The Portable Monitor Slide V2 review: Two screens you can (kind of) take anywhere

As I’ve grown more accustomed to having multiple screens in my desk setup, it’s become that much harder to get work done when I’m away from home and have to rely only on my laptop’s display. I’m certainly not alone in that, which is why the portable monitor market has grown a lot in recent years, with lots of options from big and small brands alike. However, one of the standout solutions is the Portable Monitor Slide V2, which offers two screens in one package.

The idea here is solid. It’s a single, somewhat chunky unit that contains two 13-inch displays that slide out to surround your laptop’s screen. It’s versatile, too, thanks to the multiple display modes. It’s probably the best implementation of this concept so far, but this kind of product is not ready for primetime just yet. It’s heavy, bulky, and the setup process is a little too cumbersome for the mainstream. But if you’re starving for a triple-screen monitor setup on the go, this is one of your best options.

Pricing and availability

The Slide V2 is already up for sale on The Portable Monitor’s official website, though it’s listed as just the Slide. That’s because it’s basically an upgraded version of the product, so it replaces the old model.

Officially, pricing starts at $1,029 for the standard black model or $1,539 for the more premium carbon design. However, both models are frequently discounted, and the base model is down to $739 at writing time. If you’re a business, you can also buy in bulk. The Portable Monitor actually lets you brand the screens with your company logo, replacing the original logo on the back of each monitor.

Design

It’s portable but heavy

Starting off with the design, the Slide V2 doesn’t look all that special. It mostly appears to be made of plastic, though the enclosure for each display is made of aluminum to for more durability. Overall, the product doesn’t exactly feel premium, but it doesn’t necessarily feel cheap, either.

The biggest problem with the design is that it’s not super portable, which is a problem for a portable monitor. While you get two 13-inch displays, the size of the unit as a whole is more similar to a 16-inch laptop in terms of overall size, and it’s not going to fit in just any bag or even backpack. It’s pretty thick, too, at 20mm, so it’s close to what you’d expect from a beefy gaming laptop. And because there’s so much going on inside, it’s also very heavy, at around 4.41 pounds. While this is “portable” it’s really more suited to moving from one office to another or for longer trips, rather than something you carry around every day.

Mount it to a laptop, or don’t

One of the defining features of the Slide V2 is that you can use it in two primary ways. The first and arguably easiest method is to simply use it by itself. The device has a built-in kickstand that can be adjusted to a few different angles. This mostly helps counteract the weight of the monitors depending on the position you use them in. If you’re using them in panoramic mode (a screen on each side of the laptop), you’ll want the device to lean further back, so the screens don’t make it fall forward, for example.

If you want a bit more stability, you can also mount the Slide V2 onto your laptop. The package includes eight mounting pads, which you can install on two different laptops to make it easier to switch between them. You’ll need a relatively large laptop to do this, though, because of the unit’s size. Based on my attempts, you’ll probably need at least a 15-inch laptop for the attachment to work well.

The installation process can be a bit difficult to get just right, and you can see above that I misaligned the mounting pads slightly, but it actually still works fairly well, and the extra stability of having the screens attached to the laptop helps a lot with usability. You’re basically required to do this if you plan to use the “flip” mode, where one of the screens is fully rotated behind your laptop, since you have to retract the kickstand in order to flip the screen over.

Ports and cables

The Slide V2 comes with two USB Type-C ports, but in theory, you only need one for more modern laptops. Older laptops may need to use the second port for power delivery, and all laptops need both cables plugged in for the initial setup. Technically, all the necessary cables are included, but because only one port supports the video signal and the cables are fairly short, you may have some trouble finding the ideal setup. The best bet is to have a laptop with a USB-C port on the right side so you can use the monitor with a single cable. You do get two USB Type-C to Type-A cables for other setups, though.

It’s pretty cool that you can do this since similar devices, like the Mobile Pixels Trio, require one cable per display. The Slide V2 tries to address that, and any progress in reducing the clunkiness of these dual portable monitors is a welcome step.

Using the Slide V2

The setup process can be cumbersome

Setting up the Slide V2 for the first time can be a bit frustrating. The monitor comes with an instruction manual that you have to follow somewhat religiously if you want everything to work properly. It’s not the most intuitive, either. First, you need to install the DisplayLink drivers on your laptop before plugging in the monitor. Then, you need to plug a power source into the USB-C port on the left of the Slide to ensure it has enough power. Finally, connect another cable to the USB-C port on the left of the Slide, then connect to your laptop, ideally using the included USB-C-to-C cable.

