Need some gaming on the go? Maybe an auxiliary monitor to keep track of your PC temperature or to take on the very important task of rendering a cool anime girl in real time? Then look no further, Arzopa got you covered.
The Arzopa Z1RC is an auxiliary 2.5K monitor with a 16:10 aspect ratio, clocking in at 16 inches for a nice and crisp 188 PPI displayed on a very bright and colorful IPS screen. The Z1RC is marketed as a portable multipurpose monitor thanks to its PS5, Xbox, Switch, Steam Deck, PC and phone compatibility, making it a pretty handy device to have.
So, what are its use cases? Is the screen any good? How portable is it truly? Find out the answer to these questions and more in our full review for the Arzopa Z1RC portable monitor.
Arzopa Z1RC
Manufacturer: Arzopa
Price: $199.99
The Z1RC sits at a comfortable sweet spot, featuring a reasonably-sized screen while also being pretty thin and sleek. Any small device can be portable, but there needs to be a balance, since nobody wants to watch their movies on a GameBoy screen.
The monitor is a little bigger than a modern Samsung tablet, which feels about right for a portable traveling device. The plug-and-play manner in which it interacts with most devices and the fact that it can receive power from USB-C sources also make it extra portable.
The Z1RC also features a pretty useful kickstand on the back that helps with its stability. The kickstand is made out of the same sturdy aluminum material that the back plate uses, giving it a good range of motion and also allowing it to stand up vertically.
It really can’t be overstated just how nice the Z1RC‘s screen is, featuring very vivid colors powered by an IPS panel that reaches an incredibly bright 500 nits. There’s no ghosting, light bleed, or even IPS glow when displaying darker colors, making this a near flawless product as far as its screen goes.
The refresh rate is unfortunately where the screen starts to find some limitations, especially when it comes to modern gaming. Even handheld devices like the Steam Deck go up to 90hz, so having a screen that only goes up to 60hz is a bit of a bummer.
Being fully honest, this could be some of my PC gamer elitism bleeding through, since consoles like the Nintendo Switch deliver 60hz and most of its users don’t seem to be bothered by it, making this most likely a personal issue.
Phone usage is where the Z1RC unfortunately fails to deliver, providing a straightforward connection method but lacking some basic features. The screen has no orientation control options, meaning that you can only use your phone vertically while the screen is laid out horizontally.
The 16:10 nature of the Z1RC also makes it so even if you flip your phone into horizontal mode it still has large black bars on the top and bottom, as there aren’t any stretch or fill options in the settings. This is less disruptive when watching a movie, because the borders act as lettering, but becomes annoying when gaming or navigating the OS.
The refresh rate again becomes a limiting factor on mobile, since most modern phones are running at 120hz by default. It’s a pretty niche thing for mobile games to run above 60fps, but the difference is instantly felt regardless.
As far as its other use cases go, I found the Z1RC to be really handy as an auxiliary PC display. The 2.5K resolution coupled with the 16-inch screen size makes it a great display for retro or retro-inspired titles, with the vertical mode serving as the perfect layout for Nintendo DS games.
A good chunk of the time I spent with the Z1RC was media-related, since the form factor and screen quality make it a great device to throw a YouTube video or movie onto while you’re working. It also serves as a remarkably good screen to read comics in while it’s flipped vertically.
The Z1RC has similar specs to my LG Ultragear monitors, but beats them by a significant margin when it comes to picture quality. The IPS panel and HDR support especially make for very accurate and detailed colors, which was really surprising when comparing them side by side.
Overall, the Z1RC is a solid auxiliary monitor with great colors and a lot of use cases. If your main concern is gaming on the go, then you should probably consider the Z1FC, its 1080p sister model with a 144hz refresh rate, as the Z1RC itself is more of a multipurpose display for all of your media needs.
The near universal compatibility makes it a pretty desirable display, and it comes in a very complete package with its own USB-C and micro HDMI cables as well, showing that Arzopa put a lot of thought into making this a painless plug-and-play experience, which it absolutely is.
The Z1RC makes for a great auxiliary screen for PC users, serving as stylish but also useful decoration for those who like customizing their setup. The high resolution and great-looking display really help solidify it as a secondary monitor that doesn’t take up too much space on your desk, and its combo of compatibility and portability make it a great travel companion.
You can find the Z1RC on Arzopa’s official website for $129.99 with a 35% discount as of writing this.
The Z1RC portable monitor was reviewed using a unit provided by Arzopa. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here.