Notebookcheck Logo

Anyware PhonePad is a 15.6-inch portable touchscreen launching this November for $350 USD

Anyware PhonePad is a 15.6-inch portable touchscreen launching this November for $350 USD (Source: Anyware)
Anyware PhonePad is a 15.6-inch portable touchscreen launching this November for $350 USD (Source: Anyware)
The 15.6-inch portable display is well-built and with plenty of connectivity features including Bluetooth 4.0 for smartphones to control. Unfortunately, its dim and glossy display is troublesome to use if outdoors where glare becomes inevitable.
Accessory Desktop Monitor Touchscreen

The Anyware PhonePad is a 15.6-inch portable touchscreen monitor designed to be an on-the-go secondary display for your laptop PC or Android smartphone. The manufacturer has sent us a pre-production unit to test and try out for ourselves. More details on the monitor can be found on its official Kickstarter page here. Our overall impressions of the device, however, are mixed.

Advertised specifications:

Mode namePP15MTFHD-B
Display15.6-inch IPS 60 Hz, 10-point touchscreen
Native Resolution1920 x 1080, glossy (no glass)
Brightness250 nits
Contrast Ratio800:1
SpeakersStereo (1 W x2)
Gamut45 percent NTSC
Power Consumption<13.5 W, (15 W AC adapter included)
Ports3x USB-A, full-size HDMI, USB-C (power), USB-C (data and power)
Dimensions, Weight352 x 218 x 4.7 - 10.2 mm, 800 g
Smartphones can mirror to the display via USB-C, but additional power may be needed from a second USB-C cable. Note that smartphones with MediaTek SoCs may not be supported
Smartphones can mirror to the display via USB-C, but additional power may be needed from a second USB-C cable. Note that smartphones with MediaTek SoCs may not be supported
The display can be powered by just a single USB-C port. However, this will only work on laptops that support DisplayPort-over-USB
The display can be powered by just a single USB-C port. However, this will only work on laptops that support DisplayPort-over-USB
The OSD is simple with no other advanced functions. The screen is glossy with a plastic overlay instead of glass
The OSD is simple with no other advanced functions. The screen is glossy with a plastic overlay instead of glass
Aluminum chassis is more rigid than we were expecting
Aluminum chassis is more rigid than we were expecting

First, let's talk about what the PhonePad gets right. Build quality is better than expected for a portable display with such narrow bezels and no Gorilla Glass protection. The chassis is aluminum instead of the plastic we usually see like on the Lepow or AirTab. Attempting to bend the monitor results in much less flexing and creaking than the aforementioned plastic alternatives.

Temperature map (front)
Temperature map (front)
Temperature map (back)
Temperature map (back)

The second thing we like about the PhonePad is its wide variety of integrated ports. Users have three full-size USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, full-size HDMI, and a 3.5 mm headphone-out jack. Many portable monitors like the 15.6-inch Asus ZenScreen are limited to just USB-C ports with no HDMI options at all.

Black-white response times
Black-white response times
Gray-gray response times
Gray-gray response times
PWM present at 1000 Hz
PWM present at 1000 Hz
Grayscale before calibration
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration

Unfortunately, the list of disadvantages is hard to ignore. Though the TPV ELECTRONICS VS230PGLW IPS panel in use here offers crisp images with good viewing angles, brightness and colors are both poor. Glare is inevitable especially if using the PhonePad outdoors while the narrow color space of just 57 percent of sRGB is unfit for graphics editing. Even subjectively, colors are not vivid and they don't pop like on an iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab.

The minimum brightness setting draws 5.5 W while the maximum brightness setting draws 10 W
The minimum brightness setting draws 5.5 W while the maximum brightness setting draws 10 W
Crisp glossy RGB subpixels
Crisp glossy RGB subpixels
vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB

The display also suffers from pulse-width modulation at all brightness levels up to 99 percent and the average black-white response times result in noticeable ghosting when playing fast-paced first-person shooters. If your eyes aren't sensitive to screen flicker and if you mostly play slower-paced games like DOTA 2 or mobile games, however, then these specific drawbacks shouldn't be a problem.

Wide IPS viewing angles. Colors and contrast shift if viewing from extreme angles
Wide IPS viewing angles. Colors and contrast shift if viewing from extreme angles
Moderate-heavy uneven backlight bleeding along the corners
Moderate-heavy uneven backlight bleeding along the corners

Colors and grayscale are poorly calibrated out of the box as well. Color temperature is much too warm and color accuracy consequently suffers. Calibrating the display ourselves would bring down the average grayscale deltaE value significantly from 11 to just 1.1, but colors remain inaccurate due to the limited gamut.

Anyware PhonePad PP15MTFHD-B
15.60, 1920x1080		Lepow Type-C Portable Monitor X0025I0D4P
15.60, 1920x1080		C-Force CF011S
RTK2A3B, , 15.60, 1920x1080		AirTab Portable Monitor 15.6-inch
15.60, 1920x1080		Auzai ME16Z01 Portable Monitor
15.60, 1920x1080
Display
Display P3 Coverage
40.16
41.31
41.08
40.72
48.53
sRGB Coverage
58.3
62.1
60.3
61
72
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
41.49
42.71
42.44
42.11
50.2
Response Times
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
19.2 ?(9.2, 10)
30.8 ?(16.8, 14)
41.2 ?(20.4, 20.8)
36 ?(18, 18)
38.8 ?(20.8, 18)
Response Time Black / White *
30.8 ?(12.8, 18)
23.6 ?(12.4, 11.2)
40.8 ?(26.8, 14)
31.2 ?(19.6, 11.6)
25.2 ?(16, 9.2)
PWM Frequency
1000 ?(99)
1000 ?(23)
1000 ?(99)
1042 ?(20)
201.6 ?(23)
Screen
Brightness middle
185.7
193.9
205
206.5
300.7
Brightness
175
192
193
198
267
Brightness Distribution
62
88
88
88
77
Black Level *
0.19
0.75
0.25
0.33
0.66
Contrast
977
259
820
626
456
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
11.31
6.66
8.01
4.25
10.26
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
23.16
18.75
19.93
18.11
22.93
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
4.43
3.83
4.3
4.08
5.05
Greyscale dE 2000 *
11
7.6
8.3
3.1
9.5
Gamma
1.44 153%
2.04 108%
2.1 105%
2.31 95%
1.51 146%
CCT
6026 108%
8567 76%
6106 106%
6994 93%
8200 79%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
37.5
39.3
38.7
38.7
45.8
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
57.7
61.8
59.8
60.8
71.5
Total Average (Program / Settings)

* ... smaller is better

Overall, the Anyware PhonePad is an average IPS touchscreen wrapped in a relatively strong metal chassis with lots of port options. It could have absolutely benefited from a brighter display for improved outdoor visibility and a deeper OSD for more fine-tuning. Users will have to install the smartphone app in order to access more detailed OSD settings. The manufacturer is planning to launch the PhonePad for $350 USD sometime this month which we think is a lot for a portable monitor with an unimpressive display.

Keep in mind that the lightning symbol here means power and not Thunderbolt 3
Keep in mind that the lightning symbol here means power and not Thunderbolt 3
Read all 4 comments / answer
static version load dynamic
Loading Comments
Comment on this article
Please share our article, every link counts!
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 11 > Anyware PhonePad is a 15.6-inch portable touchscreen launching this November for $350 USD
Allen Ngo, 2020-11- 7 (Update: 2020-11- 7)