If you mess up any of these steps, chances are you’ll need to start over again. However, you can’t be quick to assume it isn’t working; the instructions say it can take up to five minutes for the initial setup to finish, and you shouldn’t touch it until it does. I’ve found that if it takes close to five minutes, it probably won’t work, and you’ll need to restart

The Slide V2 doesn’t play well with every laptop, either. I couldn’t get it to work consistently with a couple of Huawei laptops I have lying around, though it worked fine with others, like the Asus ROG Flow X13 (2021) or the LG Gram Style. The instructions generally state that if a single cable doesn’t work, it’s likely a power issue, and you need to plug in a second cable, but this didn’t seem to fix the issue for me. It’s not totally clear if a port will be able to handle the connection or not until you try it, even though the company says the Slide V2 should work with all laptops. The company says there may be a limitation or something broken in the laptop if it doesn’t work.

When it does work well, though, the process becomes painless. I was actually ready to give this device a lot more praise until I started writing this review because that’s when I tested additional devices. The entire time I used it with my main laptop, it worked totally fine.

You can use it in multiple modes

Most of the time I spent with the Slide V2 was in what the company calls “panoramic” mode, which is when you pull out both screens to the sides of the laptop. This is a proper triple-screen setup, and it’s great if you’re used to multitasking. While the screens are a bit small, there’s no denying that they greatly boosted my ability to work from a hotel room where I didn’t have my usual desk setup.

There are some other modes. You can use it with just one screen horizontally or vertically, for example. You can also easily share content with others if you rotate both screens backward to form a triangle with your laptop (this works best if you’re using the laptop mount), so you can share your screen with people all around a table. The device uses magnets, too, so it doesn’t feel awkward when you do this.

And if you just want to share one screen, the left monitor can rotate fully around (again, only if the Slide is attached to the laptop), and it uses magnets to attach to the back of the stand. Most of these modes feel very thought out, and you have to appreciate the versatility here.

Display quality

They get the job done

Of course, this is a monitor, so how do the screens themselves hold up? I’d say they achieve what they set out to do. Each screen is a 13.3-inch IPS panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio and Full HD resolution. They won’t blow you away with their quality, but they look fine. I do wish they were a bit taller, considering they have pretty big bezels, but the focus for the Slide V2 was improving the mechanical side of this kind of device, and I think that’s for the best.

This isn’t a tool for content creators or anybody that needs extreme color accuracy, though. It’s a product made for businesses and people working with documents. If you’re reading and writing while talking to someone on Slack, the screens will do everything you need them to. If you have a higher-end laptop, though, you’ll probably notice the monitors don’t look very vibrant compared to your main screen.

Based on my measurements, the Slide V2’s screens cover about 94% of sRGB, making for a solid experience if all you need to do is read and write. For color-sensitive work or more immersive experiences like watching movies or playing games, they’re not the best — certainly not on par with the best monitors on the market.

The screens also hit a maximum brightness of 250 nits, which reinforces how this isn’t a tool you’re supposed to use everywhere, especially outside. Visibility won’t be great under bright lights, but it’s totally fine for indoor use. You also can’t really adjust the brightness of these displays. Windows 11 does show the option, but it seems to only affect the laptop’s screen instead.

Should you buy the Slide V2?

You should buy Slide V2 if:

• You need two extra screens in a portable package
• You’re mostly doing office work involving reading and writing
• You want a single-cable dual monitor solution

You should NOT buy the Slide V2 if:

• You want something that can be taken anywhere and used outdoors
• Your laptop doesn’t have powerful enough USB ports
• You’re looking to do color-sensitive work
• You don’t want to spend over $700

While I’m excited to see progress in this dual monitor concept, I’m having a hard time recommending this product to the majority of people. The Portable Monitor has delivered a product that is, for the most part, very sound. The mechanical side has been improved compared to what I’ve seen on devices like the Mobile Pixels Trio, with mechanisms that are fairly easy to grasp and utilize without too much of a hassle. The fact that it only needs a single cable is also a big deal since it makes for a much cleaner setup.

However, the setup process is still a little too frustrating, and since some laptops don’t play nicely with it, it’s a bit of a gamble if it’ll work. The total cost compared to the quality of the screens is a little high, so you might be more drawn to cheaper, single-screen options. But if you absolutely need two extra screens in a somewhat portable package, this is for you.