AOC I1601FWUX

IPS screen and USB-C; is this the perfect portable LCD panel?

- Jeremy laird

PORTABILITY AND PLENTY of screen real estate don’t normally see eye to eye. However, a recent development is enabling those two ancient foes to become a little more pally. We speak, of course, of USB-C, in all its single-port, multi-function glory.

It’s an enabler thanks to three key properties. First is loads of bandwidth, which is essential for driving high resolution displays. Second is support for DisplayPort alternate mode, and thus the ability to function as a video port without the need for special drivers. Third is the ability to supply much higher power output. USB-C maxes out at 5A and 20V, and thus fully 100 watts. Not every USB-C port will necessarily deliver the full 100 watts, but broadly speaking, if your PC or laptop has a USB-C port, it will be able to supply significant power to any attached peripheral. Put that all together and you have the perfect combination for attaching and driving a compact external display via a single port.