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The UPerfect UColor O2 was sent by UPerfect for review. Thank you!

With how often I have to travel, I am always on the hunt for the best ways to work on the go. I have small Bluetooth keyboards, docks for my handhelds, and even smaller laptops specifically for writing. But my favorite setup for working on the go is easily my portable monitor. With the right monitor and a Steam Deck with a dock, I enjoy setting up my station and working on the go, and UPerfect may have created my dream monitor.

The UPerfect UColor O2 feels like the best balance of everything I want in a monitor, both for work and for gaming. It isn't too big, has a great panel, high refresh rate, and a great price for everything that is on offer. Honestly, this may be my favorite portable monitor I have ever had the pleasure of using, and I think this will be my go-to monitor for some time now.

Models, Prices, and Upgrades

This new version of the UColor monitor has two different models. The O2 has a touch-screen model and a non-touch-screen model, priced at $349 and $399, respectively. The only difference between these two models is the inclusion of touch screen capability. We were sent the non-touch version of the monitor for our review.

You can also use our coupon code STDECKHQ40 for an extra $40 off, which is a nice bonus.

Along with the actual monitor, we also get all the cables we will need to set it up, a manual, screws for the VESA mount compatibility, and a cover. The cover also doubles as a stand, which is a nice touch.

Compared to the last model, there have been some sizable upgrades. We have a bigger screen, higher refresh rate, higher brightness, upgraded USB-C ports, lighter weight, and HDR compatibility, while still retaining most of the last models features like the OLED screen and speakers. There is no built-in battery, and the new model uses 8-bit+FRC color depth vs 10-bit, but for the new model being almost $300 cheaper, it feels like a no-brainer.

Build Quality, Size, and Weight

Of all the parts of the UColor O2 that surprised me, it was its build. I am used to portable monitors being bulky and heavy, especially when sporting a solid amount of features, but this monitor is different. It's extremely thin, very lightweight, and it makes the overall package feel much more portable and easier to move around with.

For a 16-inch monitor, it's surprisingly easy to carry around. The dimensions come to around 13.94 × 9.53 × 0.26 inches, with most of it being even thinner when you move away from the bottom of the screen. Coupled with the 1.59lb weight, it is the most portable monitor I have. The one I used before weighed around 2.15lbs, so this is a wonderful improvement. It's also thin enough to fit snugly in my backpack with my Steam Deck, so traveling with it is quite easy.

It also feels quite strong for a device so thin. The Aluminum exterior feels sturdy, the buttons on the side feel pronounced and easy to hit, and the model itself looks sleek and professional. UPerfect usually does a great job with how their monitors feel, and this one is no different.

Features

The UColor O2 has a couple of specific features that have completely won me over and are a reason why this will be my go-to monitor when traveling. The biggest one is easily the OLED screen. I am a sucker for OLED colors that pop and true blacks, and this monitor fits that bill perfectly. With a 100,000:1 contrast ratio and covering 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, whatever is on my screen pops with vibrancy. It feels like an extension of my Steam Deck OLED screen, and I like that a lot.

The monitor goes to 3K resolution and, just like the Steam Deck, has a 16:10 aspect ratio. It also sports a 120Hz refresh rate, which is perfect for when I want to lock games to 40 FPS to keep it stable. However, this did need some tweaking on the Steam Deck. For whatever reason, 2880x1800 resolution can only go up to 100Hz, so I ended up having to manually change the resolution down to 2560x1600 to get 120Hz recognized. This is still a 16:10 resolution, so there are no black bars, and playing games at 40 FPS this way was phenomenal.

The monitor also has built-in HDR, which you can turn on via the UColor O2 menu (more on that below). Once I set HDR to auto, my Steam Deck recognized it was an HDR screen, and I was able to toggle games on and off. I have had some trouble with HDR not being recognized with other monitors, but I had no issues with this one.

I am glad that the monitor also has speakers, so I don't need to carry around headphones if I need sound. The quality is decent, though I can sometimes hear crackling, and it sounds a little blown out. I can't say I have heard any monitor speakers of fantastic quality yet, and this seemed more on par with everything else. It does the job but won't blow you away.

I also want to show appreciation for the buttons on the side. I have had a few monitors where the buttons were a bit tough to reach, but the UColor O2's buttons are easy to hit, and I like how they were able to map volume and brightness, along with the power, menu, and source selection to all 5 buttons.

The UColor O2 Menu

The menu, while filled with different options, left me with mixed feelings. The biggest issue I have with it is navigation. With the five buttons on the left side of the monitor being completely vertical, I found it a little difficult to bring up the menu, select and change options, and navigate. However, once you get the hang of it, there are a solid number of options to check out.

This is where you can change options like Brightness, Contrast, Aspect Ratio, Hue, Saturation, toggle HDR, turn on low-power mode, and even change the specifics of the color temperature. However, my favorite is the inclusion of a Blue Light Filter bar. I am constantly staring at screens, and I want to preserve my eyes as much as I can, so this is a nice feature. It also has four different levels of the filter, which I appreciated a lot. More customizability is not a bad thing!

Other than the navigation difficulty, the menu is filled with great options to customize the monitor display. I like all of the options I have, and I especially like the blue light filter option.

Conclusion

The UPerfect UColor O2 has quickly become one of my favorite portable monitors and my go-to for travel. The size and weight make it very easy to carry around, while the gorgeous 3K OLED monitor with HDR support is phenomenal. I also really like that the 16-inch monitor has a 120Hz refresh rate, which means connecting it to a Steam Deck and aiming for 40 FPS feels great. I do wish navigating the menu was a little easier and the speakers were a bit clearer, but these are minor issues that don't detract from how wonderful the monitor is. If you are looking for a solid portable monitor with great quality, this is the one for you.

You can purchase the monitor on UPerfect's store for $349 and use our coupon code STDECKHQ40 for an extra $40 off.

The UPerfect links above are using an affiliate link, which gives us a little back from sales at no extra charge to you. All proceeds go back into SDHQ and its development.

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