Vissles–M Portable Monitor
An affordable second screen for your laptop
$209 From Vissles, vissles.com Features 15.6–inch IPS display, 1920x1080 resolution, 2x USB–C, 1x mini–HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack
Many of us have a second, large display for our MacBook or desktop Mac, but there are times when a smaller, more portable display can be useful too.
The Vissles-M is a really good portable option, providing a 15.6–inch display. Its 1920x1080 resolution is relatively modest, but the display is bright and clear and fine for web browsing or streaming video, with small built–in speakers as well.
At 22oz the slimline display is easy to carry around, and most of the screen is 0.2–inch thick — although the ports and connectors on the lower section swell it out to 0.4–inch. There are two USB-C ports and a mini-HDMI port on the right–hand side, with both cables included, while the headphone socket, Power and Menu buttons sit on the left.
The display doesn’t have its own battery, though, which does impose some limitations.
It works best with Macs that have USB–C, as the USB–C cable can provide both power and video for the display. It worked a treat with our 13–inch MacBook Pro via USB–C, and allowed us to both mirror and extend the Mac desktop with no trouble at all.
Using an HDMI connection for other devices is a little tricky, though, as you still need to provide the display with power via USB–C as well. It’s also disappointing to find that Vissles studiously avoids mentioning iPhones and iPads on its website. This means that the Vissles–M won’t be a good option for working with your iPhone or iPad, but it still works well as a handy, lightweight companion for a MacBook laptop.
THE BOTTOM LINE. It’s not the best option for iPhones or iPads, but the Vissles–M is an affordable and portable second screen for a MacBook laptop. CLIFF JOSEPH