Duex Plus
The Duex Plus is a 13.3" portable monitor that is ideal when working in conjunction with a 13-14" laptop.
Returning to a single PC monitor always feels like a significant downgrade. I use two monitors for my PC, and my work is noticeably more productive because I can multitask far more efficiently. The problem comes when I have to travel for work and I’m stuck with my laptop, begrudgingly having to alt-tab between the things I need on a much smaller screen.
Sure, Icouldsplit the screen into multiple windows, but laptop monitors aren’t that big to begin with, so I don’t enjoy having windows squashed beside each other. Essentially, I’m far too spoiled by having two screens at home, so I detest using my laptop. Fortunately, that’s where portable laptop monitors come in. I recently checked out Mobile Pixels’ Duex Plus laptop monitor in the hopes it would be the answer to my prayers.
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The instructions and setup were relatively straightforward - there’s a template to position magnets on the back of your laptop monitor with stickers, and then you’re pretty much ready to plug and play. I sayrelativelybecause, despite the simplicity, I still had to peel the magnets off and reposition them to get them just right. Then you simply mount the portable monitor on the back magnetically, plug it in, and slide it out to use as you wish.
I followed the instructions for monitors smaller than 16” a little too faithfully, which resulted in the Duex Plus not quite reaching the edge of my monitor when extended out, and so I couldn’t angle it outwards properly as it hit against my laptop edge. I should have used my common sense as my screen is 15.6", but I doubt I’m the only person to follow the instructions and find them faulty. Spare magnet adhesives are included in the box, so no harm, no foul, but it’s unhelpful that doing things correctly might mean having to do them twice. Also, you’d want to keep hold of these for when you upgrade to a new laptop and need to repeat the process.
The downside to aligning your Duex Plus to one side of a larger monitor is that you can’t take full advantage of the flexible mounting. When the magnets are centered on the back of your screen, you can position your Duex Plus on either side of your laptop monitor by simply flipping it around before you mount it. That way, it can slide out from either the left or right side of your laptop monitor, as it automatically adjusts its orientation on-screen.
If you don’t want to have it attached, you can always opt to have your Duex Plus unmounted, extending it all the way out of its cover and utilising its viewing angle range of 270 degrees to make it stand in portrait mode. If you want it freestanding in landscape mode, you’ll have to shell out for the optional kickstand.
The Duex Plus includes a USB-C cable with a full USB port adapter, and the two USB-C ports mean you can connect more than one device at a time. It’s compatible with Windows, macOS, and Samsung DeX devices, as well as Nintendo Switch, offering nice versatility.
The 13.3” screen offers 1080p full HD resolution, so the picture quality is decent, but it falls short by not being the brightest. Even if I pump the brightness setting up to max, it’s disappointingly dim compared to the glow of my laptop screen. It’s more than adequate for more general use, such as inside a well-lit room, but the lack of vibrancy would likely limit its use in other settings.
Given that laptops are all about portability, often meaning you’re far from a power socket, one of the things I was intrigued about the most was how much of a battery drain the Duex Plus would be. I decided to put it to the test, playing the same game for 30 minutes on a full battery, with and without the Duex Plus, and comparing the two.
Your battery will understandably run out of juice faster with an additional screen plugged in, but I didn’t anticipate justhow much. I usually use my laptop for less taxing tasks than gaming, and I wasn’t using battery-saver mode for the test, but without the Duex Plus, my battery went down to 75 percent, and with the Duex Plus, it dropped to 33 percent. That’s quite a drastic difference, and it means that the Duex Plus isn’t ideal to use on the go, as you risk hauling around a brick for the rest of the day once you’ve depleted your battery far too quickly.
The Duex Plus is ultra-slim, weighs only 1.3 lbs, and easily slides away at the back of your laptop monitor, so you’re not dealing with a cumbersome attachment that reduces portability overall. Unfortunately, as a result, it doesn’t feel very robust. It’s clear the goal was to make it lightweight rather than aiming for durability. The case feels too flimsy, and I was worried about the fragility of the hinge in particular. Considering this will be something I lug around in a backpack for work, I wonder how long it will last.
The Duex Plus is a nice accessory that I intend to continue using when working away from home, but its limitations mean that I won’t be using it as often as I would like. It’ll be fine for hotel rooms and long train journeys where I can keep my laptop plugged into a power socket, but not so much help during events. Ultimately, it’s nice to have, but the high price point, battery drain, and quality compromises mean it’ll never be a must have.
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