ViewSonic VX1655-4K-OLED portable monitor review: 4K OLED goodness in a slim package

Over the years, desktop monitor users have taken 4K resolution for granted, and it is the high watermark for gaming. Typically, we see 4K panels in monitors ranging from 27 to 32 inches. But who’s to say that consumers in the market for the best portable monitors can’t enjoy the same high-resolution goodness afforded to desktop users?

ViewSonic offers several 4K portable monitors, including the VX1655-4K-OLED. This monitor has a 4K resolution with a 16-inch panel, translating to an incredible 275 pixels per inch (PPI). As its name implies, it features a vibrant OLED panel with a glossy finish. It also includes one of our favorite features on a portable monitor: an integrated kickstand.

The VX1655-4K-OLED doesn’t come cheap with a price tag approaching $500, but let’s look at how that price tag is justified.

Design of the ViewSonic VX1655-4K-OLED

The design of the VX1655-4K-OLED is striking for one reason: its thinness. Due to the self-emissive nature of OLEDs, which don’t require a backlight, ViewSonic was able to dramatically reduce the panel’s thickness compared to other portable monitors with traditional IPS panels. On my ruler, it measured just 3/16 of an inch, an incredible feat in this segment. The thinness also extends to the display bezels, which measure just 1/8 of an inch along the sides and top. At an inch thick, the bottom bezel is much larger. It also houses the ViewSonic branding front and center.

However, ViewSonic makes a fair compromise to achieve this thinness — all the ports are built into the integrated kickstand. At Tom’s Hardware, we love kickstands, and the one on the VX1655-4K-OLED is fantastic. It lets you choose your viewing angle easily and incorporates dual USB-C ports (with 60-watt passthrough capabilities), a joystick for navigating the OSD, a mini-HDMI port, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The VX1655-4K-OLED’s speakers are also integrated into this do-it-all kickstand.

Another benefit of having all the ports on the kickstand is that they are out of the way, and out of sight. Most portable monitors have their ports on the display panel’s side, meaning that USB-C or HDMI cables jutting out can be an eyesore.

ViewSonic includes many accessories in the box, including two USB-C cables, a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable, a 60-watt USB-C power adapter, and a magnetic cover that protects the display’s glossy finish while traveling.

ViewSonic VX1655-4K-OLED Specifications

On-Screen Display of the ViewSonic VX1655-4K-OLED

Unlike the ViewSonic VG1656N and TD1656-2K I recently reviewed, the VX1655-4K-OLED features a comprehensive on-screen display (OSD). Those former two monitors didn’t feature picture modes, color modes, or even the option to adjust the OSD timeout. However, the VX1655-4K-OLED offers five preset picture modes (Office, Movie, MAC, Mono, and Game), along with contrast/brightness, HDR, color space, and color temperature.

You can even tweak the aspect ratio or enable the blue light filter, if you desire. Finally, there are various OSD-specific tweaks (timeout, size, position, background), ECO mode adjustments, and the ability to set an auto-sleep mode due to inactivity.

You control the OSD using a five-way joystick. Pressing in on the joystick brings up the OSD (and selects an option). You navigate the OSD menu by moving up, down, left, and right with the joystick. A handy directional arrow appears on the screen when in the OSD to tell you which operation the joystick will control depending on the current menu selection.

Image Quality and Audio on the ViewSonic VX1655-4K-OLED

The VX1655-4K-OLED features a 15.6-inch OLED display with a 4K resolution. OLED displays aren’t nearly as prevalent in the portable monitor arena as they are for desktops, let alone those that sport an expansive 4K resolution (3840 x 2160). However, you must temper any high-fps gaming aspirations that you may have given the maximum 60 Hz refresh rate.

Our instrumented tests largely showed that the VX1655-4K-OLED trailed its OLED-equipped peers in nearly every category. Its 89.3 percent coverage of DCI-P3 and 126 percent coverage of sRGB put it well behind the others. With a maximum brightness of 347.2 nits, the VX1655-4K-OLED came in fourth place out of five.

ViewSonic’s ColorPro VP16-OLED scores better all-around, but its native resolution is just 1080p. The other 4K OLED monitor in this test, the Espresso 17 Pro, also outperformed the VX1655-4K-OLED in every metric, but it has an $800 price tag.

Looking past the numbers, the VX1655-4K-OLED impressed in everyday tasks. Colors looked amazing, and the brightness was more than enough in my brightly-lit home office. I had none of the color irregularities I saw in the VG1656N, with media content looking vibrant and true to life. Everything I played on it, from games to movies, looked great, with colors that popped in the former, and realistic skin tones in the latter. My only issue with the screen was reflections with the glossy display, but some careful angling of the screen using the kickstand was enough to vanquish most of them.

However, the speakers were a different story, as they sounded dreadful. Most portable monitors have speakers that are mediocre at best, but the speakers in the VX1655-4K-OLED are next-level bad. Music is muddled, with non-existent bass and distortion when the volume is increased. Speech is even affected; as I watched a segment of Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update,” the hosts sounded like they were broadcasting inside a plastic tub. Including the speakers was a checkbox addition for ViewSonic with the VX1655-4K-OLED, and it’s a horrid one. ViewSonic would have been better off omitting the speakers, as they are not on the level of the rest of the package that the VX1655-4K-OLED represents.

Bottom Line

The ViewSonic VX1655-4K-OLED excels at its primary mission: providing a great monitor. Its razor-thin body, slim bezels, and versatile kickstand make a great first impression. Its real-world visuals also impress, with a sharp 4K resolution OLED panel, nicely saturated colors, deep blacks, and excellent viewing angles.

The VX1655-4K-OLED’s one big misstep is the integrated speaker system, which sounds horrible. We expect much better from ViewSonic for a portable monitor that costs $460 on sale. While the price tag is rather steep, a comparable 17-inch Espresso 17 Pro will set you back $800 (although you get touch support with that monitor).

If you can swing nearly $500 for a portable monitor, the VX1655-4K-OLED has excellent fundamentals if you need the extra resolution for your daily workflow. However, just don’t use speakers – you’ll thank me later.