With its brushed aluminum, bronze-colored design, seamless flow between bezel and panel, flush connectors, and a deliberately minimalist approach to functionality, this Espresso Display stands out; in the right direction. This sharp-edged slab of metal and glass is unlike any monitor we've ever seen and has been touted as the thinnest portable monitor available. The Australian startup behind the product raised more than €347,000 (approximately AU$633,000, €490,000) on Indiegogo to make it.
Prices and availability
The Espresso is available in two models; a 13,3-inch (€ 249 or € 299) and a 15,6-inch (€ 279 or € 349) and can be ordered directly from the Australian seller. Accessories include MountGo, MountPro, flip case, backpack, screen protector, and touchscreen software for Mac. You can't use espresso with a Mac without paying for the Mac (€ 39 or € 39). Similarly, the € 39 (€ 49) flip cover is the cheapest way to hold the monitor.
(Image credit: future)
Integrated
In addition to the unibody aluminum and glass case, Espresso easily draws inspiration from the classic "Apple Book" by embracing the design philosophy of the company behind icons like the MacBook Pro and iMac. It's actually another Apple device that seems to be the inspiration for the Espresso.
(Image credit: Future) The iPad Pro 12.9 tablet is 5.9mm thick; The espresso is even slimmer at 5,5mm. At 359 x 256mm, it's much larger than an A4 sheet of paper and we can't help but think that the thick bezel at the bottom of the screen (that's a whopping 55mm) should go in the next iteration. It will also help to reduce some of the weight, which at 960g is heavy; Note that the screen, unlike many of its rivals, does not have a built-in battery, which is a positive in our opinion. Input ports and controls are located on the heavy bezel; audio input plus volume control on one side (can also be used to change brightness) and two Type-C inputs and a mini-HDMI input on the other side. There is no power button as the screen automatically turns on and off and you can charge the host computer by plugging the power supply into one end and the host device into the other. Nice but it depends on the power of the charger. The display comes with three cables: HDMI to mini HDMI, one USB Type-C to Type-A, and one Type-C to Type-C; nothing for iPhone users. As you might guess, its svelte profile precludes the presence of a kickstand, making purchasing an additional accessory anything but a necessity.
(Image credit: future)
Use
The Espresso is an external monitor with Full HD resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio and, according to the manufacturer, 99% sRGB coverage and 60Hz refresh rate. The fact that it has a pair of speakers on board is a miracle, but don't expect them to sound more than tiny. The screen is bright and therefore quite reflective, and colors appear dim even when the brightness is set to maximum with a slight yellow tint, quite noticeable against a white background. The touchscreen is reasonably responsive to swiping, scrolling, pinching, and zooming. Kudos for offering a screen that isn't a fingerprint magnet either, but rather something on a glossy screen. It's not totally foolproof, but compared to some horrors we've seen before, it does a much better job. We tested the Espresso 15 with a Dell Latitude 7490 with the Type-C to Type-C cable and the screen was recognized automatically; the best of plug and play at work. Please note that you will need to use the supplied cable, as other Type-C cables may not be compatible.
(Image credit: Future) When we paired the Espresso 15 with a Samsung Galaxy Note 9, a 5W charger kept the screen on while a 15W charged the smartphone. Speaking of the Note 9, plugging in the Espresso 15 identifies it as a DeX display and automatically launches Samsung's enterprise-focused desktop. A word about the DeX experience: you can use your smartphone as a trackpad, or use the screen as a standalone computer. That's right, you can run two apps simultaneously, say Slack on the monitor and Whatsapp on your smartphone, but you won't be able to run two instances of the same app.
(Image credit: Espresso Screens) We got the Espresso 15 flip case and MountGo to round out the review sample. The first did not impress in terms of quality and goal, as it proved difficult to get the angles right. The same goes for MountGo, the folding standing desk with rubber feet and a powerful magnet that holds your monitor in place.
(Image credit: Future) We have two problems with this approach; When docked, the combo unit's center of gravity is quite high (the rack weighs 486g and when deployed, most of that weight is in the air). This becomes a problem if you physically interact with the screen regularly, causing it to wobble when swiping and scrolling. The other point to note is that the screen doesn't snap into place (like a keyboard cover, for example) but slides around a lot and we prefer to have another layout. Neither are circuit breakers; you just need to get used to it.
Final verdict
Having played with various portable monitors in the past, when they had microUSB ports, long before Type-C became ubiquitous, I can say with certainty that the Espresso portable display is one of the best we've ever handled. The attention to small details has rarely been matched by competitors. We'd still like a few small improvements overall: gray or dark type-C cable (white is a bit annoying), removing the thick bezel (which would make portrait mode look more stylish), making the magnetic mount more stable, and the free Espresso Touch software for Mac.