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Even for someone like me who likes to work from home, the pandemic has made things challenging — especially in my tiny 1,000-square-foot two-bedroom apartment. You see, when my wife and I welcomed our first child last year, dedicated workspaces became scarce. So I solved the situation in the best way I know: using technology. In this case, the Asus ROG Strix XG17AHP Portable Monitor.
We actually had a good setup before my son arrived. I use our second bedroom as an office and occasional guest room. When all office buildings were closed in early 2019 due to Covid-19, we managed to find space for another desk in the bedroom. It’s not ideal because even though I’m a gadget nerd, we try to keep the bedroom free of unnecessary screens and distractions. But we each have our own dedicated workspace and dual monitors, and there’s plenty of space between our desks for us to video call without disturbing each other. It’s embarrassing, but acceptable.
The stand that comes with the Asus ROG Strix XG17AHP means you can place it above your laptop’s display, which helps prevent neck strain. Note: For the photos, I swapped out my 13″ MacBook Pro work laptop for my wife’s machine for privacy.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
But then our little joy threw a drooling wrench into these plans. Now to be clear, I’m not jealous of him at all. Parents often have to make sacrifices for their children, and we are usually happy to do so. But I think it’s fair to say office/nursery isn’t a good combination. So after my son’s cradle grew up and stopped sleeping in our room, I had to move my gear out (most of it anyway) so he could have a bedroom that really was his own.
To make this even more challenging, the main computer in my house is a desktop. I’ve always been a big fan of PCs, and I love the speed and flexibility of custom gear. (Side note: As working from home becomes more permanent, I think there are a lot of people who would benefit from switching to a desktop. Of course, assuming you have enough space). The downside of this is that I can place my PC in very limited places. Shocking I know, but the tabletop needs to have a table. Thankfully, my wife graciously offered to let me use that in the bedroom (I can’t thank you enough, honestly), while she moved her workspace to the living room dining table.
While the Asus ROG Strix XG17AHP does look puny compared to a normal monitor, it’s easier to pack and move around when you need that space for other things.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
At this point, you may be envisioning many problems. Since we were there for dinner, setting up dual monitors wasn’t really an option. This means my wife is completely dependent on her 13″ MacBook Pro, which doesn’t offer much screen real estate and affects her posture. Looking down at a laptop screen for eight (or more) hours a day is a surefire way to treat chronic neck and back pain.
That’s where Asus’ ROG Strix XG17AHP portable monitor comes in. At first glance, this may seem like overkill for general productivity, and it is. It has a 240Hz refresh rate and supports AMD FreeSync, which is great for gaming, but not so much when you’re looking at spreadsheets. There’s even a built-in 7,800 mAh battery, so you can use it for four to five hours completely untethered. At $600, the ROG Strix XG17AHP is two to three times more expensive than many competitors, especially traditional business-oriented ones.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
But honestly, I think the money is well spent. My personal philosophy is that for something you’ll be using a lot, it’s better to spend a little more than penny and end up with an unsatisfactory device. Unlike most competitors, the ROG Strix XG17AHP comes with a kickstand, and I’m not talking about a simple kickstand. It’s a full detachable tripod, which means you can place the screen on top of the laptop display, rather than on the side. No need to crane your neck. Important apps are at the top of the portable display, while less important apps like Slack are below.
The ROG Strix XG17AHP also measures 17.3 inches, making it one of the largest portable monitors you can buy. Most enterprise-focused alternatives top out at 14 or 15 inches, we would probably go bigger if we could, but there aren’t really any portable monitors that are 19 inches or larger that offer the same level of specs and Features. Sure, the display’s 300-nit brightness could be better, but its matte coating makes it easy to watch all day — even in sunny, reflective rooms.
The ROG logo even lights up if you like this kind of stuff.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
At the same time, setting up the monitor only requires a single cable, thanks to support for streaming video and power over USB-C. This makes it super easy to unpack and pack when friends or family come over. During the week we were too lazy to do it, the whole kit was slim enough that we could push it aside and still have plenty of room for food.
I also wanted to give Asus props, including a bunch of useful accessories. The monitor comes with a carrying case and a foldable screen protector that doubles as a stand, as well as a USB-C cable, a USB-C to USB-A adapter, a power brick, and even an HDMI to micro HDMI Cable – If your PC doesn’t support USB video. My only complaint is that its height-adjustable locking mechanism isn’t super secure. So if I press hard, the display still moves up and down even though it’s locked.
One of the best things about the Asus ROG Strix XG17AHP is all the accessories that come with it.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
But that one downside doesn’t really detract from all its positives. That’s because while the ROG Strix XG17AHP isn’t as good as a regular monitor, it’s more than adequate. It’s flexible and fits my life (and on my desk) in a way that normal desktop monitors can’t. It even has the potential to be a handy companion to the Switch when I travel. Although due to the pandemic, I haven’t had a chance to test this yet. When my wife and I were considering buying a bigger place, moving was not a recent thing for us as the housing market developed. So before we upgrade to a larger home, Asus’ portable gaming monitors play a big role in making cramped work from home more bearable.
