Skip to main content

ASUS just dropped the first portable monitor with a USB Type-C port

ASUS just dropped the first portable monitor with a USB Type-C port

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

ASUS

The USB Type-C specification promises a simpler workstation, with just one standard port for all our needs and a few adapters to make everything fit. ASUS is the first company to throw single-cable portable monitors into that mix. The MB169C+, based off the USB 3.0 ASUS MB168B+, adds a USB Type-C port to the 15.6-inch screen, and it retains its 800-gram weight with only a slight 0.5mm bump in thickness up to 8.5mm. One notable change with this USB Type-C model is the transition to an IPS monitor from the TN variety built into the MB168B+, so you'll get richer and more vibrant colors and better viewing angles here.

The monitor should work with any machine with a USB Type-C connector, including the Nokia N1 tablet, the new Apple Macbook, and Google's latest Chromebook Pixel. ASUS hasn't disclosed pricing or availability, but we can expect to fall between $200 and $300 like its predecessors. The one downside of the new model: the monitor isn't backwards compatible, like the MB169C+ is with USB 2.0-equipped computers, because of the Type-C specification's new design.

Update at 2:00PM, Tuesday, January 5th: Clarified that ASUS's new MB169C+ contains a IPS monitor.

See all of our CES 2016 news right here!