Cevaton S3 portable monitor review: Three times more productive

Working with multiple monitors connected to my laptop is a total game-changer, and I find it nearly impossible to work on my laptop without at least one portable USB-C monitor connected. As a remote worker, I highly recommend using multiple screens — I keep my word editor on one, and have my Microsoft OneNote on the other.

I recently came across the Cevaton S3 Portable Monitor, which features two USB-C 14-inch monitors that clip onto the sides of your laptop’s display. I’ve spent the past few weeks working with the Cevaton S3 on my primary laptop, and I’m surprised at how much having a triple-display setup has sped up my own workflow. Whether it’s writing this review or editing my photography projects in LightRoom, having two additional screens on my MacBook Pro has been nothing short of a delight.

The Cevaton S3 Portable Monitor solves the problem of limited screen space with today’s ultraportable and small laptops, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s the best solution for a work-from-home setup. I came away with a lot of notes regarding the performance and actual portability of the Cevaton S3 the longer I used it.

Recommended

Cevaton S3 Portable Monitor

$280 $300 Save $20

The Cevaton S3 Portable Monitor expands your workspace with two 1920  x 1080 resolution displays that clip on to the sides of your laptop’s display. 

Pros

• Dual display’s with integrated stand
• Multiple USB-C converter cables included
• 1080p resolution

Cons

• Color calibration isn’t the greatest
• Heavy at 4.6 pounds
• Power hungry

Price, availability, and specs

Available now for $300

You can pick up the Cevaton S3 Portable Monitor from Amazon. It currently retails for a MSRP price of $300, but at the time of writing you can save $20 and get it on sale for $280. The Cevaton S3 features two 14-inch IPS LCDs with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Both displays feature a 16:9 aspect ratio and 300 nits of brightness. At 300 nits, it’s definitely not the brightest screen, but it’s in-line with the vast majority of SDR portable monitors on the market.

There are three USB-C ports located on the back of both displays, and you can connect the Cevaton S3 to any USB-C laptop. I’ve been testing it primarily on my 14-inch MacBook Pro, but I have also tried it on for size with a 14-inch HP Chromebook. In terms of controls, there’s an OSD dial at the top of both screens that lets you adjust color, saturation, hue, brightness, and switch between pre-programmed viewing modes.

There’s also a foldable stand in the center of the Cevaton S3 that allows you to prop the monitors up without clipping them onto a primary display. Concerning portability, the Cevaton S3’s displays do fold into each other and the device comes with its own leather carrying bag, but its weight of 4.62 pounds gives it some heft in your tote.

What I liked about the Cevaton S3 Portable Monitor

An easy way to expand your workspace

I loved how easy the Cevaton S3 Portable Monitor set up was. Everything I needed cable-wise is included in the box, thankfully. Cevaton supplies you with multiple different USB-C cables, including USB-C to HDMI, and USB-C to USB-A, in addition to the USB-C to USB-C cables. The Cevaton S3 is plug-and-play, so once I connected the cables to my laptop, the displays turned on, and I could adjust my display settings accordingly.

Having the monitors clipped to the sides of my main display, I found it to be a much more immersive working experience than having a portable monitor sitting next to my laptop. I also appreciated the compatibility of the Cevaton S3 — both displays feature three USB-C inputs, labeled USB-C, USB-A, and HDMI. Knowing which port to use for your converter cables can be a difficult trial-by-error process, so having them laid out and labeled this way makes it simple to connect to virtually any laptop.

The folding design of the Cevaton S3 is great, and I appreciate that Cevaton includes a leather carrying case that’s great to stow the monitor when I’m not using it. The overall build quality feels high, and the stand that holds both monitors side-by-side has a plastic base that can be used to expand the S3, allowing you to fit the monitors to multiple sized displays.

I used 14-inch laptops in my testing, but the Cevaton S3 expands wide enough to fit 16-inch laptop screens as well. The quality feels very sturdy, with a combined plastic and metal construction featuring rubberized clips that make everything feel more solid. It’s a portable monitor set that I have no worries about if I throw it into my backpack for the daily commute. It also feels strong when connected to your laptop, but it does come at the cost of added weight.

What I didn’t like about the Cevaton S3 Portable Monitor

The OSD dial is annoying, and the color calibration isn’t great

While the Cevaton S3 Portable Monitor is a great way to expand your workspace, I definitely noticed some drawbacks in my time using it. First, while the portability is nice with the folding design and the included carrying bag, it’s not the lightest of portable monitors. At four-and-a-half pounds, the Cevaton S3 definitely adds some noticeable weight to my bag, and you’ll always need to use the Cevaton S3 on a table or desktop to keep it attached comfortably to your laptop’s display.

While using the Cevaton S3, I noticed the color on the displays did err on the yellower side. I could somewhat correct this by turning the brightness up on the displays with the OSD dial, but it was still a bit too yellow for my taste. It isn’t a problem if you’re mostly using your laptop for text-based applications, but I noticed the colors being a bit off when working in LightRoom with the Cevaton S3. Video content looks fine for the most part, but if you’re looking for something with perfect coloration, I would instead opt for an OLED portable monitor or a creative-focused portable monitor, such as the ASUS ProArt series of portable monitors.

I don’t love OSD dials on any device, and the Cevaton S3’s OSD dial was pretty frustrating. It feels like the cheapest part of the entire construction of the S3, and there’s no way to fully go back on the dial without just waiting ten seconds for the OSD menu to clear. It’s definitely a minor annoyance, but considering I needed to change many of the picture settings to get the image calibrated, it added a lot of time to set up.

I mentioned the weight earlier, and while the average portable monitor weighs around 1.5 to 2 pounds, I didn’t like bringing the Cevaton S3 out of the house much at its 4.6 pounds. With its weight class, it’s something that’s more fitting for a permanent workspace. I also noticed that you’ll probably want to keep your laptop plugged in while using the Cevaton S3 — I got about four hours of battery life from my MacBook Pro M2 with it connected. These are definitely power hungry USB-C displays, making this an ideal portable monitor for those who keep their laptop plugged in all the time.

Should you buy the Cevaton S3 Portable Monitor?

If you’ve been looking for a way to increase your screen real estate for your work from home setup without breaking the bank, then I recommend picking up the Cevaton S3, as long as you don’t need it for creative work. For $300, the Cevaton S3 isn’t the cheapest laptop display extender on the market, but it also doesn’t break the bank. You get two quality 1080p monitors and a well-crafted way to clip or stand them behind your laptop.

For me, having the extra screen real estate while working on a laptop is worth the price tag of the Cevaton S3, especially considering a decent portable monitor will run you between $100 to $150. If you want something that’s geared towards creative work, however, I would try to opt for a portable monitor that’s focused towards creators instead of the Cevaton S3. Overall, the Cevaton S3 is an excellent solution for those who need extra screen space and mostly work with text-based applications. If you’re a programmer or writer, it’s definitely up your alley.

Recommended

Cevaton S3 Portable Monitor

$280 $300 Save $20