Lepow, who previously sent us their well-made but expensive Series S monitor, has another product they think may interest our video game-loving fandom. The Lepow Z1-Gamut 15.6” portable monitor is a sleek, well-designed screen. Built for use with nearly any device, it is an LCD display that can be taken on trips and used without plugging into the wall provided you have the right UBS-C setup. Let’s go over the specs and my time using it for the past few months.
Specifications
- 15.6” FHD 1080P 60hz IPS Screen
- Plug and Play UBS-C and wall-powered connectivity
- “Upgraded Color Gamut” claimed to cover 106% sRGB/72% of the NTSC spectrum
- .3 Inches Thick
- 1.6 LB Weight
- Magnetic Smart Cover that doubles as a stand
- On-screen Display with side-of-device control buttons
- Two Rear-firing Speakers
- “Quantum Dot Enhancement Film” for reportedly better color accuracy
- Included in the package: Wall Charger, Type C to HDMI Cable, Type C to Type C Cable, Type C to USB A for Power
- Current MSRP of $159.99 on Amazon.
The Setup and Sound
Setting up the Z1 was a breeze. I mainly used it as an additional PC monitor. This requires plugging the Type C to HDMI cable into my GPU and the Type C to USB-A charger into the wall using the provided wall adapter. On a Thunderbolt port-enabled computer you should be able to charge the unit directly from your device as well. I used this same setup with a Series X and S, and the display was read immediately on the HDMI/USB-C combo being plugged in.
The rear-firing “surround” speakers are poor. They get the job done of letting you kinda hear what is going on, but the surround claim is laughable. It’s good that they are there, but in this ultra-thin form factor, they offer no bass. The included magnetic cover doubles as a stand. It excels in both tasks even holding up to a never-ending assault as my cat laid up against the monitor repeatedly while trying to get me to pet her.
The Display
The most important part of the device is how the display looks. The answer is damned good for the price. It is a 15.6” LCD display with peak brightness in the mid 300 nits. It is fantastic for indoor and low light use, and good enough to still be useable on a sunny day. Viewing angles are excellent and its native 60hz refresh rate is about the most you can expect at this price point.
Colors are accurate out of the box, though you can use the built-in on-screen display to try and fine-tune them. The OSD’s responsiveness is terrible, making it a chore to change any setting due to its massive delay in registering inputs. The mechanical switches on the left feel good to press, but are let down by the massive amount of lag you experience while using them.
My main use case for the display was as a 4th computer monitor, which helped my production duties for Xbox Era’s podcast. As a gaming monitor I think I prefer it to the full enclosure options the company has available for the Series S. it works with any system, phone, laptop, or PC and doesn’t run the risk of having a child close the display while the Series S is on and cooking the screen. Text is clearly legible and while 60hz isn’t the highest nowadays for PC monitors it looked better with moving images and video than some of my older Samsung monitors do. With how thin it is I never had any issues with overheating, and its metal chassis feels rigid and high quality.
I did run into one minor annoyance with Windows 11. Occasionally when turning my PC on the Z1 would not be recognized by the PC until I had unplugged and put back in the USB to HDMI cable. It was a minor inconvenience but one none of my other three monitors have ever had.
In Conclusion
At an MSRP of $160 at the time of this review if you are looking for a portable monitor for anything, phone, laptop, pc, or console the Z1-Gamut from Lepow is an excellent 1080p/60hz option. It offers a clear, colorful image that gets bright enough for daytime use along with multiple options for powering the device.
