Portable Monitor Size Guide: 13 to 17 Inch Screens
13 to 17 inch portable monitor sizes in inches and cm, with PPI at 1080p and 16:10, how a 15.6 or 16 inch fits beside a laptop or under a 34-inch ultrawide.
A 15.6-inch 16:9 portable is 13.6 x 7.6 inches and a 16-inch 16:10 is 13.6 x 8.5 inches, which is about the size of a 14 to 16 inch laptop screen. Beside a laptop, match the portable's height to the laptop screen. Under a 34-inch ultrawide, either one covers about 43 percent of the ultrawide's width.
Jump to the layout checks or open setup builder.
The short answer: pick by height, not by diagonal
Portable monitors in this size range are usually 16:9 at 1920 x 1080 or 16:10 at 1920 x 1200 or 2560 x 1600. Screen width and height follow from the diagonal and the aspect ratio: a 13.3-inch 16:9 panel is 11.6 x 6.5 inches, a 17.3-inch 16:9 panel is 15.1 x 8.5 inches, and the sizes between them are in the table.
The same diagonal is a different shape in 16:10. A 16-inch 16:10 panel is 8.5 inches tall, 0.8 inches taller than a 15.6-inch 16:9 panel, even though it is only 0.4 inch larger on the diagonal. Higher resolution at the same size raises sharpness only: 2560 x 1600 on 16 inches is about 189 PPI against about 142 PPI at 1920 x 1200, with the same screen size.
Screen figures leave out the bezel, the case, the stand or kickstand and any cables, so check the exact model's listed dimensions before you plan the space.
Laptop flank: a portable beside a laptop
A portable that flanks a laptop looks best when the two screens are about the same height. Computed the same way, a 14-inch 16:10 laptop screen is 11.9 x 7.4 inches and a 16-inch 16:10 laptop screen is 13.6 x 8.5 inches.
Beside the 14-inch 16:10 laptop, a 15.6-inch 16:9 portable is 0.2 inches taller and a 16-inch 16:10 portable is 1.1 inches taller. Beside the 16-inch 16:10 laptop, the 16-inch 16:10 portable is the same size, and the 15.6-inch 16:9 portable is 0.8 inches shorter. The 16:10 portable also stays closest to the proportions of a 16:10 laptop panel.
Width is the other limit. A 14-inch laptop plus a 15.6-inch portable is 25.5 inches (64.7 cm) of screen side by side, and a 14-inch laptop plus a 16-inch 16:10 portable is 25.4 inches (64.6 cm), before bezels and the gap between them. Check that against the desk or bag you have in mind.
| Size | Shape | Resolution | Width | Height | PPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.3 in | 16:9 | 1920 x 1080 | 11.6 in (29.4 cm) | 6.5 in (16.6 cm) | 166 |
| 14 in | 16:9 | 1920 x 1080 | 12.2 in (31.0 cm) | 6.9 in (17.4 cm) | 157 |
| 15.6 in | 16:9 | 1920 x 1080 | 13.6 in (34.5 cm) | 7.6 in (19.4 cm) | 141 |
| 16 in | 16:10 | 1920 x 1200 | 13.6 in (34.5 cm) | 8.5 in (21.5 cm) | 142 |
| 16 in | 16:10 | 2560 x 1600 | 13.6 in (34.5 cm) | 8.5 in (21.5 cm) | 189 |
| 17.3 in | 16:9 | 1920 x 1080 | 15.1 in (38.3 cm) | 8.5 in (21.5 cm) | 127 |
Try a portable on your desk
Add a 15.6 or 16 inch portable next to your laptop or under an ultrawide in the setup builder and check the fit at your desk size.
Under an ultrawide: a portable as a dashboard
A 34-inch 21:9 ultrawide at 3440 x 1440 is 31.4 x 13.1 inches (79.7 x 33.3 cm). A 15.6-inch 16:9 portable is 13.6 inches wide, 43 percent of that width, and centered it leaves 8.9 inches of ultrawide on each side. A 16-inch 16:10 portable is 13.6 inches wide, 43 percent of the width, with 8.9 inches on each side.
Stacked under the ultrawide, the 15.6-inch portable adds 7.6 inches of screen height for 20.8 inches in total, and the 16-inch 16:10 adds 8.5 inches for 21.6 inches. Those totals are screen height only: the portable also needs its stand or an arm, and its top edge sits in front of the ultrawide's bottom edge unless you tilt it back.
The setup builder draws both screens to scale on a desk of your size, which is the quickest way to see whether the dashboard blocks the ultrawide or sits below it.
Which size to choose
Choose 15.6 inches if you want a 16:9 panel about 13.6 inches wide. Choose 16 inches in 16:10 if you want more height for documents and a closer match to a 16:10 laptop; the 2560 x 1600 version adds sharpness, not size. Choose 13.3 inches if travel space matters more than screen area, and 17.3 inches only if you have the room, since it is 15.1 inches wide.
Beyond screen size, check ports and power, brightness, the stand and mounting options on the exact model. Those are not size math, so this guide does not rank them.
Sketch the layout you are considering. See if it fits.
Open setup builder →More from the guides
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