When one screen just isn’t enough

After working with a dual-screen portable monitor for a month, I’m a believer

More pixels and versatility, but without the sacrifices of dual-screen PCs.

Scharon Harding – Nov 14, 2024 8:00 am | 76

Credit: Scharon Harding

Having two displays in a single device is a growing trend that appeals to people with limited desk space or who need extra pixels to work with when on the go. But often, dual-screen devices, like laptops, are loaded with trade-offs that detract from the convenience two screens should provide.

I’ve tried using dual-screen laptops as my primary display/computing device before. But if I were to buy a dual-screen gadget today, it would be a dual-screen portable monitor. After spending the last month using a dual-screen portable monitor as my main work display, I believe that laptops should leave the dual-display thing to portable monitors. At least for now.

Clever design tricks simplify use

These days, several companies offer dual-screen monitors, including some Chinese brands you may not have heard of on Amazon and Acer. The monitor I tested is from JSAUX, a Shenzhen-headquartered company that has been around for eight years and has made a name for itself selling Steam Deck accessories.

I suspect that many versions of a portable monitor that have two laptop-size screens could boost productivity or helpfully expand an already extensive setup, but there are some things about JSAUX’s FlipGo Pro 13.5-inch monitor that put it in the more niche product category.

The biggest of these features seemed small to me at first but ended up proving handy in maximizing the dual-screen monitor’s versatility: a button on the side of the gadget makes the monitor quickly switch between working as two discrete displays and one unified one.

Dual-screen portable monitor — The button on top toggles the monitor between acting like two displays or one. Credit: Scharon Harding

It was great to have a way to quickly tell my system whether it should maximize windows across both screens or one—or stretch a window down the left half of both screens or just one. As a result, this was something I turned to multiple times a day.

When using a dual-screen gadget, things can get wonky as you try moving and sizing windows. I’ve used a few dual-screen devices with Windows 11 but tested the FlipGo Pro with Windows 10. The older operating system lacks the Snap Layouts feature that has made dual-screen computers way more feasible than ever. Yet, navigating and working with the FlipGo Pro on Windows 10 felt pretty simple, thanks to that one button.

That said, using the FlipGo Pro’s two screens as a unified display wasn’t always smooth. The bezels and hinge separating the two screens break up the flow. It’s distracting and jarring when a beautiful photograph is unnaturally split into two or when a line of text you’re reading is broken up by the division.

When viewing something lengthy, though—like a news feed or spreadsheet—the division typically wasn’t so bad, especially with the length of the unified display minimizing the need for scrolling.

3:2 aspect ratio

Each of the FlipGo Pro’s 13.5-inch screens has the 3:2 aspect ratio that’s still rare among consumer computing devices, even after a trend a couple of years ago where more companies experimented with monitors with taller aspect ratios; many new laptops these days have inched closer to it with a ratio of 16:10 instead of 16:9.

I typically used the FlipGo Pro with a 16:10 laptop screen, meaning that the portable monitor provided me with a taller view that differed from what most laptops offer. When the FlipGo Pro is working as one unified screen, it delivers a 6:2 (or 2:6) experience. These more unique aspect ratios, combined with the abilities to easily rotate the lightweight FlipGo Pro from portrait to landscape mode and swap between a dual or unified monitor, amplified the gadget’s versatility and minimal desk space requirement.

Dual-screen monitors edge out dual-screen PCs

The appeal of a device that can bring you two times the screen space without being a burden to carry around is obvious. Many of the options until now, however, have felt experimental, fragile, or overly niche for most people to consider.

I recently gave praise to the concept behind a laptop with a secondary screen that attaches to the primary through a 360-degree hinge on the primary display’s left side:

Unlike the dual-screen Lenovo Yoga Book 9i, the AceMagic X1 has an integrated keyboard and touchpad. However, the PC’s questionable durability and dated components and its maker’s sketchy reputation (malware was once found inside AceMagic mini PCs) prevent me from recommending the laptop.

Meanwhile, something like the FlipGo Pro does something that today’s dual-screen laptops fail to do in their quest to provide extra screen space. With its quick swapping from one to two screens and simple adjustability, it’s easy for users of various OSes to maximize its versatility. As tech companies continue exploring the integration of extra screens, products like the FlipGo Pro remind me of the importance of evolution over sacrifice. A second screen has less value if it takes the place of critical features or quality builds. While a dual portable monitor isn’t as flashy or groundbreaking as a laptop with two full-size displays built in, when well-executed, it could be significantly more helpful—which, at least for now, is groundbreaking enough.

Scharon Harding Senior Technology Reporter

Scharon is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica writing news, reviews, and analysis on consumer gadgets and services. She's been reporting on technology for over 10 years, with bylines at Tom’s Hardware, Channelnomics, and CRN UK.

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