Just ahead of the weekend we saw Asus ROG tease what some thought might be a ROG gaming tablet. Now the truth is out, and that guess was almost right as the product teased was the Asus ROG Strix XG17 portable gaming monitor. If you are in the market for a portable monitor but need something a little more compact and it isn't specifically for gaming, Asus has also just launched the ZenScreen Touch MB16AMT.
Asus ROG Strix XG17
As is immediately evident from the name, this is quite large for a portable monitor at 17-inches (17.3-inches in diagonal to be more precise). This portable Full-HD screen is powered via an AC adaptor, or if that isn't available it can run on its 7,800mAh battery for at least 3 hours (longer at lower refresh rates), or you can power it via its dual USB-C ports. The monitor also features a Micro HDMI 2.0 port.
Asus ROG uses a 17.3-inch 1080p IPS panel with wide viewing angles and some good gaming-relevant specs. First of all it has a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz, and its 3ms response time should help minimise ghosting. There is good news if your GPU supports variable refresh rate technology as the XG17 supports Adaptive-Sync over the 48Hz to 240Hz range.
Other attractive qualities of the Asus ROG Strix XG17 are its; non-reflective matt panel, built-in 1W stereo speakers, it is under half an inch thick, the smart cover/stand protects the monitor in transit, and it has similar Asus ROG styling to the brand's gaming laptops.
Asus says that the XG17 can be hooked up to your laptop, a game console, or even your phone, so it sounds like it features some kind of screen casting tech too.
ZenScreen Touch MB16AMT
This more traditional portable monitor features a 15.6-inch Full HD 10-point touchscreen panel with flicker-free and low blue light tech. Compact portability is the order of the day here with the IPS panel featuring NanoEdge bezels. Again the smartcover doubles as a stand, a good design for form and function.
You connect to the MB16AMT via Hybrid-signal USB-C or micro-HDMI which facilitates connectivity with laptops, smartphones (Android 6.0 or higher), consoles, cameras and more. This display weighs in at 0.9kg and is just 9mm thick. Asus equips a 7,800mAh battery for 4hr battery life at max brightness. Lastly, stereo speakers are built-in.
I don't have pricing for either of these portable monitors. The ZenScreen Touch MB16AMT will be released in June.
