to work in bright locations
• You need the speakers to get loud
• You want something with a built-in case

All in all, the Lepow C2S is a decent portable monitor at a good price. The display is large and roomy, the kickstand supports either horizontal or vertical orientation, and there are multiple ports to connect with different devices. It can be a boon, whether you're needing an extra monitor for your home desk or for work trips.

Just be aware that the screen protector isn't that great since it is very glossy and tends to have more bubbling problems than many other screen protectors I've used. Additionally, the monitor has limited brightness and volume, which may cause problems for some users.