Arzopa Z1RC Portable Monitor Review: It’s Great Value for Money
We may earn a commission from purchases you make after clicking links on this site. Learn more.Portable monitors are a pretty specialized kind of thing. After all, most people just manage with the inbuilt display on their laptop, and those who need more screen space usually just buy a traditional monitor that stays in one place.
With a few exceptions, it’s only those of us who travel a lot, work out of cafes and co-working spaces, or don’t have a dedicated computer desk at home that ever seriously look at buying a portable monitor.
They’re a tough product to get right, since they need to be small and light enough to travel with yet big enough to be useful, strong enough to handle being moved around all the time, and clear and bright enough to be usable in a range of conditions.
That’s a big ask, but even so, the increase in remote working and dropping cost of display panels has lead to a bit of an explosion of companies producing these kind of monitors in recent years.
A good example is Arzopa, a brand that only started in 2020, but that has quietly put out over half a dozen portable monitors since then, plus a few related products like digital photo frames.
Today I’m taking a look at the Z1RC, the company’s current flagshop model. The pricing seemed very reasonable, which either meant great value for money, or a low-quality device that I’d use briefly and then never touch again.
Only one way to find out!
What’s In the Box

The Z1RC came in a compact, sturdy cardboard box with minimalist branding. Most of the space inside was taken up by the monitor itself, along with some basic instructions and three different types of cable that cover most scenarios:
- USB C to USB C
- HDMI to Mini HDMI
- USB-A to USB C
There’s no power supply included, either built into the monitor or supplied separately. Depending on what you’re plugging it into, that may mean you need to provide your own. More on that below.
Design and Specifications

This 16″ monitor has a native resolution of 2560×1600 pixels (2.5K), which is sensible for a monitor this size. It’s a fairly plain black rectangle, with a thicker bezel on the bottom and thinner ones on the other three sides.
At under 800g, the Z1RC is easy to pick up and hold in one hand. It feels well-made despite that low weight: there’s no flex in the alloy case, even when holding it by one of the short edges.
All of the ports and controls are along the left edge in landscape mode. Assuming you’re using a laptop, the supplied cables are long enough to easily reach those ports regardless of whether you prefer your second display on the left or right.
At the top there’s a power button, volume and brightness rocker, and a button to bring up the on-screen menu. The input ports are at the bottom: 2x USB C, and a Mini HDMI.
If you thought the front was plain, the rear is even more so: there’s nothing there except a specifications sticker and an adjustable stand that’s better than you’ll find on many portable monitors costing a lot more.

The stand moves through 80 degrees and has just the right amount of firmness: easy to pull out and adjust, but staying put after that. I’d like it to be a little wider for extra stability, but so far it’s been absolutely fine, at least on solid tables and desks.
It’s not as good on softer surfaces like a sofa or bed, but let’s face it, how often are you actually going to be using it like that?
While most people will probably use the monitor in landscape mode, it comfortably sits vertically as well. It doesn’t auto-adjust its orientation when you rotate it, though, so you’ll need to do that through your OS display settings.
That’s mildly annoying if you’re switching back and forward all the time, but otherwise not a major issue.
There’s a pair of one-watt speakers built in, which is a nice touch and not one you always find in cheaper portable monitors. They’re plenty loud enough, but don’t expect miracles: bass, in particular, is noticeably lacking.
Arzopa Z1RC Specifications
Display size: 38902_4af483-48> |
16″ diagonal 38902_42f784-9a> |
Resolution: 38902_3281c9-13> |
2560×1600 pixels 38902_850841-20> |
Dimensions: 38902_6c5f5f-0a> |
35.6 x 24 x 0.9cm (14 x 9.4 x 0.3 inches) 38902_e2c964-b2> |
Weight: 38902_c798af-7f> |
793g (1.7lb) 38902_0f2699-12> |
Speakers: 38902_e3c3fb-75> |
2x 1W 38902_ec92f3-9f> |
Inputs: 38902_b962d4-12> |
2x USB C, 1x Mini HDMI 38902_a8a2f7-e0> |
Display type: 38902_680de3-6c> |
IPS 38902_4d6179-28> |
Refresh rate: 38902_5e3529-35> |
60Hz 38902_690854-30> |
Setup
In terms of setting the monitor up, it’s pretty straightforward, although which cables you use will depend on the device you’re connecting to it. As long as it has power, the display turns on as soon as it detects a signal.
Most laptops should be able to run the monitor from a single USB C cable. I tested with the following three machines and they all worked:
- Lenovo Yoga 920 (2017)
- Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon (2023)
- Apple MacBook Pro (2024)
If you’re somehow using a PC without a USB C port, or (more likely) are plugging in something like a gaming console, you’ll need to use the HDMI to Mini HDMI cable plus an external USB charger instead.
Any charger that can put out 12W or more should work, so you’ll probably have something lying around that will do the job. I used my usual phone charger, a little 30W Anker model, and had no issues.
In theory you can also run the USB-A to USB C cable between your PC and the monitor to provide the power: it didn’t work for me (the monitor kept flickering on and off) but it might for you.
If you happen to have a phone that supports DisplayPort Alt-Mode, you can mirror what’s showing on the screen on the monitor. Not all phones support this, but the latest iPhones (with USB C ports) do; luckily, my partner bought one recently.
Both video and sound played through the monitor without a hitch, but the brightness was automatically turned way down. As soon as I tried to turn it back up, the monitor just turned off entirely.
Plugging in an external charger fixed that problem: even at 100% brightness, the screen was still a lot dimmer than the phone, but it was certainly watchable.
Speaking of power, the battery on my laptop drained noticeably faster than usual with the monitor connected. If you’ve got a second USB C port on your laptop, I’d recommend keeping your usual charger connected to it if possible.
If not, you can go the other way: plugging my 65W charger into the spare USB C port on the monitor charged my laptop as well.
Real-World Testing

