ASUS MB168B review: A portable, 15.6-inch, USB powered, HD monitor

If you are using netbook or an ultra-portable notebook, you are bound to have a display which is smaller than your expected viewing size. You usually would opt for the small notebook since it is portable and light. However, there are times when you need large display while working, especially whilst giving presentations or simply when working with large spreadsheets. The only option is to either connect it to projector or use a desktop monitor. ASUS has provided a solution for the same—gives you the MB168B monitor.

The ASUS MB168B is an ultra-light and thin portable monitor (800g), which you can carry along with you wherever you go. The monitor is very light, portable and can be carried along inside a bundled protective sleeve.

The MB168B display panel is very light and slim display panel and is a USB powered monitor—no need for additional cables, power adapters or power source. The display is powered using a USB 3.0 port and is also compatible with a USB 2.0 port.

The monitor features a 15.6-inch HD display panel with a resolution of 1366x768 pixels, and an aspect ratio of 16:9. A full HD variant is also available. The display panel is encased in plastic shell with a metallic brush-finished back. The front panel sports just a small power LED, located towards the top left. The rear panel is free from any ports and cables. The left side features the brightness control rocker along with a power button, towards the top and a USB 3.0 port towards the bottom.

The monitor bundles along a protective sleeve, which doubles up as a monitor stand, with two levels of placement. Bundled along with the monitor is also a three feet USB 3.0 cable. The USB cable and the monitor can be ported inside the protective sleeve itself.

Moving on, the MB168B is an LED monitor, and features an auto-rotate option. You can place the display in any orientation (portrait or landscape) and the display will adjust accordingly an automatically.

The ASUS MB168B monitor features and runs on the ASUS EzLink technology, which has the display adapter built-in into the monitor itself. This means you don’t need a dual-head display or a second display card (graphics card) to run the monitor. The monitor is completely powered and driven by the USB 3.0 port. Being backward compatible with USB 2.0, the only difference you will witness is in the brightness, since the power requirement is slightly lower when using a USB 2.0 port.

Connecting and installing the ASUS MB168B monitor is as simple as plugging in a regular USB pen drive. The moment you plug in the USB cable, the system detects and installs the required driver from the internet.

The moment you plug in the display and the drivers get installed, your present display screen is mirrored to the ASUS monitor. You have the option to extend the present display to the ASUS MB168B monitor, thus having an extended desktop according to your preference. You can enjoy a dual-display monitor with just the sacrifice of a single USB port—no additional expenses towards additional graphics cards or power sockets. Select the display modes using the display properties and you are good to go.

On the usability front, we did find a few flaws with the ASUS MB168B. Firstly, the display panel does not feature a kickstand or a smaller stand. You have to make use of the large sleeve as a stand for the monitor, and it takes up massive desk space for the placement.

Secondly, the USB cable is pretty short—though you can use it conveniently for a laptop on the desk, using it for a desktop PC kept at floor level is almost impossible. If needed for a desktop PC, you will have to opt for a USB 3.0 cable extender, else you would lose out on power for the monitor and it won’t function.

Thirdly, when kept in landscape or portrait mode, the sleeve, which is used as a stand, tends to obstruct the lower end of the display with the flap. The flap is pretty stubborn and keeps coming in the way, unless you hold it down with a heavy object.

Lastly, the USB cable is placed on the left side of the monitor—placing the unit on the left side of the laptop is inconvenient as the cable is shorter and the force could also damage the USB 3.0 connector.

ASUS should have either placed the USB 3.0 port on both sides or on the rear panel, which could solve this issue. ASUS should also have either bundled a longer USB 3.0 cable along with the product and also thrown in a detachable kickstand (or built it into the monitor itself) with the product.

On the performance front, placing the monitor, configuring the display and using the extended display is a cakewalk. The monitor performs well with a decent brightness (200 cd/m) and contrast ratio (500:1) and clarity. Videos too run perfectly well on the MB168B, even when using it on a USB 2.0 port. However, the disappointing feature of the USB monitor is the viewing angle. The 90-degree viewing angle forces you to look straight into the monitor from the front. Viewing from any other angle causes the display to invert and almost unusable. Though ASUS has mentioned the viewing angle at just 90-degrees, they should have built in a panel with a better viewing angle, if not for an IPS panel. Keeping the monitor resting on the sleeve/stand at an angle can be pretty frustrating.

The ASUS MB168B is compatible with Microsoft Windows 7 and above and Mac OSX10.8.3 and above. Linux is not yet in the list.

All-in-all, we would say the ASUS MB168B USB monitor is a good option if you need to extend your display on a laptop. However, at the selling price of Rs 24,099, and with the few shortcomings it has, we think this product could be good travelmate if you are constantly on the move. Maybe, ASUS could think of the ergonomics and performance of the MB168B in the next versions to make this as a great, must-have product.