However, there is one weakness of the port layout that could have better served this use, and that’s the choice to provide two USB-C ports. This technology is also being added to Android by Google, making it likely that future mobile devices should include this functionality. We tested it using the same Huawei P30 Pro that we deployed in the Nexdock 360 review, and it allowed the phone to operate in desktop mode for a Chromebook-like experience.Īlong with Huawei, Samsung and Motorola make phones that offer this phone-as-a-PC functionality. What works well is the overall concept of a plug and play monitor for anyone with a computer or device that supports either HDMI or DisplayPort over USB-C. The user experience of this product ranges from being reasonably good to frustrating, depending on what it is that you are trying to achieve. Overall, the quality of construction is acceptable, but the documentation describes the screen as ‘fragile’, and they only offer a single year of warranty on this hardware. The 15.6-inch LCD panel has relatively narrow 5mm borders at the top and sides but a more substantial stripe at the bottom on which GMKTEC placed its logo.Īs this isn’t a touch screen, the panel coating isn’t hard but soft, and thankfully GMKTEC makes a soft cover to protect it when travelling. There is also a single-sheet instruction pamphlet in English and Chinese, along with a cleaning cloth for the screen. What we did get with the Xpanel was a good quality metre-long USB-C cable, a USB-A to USB-C cable and an HDMI to Mini-HDMI line. The GMKTEC website lists a PSU as part of the package, so this might be a mistake with our package. Power and charging are via USB-C, though no PSU is included in the box. On the left side of the stand edge are the inputs, with a Mini-HDMI and two USB-C ports, and on the right is the power button, a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones and a tiny toggle wheel for operating the OSD menu.

The stand does allow for up to 90 degrees of tilt, and it can be folded flat if required. The Xpanel SE doesn’t paint outside those lines, and in that respect, new users will understand how to set it up without referring to any documentation. Unless they have special features, like the Nexdock 360, most portable monitors are remarkably similar, being an LCD panel supported by a kickstand.

Rhow to run xpanel