MSI Optix MAG161V

amazon MSI Optix MAG161V reviews

The MSI Optix MAG161V monitor is MSI’s first mobile gaming monitor. It lacks the gaming specialties that characterize its desktop monitors: peak refresh rates, adaptive sync support, RGB lighting, and a mini joystick-style menu controller, too many to list. But it includes both USB Type-C and mini-HDMI ports, allowing you to connect it to almost any game console and many smartphones, in addition to computers. That means you can use it as a primary gaming monitor or as a second monitor to enhance your productivity, whether at home or on the go. It’s also one of the few portable monitors with built-in stereo speakers. On the other hand, its native resolution, screen size, refresh rate, color quality, and brightness are the standard of today’s portable panel panels: that is, all in one piece graft. It’s good, but not outstanding.

A thin screen, but a troublesome stand

MAG161V measures 22.6 x 35.8 x 1 cm (HWD) and it weighs about 0.9 kg. The maximum thickness of the panel is 11mm, which is the bottom part where the ports are located. This part extends about two inches above the screen, and the rest of the upper display is amazingly thin, about 5mm thick. The bottom bezel is 25mm high, while the top and side bezels are just 5mm.

The display is a 15.6-inch IPS display with a native resolution of 1080p (1,920 x 1,080 pixels). It’s by far the most popular resolution for recent mobile screens. Its refresh rate is 60Hz, which is a surprise for anything considered a “gaming” monitor these days.

The frame is similar to Lenovo ThinkVision M14, whose 14-inch display is also just 5mm thick. Key difference: The frame M14 is hinged so that the bottom section, where the ports are located, folds behind the screen and acts as a sturdy and adjustable stand.

Not so with the MSI MAG161V model that comes with a magnetic cover that doubles as a foldable stand, the most common stand style for portable monitors. As with all of its all-too-popular products, it takes some practice to learn how to fold the stand to support the monitor, even when following MSI’s instructions.

On the right edge of the MAG161V are two USB Type-C ports and a mini-HDMI port. It’s a good connectivity option in a niche where many portable displays include only a single USB-C port. A portable monitor with only one USB-C power the display and receives both data and video.

The inclusion of both USB-C and HDMI ports allows you to use the MAG161V with various smartphones, gaming monitors, and laptops. In contrast, a second USB-C port lets you power the display via a USB adapter switch when the host device can’t provide the required electrical load. Another portable monitor that includes two USB Type-C ports and one mini-HDMI port is the 15.6-inch USB-C Lepow Portable Monitor. (Lepow has a similar soft stand.)

Wired for audio

On the left side of the MAG161V are the power switch, audio-out jack, and a wheel for on-screen display (OSD) control to adjust basic settings like brightness, color mode, contrast, volume, and more. The control wheel, which you rotate to toggle settings and then tap to enter, isn’t all that intuitive to use. It takes some practice to learn.

Built into the stand, the MAG161V has two 1-watt speakers. They deliver good sound quality — they can be an improvement over the speakers in your laptop or gaming console. That said, not every portable monitor comes with speakers, so give Optix a professional favor simply for their presence.

MAG161V test: Typical portable monitor

We measured the MAG161V’s display’s brightness at 192.2 nits (candelas per meter squared), slightly brighter than MSI’s 180 nit rating and within the narrow brightness range most portable monitors with reduce. Two notable exceptions are the previously mentioned Lenovo ThinkVision M14, which produced a great 280 nits in our testing, and the Asus ZenScreen Touch, which tested at 240 nits.

We tested the MAG161V’s contrast ratio of 1,066:1, which is also better than its 700:1 rating. In our color coverage test, the MAG161V covered only 64.4% of the sRGB spectrum. That is the color space used for the web and many applications.

That’s a lackluster score, though well in line with the coverage of most recent mobile screens. For example, the Asus ZenScreen Touch covers 69.1% sRGB, the Lepow 15.6-inch USB-C Portable Monitor, 65.4% sRGB, and the AOC I1601FWUX USB-C Portable Monitor, just 61.4% sRGB. Again, the one exception is the Lenovo ThinkVision M14, which had 97% sRGB coverage in our testing.

We watched videos streamed from the Dell XPS 13 over the HDMI connection on the MAG161V, and the colors looked decent, though reds and purples were a bit dull. The sound is of good quality. Its volume won’t be audible, but it’s loud enough if you’re a few feet away from the screen.

We paired our gaming test with an AMD Ryzen 9 3950X processor, an MSI X570 motherboard, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 super GPU MAG161V to play some Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Unsurprisingly, with its 60Hz refresh rate, the game is walkable if you’re used to playing on a “real” high-refresh gaming monitor. It would be more suitable for casual gamers or portable Nintendo Switch players who also have access to connections to power the display while they play.

More like a ‘universal’ monitor than a gaming monitor

The MSI Optix MAG161V is highly portable but lacks the rich gaming features found in MSI desktop monitors. Still, it is prized for its connectivity, allowing you to use it (in some cases with the help of an adapter) with a wide range of mobile devices, game consoles, and computers. Its built-in speakers, although modest, are rare on portable monitors and can provide sound when needed.

These features, similar to those found on the 15.6-inch Lepow mobile monitor, make it a good choice, at least for casual gamers, not shooters professional, or e-sports. For general-purpose personal and business ancillary displays, we still recommend the Lenovo ThinkVision M14 (albeit a smaller 14-inch monitor). It’s bright, with excellent color and image quality, and features a user-friendly stand that’s adjustable in height.

where can you get a MSI Optix MAG161V online

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