The espresso monitor is our favorite portable monitor, but until now, there is a hole in its portfolio. That’s because other members of the family are slightly more expensive, such as the $469 espresso touch 13 and the 499 Touch 15, besides its flagship model ($800 espresso 17 Pro). Today, the company is plugging that gap with the Espresso 15 Pro, which brings my bigger siblings that I prefer to pack in a larger portable package for $699 (including stand).
Engadget
While a bit expensive, the Espresso 15 Pro has almost everything you want in a travel-friendly 15-inch display.
- Very bright
- Smooth design
- Single sentence connection
- Can add touch support to Mac
- Many accessories
- This is expensive
- Stand + a little heavy
- Refresh rate limit is 60Hz
$699 (with stall +) on espresso monitor
Design and display
One thing I appreciate espresso is that it doesn’t try to do much. 15 professionals have a super minimalist design made of simple matte black aluminum along with glossy glass on the front (if you prefer a matte display, you can always add one of the company’s textured screen protectors). Of course, the monitor does have a chin, but except for the two USB-C ports hiding around the corner, this is actually the only defining external feature for the 15 Pros, so I’m not that bothered me. All in all, the monitor weighs 1 pound and 11 ounces, which sounds much heavier than it feels.
As for its specs, the Espresso 15 Pro’s 4K LCD panel offers just about everything you want, and then some. Brightness is at the top of 550 nits (according to my light meter is actually 556 columns), higher than the 450 columns of the 17-inch model. It also covers 100% of the Adobe RGB spectrum with 10-bit color (8-bit + 2-bit frame rate control). One thing I want to include espresso is the 120Hz refresh rate, rather than being capped at 60Hz. That said, unless you are a game or editing video, that limit may not be a big factor.
Settings and special features
Getting 15 professionals up and running is not easy. Each USB-C port has enough bandwidth to carry power and data through a single cable, so you just need to plug in the included power cord and then you can plug in. An exception is for laptops that can’t make too much power through USB-C, but I tested the monitor with 4 different laptops (Mac and PC) and none of them have any problems. The display even automatically downloads the Espressoflow software, which adds touch support to your Apple laptop. You can also get a new gliding feature that automatically positions the monitor in the correct position according to the arrangement next to your laptop. With some kind of black magic, these 15 Pros pin it when it correctly lists the monitor on the left side of the built-in screen.
As someone who has been forced to work with a Mac recently, it’s great to quickly and easily add touch support to Apple’s laptops. And, although I’m away from digital DEGA, you can even use the monitor to draw and sketch, as the monitor also works with the company’s optional stylus. This makes 15 professionals the ideal travel companion for those who want more screen real estate or portable creation of art.
Accessories
In addition to the screen protector and pen, there are several important bracket accessories for 15 Pros. First up is the $49 espresso box, which is more like a magnetic folding cover that protects the screen during transportation and can also flip backwards to become a stand when you work. Like the display itself, this is a fairly simple thing that can be exactly what you expect.
But for those who want something more important, the 15 Pro can also work with the Espresso’s $69 booth+. This is more like what you see on a traditional desktop monitor, in addition to it folding up for portability, while also packing a very powerful magnet that allows you to mount the monitor in a variety of locations. This may be too expensive for some, but I will soon appreciate the ease of getting 15 professionals in the perfect position. It’s more complete than many desktop monitors I have. The obvious drawback is that at 1 lb and 4 ounces the stand+ weighs almost as much as the display itself, which is heavy.
wrap up
The Espresso 15 Pro has almost everything I want in a premium portable monitor. It features much higher than average brightness, a stylish but solid design and super simple setup. It also comes with special features such as Glide and touch support for your Mac, which can help you get more from devices you already have. And, thanks to a large number of accessories, it can adapt to almost any use case.
Although I want a higher refresh rate, there is no refresh distance away from someone who is far from the trade. This will almost certainly increase its price, and considering that the 15 Pros are already a bit expensive, starting at $699 from the monitor and stand+, I’m not sure if the added fee is worth it. Anyway, if you want a truly portable monitor that is enough for use at home, there aren’t many other monitors that match the Espresso 15 Pro.
