Minisforum MDSA156 Monitor Review: It's Not Pretty, but It Does the Job

Pros

• Plenty of screen real estate
• Single-cable connection
• Flexible setup and connectivity

Cons

• Viewing angle limitations
• Low-quality displays
• Needs auxiliary power for full brightness

• Minisforum MDSA156 Monitor Review: It's Not Pretty, but It Does the Job
• The screens could be better
• A solid, practical build
• Minisforum MDSA156 specs
• How we test monitors

The Minisforum MDSA156 is a portable monitor with not one but two displays. It has two 1080p screens, connected by a hinge, that fold up like a laptop. The benefit is obvious: You get a ton of extra screen space that you can slip into your backpack and bring anywhere. 

The MDSA156 has a ton in common with the Acer PD163Q, which I've previously tested. Aside from a few different buttons and ports, the two monitors look strikingly similar. There are, however, some clear differences in quality.

Twice the screen space in a single device.

Mark Knapp/CNET

The screens could be better

To start, the Minisforum MDSA156 has disappointing LCD screens. Both have limited color gamuts, not even coming close to covering the sRGB color space. Worse, the color and brightness shifts dramatically when viewed off axis. They're strictly utilitarian screens. The contrast is fine, though, and they hover around 300 nits of max brightness. I say "around" because the upper display is notably dimmer while the lower display has weaker contrast. 

They're not the best screens, but they're so very portable.

Mark Knapp/CNET

On the plus side, they work with a single USB-C cable connection. At least, they do as long as you don't need them running at max brightness. That uses too much power for many laptops (30 watts) and will require a second cable. At least the anti-glare finish of the screens proves fairly forgiving while running the displays at lower brightness. 

A solid kickstand keeps the screens upright.

Mark Knapp/CNET

A solid, practical build

The MDSA156 is decently built. The kickstand is beefy and the hinge between screens holds the monitors at a variety of angles, giving you plenty of flexibility. There are even VESA mounting holes. The chassis and kickstand of the monitor are also all metal. That all adds up though, with the MDSA156 weighing 3.26 pounds. (Minisforum says it weighs 2.2 pounds in some promo images but that's incorrect.)

So you get a lot for the money. At $231, it's a little cheaper than the Acer PD163Q. Acer has a big advantage where color gamut is concerned, however. If that's not a concern, and you just need more screen space to spread out your work, the MDSA156 has what you need. It even includes speakers that can be useful in a pinch, though they don't sound good. 

Both screens folded up.

Mark Knapp/CNET

Minisforum also includes two USB cables, an HDMI cable and a small power brick to pretty much cover all the bases of what you might need for connectivity.

All told, the Minisforum MDSA156 is a simple, utilitarian play at extra screen space for getting work done. If you're working on the go and image quality isn't your priority, this might be just what you're looking for. It's not pretty, it's not exciting, but it does the job well and doesn't cost any more than it should.

How we test monitors

Measurements for the Minisforum MDSA156 were taken using a Spyder X2 Ultra colorimeter using DataColor's Spyder X2 software for SDR. Color accuracy measurements results are reported in Delta E 1976 using Datacolor's 48-color patch test.

On the most basic models, we may only test brightness, contrast and color gamut. With more capable displays, we may also run tests of user-selectable modes for gaming or color-critical usage, uniformity and so on. We may also run tests to verify how white point accuracy varies with brightness. We also use Blur Busters' motion tests to judge motion artifacts (such as ghosting) or refresh rate-related problems that can affect gaming. 

Keep in mind that individual results can and often do vary from a manufacturer's reported results for a variety of reasons.