The primary draw of a portable monitor is how it gives you extra screen space for your laptop wherever you go. But for many of us, that’s only one way that we use our portable monitors. We integrate these displays into our desktop setups, too, at the office and when we’re working at home. For increased convenience in these scenarios, where a power outlet is ready to hand, we’re debuting power passthrough in select new ZenScreen portable monitors.
Power passthrough technology lets your portable monitor pass along electricity from a single wall socket to any USB-C compatible device. This innovation makes life easier for hybrid workers who require efficient tech at home, office employees who share their desks with others, and college students who need the flexibility to meet strict deadlines while working anywhere on campus.
How power passthrough livens up the rest of your tech
Many people have charged a smartphone by connecting it to their computer. Laptops that are equipped with the latest USB-C connectors like Thunderbolt 4 give users multi-functionality that includes the ability to recharge connected devices. These ports send video, data signals, and power through a single cable, eliminating the need for a power cord. A portable monitor with power passthrough works similarly.
A typical laptop draws anywhere from 30W to 100W or more of power when plugged into a wall socket, then uses that power to run its hardware, charge its battery, and serve devices connected to it. But portable monitors with power passthrough have the ability to send power back into the laptop. If there’s just one available power socket, it might make more sense to plug your portable monitor with power passthrough into the socket rather than your laptop. Then your monitor can use all the electricity it needs to provide maximum brightness and color performance while powering your laptop, too.
How much power your laptop needs depends on whether it’s an ultra-portable model, a professional PC made for graphics, or a beefy gaming rig. The latest ASUS ZenScreen portable displays with power-passthrough technology deliver up to 65W to devices connected through a USB-C port. That’s enough to fully charge many of today’s thin-and-light laptops. Even for laptops which require more wattage, 65W power passthrough can make a difference by helping your battery drain more slowly, depending on your use case. You can worry less about losing work assets due to a drained battery suddenly forcing a shutdown.
Even better, all your other devices can enjoy superfast charging from the 65W delivered by ASUS ZenScreen portable monitors with power passthrough. This feature makes life easier for anyone who wants to enjoy a mobile multi-monitor setup while bouncing from one workspace to the next with a collection of mission-critical tech.
Power passthrough helps users with limited USB Type-C connectivity
Many of today’s laptops feature two USB Type-C ports. Laptops with dual Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 5 ports, for instance, give you the convenience of two ports wired for display output and power delivery on top of data transfer.
However, many people today are making do with a laptop that only provides one such port. These users might get more use out of their portable monitor if it didn’t have to compete with the laptop’s charging cable for access to a USB Type-C port. In most instances, these users could still take advantage of their portable monitor by using an HDMI cable and a separate charger for second display, but this requires two additional cables. Power passthrough simplifies setup, a convenience that makes it more likely that these users will get the most out of their hardware.
Portable monitors with power passthrough help today’s workers do more with less
A major reason behind the growing popularity of portable monitors is how they give mobile creators and workers a multi-monitor setup everywhere. Multi-monitor setups boost productivity and efficiency by making multitasking easier and more effective. Unfortunately, hybrid workers often have to give up their multi-monitor setups as they move between home and office. Creators, digital nomads, and bleisure travelers also suffer regular interruptions to work while traveling.
Unpredictable work conditions lead to frustration, distractions, and lost productivity. Just finding an available power outlet can seem impossible. Maybe you’re grabbing a bite to eat in a café, sitting down in a coffee shop, or passing some hours in a hotel lobby or airport. In scenarios like these, you can hunt for a conveniently placed power supply only to find one person camped out by the wall outlet and using every available socket. If your portable monitor has power-passthrough, you have a better chance of setting up your workstation quickly.
When you find that single socket in an out-of-the-way corner — the one you have to share with another traveler — that’s all you need to power your devices and get to work. Just plug in your ASUS ZenScreen with power passthrough and connect the display to your laptop. The ZenScreen gives you an instant multi-monitor setup to maximize multitasking, along with stability and peace of mind that you can have your setup everywhere you go. One cord connects the monitor with your laptop to transmit data, video, and fuel for the PC. That means minimal unpacking and searching through bags for connectors.
Power passthrough helps hybrid workers and hotdesking businesses
Portable monitors with power passthrough are useful in office environments, too. Many of today’s businesses assign employees to work part-time in the office. With a hybrid workforce, it’s common to have employees share workspaces via hotdesking. In a hotdesking environment, a portable monitor with power passthrough is a natural choice.
An ASUS ZenScreen with power passthrough brings convenience to every desk. A company that supplies each desk with a generously-sized 16-inch ZenScreen featuring power passthrough will give employees a lot of the same functionality as a laptop docking station. One cable is all employees will need to power both their laptop and their monitor, not to mention any other peripherals connected to the laptop.
College students have the most to gain from portable monitors
College students face all the challenges of mobile workers and more. They frequently make do with small spaces serving multiple functions, like a bedroom that doubles as a study or media room. They also commute from dorms and bedrooms to campus classrooms. In the long hours between classes, students may camp out in the library or commons while catching up on their studies. A portable monitor with power passthrough has something to offer at every turn of a college student’s day.
When hanging out in their bedroom doing research or writing papers, a ZenScreen portable monitor with power passthrough makes work easier by adding a second display to their laptop. Better yet, if you connect the ASUS ZenScreen’s mini-HDMI port to your PC, you can use both its USB-C ports as superfast chargers for your smartphone, tablet, and headphones. Bulky power strips are no longer necessary. When your monitor doubles as your charging station, you reduce clutter by leaving unnecessary chargers at home. That improves life everywhere space is limited.
And the charging station comes with your ZenScreen everywhere you go. A single USB-C cable tucked into your backpack will connect your ZenScreen with power passthrough to your laptop, smartphone, tablet, camera, and headphones for charging. During a marathon study session in the library, you can rotate your devices through a single spot on the table beside your ZenScreen to top off all your batteries.
If you plugged in your laptop and don’t need the ZenScreen to power it, you’ll have all your laptop’s ports free for peripherals that make studying easier. A USB flash drive can back up important drafts of assignments, a travel router gives you safe internet access over the school’s public WiFi network, and you’ll be able to plug in your most comfortable peripherals. Once you get everything set up and fall into a deep workflow, you might not want to leave until the library closes.
With power-passthrough technology integrated into your ASUS ZenScreen portable monitor, you can enjoy the stability of a multi-monitor setup with a single power socket. And you’ll get a charging station everywhere you set up your mobile workspace. Hotdesking workplaces can also provide the functionality of a laptop docking station to every employee who comes and goes.