IndiaAIFounders — KYY X90G Quad Portable Monitor review: Three extra screens for your MacBook

Macworld

At a glance

Expert's Rating

Pros

Adds three 15.6-inch HD screens, for four displays in total
Freestanding aluminum frame, with no clips to MacBook
One USB-C cable connection
Rotating screens and several display modes

Cons

Requires driver installation
Not color-accurate for pro creative work
Bulky for a portable display
High list price

Our Verdict

Its unwieldy shape and size might not be for everybody, but the well-built KYY X90G has a place in your life if you need multiple flexibly positioned HD monitors within easy sight that can be speedily collapsed and hidden away when you don’t need them anymore.

Price When Reviewed

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Best Prices Today: KYY X90G Quad Portable Monitor

Retailer Price KYY $738.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide

What is it? A connected set of three 15.6-inch HD screens that create a multi-monitor setup for your MacBook.

Who is it for? People on the look out for easily packed-up but greatly expanded screen space, and for whom a single MacBook display means constantly shuffling windows. This is a good solution for hot-desking, moving between rooms, and temporary workspaces.

Who shouldn’t buy it? Travelers looking for a backpack-able portable monitor, cafe-based workers, or one-desk workers happy to keep their displays always set up.

A MacBook encompassing computer, keyboard and trackpad (as well as webcam, microphone and speakers) is a formidable tool but many of us use it more like a desktop most of the time: connected to one or more static external displays, and maybe a docking station to add ports and more.

The KYY X90G Quad Portable Monitor sidesteps the standard desktop monitor model to instead create a super-laptop with three extra screens—one on either side and one above your open MacBook.

How many extra screens does the KYY X90G add?

KYY is counting the MacBook’s built-in screen in its quad lineup. The three it adds are larger than most we’ve seen of this type, with 15.6-inch screens larger than most MacBook screens, with the exception of the mighty 16-inch MacBook Pro.

The maximum resolution of each is 1920 x 1080 pixels (aka 1080p or Full HD) so some way off even the MacBook Neo’s 2408 x 1506 pixels, but still offering decent supplementary working spaces.

Simon Jary

The screens fold up into a tidy but not insubstantial package measuring 15.4 x 8.9 x 1.3 inches (390 x 226 x 34mm) and weighing a hefty 6.4lbs (2.9kg).

In comparison, the two QHD-screen Mobile Pixels Trio 3 Pro measures 13.4 x 8.8 x 0.9 inches (34 x 22.4 x 2.3cm) folded up and weighs a more portable 4.13lbs (1.9kg). That makes it more carriable, but its 14-inch screens are smaller and fewer than what you get with the X90G.

Simon Jary

Due to its collapsible form the X90G is a portable display, but it’s not an easy carry in your backpack. It’s fine for carrying between rooms or transporting by any means not on foot, which will suit you if you want to pack up your working space at the end of a working day or taking it on a long one-destination trip away from the office.

Hot-deskers with lockable cupboard space will find the X90G a handy display solution. If you prefer something more traditional, look to the larger but lower-footprint UPerfect Delta Max or Delta Mega that stack two screens on top of each other and fold away when you want a clear desk. For more options, read our reviews of the best portable displays for Mac.

It’s also something of a dragon when folded out to its full wingspan, measuring nearly 4 feet (1.2m) from one side to the other and a foot and a half (0.46m) vertically. You’ll likely get given a takeaway cup if you casually unfurl the KYY X90G in your local coffee shop.

Simon Jary

Are the KYY X90G’s 1080p screens good enough?

Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
Brightness: 350 nits
Contrast ratio: 1200:1
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Color gamut (NTSC): 85%

The brightness and contrast ratio of the X90G are impressive, but creatives will look askance at the 85% gamut for their color-critical work. It might not be for designers but as a productivity accessory it adds a lot of screen space—although at the expense of your desk space—that might be perfect for programmers, analysts, traders and remote workers, and people for whom a single 14- or 16-inch MacBook display means constantly shuffling windows.

At 15.6 inches, 1080p is fine for text and spreadsheets but not razor-sharp. 350 nits is respectable for a portable screen and fine indoors.

Does the KYY X90G put any weight on your MacBook?

Many portable multi-screen add-ons—usually just adding a screen either side of the MacBook’s own—clip or clamp onto the laptop’s display, which puts load on the hinge. The Mobile Pixels Trio 3 Pro, for example, works best with four heavy-duty magnets you need to place on your MacBook’s lid. The X90G avoids this with an integrated solid but flexible all-aluminum frame that supports the screens independently, so your MacBook lid carries none of the weight. Behind your MacBook the X90G’s backplate hosts a sturdy 90-degree stand.

The top screen auto-rotates when folded back, which allows you to position the X90G in some interesting formations. The build quality is impressive, and the hinges look robust.

X90G’s Portrait mode features automatic orientation.

Simon Jary

The X90G supports Extended, Mirrored, Portrait, Presentation and Sharing modes. Mirroring and presentation are useful for face-to-face meetings, and portrait suits reading and coding. Extended mode is the main draw for most people, such as placing chat and notes on the left, reference docs on the right, and the browser or IDE on top.

Angle one screen so the person sitting opposite can see your presentation.

Simon Jary

I found the top screen the most useful of the three. It’s closer to your eyeline than the side screens that instead work better for keeping less-used browser tabs and folders.

How easy is the KYY X90G to set up on a Mac?

The X90G uses one full-function USB-C port for video, plus a second power-only USB-C power port. A USB-A to USB-C adapter is included, which Mac users won’t need, and you might want to snip it off as this legacy connector just gets in the way.

As the displays take up to 30W of power itself we found we had to power both the X90G and our 14-inch MacBook Pro for the smoothest operation.

Three extra screens are beyond the functionality of most Macs, so you need to install third-party software, SiliconMotion’s InstantView. Installation is fairly painless and the manual gives you a step-by-step guide. The software comes on an included USB-C/USB-A memory stick.

The X90G folds up into a tidy—if weighty—package.

Simon Jary

Unfolding the X90G’s screens is simple, but I did have to look hard at the installation one-pager to work out some of the folding techniques for portrait, sharing and presentation modes.

You’ll then need to enter your Mac’s System Settings>Displays to arrange the three screens and set resolutions—each screen can have its own independent resolution and orientation.

And each screen has its own On-Screen Display menu, allowing you to set Brightness, Backlight, Contrast, Sharpness, Color Temperature/Saturation, Language, and so on.

Is the KYY X90G worth $738.99?

The KYY X90G Quad Portable Monitor comes at a high price: $738.99 is an investment as hefty as the display itself, although at the time of writing it was selling on Amazon for around $400, so I’d look there first as that seems reasonable considering you’re getting a well-built collapsible three-screen setup.

U.K. customers can’t buy direct, which isn’t such a shame given the high direct price, and should check Amazon, too.

Should you buy the KYY X90G Quad Portable Monitor?

Look elsewhere if you need professional color accuracy, high refresh rates, or retina sharpness, or if you work from one desk all the time—one or two large external displays will do better there (see best monitors for Mac), and a single portable monitor is simpler to carry and set up (see best portable monitors for Mac).

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