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Gaming on the go has never been easier, thanks to a wealth of gaming laptops and handheld gaming devices. If you own one, an extra screen that you can pack along with it will make it even better. The Arzopa Z1FC ($179.99) is a 16.1-inch portable gaming monitor that boasts a full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) in-plane switching (IPS) display, a 144Hz refresh rate, and an ultra-slim design that makes it easy to tuck into your luggage or bookbag for easy transport. A few issues hold it back from greatness, like its flimsy stand and middling speakers, but if you’re looking for an affordable on-the-go monitor, these sacrifices could be worth the reasonable price—especially if you snag the Z1FC during one of its frequent sales.Design: A Monitor for Gaming on the GoThe Arzopa Z1FC is almost identical to the Arzopa A1’s design, albeit slightly bigger. A matte-black frame with thin side and top bezels surrounds the monitor’s 1080p screen, while a thin display stand is tucked into its back surface. Two small rubber feet on the bottom of the monitor offer additional grip.
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At 8.2 by 14.9 by 0.5 inches (HWD), the Arzopa Z1FC is a svelte monitor that’s about as thin as your average ultraportable laptop. At 1.7 pounds, it’s noticeably lighter than my go-to portable gaming monitor, the ViewSonic VX1755, though it lacks that monitor’s eye-catching back-panel design and cover to protect the screen. In fact, the Z1FC is all-around plain in that regard, with a design that just doesn’t stand out.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Plainness isn’t its only drawback, though. As soon as I set our review unit up for testing, I noticed the display’s lackluster stand. It’s thin, and because it’s not in the middle of the monitor, it doesn’t feel very sturdy when in use. In some ways, it reminds me of the older Nintendo Switch’s equally flimsy kickstand. The stand extends about 80 degrees out, but only in one direction.
The left side of the monitor is where you’ll find the ports, which include two USB Type-C and one mini-HDMI port. You’ll also find the power button, a volume control, and a button to open the on-screen display (OSD) menus. Interestingly, the Z1FC doesn’t come with a power supply like the Viewsonic VX1755 does. You power the Z1FC either by connecting it to a computer over a USB-C connection (thus drawing on the attached PC’s power source, potentially its battery) or using a USB power brick, which is not included. If you use a dedicated power supply, Arzopa recommends one that supports 5 volts/3 amps.The monitor does have a few setup quirks related to power, depending on which device you’re using. For example, if you’re using the Nintendo Switch to power it, Arzopa says that you must connect the Switch’s original adapter. If your laptop does not have enough power using its battery, you have to supply power to the laptop (and thus to the monitor via the laptop) with the laptop’s original power supply. These are just a few of the specific use cases outlined on Arzopa’s web page. For my setup with a Sony PlayStation 5 and a laptop, I powered the monitor with a USB cable connected to an external power brick.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Two 1-watt speakers round out the monitor’s features. They provide the sound you’d expect from a budget portable monitor. It’s fine, but it’s nothing to write home about. I really wish that Arzopa had an included headphone jack so I wouldn’t have to rely on the speakers for sound, though you may be able to use wireless headphones via a dongle, or Bluetooth phones. And you can always use your input device’s speakers or headphone jack as well.As for the panel tech, gamers have long favored IPS monitors for their lower response times, greater color accuracy, and improved viewing angles compared with VA panels. The Z1FC doesn’t support Nvidia G-Sync or AMD FreeSync, though it does support variable refresh rates (VRR). And while Arzopa doesn’t advertise HDR support for this monitor, HDR can be enabled in the OSD menu. If you’re sticking to a budget and have simple on-the-go gaming needs, perhaps you can forgive some of the Z1FC’s faults in light of the bargain price of $180, which is far less than what many premium portable gaming monitors go for, such as the Asus ROG Strix XG16AHPE, the ViewSonic VX1755, and the 300Hz NexiGo NG17FGQ 17.3-Inch. But does the Arzopa sacrifice performance as well to maintain its bargain price? We take a closer look in our next section.Testing the Arzopa Z1FC: High Refresh RatesTo quantify a monitor’s performance, we test the color gamut, brightness, color accuracy, and contrast ratio using Calman monitor calibration software, a Murideo Six-G signal generator, and a Klein K-10A colorimeter. We also run gaming monitors through a gauntlet of games to measure input lag and get a better idea of the real-world performance.In our first test, we check the monitor’s maximum brightness in its default picture mode with an SDR signal. Here we observed 357 nits (candelas per square meter) of brightness, slightly over the 300 nits that Arzopa promises. Switching over to HDR, we measured 269 nits; peak HDR brightness reached 319 nits. (We measured sustained HDR brightness at a 10% window size.) These limits mean the Z1FC is easily viewable in a hotel room or at a friend’s house, but it might struggle to reject ambient glare if you tend to game in brightly lit spaces like coffee shops.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Next, we turn our gaze to the monitor’s color gamut. In our tests, it spanned 98% of the sRGB color gamut, 75% of Adobe RGB, and 77% of DCI-P3. These are pretty good measurements for a portable monitor and far better than the Arzopa A1’s results.Next, we check the contrast ratio. Arzopa advertises a contrast ratio of 1,300:1, and our results were in the ballpark: 1,158:1. This is similar to the Arzopa A1’s measured contrast and notably better than other gaming monitors like the ViewSonic VX1755 and NexiGo NG17FGQ.With color testing out of the way, we turn to what might be the most important test for a gaming monitor: measuring input lag. To quantify this, we use our HDFury Diva HDMI matrix. We recorded less than 1 millisecond (ms) of input lag, which is excellent and should be adequate even for hard-core gamers. Coupled with the higher refresh rate, this means that most gamers will be able to enjoy pretty much any kind of game without issue. Extra-picky competitive esports types likely would not be gaming on a panel like this, anyhow.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Similarly, the Z1FC is compatible with pretty much any device that can output video. I used my PS5 and my company-provided ThinkPad to play a few games on it. In my playtime, I observed solid color coverage across a variety of single-player games, and I also took the monitor for a quick spin in Overwatch 2 using that game’s 120Hz mode. I didn’t observe any noticeable blemishes or perceptible input lag.Verdict: Spend Less, Play MoreIn a sea of pricey monitors, both big and small, the Arzopa Z1FC is a reasonable bargain in a quality gaming experience on the go. You’ll have to humor its few quirks, notably the weak stand, but if you’re looking for a portable monitor on the cheap, the Arzopa is a good value. And when it’s on sale, it’s a downright great deal: We’ve seen it drop to just over $100. Those who are sticklers for more-vivid screens or even higher refresh rates might be willing to shell out the extra cash for the ViewSonic VX1655-4K-OLED or the NexiGo NG17FGQ, but bargain shoppers looking for an extra screen for gaming or productivity will be satisfied with the Z1FC, especially if they are patient and watch the pricing.
Arzopa Z1FC 144Hz Portable Gaming Monitor
Pros
Bargain price
Good color range
Slim and lightweight
The Bottom Line
The Arzopa Z1FC is a no-frills portable gaming monitor that looks good and performs even better, though its awkwardly thin stand and lack of a headphone jack sully the overall experience.
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