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MagyarAuzai ME16Z01 Portable Monitor Review: Lightweight and Flexible
The Auzai ME16Z01 is an inexpensive 1080p 15.6-inch portable monitor designed for smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles. Its main selling point is HDR compatibility and a light weight for easy carrying. If your laptop or smartphone supports it, the monitor can run on just a single USB Type-C cable for both data and power.
Amazon is currently selling the Auzai ME16Z01 for $180 USD.
More monitor reviews:
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
01/2020 | Auzai ME16Z01 Portable Monitor , | 650 g | 9.4 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | ||
12/2019 | C-Force CF016xT , | 990 g | 9.5 mm | 16.10" | 1920x1080 | ||
08/2019 | C-Force CF015C , | 700 g | 6 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2160 | ||
06/2019 | Odake BladeX 4K UHD , | 853 g | 10 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2160 | ||
09/2019 | MageDok Atlas Gaming Monitor , | 1 kg | 8.7 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 |
Case
Unlike the recent C-Force we reviewed, the Auzai uses an all-plastic chassis with no front glass reinforcement. Combine this with the very narrow bezels and you have a fragile portable monitor that's similar to the Odake Blade. It may look nice from a distance, but the monitor feels cheap once you have it on hand.
Connectivity
All video ports are along the right edge while the buttons are on the left not unlike on the C-Force. While there are two USB Type-C ports, only the center port can be used for both power and data when we tested it with a Huawei Mate 10 Pro smartphone. Meanwhile, the OSD buttons along the left edge are too small and spongy for a frustrating experience when trying to change settings.
Accessories
The following extras are included in the box:
- User's manual
- USB Type-C male to Type-A male cable (for power)
- USB Type-C male to Type-C male cable
- Mini HDMI to full-size HDMI cable
- Cleaning cloth
- Screen protector
Annoyingly, a proper AC power adapter is not included meaning owners must provide their own power source.
Display
A key drawback to the 60 Hz display is its slow black-white response time of 16 ms. In comparison, most gaming laptops and monitors have response times of 5 ms or faster. Ghosting or blurring is more noticeable on the Auzai as a result which can be potentially distracting when playing fast-paced games like Overwatch or Rocket League. Contrast is also middling at less than 500:1 with just an average brightness distribution of 77 percent. In other words, dark scenes appear muddier and grayer than usual while the edges and corners of the screen will appear slightly dimmer than the center.
Additionally, a low pulse-width modulation frequency of 201.6 Hz is present on brightness levels up to 23 percent. Users sensitive to onscreen flickering may want to avoid low brightness levels or skip the Auzai monitor altogether.
The main selling point of the monitor is that it can be powered by a USB 3.0 port or even a compatible smartphone. Plug in your phone with a USB-C to USB-C cable and you'll suddenly have a 15.6-inch screen for movies, browsing, or word processing — no second cable required for power. Thus, it's easier to forgive some of the display quality shortcomings when the unit is so versatile.
Keep in mind that brightness will be limited to about 40 percent if powered by a smartphone. It's not possible to draw power from one USB-C cable while accepting video data from a second USB-C cable much like what we discovered on the C-Force CF016xT.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 77 %
Contrast: 456:1 (Black: 0.66 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.26 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5.1, calibrated: 5.05
ΔE Greyscale 9.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
71.5% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
45.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
50.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
72% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
48.53% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 1.51
| Auzai ME16Z01 Portable Monitor 15.60, 1920x1080 | C-Force CF016xT 16.10, 1920x1080 | C-Force CF015C 15.60, 3840x2160 | Odake BladeX 4K UHD 15.60, 3840x2160 | MageDok Atlas Gaming Monitor 15.60, 1920x1080 | MSI GE65 Raider 9SF-049US Sharp LQ156M1JW03, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 33% | 71% | 75% | 27% | 40% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 48.53 | 64.2 32% | 86.1 77% | 90.5 86% | 62.1 28% | 69.3 43% |
| sRGB Coverage | 72 | 96.4 34% | 99.9 39% | 100 39% | 90.7 26% | 98.9 37% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 50.2 | 66.3 32% | 99 97% | 100 99% | 64.1 28% | 70.7 41% |
| Response Times | 4255% | 4% | 0% | 828% | 3835% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 38.8 ? | 20.4 ? 47% | 32.4 ? 16% | 40 ? -3% | 10.4 ? 73% | 13.2 ? 66% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 25.2 ? | 16.4 ? 35% | 27.2 ? -8% | 24.4 ? 3% | 11 ? 56% | 11.2 ? 56% |
| PWM Frequency | 201.6 ? | 25770 ? 12683% | 4950 ? 2355% | 23150 ? 11383% | ||
| Screen | 41% | 36% | 52% | 8% | 54% | |
| Brightness middle | 300.7 | 214.3 -29% | 205.7 -32% | 371.9 24% | 144.9 -52% | 277.4 -8% |
