14 DAY TRIAL // There is a new monitor in town, but this one is very specific in its role, or at least very unusual in terms of design and intended purpose. It is called E1659FWU and was put together by AOC.
The name is nothing special, save for the low likelihood of anyone bothering to actually say it aloud. Basically, it doesn't do a great job of suggesting why the newcomer is noteworthy.
AOC didn't make a secret of it though. It has published a long press release just for the purpose of lauding the product.
Truth be told, the AOC E1659FWU does deserve attention, if only because it is a portable monitor.
That's right, the display is meant to be carried around, like a laptop. It can become a secondary display for notebooks, or (presumably) an alternative display for tablets.
Of course, it can work with desktops as well, but it's unlikely that those systems don't already have a better and larger monitor of their own.
Anyway, the 15.6-inch newcomer has a brightness of 200 cd/m2, a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, a refresh rate of 60 Hz, a contrast ratio of 500:1, and a power consumption of 7 watts.
Said power consumption is why the panel can receive video signals and the required energy through a single USB 3.0 port.
On that note, Energy Star and EPEAT certifications have been earned by the screen. Not bad for a 16.7M color display with a response time of 5ms. Both PCs and Apple Mac systems are supported.
For easy placement and transportation, the AOC E1659FWU has a foldable metallic stand and ships with its own carrying case.
Sales should already be underway, or at least pre-orders should be open online, for the price of $139, which corresponds to €105, although the EU tag will probably be closer to €139, regardless of what exchange rates say.
