Choosing a portable monitor can be very intimidating if you have never purchased one before. There are many styles, models, sizes, and different options to consider when looking for a portable monitor. This article will give you tips and tricks in easily identify the perfect portable monitor for your specific needs.

However, there are certain features that you should absolutely look for when finding the right portable monitor for you.

• Size is a major consideration for portable monitors. Many are bigger than standard laptop screens, but it’s important to remember what you’ll be using the second screen for. Is it meant to be a second screen for the kids in the car? Smaller and more portable may work better for you. Are you editing photos or videos away from your desk? Then a big (and higher quality) screen may be what you’re looking for.

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• Weight is also a consideration if you’re going to be carrying your second screen around with you. A pound or two (or a few hundred grams) may not seem like much until you have to take it on an 8-hour hike to your mountaintop photo shoot.

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• Screen quality is also going to matter. If all you’re looking to do is watch Netflix or do impromptu one-on-one meetings, then you might not need 4K resolution. If you’re going to be sifting through hundreds of lines of code or editing media, then you’re probably going to want a high-resolution IPS portable monitor.

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• Orientation control is also very valuable in a portable monitor, especially for photo editing and coding. By turning the monitor from landscape to portrait, you make it easier to see the whole photo you’re working on. Or use it to quickly scan long blocks of code at a glance. There’s even a good chance that your desktop monitor doesn’t have this feature (unless it has good ergonomic design), which could make a portable monitor part of your regular workstation as well.

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• Connectivity is probably the most important feature. After all, what good is a monitor you can’t plug into your devices? And while it may be helpful to have HDMI or DisplayPort compatibility, the new standard is a USB-C connection. Able to transfer both power and huge amounts of data, a USB-C cable is a must for your portable monitor.

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• Touchscreen input is also nice to have (and a common feature in many portable monitors), especially if you plan to use it to supplement creative work or collaborate in small teams. Combined with a digital whoteboarding software,it can become a multi-purpose tool for creating, modifying, and presenting content yourself or as part of a team.

In the end, you need to decide what works best for you, but this is a good starting point if you don’t know where else to consider the details.