The new Acer Nitro PG1 is the first portable monitor I actually want thanks to 4K resolution and up to 144 Hz refresh

I’ve reviewed a fair few portable monitors in my day. But none have I ever desired. Until now. The new Acer Nitro PG271K looks like it might be a tiny bit brilliant thanks to a combination of 4K res, slick looks and high refresh, though there is a slight catch.

The basics involve a 27-inch IPS panel with 3,840 by 2,160 pixels. Most portable monitors are 1080p, which is pretty horrible in terms of pixel density. So, that’s win number one right there.

It also supports a 144 Hz refresh, though there’s a proviso. It’ll only do 72 Hz at native 4K. The 144 Hz applies to 1080p. That’s a little bit of a pity.

As ever with an Acer product, nailing down the details is a little tricky. Our understanding is that there’s mini-HDMI and USB-C connectivity. It’s unclear how the display is powered, however.

Is it via USB-C, perhaps? An external power supply? Maybe a battery? The latter seems unlikely given the price is set at EUR 499 or £429. Tariffs aside, we’d expect a price around $500.

That’s appealing for such a capable portable panel. It also looks pretty fantastic, with super slim bezels on three sides of the display and a kick stand.

Acer isn’t quoting sizes and weights, but those bezels will certainly minimise proportions and also help keep the mass under control. We think it comes with a carry case and generally looks like it could be fantastic for adding proper usable screen real estate to a gaming laptop.

For games where frame rates matter, you could go 1080p and 144 Hz. Where visual detail rules, switching to 4K and a lower refresh works well in the context of a laptop with limited GPU power compared to a desktop. You won’t be hitting 240 fps with a laptop GPU, in any case, is the point.

Obviously you’re still making compromises compared to a full desktop display. And in this age of OLED, the IPS monitor will have poor contrast and HDR performance, not to mention slower response.

But then a portable monitor based on one of those new 27-inch 4K OLEDs would surely be $1,000-plus. So, there’s clear value on offer here, despite the limitations.