Mobile Pixels Duex Plus could be the perfect product if you regularly work on a laptop and want the luxury of a second screen without having to use a full-size portable monitor. A second screen attached to your laptop makes a lot of sense if you spend a lot of time away from your home or office, for example, or simply don't have the space to use a second monitor.
Prices and availability
The Mobile Pixels Duex Plus costs $299 (£299, around AU$477). This price is right in the middle of the market for laptop screens that plug into a laptop screen. It's a good start, but the Duex Plus is significantly more expensive than second displays that sit free-standing, without a mounting system on the back of your laptop. If you're happy enough to use a second screen that can be placed next to your laptop, you'll be able to get a screen with equivalent specifications for $199 ($199, around AU$299), and sometimes even less. - the Lepow Lite H1 costs €186. Mobile Pixels Duex Plus is widely available in all major markets, at least, so you should be able to get your hands on this panel no matter where you live.
(Image credit: Avenir)
Design and functionality
The Duex Plus attaches to laptops with a system of stickers and magnets. The case has four round magnets that use sticky pads to adhere to the back of your laptop screen, and these magnets are inside the slots that slide the entire case to the left or right. The screen itself simply slides out of the back case on the side of your laptop's screen.
(Image credit: Avenir) Users can change the angle of the Duex Plus with a generous 270-degree range of motion, and it's fairly easy to slide the screen in and out of its case. Elsewhere, though, you don't get any adjustments like tilting or swiveling, which isn't surprising on a panel with this kind of layout.
(Image credit: Avenir) You can use the case as a stand and prop the panel up in portrait mode, but only if you remove the device from your laptop. If you want to use the screen externally in landscape mode, you'll need to purchase a laptop stand or something similar. This is significantly different from the Lepow, which doesn't connect to your monitor but can sit anywhere on your desk.
(Image credit: Avenir) The exterior doesn't impress in other departments either. The case looks and feels cheap - it's made of vibrant plastic. The screen has large bezels, and attaching the Duex to your laptop adds 0.25 inches (6mm) to its thickness and 0.7kg to its weight. These are modest numbers, but worth considering if you want to save space or weight. Inside, the Duex Plus is a 1.920 x 1.080 display with a 13,3-inch resolution and IPS technology. It's a good spec for everyday business use and means you'll have plenty of extra space to open another browser window, Office app, or creative tool.
(Image credit: Avenir)
The Duex Plus is a smart idea on paper, but disappointing in practice. It is difficult to get started with the laptop due to the tedious installation. The adhesive pads used on our test sample did not properly secure the screen to one of our test laptops, while it was firmly attached to another machine. It depends on the type of laptop you're using, but the Duex may not connect securely to all laptops. You'll also need to use new pads, twelve of which come in the box, if you want to use this screen on another machine.
(Image credit: Avenir) The right side of the Duex has two USB-C ports, one of which is capable of carrying a DisplayPort signal so you can connect two devices to the Duex at the same time. The supplied USB-C cable also has an adapter to connect it to a standard USB socket. However, the ports face the outside of the screen, so the cable extends even further from your laptop. This can leave your desktop in a mess quite easily.
(Image credit: Avenir) The Duex Plus doesn't impress in terms of image quality either. Its maximum brightness level of 171 cd/m2 means this panel is only good enough for indoor use; it cannot cope with more demanding outdoor conditions. Datasheet Here's the Mobile Pixels Duex Plus configuration submitted to TechRadar Pro for review: Panel size: 13,3-inch Panel type: IPS Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Brightness: 300cd/m2 Contrast: 1000:1 Refresh rate : 60 Hz Inputs: 2 x USB-C Weight: 1,5 lbs (0,7 kg) Dimensions: 311 x 215 x 6 mm (12,25 x 8,46 x 0,25 in) WxHxD Black dot of 0,15 2 cd/m1140 is solid and helps the screen put out a 1:5.04 contrast ratio. That's a decent number and it means there's some depth to this panel, but the Duex's lack of brightness means you never see really no drive or vitality, everything is monotonous. The average Delta E of 7310 is poor and means colors aren't accurate, and the 55,6K color temperature is pretty good, so those colors look washed out. This display only represents 60% of the sRGB color gamut, meaning it only produces just over half the hues that mainstream content will potentially require. The 1Hz refresh rate is only good enough for everyday use, and response times are poor; you may see the slider move if you rotate it around the screen. While this is fine for browsing the web and working on office applications, it means this screen can't handle gaming outside of office hours. Lack of quality won't stop you from browsing the web, running office applications, or using the secondary screen for your mail and messaging software. Still, this screen lacks the punch, precision, or breadth of colors to tackle creative tasks. Photos and videos won't be bright or vivid on this screen either. It should be noted that the Lepow Lite HXNUMX is slightly larger than the Duex and offers slightly better contrast, touch, and color accuracy, but it still has poor brightness and poor performance compared to most computer displays. laptops and desktops.
Final verdict
There's a lot to like about the Duex Plus on paper: if you want two screens on your laptop, the ability to slide out a second panel is a godsend, and the fact that it attaches to laptops makes it easier to use. In practice, however, the Duex disappoints. Its attachment mechanism is finicky and inconsistent, build quality isn't great, and the poor screen quality means it's only suitable for basic tasks and indoor environments. At this price, it's not enough. You've overcommitted yourself here to create a second display that can be attached to your laptop. If you want a secondary display, you'd be better off choosing a higher-quality, lower-priced stand-alone portable panel. It's only worth buying if you absolutely need a screen attached to your laptop. Need an extra screen for your laptop? Take a look at our roundups of the best portable monitors and the best USB-C monitors