Portable monitors are a thing now, given how powerful other mobile devices have become. The Asus ZenScreen Color ePaper is an interesting candidate for your next best 13.3in option. Of course, if you’re a serious gamer, you should probably select something else. Heavy readers, though? They’re in for a good time.
The company officially debuted its Color ePaper monitor at this year’s Computex, but they’re being coy about when (and where) it’ll launch. We suspect it’ll be soon, though. Asus’ latest communication says folks keen on the ZenScreen MP13UC and the attendant Stand ATS01D should “please contact your local ASUS representative.”
ZenScreen test
The obvious drawcard here is the touchscreen ePaper display. As with various e-readers, this one’s a colour panel. Similarly, we don’t expect much deep detail in the colour rendition. But if your eyes are roaming over text for several hours a day, sticking said text on a 13.3in 3,200 x 2,400 ePaper screen could be just what your tired ocular orbs need.
The ZenScreen Color ePaper’s 35Hz refresh rate is ideally suited for text (and non-essential image browsing, we suppose). For other uses — gaming, editing, and other high-performance viewing — it’s quite a bit less suitable. But offering folks who handle reading, writing, spreadsheets, and the other boring things that help keep civilisation ticking along something like this could be a winner.
Asus obviously reckons that some folks will transition to this portable (it’s powered over USB-C) monitor full-time. A travel stand (the aforementioned ATS01D) will also be available. The stand includes a VESA support, height adjustment, and a 90° pivot angle and is included with the ePaper ZenScreen. If you happen to already have a portable display with a higher refresh rate, the stand supports screens up to 16in in size. It’s got a weight rating of 1.2 kilos.
But, again, we don’t know when or where we’ll see them in the wild. It should be soon, given that Asus is punting it the way it is.