To get a feel for what this monitor was like to use in the real world, I used it as a secondary display for my laptop for over a week.
I was working for most of that time, but also watched a few YouTube videos on it, streamed a sports game for several hours, and played Rocket League one evening when I should have been doing something far more useful.
First impressions were that the display was crisp and clear, with plenty of screen real estate. I usually only had one full-screen window showing, but there was sometimes enough room to have two windows side-by-side depending on what I was working on.
The Z1RC’s brightness is rated at 500 nits, supposedly higher than my 400-nit laptop. In reality, it’s not: put side by side, there was very little difference between the two. The viewing angle is quite narrow as well, so turning the screen towards me rather than having it parallel to the laptop display noticeably helped.
Color accuracy and temperature were fine for general use. This isn’t the monitor for you if you’re a graphics pro, but chances are the price told you that already. If you want professional-grade gear, most of the time you pay professional-grade prices.

General-purpose computer work is where the Z1RC is at its best. I was genuinely more productive with the second screen when coding, researching and writing articles, and working in my usual mix of Google documents and spreadsheets.
The brightness, while lower than what I’d ideally want, was fine indoors whether I was in a well-lit room during the daytime or after the sun had set. The screen was a lot harder to see outside on a sunny day, but that’s hardly unexpected.
It worked well as a makeshift TV when streaming video or keeping an eye on my favorite team: I could convince myself that I was still being productive on my laptop screen while in reality paying far more attention to something else.
Gaming was…fine, I guess? There’s nothing special about the response time, brightness, or speaker quality compared to my laptop, never mind my desktop setup, but I didn’t hate it. If I needed something to plug my Switch into while traveling, for instance, it wouldn’t be a bad option.
Portability

This is a site for travelers and remote workers, so it’d be remiss of me not to talk about the actual portability of this portable monitor.
I have no concerns about the size and weight: at under 800g/1.8 pounds, it’s a pretty reasonable trade-off to have an extra 16″ screen available in your hotel room or co-working space.
It fits easily in my usual carry-on bag, and the lack of an inbuilt power supply is a benefit here. Being able to use the phone charger and cable I’m already traveling with to power the monitor keeps the overall weight down.
The frame and back of the Z1RC feel sturdy enough to handle the occasional knock, but of course it’s the screen itself that’s the most likely to break.
Arzopa sells a lightweight sleeve case for its monitors, which helps prevent scratches but doesn’t offer much in the way of impact protection.
That’s fine if your daypack has a spare compartment that’s big enough and has plenty of padding, but chances are you’ll be using that for your laptop anyway. I’d just go for a proper protective sleeve or case instead, and store it in the main section of my bag.
Worst case scenario, keep hold of the cardboard box that it shipped in and use that to protect the monitor in transit. It adds extra bulk and isn’t glamorous, but it works, and the shape is easy enough to fit into a suitcase or rolling carry-on bag.
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Verdict

Overall, I was very impressed by the value proposition of the Z1RC, especially from a brand I hadn’t come across in the past.
The RRP on this monitor is $200 USD, but you’ll usually find it selling for quite a bit less. As I write this, the price on the Arzopa site is $129.99, and currently $109.99 on on Amazon.
For that, you get a solidly-made, crisp 16″ display that’s big enough to be useful while still easily portable, compatible with a wide range of devices, and has extras like a decent pair of speakers that I wouldn’t expect at this price point.
Sure, it’s not the brightest display you’ll ever use, and it’s better suited to general purpose work and leisure tasks than specialised graphics work, but as long as you approach it with reasonable expectations, I really can’t imagine you’ll be disappointed.
If you’re in the market for a low-cost portable monitor that outperforms its competitors, you’ve found it here. Recommended.
Pros
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