This monitor maker is taking on Apple with a great portable display that's ideal for creators - and at a much lower price

espresso 17 Pro portable monitor mocked up as a cinema screen in front of seats
(Image credit: espresso)

Australian monitor manufacturer espresso has professionals and creators in its sights with the unveiling of its latest high-resolution display. 

The espresso 17 Pro promises to be an ultra-thin, ultra-portable 4K monitor for graphic design and more. The company even claimed to beat Apple on pixels per inch (PPI), boasting 257.6 PPI compared to 227 PPI of the Apple retina display and the Apple Pro XDR display’s 245 PPI. 

In the race to be the best portable monitor on the market, Will Scuderi, co-founder and CEO, said: “[the] espresso 17 Pro is meticulously crafted to support professionals and creatives who need to perform at their best, wherever their work takes them, and whatever platforms they use.” And, it seems, whichever orientation they work in, with the ability to toggle between landscape and portrait mode for a broader canvas.

What you need to know

If it lives up to its specs, the espresso 17 Pro is set to be an impressive monitor for photo editing on-the-go or secondary screen. Alongside that eye-catching 4K resolution, it features a 17.3-inch LiveTouch display with a 60Hz refresh rate. Brightness hits 450 nits, with the monitor further flexing its creative muscles with the ability to display over one billion colors, covering 100% DCI-P3 color space. 

The monitor also offers improved pen support, with all-new custom-built touch drivers and over 4000 pressure sensitivity levels. According to the Sydney-based business, it means the display offers “smooth and seamless gesture movements, precise pen commands, and beautiful scrolling” with a proprietary pen calibrated for the likes of Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma, and Canva

The whole unit clocks in at 1.1kg, measuring 397 mm x 245 mm and just 9 mm thin. As expected from espresso displays, users can connect it to their computer via a single USB connection. 

It remains to be seen whether the espresso 17 Pro really can rival Apple’s creator-focused screens. But when we tested out its predecessor, the 15-inch espressoDisplay, we were seriously impressed with its hybrid-working versatility, calling it “our favorite portable monitor right now.” High praise, indeed. 

Shipping from late November, espresso’s latest offering is available now for pre-order as a standalone unit or as part of the Studio bundle, which includes a laptop power bank, stand, pen, and case. 

Can’t wait for the device’s release, we’re covering October’s Prime Day portable monitor deals and upcoming Black Friday portable monitor deals.  

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Steve Clark
B2B Editor - Creative & Hardware

Steve is B2B Editor for Creative & Hardware at TechRadar Pro. He began in tech journalism reviewing photo editors and video editing software at Web User magazine, and covered technology news, features, and how-to guides. Today, he and his team of expert reviewers test out a range of creative software, hardware, and office furniture. Once upon a time, he wrote TV commercials and movie trailers. Relentless champion of the Oxford comma.

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