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I love a good permanent desk setup. However, something that is also very real in my life is that I am always on the go, working away from my principal, beloved home office, and I cannot risk losing productivity, nor slowing down while working away from home.
So, I went down the rabbit hole of finding the best portable monitors a few months ago. I had spent time using my iPad as a second screen, but since moving to an iPad Mini 7 from my M1 iPad Pro 11-inch, I lost the screen real estate I wanted.
When I found the Sotsu FlipAction monitors, I snagged the Pro variant without hesitation. I thought it would be perfect for me, but I only upgraded it to the flagship Elite Model shortly after. That was 166 days ago from writing this review (whilst using the Flip Action Elite 16 and my MacBook Pro). Since then, I’ve had this monitor go everywhere in the laptop sleeve of my 20L Nomatic Backpack, and I have used it almost every day. I have some thoughts.
Sotsu FlipAction Elite 16: Pricing and Availability
The Sotsu FlipAction Elite 16 Portable Monitor can be purchased through the Sotsu website by clicking here. It’s currently priced for pre-order at $789 / £594, and is available in a silver or space black, perfectly complementing a MacBook colorway.
Sotsu FlipAction Elite 16: Unboxing & first impressions
Right away, when I opened the box, I was struck by just how Apple-esque the Sotsu FlipAction Elite 16 looked, and in the best way. The silver color, the rounded edges, the black bezel matching the silver edge, and the gorgeous display. I
immediately noticed that without changing any settings, I plugged the display into my MacBook Pro, which perfectly matched my MacBook screen. Then, I saw the base and stand. At first, it looked like it would be complex or not exactly what I wanted, but I was sold when I noticed that I could extend the monitor out and have it raise above my MacBook.
When I realized I could set the display in portrait, horizontal, next to my MacBook display, above my MacBook display, or on its own, I was hooked.
Sotsu FlipAction Elite 16: Design & Build Quality
Specs
Screen Size: 16-inches
Resolution: 3840 x 2400
Aspect Ratio: 16:10
Brightness: 450 nits
Contrast Ratio: 1200:1
Color: 100% DCI-P3
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Power Consumption: 15W
Dimensions: 14.4″ x 9.3″ x 0.5″
Monitor Weight: 925g
Base Weight: 435g
As I mentioned, this looks like an Apple product. If Apple were to make a portable monitor, it should buy out Sotsu and make this display itself. It’s that good, and matches that well.
The build quality is spectacular and still looks brand new after nearly 200 days of daily use. The hinges work great, the IO is still tight, and the display has had zero issues.
The design is fantastic, and I find myself returning to this portable monitor repeatedly, even when testing others, or having other co-working setups I could plug into.
Sotsu FlipAction Elite 16: In use
After nearly 200 days of use, I found the absolute sweet spot for this display. I’ve made a straightforward modification; other than that, I am using this screen as intended, and it has been a dream to use. My single modification was swapping the cable that came with it to a 1m Thunderbolt 4 cable. I added a 40 Gbps right-angle adapter to it, so I still got the cable pointing to the back of my Mac towards the portable monitor.
I did this simply with the ease of my EDC in mind. There was nothing wrong with the cable Sotsu sent, but I knew I’d have some bigger files to transfer that I would want a Thunderbolt 4 cable in my bag for, so I may as well have one that is multi-purpose.
For many reasons, the Sotsu FlipAction Elite 16 has been my secret to productivity. First of all, I can now easily get a two (or three) screen setup, all out of my sleek EDC backpack, all powered with a single power in, one cable connecting my Mac to the display, and then if I want zero latency, one cable running from my Mac to my iPad Mini. Second of all, depending on what I am working on, I can swap between having a stacked monitor layout, to a portrait monitor next to my Mac, to a second display for my iPad, to a completely independent monitor for a Mac Mini, a camera setup, or another device I am working on.
Third, it is lightweight and easy to fit in my backpack without needing to reorganize or shove things in there; it just collapses to almost nothing and slides into a sleeve in my bag. And fourth, it has better screen resolution than the average monitor and most monitors that would even be available. At the same time, I travel, making this an even easier no-brainer to use.
My daily setup experience now includes the Sotsu FlipAction Elite 16-inch. Setting up my entire workspace only takes seconds, and I can do it nearly anywhere. I usually spend most of my time with the display above my MacBook, at a more ergonomic eye level, and operating as my primary display. My 13-inch MacBook screen below is for my secondary things, running two virtual screens, one for admin, and one for project management. Then my iPad Mini runs anything from research to Spotify, Reminders, Slack, or sometimes Notion.
When I am working on something where I want more vertical space, I’ll rotate the display to portrait mode so I can see more lines of whatever I am working on, and then when I am done, I’ll rotate it back and move it back to above my MacBook.
If I’m working in an area where stacked monitors don’t make sense for some reason, then I’ll put it to the left and still have a multi-display setup.
There are a few things that I wish this display had, that would simply be icing on the cake. First, would be a USB-A port. Since I am on a newer MacBook Pro, I don’t have any USB-A ports and there have been two instances where I have had to pull out a dongle to use that USB-A device. I wish that up by my SD Card slot reader on the base there could also be a USB-A port.
Secondly, I wish that there was an app integration with the display much like DisplayPilot 2 on any newer BenQ Monitor. However, I have gotten around needing to control display brightness by using an app called Monitor Control. Third, I wish the panel was OLED for the added brightness, and fourth, I wish there was a nano texture display option too, much like what I have on my iPad with a Paperlike screen. However, none of those qualms are cons, just wishes for a customized option.
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Design |
Beautiful, High quality |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Ease of use |
Easy to use |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Practicality |
Right for most people |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Price |
Priced well for the product |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Sotsu FlipAction Elite 16: Final verdict
In short, this display has become a staple in my EDC Setup for a reason. It has been the perfect portable monitor for me, and its largely due to the design, the 4K panel, and the remarkable multi-function stand. I have no plans to take this out of my everyday carry bag anytime soon, and I plan to continue using this panel nearly daily.
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9VMCRTzykm3Pj7jAz4q8t6.jpg
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collin.probst@futurenet.com (Collin Probst)
