Wimaxit M1400CT – The perfect portable monitor

It was not so long ago that I was traveling quite a bit, and as such, I needed portable solutions for my workflow. The Wimaxit M1400CT monitor has the right mix of size, weight, and features to make it into my trolly when travel returns. And for a price that will not break your wallet – $189.88.

Let’s dive into this piece of gear and see how it performs.

Presentation

The Wimaxit M1400CT is a 14″, 1080,  IPS, touch, external monitor, which is the ideal size for a traveling monitor. The reduced inch from 15″ does a lot for weight reduction, but 14″ is still big enough to perform as a second monitor for editing. The external chassis feels like aluminum, and it just has that a device well-made kind of feel to it.

If you look at it from a weight-to-value perspective, this monitor (cover included) weighs just over one Kilo, while comparable 15″ monitors are about 1.8 Kilos.  If you drop the case, the monitor weighs only 655 grams.

The monitor comes with a cover that feels on the high end with a leather-like texture. In addition to acting as a protective case while in storage/travel, it also functions as a stand allowing several standing angles.

The M1400CT  has two USB-C ports, a mini HDMI port, a headphone jack, and a small button/wheel control array. Unlike other monitors, you can feed the M1400CT  via either of the USB-C ports. If you are using a powered USB-C source, you also don’t need to power the monitor externally. If you are using one of the other ports, you can use one of the USB-C ports for powering the monitor.

If you are using the USB to connect to a laptop, you can use the little USB-2 port and an OTG cable to connect a mouse or a keyboard, reclaiming the “lost” port on the laptop.

The monitor does come with speakers, but I would only use them as a last resort, as they are small and max out at a very low volume.

In the Box

The monitor comes in a white, apple-esqe box and holds the following accessories:

• The Wimaxit M1400CT monitor
• A “smart” cover
• A wall charger (for working over micro USB / HDMI)
• A data+power USB-C to USB-C cable
• A power only USB-A to USB-C cable
• HDMI to mini HDMI cable
• Some papers :)

Display

I would rate this monitor as fairly bright. It comes at 400 nits which is more than enough for working indoors or in shaded places. As a second monitor, 1080p is sufficient for me. I much prefer going 1080 and saving on weight than a more bulky 4K monitor.

As far as colors go, the monitor scored 94% of sRGB after we calibrated it with a Datacolor Spyder. This is a bit less than the advertised 98% sRGB. WE were testing with a Dell Inspirion 7577, and the M1400CT  blew it out of the water. The Dell only archives 60% of sRGB. This means that you can even use this monitor for basic color grading if you are pushed to the corner. Not a common feature for a portable budget monitor.

The specs claim that the monitor supports HDR, and I admit that the colors look very vivid and have decent contrast.

Workflow

As I mentioned before, the M1400CT comes with two USB-C ports. Both support a single cable operation pushing both data and power. Sadly they are both located on the same side, so the included one-meter cable will only work if your laptop USB is on the “right” side. I prefer to have my monitor to the right, and the included cable is just not long enough. For a future version, I would love to see the two ports on both sides of the monitor. (Or a longer cable, which  is what I am using in the photo on the right below).

If you opt for micro USB or micro HDMI for data, you can still power the monitor with any standard “phone” charger and a USB-C cable. It only takes about 10W, so even smaller @amps chargers will do.

Control

Unline desktop monitors where there are very few configuration modifications, a portable monitor shifts, and changes according to its use. So let’s talk control. WIMAXIT made a clever choice to have a dedicated button for switching between sources. All other controls are done via a small control wheel on the side of the monitor. Pressing this wheel brings up a menu for controlling brightness, saturation, contrast, and other standard settings. The monitor actually has quite an impressive set of controls and also allows Eco mode, adaptive dimming, and Freesync (if you use nan AMD card).

If you want to get picky, the scroller wheel is not very comfortable and is extremely delicate. But again, I’d rather have a  delicate scroll-wheel than a shabby panel, so this is not a big thing for me.

Conclusion

For under $200, the Wimaxit M1400CT provides great value for money. It is light and travel-friendly and has the best panel I’ve seen on a portable budget monitor. If you are in the market for something to help your edits while you travel, the M1400CT is a great choice.