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The THINNEST display I’ve EVER seen – C-Force Portable Monitor Review

James
By James
in LTT Releases
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Posted

tfw no embed ?

Intel HEDT and Server platform enthusiasts: Intel HEDT Xeon/i7 Megathread 

 

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Posted

This thing sucks.

Yes, it's super thin and that's kinda cool, but that's about it.

 

The 5mm you save in space is wasted by additional dongles, external power bricks or batteries and the additional cables you need to hook it up. In the end, you waste more space than you save. The point of portable monitors should be to integrate as much as possible into one device, so all you need is a single USB C cable to hook it up and this thing fails completely at that.

 

 

 

 

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39 minutes ago, Senzelian said:

This thing sucks.

Yes, it's super thin and that's kinda cool, but that's about it.

 

The 5mm you save in space is wasted by additional dongles, external power bricks or batteries and the additional cables you need to hook it up. In the end, you waste more space than you save. The point of portable monitors should be to integrate as much as possible into one device, so all you need is a single USB C cable to hook it up and this thing fails completely at that.

Well, there's that usage without anything, just lonely USB-C...

But I'll agree, it would be better, if thickness was same along the screen and additional space was used for upgrading "only USB-C" experience 

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Seems stupid, if they made it like 1mm thicker they could have included all the scalers etc in it, instead of the thousand compromises solution they have now.

Linus already reviewed an external 4k monitor, which was a little thicker,  but included the battery and all the other stuff in it, for the same price.

I only see your reply if you @ me.

This reply/comment was generated by AI.

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WHY, no really WHY does this exist, what is this fascination tech companies have with making things as thin as possible? IF I need to live the dongle life to use a product just so the product can be thinner I'm not interested, hell give me a phone thats 2 mm thicker and gets a 50% boost to battery capacity or maintains the headphone jack.

 

but again with the merch ad in the middle of the video so @James @CPotter @nicklmg and all the other LMG staff who's tags I don't feel like figuring out you have lost a viewer over your overkill merch shilling, I'm done, can't do it anymore. the ADS (NOT sponsor spots no matter what you call them they are ads) at the beginning and end where bad enough, now you are just trolling your viewer base with these merch ads in the middle of the video and those of us that have been around longer then literally HALF the current LMG staff are tired of this. #Unsubscribed #CantDoItAnymore

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So LMG is now getting into reviewing half-baked unproven prototypes? I thought you guys had higher standards ??

 

There is no way a flimsy product as this however interesting or radical is going to perform well. The connectors are simply not rigid enough, the cable needs to be able to stand up to bending while retaining signal integrity and the panel itself is too fragile for anything but desktop use.

 

Considering also that the external dock is a requirement for enabling it's functionality I am wondering why they charge a separate price for it - this needs to be included with the panel but at $490 together it's not exactly cheap.

 

Finally, when the emphasis is mobility, carrying around 2 devices beats juggling 5 or 6. This needs the external dock and a battery bank just to pair with a ultrabook, or if it's a tablet, an external keyboard as well. That's too much stuff when a smartphone can hide inside a pocket and a Surface Go get tucked under the arm with both hands free for coffee and handshakes.

 

Maybe this can work for drone operators that need a larger display with video input, or a tripod camera setup with display capability. In either example, however, thinness won't be of much benefit, if any, and the external dock will be a PITA to have to carry separately, never mind the power supply.

 

They need to go back to the drawing board - this product the way it is now is just DOA IMO.

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Can we please standardise using the USB connector shroud to help stabilise the connection?

 

I think one of my Wacom tablets did it.

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Apparently the C-Force's C-Air is not quite for sale for the masses yet: https://cforcedesign.com/

 

There are 3 other 4mm portable monitors though (the link provided by LTT means picking through monitors thicker than the one reviewed) ?:

 

Enjoy! ^_^

Found way to install the YT Dislike Extension on my phone! xD

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IMO one of the most important specifications for portable displays is brightness. I'm really disappointed that this wasn't covered in the video.

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If this comes out, this will become a part of my travel photo/video editing rig powered by a Ryzen 7 3700X machine inside a DAN case. 4k on a screen like that, with full Adobe coverage, and after calibration should make for a very nice hotel room editing experience, and it looks like it all will fit in a single inconspicuous backpack.

