Gear: Lenovo ThinkVision LT1421, Toshiba 14" Monitor, AOC E1649FWU 16", MIMO UM-710S.
Toshiba has made a very good USB powered mobile LCD monitor. The "Toshiba 14 Inch USB Mobile LCD Monitor" has it's pros and cons. Let's go over them.
Box Contents
- Monitor
- Case/Stand
- CD with drivers
- USB cable
- Documents
Installation
I recommend installing the drivers before plugging the monitor.
Screen Size + Resolution
At 14 inches and a resolution of 1366x768 this screen is very functional. Videos, images, and web browsing will fit very well. The monitor will be very functional.
Reflection
The screen has a matte finish, thank goodness. I really detest glossy screens. While the glossy screen is useful for viewing what people are doing behind you... it affects you computing experience.
Brightness/Contrast
The Toshiba is a slightly brighter screen than the Lenovo ThinkVision (it's 220 nits vs 200 nits). The 220 nits can be achieved when you use an optional power adapter, if you do not use it then it's same as the Lenovo ThinkVision. The contrast ratio is the same at 400:1. One of the big differences is that the Lenovo had 16 brightness levels, the Toshiba has 2 levels.
Comparing the ThinkVision to the Toshiba side by side I can notice that the Lenovo offers better "white" colors, this may be a brightness issue but it could also be a color issue.
Colors
The Toshiba has a range of up to 256 thousand colors, which is less than the Lenovo ThinkVision (262 thousand). Obviously both of these monitors are going to give less colors than most VGA/DVI/HDMI monitors. So the Toshiba and Lenovo monitors are good for previewing stuff, but not anything at the "professional" level.
Viewing Angles
The viewing angles are the same as the Lenovo ThinkVision. It's best on a full frontal view, left/right angles dimn down the screen a bit, a viewing from the bottom makes the screen dark, and if viewed from the top it makes it look bright.
Case/Stand
The monitor comes attached to the case/stand. The case is made of a nice leather and it will protect the screen very well. The case also works as a stand and it does a very good job.
This case/stand has a neat little container where you can store the included USB cable. This is a neat thing that I wish somehow was added to the Lenovo ThinkVision.
A negative thing about the case is that it does add quite a bit of volume to the screen, which also makes things heavier.
Weight
The Toshiba monitor is heavier than the Lenovo ThinkVision. My measurements put the Toshiba monitor with the case at 2.875 to 2.9375 lbs. The official documents state that it weighs at 2.8 lbs.
Buttons/Lock
There are three buttons on the front of the system. The first one is power on/off which I'm extremely thankful for. The other two buttons are brightness up/down which give you access to only two brightness levels.
The Toshiba monitor does not have a Kensington lock option, the Lenovo ThinkVision did. I personally don't use a lock, but some people may need this feature.
Text/Video
Text looks crisp and clear. Video also looks fine. There is a slight difference that most people will not notice, the response time of the Toshiba monitor is 16ms which is twice of the 8mm response of the Lenovo ThinkVision.
USB Cable
The 36 inch USB cable is a short compared to the Lenovo's 70 inch. Since the monitor will be placed close to a laptop it doesn't need to be that long.
If the cable is routed through the case it will force you to place the monitor to the left of a laptop.
Power Consumption
To conduct my tests I did an average power consumption check with and without the Toshiba monitor plugged in, I played a video on a browser, and had full brightness.
No LCD - 28,571 mW - 28,649 mW - 27, 417 mW = 28,212 mW average = 28.21 W
Yes LCD - 33,688 mW - 33,877 mW - 33,744 mW = 33,769 mW average = 33.769 W
Consumption difference = 5.56 W
Battery capacity: 91,175 mW
No LCD - 3.2317 hours
Yes LCD - 2.6999 hours
Difference - .5318 hours = 31.908 minutes
The Toshiba consumes about 32 minutes, and the Lenovo ThinkVision consumed about 16 minutes. The difference is a lot, about 2x.
Price
The original list price is $200, but the current price is about $180. The Toshiba monitor is $20 less than the Lenovo ThinkVision.
Overall
There are pros and cons about this monitor. Quality wise I think the Lenovo beats the Toshiba monitor, although it's very close. There are features that the Toshiba has that the Lenovo ThinkVision doesn't such as the on/off button and the case. But I have to say Lenovo wins on this one.
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I bought one for my Toshiba NB505 Netbook off Ebay for $65 US. At that price I don't think you can go wrong. I don't think any of the mobile monitors were designed for hardcore gaming in mind. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the comment!
DeleteThis case/stand has a neat little container where you can store the included USB cable. This is a neat thing that I wish somehow was added to the Lenovo monitores touch screen.
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