Lenovo L15 mobile monitor
For my travel setup I bought a Lenovo L15 mobile monitor. After doing some research and reading reviews it seemed like an sensible and affordable choice.
Since my laptop have a 16:10 display I was thinking about the Lenovo M14d to match the display ratio. But given that I’ll only use the display a few times a year, and the M14d was twice the price I settled for the more affordable L15.
Design and quality
I read some reviews saying the build quality of the Lenovo L15 was poor. It may not match the quality feel of my Thinkpad X1 Carbon, but it feels reliable, and the stand is very good. The angle of the monitor is freely adjustable and it’s easy to adjust while also firm enough to stay in the set position. When not in use the stand folds flat against the back of the display and I love that there are no loose parts to keep track of.
It’s a very portable display, it weights less than a kilo and a simple sleeve for transportation is included. If you have a somewhat thin laptop there’s no problem fitting both laptop and monitor in a laptop bag.
The monitor connects with USB-C and can be powered by the laptop. What i really like is that it has power passtrough. Connect the display to the laptop, then the charger to the display, and I’ll charge the laptop trough the same USB cable.
The Screen
One concern is the low brightness of the screen. It’s enough for usage in a hotel room or similar but I wouldn’t bring it out in the sunlight. I rarely find myself using the max brightness of a screen, but with this one that’s a fairly common occurence.
Also the there’s not a huge difference between the minimun and maximum brightness. It is noticeable, but not much more.
However it’s anti glare and I really find it relaxing for my eyes, so in my use case the brightness haven’t been a problem.
The colour coverage is only 45% NTSC. It’s good enough for programming, and most office uses I guess, but if you’re a graphics designer I think you’d be happier getting someting more expensive with better colour coverage.
Moving on there’s a button to reduce blue light. I think they could have skipped that one. Whatever it does it’s just painful to my eyes. Ignore it and use something like f.lux instead. Using f.lux you get a smooth blue light reduction thats synchronized on all screens.
Conclusion
If I intended to use this frequently I would look for something with a bit better color coverage.
There are some shortcomings of the display, but it think the people at Lenovo did cut the right corners to create an affordable and usable monitor.
There’s nothing impressive about this display, but it’s really convenient. Getting it setup and connected to your laptop takes about 10 seconds. I love the fold out stand, and the fact that it easily fits with the laptop in the bag. With power passthrough it doesn’t even occupy any extra USB port.
If your looking for a simple portable display for office tasks on the go, and you’re on a budget, I think you’ll be happy with the Lenovo L15 mobile monitor.
