Review: Uperfect UMax 23 portable monitor with 1440P & 180Hz

Review unit provided by Uperfect

The Uperfect UMax 23 is a 23.8-inch portable LCD monitor available with either 1080P @ 120Hz or 1440P @ 180Hz. Prices are USD 319 and 419 respectively.

The Uperfect UMax 23 is from the Umax series of portable displays with sizes from 21 to 24-inch. I highly recommend choosing the 1440P models over the 1080P ones whenever possible for sharper visuals.

Things included

• Monitor
• 2x USB-C video cables (1.2m)
• 1x full-size HDMI to full-size HDMI cable (1m)
• 2x USB-C u-shape adapter
• 1x HDMI u-shape adapter
• 45W power adapter
• Quick start guide

Design

Design of the display looks clean, simple and generic. There's no branding on the front or back which suggests to me that this could be a white label product. I've no issues with white label products.

Bezels are quite thin on the sides and at the top, slightly thicker at the bottom.

The back is matte textured and is made with metal. Overall build quality feels solid enough. There's no flex when I tried to flex the display from opposite corners.

The built-in kickstand is convenient. There are rubber feet beneath the kickstand and display to prevent scratching the table.

The speakers are hidden by the side in the grooves for the kickstand, so the speaker can only been seen when the kickstand is deployed. Audio quality for the speakers is lousy because the speakers are on the back of the display, and they sound hollow.

The display is quite thin at just 1.7cm at the thickest section.

On the left are ports for two USB-C video and full-size HDMI

Kudos for Uperfect for including the u-shape video adapters so that the cables can go to the back of the display rather than stick out by the left so prominently.

On the right you can find the power button, OSD directional toggle button and 3.5mm audio jack.

Regardless of whether you use HDMI or USB-C video connection, you will still need to connect the display to a power source. A single USB-C cable connection is not possible. This monitor does not support pass-through charging to charge laptops or other devices.

Colours look good out of the box. With a SpyderX2 colour calibration, I measured 100% sRGB, 83% NTSC, 84% AdobeRGB, 95% P3 and a maximum brightness of 299 nits.

This is essentially a 100% sRGB display. Colour accuracy is good for creating visuals for web. Designers who work with print should look for AdobeRGB displays. 299 nits is bright enough for bright indoor use. I personally use my displays at 150 to 200 nits.

The anti-glare of the matte textured surface is quite effective. Visuals can still be seen easily through diffused reflections.

2560 x 1440 resolution (1440P) still looks quite sharp on a 23.8-inch display. Pixelation is not really noticeable from one arm distance away unless you look real close.

The OSD menu is easy to navigate and use with the directional toggle button.

180Hz refresh rate is possible only with USB-C video connection. HDMI video will limit refresh rate to 144Hz.

The advantages of a display with high refresh rate is all the animation looks smoother, and this makes your computer feel more responsive. Gaming also looks better at higher FPS, provided your computer is powerful enough to game at high resolution.

The large display is versatile for different workflows.

You can use apps with many UI elements, and you can use split screen and still have big windows to see.

One downside to the visual quality is with viewing angles. When looking at the display from the front, there's slight gradation by the sides.

When looking at the display from an angle, the gradation or drop in brightness is more obvious. Anyway, this is a minor issue. If you're very picky or strict about colour quality, you would have gone with a proper desktop monitor instead of a portable one anyway.

For USD 420, you can actually buy a proper desktop monitor with better specifications. The main selling point of the Uperfect UMax 23 over proper desktop monitors is portability. The display is thin and weighs only 1.92kg. The display also does not take up much table space.

I do recommend placing the UMax 23 on a tablet stand so that you can use the display at a more ergonomic height.

If you want to bring the display around, it's better to buy one of those carrying bags sold by Uperfect. The bag for the 23.8-inch monitor cost USD 50.

To conclude, the Uperfect UMax 23 is a bright, vibrant and sharp display. Pricing seems reasonable. If you're low on budget, you can consider the USD 309 Uperfect UMax 22 which is a big portable display but the refresh rate is just 60Hz.

Availability

The Uperfect UMax 23 is available from Uperfect online store.