OLED screens rock. That's a peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled fact. Well, kinda. Whatever, if what you want to do is add some OLED goodness to pretty much any PC, portable or desk bound, then get a load of the new RICOH Portable Monitor.
It's basically a 15.6-inch OLED panel that plugs in via USB-C and comes in both wireless battery operated RICOH Portable Monitor 150BW and conventional wired RICOH Portable Monitor 150 flavours. You're looking at $575 for the basic model and $736 for the upgraded version with the battery and Wi-Fi connectivity.
In both cases, the panel runs 1,920 by 1,080 pixels, hits 60Hz and peaks at 300 nits. Oh and both models are multi-touch enabled and support stylus input. It's not clear whether that brightness rating is full screen or windowed. Likewise, we've no idea what kind of OLED panel tech is being used here.
Does it have RGB subpixels? What measures does it have for preventing burn in? No idea. It does come with a three-year warranty, but RICOH doesn't specifically mention if that is covered.
Instead, it helpfully points out that, "due to the nature of organic EL, there is a possibility that an afterimage may remain on the display when a still image or still character is displayed for a long time. This product is not designed for continuous operation for more than 20 hours. Use of the product beyond the specifications of continuous operation time may shorten the life of the main unit."
Anyway, the wireless model supports Miracast and is rated at 2.5 hours of battery life. So, it's designed for occasional wireless use rather than all-day action. But the Miracast bit means you could connect both your laptop and phone at the same time and jump between the two devices, which is kinda neat.
Of course, with a 60Hz refresh rate this is not exactly a gaming-optimised panel. And you'd really want to know how bright the thing is in practice and if burn-in is properly covered.
But who cares if it's actually any good? It's an OLED panel you can plug into almost anything! Actually, we do care if it's any good. But it might be good. And it is quite interesting, if a little pricey for a 15.6-inch 1080p panel.