 

Can't wait, much excite.

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Why make so much effort into making a thin screen, when you build an accessory like the dongle that needs to be a part of it, to function, i would have accepted this as a viable product, if the screen could have been run by a USB cable only..

 

having a breakout box, the same volumen as the screen it self, seem to just make the product... just of no value.

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I posted this in a comment but two things they should do.

1: Make the little nubs on the casing a little taller to catch the display for a dual pivot stand.

2:They should improve the USB-C connector, recess it, and make an adjustable USB connector that pivots to make the HUB attachable as a stand. Even if it's not sturdy enough for that, having it attachable would make it less... life supporty.  You could make a little mechanism that locks into different angles.  Then, since the HUB can also be hard fixed (or even plugged) add some sort of casting tech so you can use it as a wireless display. 

 

Basically you could just attach the hub with a little USB-C "elbow" that's more or less a part of the display when you want, then you can just set it somewhere and plug it into power and connect something wirelessly for a movie or browsing or something latency won't matter with.  Heck, maybe even add a little speaker just to have it?

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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Greetings from the C-FORCE Team~

I‘m Raymond, C-FORCE Chief UX Officer.

Keep talking about C-air's Pros&Cons.

I'm collecting all the upgrade data for C-air & CF015C.

Let's make the best product together and for everyone!!!
C-air→ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/switch-con/c-force-c-air-4k-100adobergb-handheld-display

CF015C→ https://cforcedesign.com/products/cf015c-4k-ultra-slim-portable-display

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so its basically a notebook display with a controller card connected so you can use standard cables? i got that running as secondary right now. although not in as nice a package as this but still. the chinese offer controller card for a vast variety of laptop displays. so buy a laptop display as a spare part or sacrifice an old laptop that broken or something. take out the display. look up the model and make of the display on ebay and youll probably find a chinese controller for it....maybe not usb-c and youll likely need a 12v external power brick but still.....i bought a 15.6" IPS display and controller a while ago for a project i didnt end up doing so now its my secondary screen

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New version joystick mount gives you more space for your flexible control in Switch. Velcro binding is replaced to one piece of the ergonomic module. Release version will be better. The new CF120Pro comes with the built-in speaker with volume adjuster. With a DLNA Airplay Miracast Dongle, you can do so much more wirelessly.
Please take some time and watch this video, we will keep getting better. We will hear LinusTechTips, we will also hear everyone of you. 
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I really like the feeling of 4K performance on my hand. Red Dead: Redemption Ⅱ is played all with C-air. The hunting is awesome~

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The Nintendo Life released a review, I will make some notes and send here.

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I mean, it MAY be super thin...

 

BUT THEN you HAVE to put it in a protective double sided case like Linus unboxes it, or it will break in your bag.. .

 

What is the point???

 

Same thing with phones, they make em as thin and fragile as possible, so everyone slaps a thick rubber case around it!! ?

 

I wish honestly they would design electronics with usability in mind. Like the Motorola Force from a couple years ago, a phone you can actually drop and not break!! I CANNOT believe that hasn't caught on as a mainstream concept!!

 

I mean: IMAGINE: Pixel 4, yeah yeah, specs, screen, whatever. BUT: You can DROP it and it WONT BREAK!! Can you imagine? They would sell gangbusters.

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On 9/20/2019 at 10:29 PM, maartendc said:

I mean, it MAY be super thin...

 

BUT THEN you HAVE to put it in a protective double sided case like Linus unboxes it, or it will break in your bag.. .

 

What is the point???

 

Same thing with phones, they make em as thin and fragile as possible, so everyone slaps a thick rubber case around it!! ?

 

I wish honestly they would design electronics with usability in mind. Like the Motorola Force from a couple years ago, a phone you can actually drop and not break!! I CANNOT believe that hasn't caught on as a mainstream concept!!

 

I mean: IMAGINE: Pixel 4, yeah yeah, specs, screen, whatever. BUT: You can DROP it and it WONT BREAK!! Can you imagine? They would sell gangbusters.

take of the case to be thin and light and play with it. put on the case to protect and on-to-go. it's a solution but need be better.

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