I got one of these a couple of months back and I was impressed with how handy it’s become for travel.
It’s small enough that it goes in the backpack without any problem, and it really does help my productivity to have dual laptop monitors when working on the road.
If you’re looking for hi-res, or a gaming device you’re going to be disappointed. But to keep e-mail or Slack running in a separate pane, this is the deal.
This is the older model of this monitor. I have it, like it and use it frequently but here are a couple of things you should know:
1 - If you have a Mac, you cannot adjust the brightness at all and it looks to be on the brightest setting. I have heard that if you connect it to a PC and adjust the brightness, those settings will carry over if you unplug and connect it to a Mac. I have no idea if that is true.
2 - The leg on the back that flips down is horrible. The viewing angle is brutal. I have to put a block of something under the foot when I have it on my desk or the angle is just awful. It is not one of those feet that you can pull out a little here and there. It pops out and that’s it.
3 - The USB connection port on the back of the monitor is extremely loose to the point that the cable can just fall out with a tiny movement. Crazy that such a flaw made it past QC. I opened the back of the monitor, plugged in my USB cable and used electrical tape to permanently attach it to the socket.
4 - Sometimes it flashes and loses connectivity. It fixes itself usually with a restart but sometimes it will just go off while you are working on something. Plugging and unplugging doesn’t always bring it back up.
5 - Finally, make sure when you plug it into the USB port on your PC that you use the connector with the thickest wire attached. There are two connectors in case you need more power but if you’re going to use only one, it has to be the thicker cable. I know that sounds obvious but one time I was in a hurry and plugged in the thin one and it took a couple of minutes to realize the mistake.
I got mine at a pretty good price from the mothership (not discounted for an unbiased review) about a year or so ago. Despite its flaws have gotten a great deal of use out of this. Check the reviews on Amazon before you drop the cash if these are issues that are dealbreakers for you.
I have to concur with everyone else, I picked it up at a previous sale and I really like it for travel. I used to travel with an HDMI cable so I could use the hotel TV but it was difficult to have a good setup. Extremely useful, especially if your doing screen sharing with someone. I have the USB 3 model so no problem with the cable coming out. My primary complaint is how thick it is. I haven’t pulled the back off to see if anything is projecting, but I would prefer it was thinner.
Thirding this. As a developer a second monitor is so useful, even when traveling. This saves having to plug in another power supply also, and will work on battery power. I did eventually replace with an Asus USB monitor - it did full 1080 HD and had an even thinner body. I just use an adjustable tablet stand to hold it at the angle I want.
The good:
It only costs about a tank of gas (if you go by 2014 prices or drive a Gulpurbanlorerango SUV with a big-ass tank).
The bad:
Not HD.
It’s a TN panel but has a very SLOW refresh rate.
Neutral:
Uses USB port for input, no VGA/DVI/HDMI/DP. (this may be a plus for some and a minus for others due to driver issues).
Unknown:
The manufacturer’s page doesn’t indicate compatibility but states that “driver” and “AOC software” are included, which might mean you’re out of luck if you run Linux like I do. (And we already know the Mac software isn’t fully functional from Beebles’ post above about the Mac brightness issues).
Edit:
The data sheet is no help either, no mention of compatibility (but it does tell us how many fit into a shipping container).
How old is that video? “lugging around a CRT monitor?”
I’d be a LOT more interested if it had alternate video inputs (hdmi, composite) so I could use it with other devices easier.
Would love to know if this would work with a Raspberry Pi or C.H.I.P or the Pine 64. If so, it could be a great way to be able to use the microcomputers on the go even easier. I’ve got a 7" touch screen for my Pi, but many times it would be better to have a larger screen like this. I’ll keep digging, but like others have mentioned, I didn’t see any compatibility info, specific to Linux/Pi. Thanks!
It uses the DisplayLink driver. I’ve read about people getting it to work but it seems like there is a lot involved into doing so (i.e. rebuilding the kernel, setting config files, etc etc.) Obviously a good project for someone so inclined, but as I get older I find my time is more valuable nowadays than to tinker with something for hours/days on end just to get one feature to work
Hold out for the newer model. I actually bought this model and was excited to get it. It arrived defective; the micro USB port in the back was broken so I had to send it back as Woot! didn’t have any more in stock. Saw the 1659f later (didn’t know it was newer but was glad that it was) an ordered it. It’s slimmer and has a more solid USB 3.0 connector. Been using it now for several months without any unpleasant incidents.
Yes, I am well aware of that. I’m not interested in portrait mode. In landscape mode, the monitor leans too far back and needs something propped under it to have the monitor stand up more straight. Trying to move the leg inward to get a straighter angle makes it unbalanced and the monitor topples.
Interesting, the newer model looks very nice but costs about 30 bucks more.
I just need a 2nd monitor for my laptop while programming/designing/studies (college student). Would this suite my needs, or should I really save up a bit more and buy the newer model?
I got this one in the last woot-off. Its native resolution is 1366 x 768, so it’s technically HD (supports 720p.) I just got it today, so I haven’t had to kick the tires on it much.
Mine showed up yesterday. Plugged it in - nothing. Looked for the driver, downloaded it and got a message that the ZIP didn’t work. Then I realized that AOC has two pages for this product and the second page has a driver that works:
Got it running now. It’s nice and bright. As for the 1080 vs 720 argument, I don’t know if it’s THAT big a deal on a monitor this small. If you’re looking to use this as your main TV and you’re a Videophile then you’re gonna have a bad time. If you’re using this as it’s intended - a second multi-purpose screen - you’re fine.
![[Preview 1]](https://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/4350862b-cc40-47e3-b511-3615c647193c.jpg){kind=link}
![[Preview 2]](https://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/fe3ac256-7624-436c-8eae-914f7a46571d.jpg){kind=link}
![[Preview 3]](https://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/8c686915-5449-41e0-b408-d7d71fee2ae3.jpg){kind=link}
![[Preview 4]](https://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/6886f802-9e42-426b-a220-4b15d76110a0.jpg){kind=link}
![[Preview 5]](https://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/4f0a19e4-b294-45c8-ba0e-651d48dd95e2.jpg){kind=link}
![[Preview 6]](https://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/d6b8a306-2bd0-43b0-9968-37a25d178b7c.jpg){kind=link}