| Brightness | 267 | 206 -23% | 201 -25% | 366 37% | 146 -45% | 264 -1% |
| Brightness Distribution | 77 | 90 17% | 81 5% | 88 14% | 91 18% | 90 17% |
| Black Level * | 0.66 | 0.23 65% | 0.27 59% | 0.31 53% | 0.78 -18% | 0.24 64% |
| Contrast | 456 | 932 104% | 762 67% | 1200 163% | 186 -59% | 1156 154% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 10.26 | 4.34 58% | 5.61 45% | 6.36 38% | 5.79 44% | 1.51 85% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 22.93 | 6.45 72% | 10.87 53% | 10.34 55% | 8.43 63% | 4.93 78% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 5.05 | 1.12 78% | 5.89 -17% | 2.12 58% | 1.77 65% | |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 9.5 | 5.5 42% | 4.1 57% | 3.7 61% | 6.7 29% | 3.7 61% |
| Gamma | 1.51 146% | 2.51 88% | 2.22 99% | 2.19 100% | 1.96 112% | 2.23 99% |
| CCT | 8200 79% | 7115 91% | 5904 110% | 6474 100% | 6295 103% | 7061 92% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 45.8 | 60.6 32% | 88 92% | 91.7 100% | 58.2 27% | 65.1 42% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 71.5 | 96.2 35% | 100 40% | 100 40% | 90.7 27% | 99.1 39% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 1443% /
783% | 37% /
39% | 42% /
50% | 288% /
156% | 1310% /
719% |
* ... smaller is better
Color space is narrow at just 72 percent of sRGB compared to ~95 percent on competing external monitors and most mid-range gaming laptops. This means that colors are not as deep, vibrant, or accurate as the displays on most newer Ultrabooks or flagship smartphones. You wouldn't want to do any professional graphics work on this monitor.
The display is poorly calibrated out of the box with horrible RGB balance and a high average grayscale DeltaE value of 9.5. Calibrating the panel ourselves improves grayscale and color balance dramatically, but higher saturation levels are still poorly reproduced because of the aforementioned narrow gamut.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 25.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 16 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 9.2 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 54 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.8 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 38.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 20.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 18 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 52 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34.3 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 201.6 Hz | ≤ 23 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 201.6 Hz (Likely utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 23 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 201.6 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18704 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Viewing angles are typical of an IPS panel. Extreme angles will degrade colors and contrast not unlike most Ultrabooks.
Temperature
Surface temperatures are warmest towards the bottom right of the monitor where the PCB and ports are located. This spot can be as warm as 36 C after extended use whereas the center of the monitor remains relatively cool at 23 C.
Speakers
The integrated stereo speakers are not unlike what we experienced on the C-Force CF016xT. In fact, their pink noise graphs are somewhat similar as well with a roll-off beginning at approximately 800 Hz. It's loud enough for personal use when indoors, but we recommend a pair of external headphones or speakers for a better audio experience.
Auzai ME16Z01 Portable Monitor audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 15.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.3% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.8% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (13.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (32.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 90% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 9% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 90% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 9% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 4% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 94% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Idling on the lowest brightness setting draws about 2.8 W whereas the maximum brightness setting draws about 7 W. Auzai recommends a 15 W (5 V, 3 A) minimum power supply which most USB Type-C Quick Charge chargers can provide. The monitor can still run on a lower supply, but it will automatically shut off if the brightness setting becomes too high.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
The most attractive aspects of the Auzai ME16Z01 are its portability and relatively cheap price. You're not going to many of the fancy features as found on the pricier C-Force CF016xT like touchscreen support or the fast 144 Hz refresh rate, but the Auzai works well as a basic monitor for the occasional games and video playback. While there is HDR support, we question the quality of it since the HDR standard requires higher brightness and contrast ratio ratings than what this monitor can offer.
We recommend taking extra care to not damage the fragile display. Potential buyers should also figure out how they plan to power the monitor since the box includes no AC adapter.
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