Review: C-FORCE Portable 4K Touchscreen Monitor (CF015xT)

Big thanks to C-FORCE for providing another monitor for review. They asked if I wanted to review something else and this time I picked the CF015xT, a 4K, USB-C + HDMI, touchscreen portable monitor.

The previous monitor I reviewed was the C-Force CF011X Pro which was quite worth the money since it just US $179.

Price of this monitor US $309 at the time of this review, significantly more expensive than the previous model, but it's also much better in almost all aspects.

Anyway, C-FORCE makes a large variety of portable monitors with different features so there's a monitor for the cost conscious, beginner or professional.

These are the items included in the box: USB-C cable, mini HDMI to fullsize HDMI cable, cleaning cloth and a foldable display stand.

This monitor comes with a flip-case that can be folded into a stand.

Close up on the cover.

Compared to the other model I reviewed, the flip-case here is a bit more shiny.

The interior has this PU leather texture.

The flip-case stand provides very limited angles for deployment.

The flip-case attaches to the monitor's back magnetically. The magnets are strong but not that strong so there's still chance for the flip-case to dislodge. You may want to use double-side tape to tape it down since there's no need to actually remove the flip-case.

The foldable stand is more stable and can be deployed with more angles, and can make the display almost perpendicular to the table.

On the left are the power button, microUSB port (cable not included) and a 3.5mm audio jack.

OSD menu is controlled by touch so it's convenient. You can adjust brightness, control and colour temperature.

On the right are two USB-C ports and a mini-HDMI port.

This monitor is quite thin, just a bit thicker at the bottom where the ports are.

A 4K display does use more power than a 1080P. You can power the display with a single USB-C cable if your port supplies enough power, but it will not be able to run the display at full brightness, or brightness above 50%, at least with the various laptops and tablets I've tested with it.

In the photo above, I've connected the HDMI to my computer and need the USB-C to provide power.

Colours look great out of the box. I measured colour support for 99% sRGB, 71% NTSC, 77% AdobeRGB and 77% P3. This is a reasonably colour accurate display.

If you need AdobeRGB, C-FORCE CF015C may be the model for you, but I've not tested that model before so I can't say whether it's really an AdobeRGB display or it's just marketing. That model is US $219. AdobeRGB displays are almost always more expensive than sRGB displays.

This is a glossy display. Viewing angles are good. I measured maximum brightness of 350 nits which is way better than I expected, significantly better than many portable monitors I've reviewed.

My main use case for an external monitor is so that I can have put my reference on the side while working on my main display. This is more productive than having to switch between your work and the reference continously.

Second use case is since this monitor is so light and portable, you can easily bring this around and you can have your portable work setup anyway. If you use a phone that can output video and has desktop user interface, eg Samsung Dex, you can use this as a portable monitor. It certainly is not going to have the same computing power as a laptop but it's way lighter, hence more portable.

The touchscreen is extremely useful and is the main reason why I chose this monitor rather than the 4K AdobeRGB portable monitor.

Note that the touchscreen only works with Windows and Android, and doesn't work with MacOS or iPads.

This is a 4K display so it's an extremely sharp display. Pixelation is not noticeable. There's a lot of details. And if you edit 4K videos, you can watch that video here in 1:1 resolution without scaling. Shown in the photo above is me watching a 4K Youtube video.

Speaking of video, the built-in speakers located on the back of the monitor sound hollow. I would be very surprised if the speakers actually sound good on such a thin monitor.

And since there's finger gesture support, I was able to scroll, pinch zoom, move the video bar. Certain actions are more convenient with fingers than mouse.

Glitches

For some reason, I wasn't able to get Windows 10 to detect the 4K resolution. I was able to get Android and MacOS to detect 4K. It could be my Windows 10 installation but unfortunately I don't have other computers with Windows 10 to test.

Conclusion

This monitor has 4K, touchscreen, supports USB-C and HDMI, has vibrant colours and brightness. For US $309, this monitor is priced competitively compared to other brands.

It's a monitor worth considering if you want something good and has the budget for it.

You can get this monitor via these links
https://cforcedesign.com/collections/frontpage/products/cf015xt-4k-ultr…
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089GZVXCX?tag=artprdus-20

C-FORCE also sell their monitors through Amazon so they are a reputable seller.