Espresso 17 Pro 4K portable monitor review: BYO-Screen

Portable monitors are nothing new but local Aussie upstart Espresso has mostly stuck to more mobility-focused efforts like to date. The new Espresso 17 Pro is the brand's first foray into 4K monitors and an attempt to translate its sleek spin on portable screens into something that more high-end creative professionals can work with.

The finished product might be overkill for more everyday consumers but if you're an enthusiast or aspiring creator looking to add a second screen to your desktop and don't want to compromise on the quality involved, the Espresso 17 Pro is an expensive but excellent option to consider.

In Australia, the Espresso 17 Pro 4K portable monitor starts at $1250. That's not exactly spare change, but it comes with a bag full of bonus accessories, making it a little easier to justify.

That said, if you are in the market for a high-resolution screen you can carry around, it isn't that hard to find a cheaper alternative (and it's even easier if you're willing to gamble on a brand you've never heard of). For some, the natural middle ground is to find a decent deal. Check out the table below for a round-up of Espresso 17 Pro 4K portable monitor pricing in Australia.

Like Espresso's other portable monitors, the Espresso 17 Pro is a sleek aluminium shell that's defined by the 4K display panel it houses. The bezels aren't quite iPhone thin but they are slim enough that I worried about accidentally touching the display panel every time I picked up or adjusted the portable monitor.

With a thinness of around 9mm and a weight of 1.1kg, the Espresso 17 Pro is thicker and heavier than its sibling screens. That said, it's still light enough that I wouldn't hesitate to carry it with me.

Akin to an old-school smartphone, the bottom-most edge of the Espresso 17 Pro is a chunky chin of non-usable space. It's not the biggest imposition, but it's easy to wish the silhouette surrounding the screen here was a little more regular.

Aside from that detail, the port layout here is pretty similar to what you can find with any of Espresso's other monitors. Located in the bottom right corner, there's a pair of USB-C ports that are used to connect the portable monitor to your PC of choice. These do not support daisy-chaining display outputs but they do allow you to charge a connected device.

While a physical connection can be made with any such cable, the packaging and set-up guide for the Espresso 17 Pro is quick to remind you that not all USB-C cables are created equal. You'll need one that supports video pass-through (for example, the one included with the monitor) to connect the accessory up as intended. Regardless of whether you're looking to use this portable monitor with a PC or Mac, you'll also want to double-check that your device has the right type of USB-C ports as well.

As with the Espresso Display 15, it's not required to use the Espresso 17 Pro with the company's EspressoFlow companion software. However, it is recommended especially if you want to make use of the specific features that separate it from the competition. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. Even if you are just using this as a straightforward secondary screen, there's a lot to like here.

The Espresso 17 Pro has a greater resolution than the screen on your average MacBook, but that's not all it's bringing to the table. It's also got 450 nits of brightness and 100% DCI-P3 color. More than just looking better, Espresso has even gone so far as to kit this thing out with its own set of custom touch drivers rather than generic ones. This enables a set of gesture-based shortcuts for those who want them enough to memorise 'em and a more seamless scrolling experience for everyone who doesn't.

Of course, there's just one catch. The Espresso 17 Pro doesn't come with a power source. There is an optional accessory that solves for this but by default, it just draws on the power of whatever you're attaching it to, which isn't a lot. If you're using it at home, that's probably not going to be a problem. If you're out and about, it's something to factor in.

It's also worth noting that the speakers on the Espresso 17 Pro won't work nor will the monitor play nice with portable gaming handhelds like the Nintendo Switch unless you are attached to some kind of secondary power source.

Espresso sent me both the EspressoCase and EspressoStand to test the Espresso 17 Pro alongside. These accessories are nice enough but they are very much what you'd expect. The case adds a lightweight layer of protection to the front of the portable monitor, which helps keep it safe and scratch-free when not in use. Meanwhile, the Stand allows you to achieve a more desktop-like level of elevation.

While this accessory went far enough towards making the Espresso 17 Pro a comfortable viewing experience that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend, I do wish it could raise the screen just a little bit higher than what it offers.

While the Espresso 17 Pro doesn't miss a beat when it comes the image quality, the quality of the experience of actually using the hardware does have room for improvement.

The first and most obvious hurdle I ran into here was the fact that since the ports are all nestled in the bottom right corner of the Espresso 17 Pro, you're almost certainly going to have to set it up to the left of whatever it is being plugged into. While automatic rotation is supported via the companion software, the reality underpinning that usually involves a frustrating amount of cabling. Even just including a longer USB-C cable in the box would be a welcome step here.

The other snag is that the elegance of the Espresso 17 Pro often runs afoul of the complicated quagmire that is USB-C. Sure, in some respects, it’s an improvement on MicroUSB and USB Type-A. It offers faster speeds and you don’t confused about which way the cable goes anymore. Unfortunately, the boots-on-the-ground reality is that the standard is way more confusing in ways that advocates often conveniently omit. I can think of few experiences worse than buying this thing and discovering your PC has the wrong ports for it after the fact.

Outside of those concerns though, the Espresso 17 Pro largely delivers on the promise of a monitor that isn't as bulky as the alternative. The latency is low enough that I never worried or noticed any issues and the screen itself is bright enough that glare wasn't an issue. Honestly, if Espresso did a larger desktop model that could replace my 32-inch Space Monitor, I'd consider upgrading just for the savings in desk space.

Of course, using this like you would any old monitor does mean overlooking one of the key features that separates the Espresso 17 Pro from most of its rivals. The fact that it's a touchscreen. This isn't a game changer for PC users but if you're running MacOS it's fresh functionality that Apple themselves doesn't otherwise offer.

Aside from just touching the screen with your fingers, Espresso also offers a Pen stylus accessory. This sleek implement is nice to look at and use, though it isn't quite as polished or premium as something like the Apple Pencil. There's a single button that can be used to right-click on objects by default. It also magnetically attaches to the edge of the Espresso 17 Pro when not in use and charges via USB-C.

Since it can't beat the competition on price, it's a good thing that the Espresso 17 Pro finds its footing on every other front. The display panel is very nice, but it's only the start of the story here. The additional features, standout design and accessories that Espresso has built with its flagship portable monitor in mind go a long way here towards making using it feel like a worthwhile investment.

There's room to grow, but the Espresso 17 Pro remains a strong showcase of what you get when you gamble on a brand focused on a very specific niche rather than one that treats portable monitors like an afterthought.