The $359.99 Dell 14 Portable Monitor (C1422H) is a mobile display with a basic feature set but a screen that's a cut above in quality, with ample brightness and contrast and superb sRGB color coverage. The monitor's frame has a sturdy feel, and its hinged stand provides great flexibility in the available angle of tilt. Two USB Type-C ports provide both data and power delivery. If you're okay with its minimal controls and lack of touch input, and don't need additional connectivity such as HDMI, the C1422H could prove a worthy investment. We'd just (ahem) monitor the varying discounts on Dell.com, which included $70 off at presstime. It's a better deal in the $200s than the $300s.

Meet Dell's Portable-Monitor Debut

Dell's first true portable monitor, the C1422H has a matte-black front with narrow bezels on top and sides. A thicker bezel runs below the screen, decorated with a Dell logo in inlaid silver. The IPS panel's 14-inch (measured diagonally) anti-glare screen has full HD or 1080p resolution (1,920 by 1,080 pixels) with a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. The frame's bottom and back are silver-gray, making it a good match for a Dell XPS 13 laptop (or my HP Pavilion Aero 13, which I also used in testing along with a Lenovo ThinkPad T490).

The cabinet enclosing the screen is connected to the base with dual hinges similar to those of the Lenovo ThinkVision M14-series portable monitors and Lenovo Yoga laptops. (In both design and features, the C1422H is very similar to the ThinkVision M14 and seems to be modeled on it.) This design makes for smooth movement and a range of tilt adjustment from 10 to 90 degrees away from the user. We prefer the hinged stand to the so-called origami (folding) stands found on many, especially lower-priced, portable monitors.

The C1422H comes with a soft gray cloth carrying sleeve, open on one long side. It provides basic protection when transporting the monitor within a backpack or bag.

The ports and controls are also on the base. On the right are the power button and a USB Type-C port. On the left you'll see a second USB-C port, plus a rocker switch to increase or decrease brightness and a button for enabling or disabling what Dell calls ComfortView (low-blue-light) mode.

Notably absent is an onscreen display (OSD) menu for changing picture mode, contrast, and other settings. In the three years since we reviewed the Lenovo M14, most new portable monitors—including Lenovo's ThinkVision M14t and M14d and even some budget models like the Editors' Choice-award-winning Lepow C2S—have come to include OSDs, some letting you control an extensive range of display options.

Whether you actually need the extra functions that an OSD can offer is an open question. For workaday business or casual personal or travel use, you can probably do fine with just a brightness control. But if you often edit photos or are a film buff or gamer, being able to change color mode and other settings is essential.

Both USB-C ports support up to 65 watts of power delivery, enabling you to power or charge a laptop connected to the C1422H when the monitor is plugged into an AC outlet. The exact amount of power passed through to the laptop depends on the wattage of your adapter, as the monitor itself consumes about 15 to 20 watts.

Testing the Dell C1422H: Solid Brightness, Contrast, and Color

I did our color and brightness testing using a Klein K10-A colorimeter and Portrait Displays' CalMAN 5 software. Dell rates the C1422H's luminance (brightness per unit area) at 300 nits (candelas per square meter), and it fell just short of that at 274 nits in my measurement. That's brighter than most portable monitors, which tend to cluster in the 180-to-200-nit range. Exceptions are the ThinkVision M14 (280 nits) and M14d (287 nits), the Asus ROG Strix XG16AHPE (272 nits), and the ViewSonic VG1655 (245 nits) and TD1655 (219 nits).

I measured the Dell display's contrast ratio at 1,100:1, which is considerably better than its 700:1 rating. General-purpose portable monitors usually have contrast ratios of about 1,000:1.

The C1422H's color gamut coverage is very good for a portable panel. In my testing, it covered 97.7% of the sRGB space (see the chromaticity chart below), matching the Asus XG16AHPE and close to the Lenovo M14 and M14t (97% and 97.9% respectively).

Sturdy Design, Good Screen, Basic Features

The Dell C1422H's design and build closely resembles that of Lenovo's ThinkVision M14. Each has a high-quality 14-inch screen, a sturdy hinged stand, and two USB-C ports that support both power delivery and DisplayPort over USB Alternate Mode. They also share a minimalist approach to controls, with a rocker switch to control brightness and a button to toggle between normal and reduced-blue-light levels. One small difference is that the M14 has a slot for a Kensington security lock that the Dell lacks. The two displays are also similarly priced, each available online for as low as $269 at presstime.

Although you can think of the C1422H as basic, it has some key selling points including a solid frame, one of the best stands we've seen in a portable monitor, and a panel that's bright with good contrast and nearly full coverage of the sRGB color space. Whether you use it in a coffee shop, a hotel room, or a conference room, or just on your patio, the Dell 14 Portable Monitor gives you extra screen area for multitasking or letting colleagues sitting around a table easily see what your laptop's showing.