Espresso Shows makes a few of our favourite moveable screens, however up till now, it felt like there was a gap in its portfolio. That is as a result of except for its flagship mannequin — the $800 Espresso 17 Professional — the opposite family members are barely extra reasonably priced fare just like the $469 Espresso Contact 13 and $499 Contact 15. In the present day, the corporate is plugging that hole with the Espresso 15 Professional, which packs every little thing I like about its larger sibling in a extra moveable package deal for $699 (with a stand included).
Engadget
Whereas it’s kind of dear, the Espresso 15 Professional has just about every little thing you possibly can need in a travel-friendly 15-inch show.
- Nice brightness
- Slick design
- Single-cord connectivity
- Can add contact assist to Macs
- A number of equipment
- It is dear
- Stand+ is type of heavy
- Refresh fee is restricted to 60Hz
Design and show
One of many issues I admire about Espresso is that it would not attempt to do an excessive amount of. The 15 Professional options an extremely minimalist design created from easy sheets of matte black aluminum together with shiny glass in entrance (when you want matte shows, you may at all times add one of many firm’s textured display protectors). Granted, the monitor does have a little bit of a chin, however except for two USB-C ports stashed within the nook, that is actually the 15 Professional’s solely defining exterior function, so I am not that bothered. All informed, the show weighs 1 pound and 11 ounces, which sounds so much heavier than it feels.
As for its specs, the Espresso 15 Professional’s 4K LCD panel delivers almost every little thing you need after which some. Brightness tops out at 550 nits (it was truly 556 nits based on my mild meter), which is increased than the 450 nits on the 17-inch mannequin. It additionally covers one hundred pc of the Adobe RGB spectrum with 10-bit shade (8-bit + 2-bit body fee management). The one factor I want Espresso included was a 120Hz refresh fee as an alternative of being capped at 60Hz. That stated, except you are gaming or modifying movies, that limitation might not be an enormous issue.
Setup and particular options
Getting the 15 Professional up and working could not be simpler. Every USB-C port has sufficient bandwidth to hold energy and knowledge over a single cable, so that you simply must plug within the included twine, and off you go. The one exception is for laptops that may’t ship out a lot energy through USB-C, however I examined the monitor with 4 completely different laptops (each Mac and PC) and none of them had points. The show even mechanically downloaded the EspressoFlow software program, which provides contact assist to your Apple notebooks. You additionally get the brand new Glide function that mechanically positions the monitor in the precise place relying on how you have got it organized subsequent to your laptop computer. And by some black magic, the 15 Professional nailed it when it appropriately laid out the monitor to the left of my pocket book’s built-in display.
As somebody who has just lately been compelled to make use of a Mac for work, the power to rapidly and simply add contact assist to Apple’s laptop computer is tremendous good. And whereas I am removed from a digital Degas, you may even use the show for drawing and sketching because the monitor additionally works with the corporate’s non-obligatory stylus. This makes the 15 Professional a super journey companion for each individuals who need extra display actual property or a conveyable method of making artwork on the go.
Equipment
Along with display protectors and pens, there are additionally a few essential stand equipment for the 15 Professional. The primary is the $49 Espresso Case, which is extra of a magnetic folding cowl that protects the display whereas in transit that may additionally flip round again to turn out to be a kickstand whenever you’re working. Just like the show itself, it is a pretty easy affair that does precisely what you count on it to.
Nevertheless, for many who need one thing extra substantial, the 15 Professional additionally works with Espresso’s $69 Stand+. It is extra like what you’d see on a standard desktop monitor, besides that it could fold up for improved portability whereas additionally packing a very sturdy magnet that lets you mount the monitor in a wide range of positions. This factor may be too dear for some, however I’ve rapidly grown to understand how straightforward it makes placing the 15 Professional within the excellent place. It is extra well-built than numerous the desktop monitor stands I’ve. The apparent downside is that at 1 pound and 4 ounces, the Stand+ weighs nearly as a lot because the show itself, which is relatively hefty.
Wrap-up
The Espresso 15 Professional has almost every little thing I search for in a premium moveable monitor. It options nicely above common brightness, a smooth however sturdy design and tremendous easy setup. It additionally comes with a number of particular options like Glide and added contact assist for Macs that allow you to get extra out of the gadgets you already personal. And because of a wealth of equipment, it could adapt to nearly any use case.
Whereas I might like the next refresh fee, not having it’s removed from a deal-breaker. That might nearly definitely enhance its worth, and contemplating that the 15 Professional is already considerably expensive, beginning at $699 for the monitor and the Stand+, I am unsure the added expense could be price it. Regardless, if you would like a very moveable monitor that is additionally greater than adequate to make use of at house, there aren’t many different shows that may match the Espresso 15 Professional.