We are all living in an unprecedented predicament, where working from home is now a new normal. This has also allowed people to get creative, and explore other interests, while also pursuing their day jobs. Traveling these days is heavily restricted and even when you can, you are mostly restricted to your laptop, which, may or may not, always be everything you need. What if you had some way to enhance your multi-tasking experience?
In this review, we are going to review one of the most under-rated, yet insanely helpful devices, the TRIO and TRIO MAX. Let’s get started –
The TRIO and TRIO MAX is a group of portable laptop displays. Yes, you heard correctly, a set of portable displays for your laptops. The main objective of these devices is to help you enhance your multi-tasking, whether it is at your home, office, or even on the move. When we heard about these devices for the first time, we actually felt that they were nothing more than a gimmick, but when we saw the rather eye-raising pricing of $251 after discount, we were compelled to take them a little more seriously.
So, on receiving our TRIO and TRIO MAX order, the first thing we did was unboxing.
What’s in the box?
When you unbox the TRIO and TRIO MAX device, you will find a very modest packaging that consists of the following –
- The Trio monitor
- A 2-in-1 USB Type-C to Type-A cable
- 4 magnets
- Trio clip
- User guide
It is really good to see that the brand has included all the connectivity options so that it is more or less a plug-and-play affair. The packaging, though modest, is very neatly arranged, and the quality of the components themselves feels very nice and robust.
In terms of the in-box components, we really have no complaints, and the inclusion of the clips and magnets makes it ready to use from the get-go.
Setup and thoughts
Ok, once the unboxing is done, we have to set it up. The procedure is fairly simple.
First, attach the four magnets, to the four corners of the lid of the laptop. Next, slot in the TRIO display into the metal plate. Attach the metal plate to the magnets (They should hook up with a satisfying snap). Next, slide out the TRIO display from either side of the metal plate and then establish the connection with your laptop, using the Type-C to Type-A cable that has been provided.
You will see that the display will connect without a problem and will be ready for use.
The build quality of the TRIO and TRIO MAX displays is actually better than we thought. Yes, the plastic frame may put you off, especially when you consider the price point, but it still manages to hold its form with impressive poise, and sliding it in and out of the metal plate is as easy as it sounds. Initially, you may have put just a little bit of extra pressure, but very soon, the operation is super smooth. The magnets that are provided also do a great job of clasping the plate firmly. We did not experience any absurd shaking or flimsy behavior of the setup as a whole.
We did need to install a driver for this accessory to actually function to the maximum, but that was an absolute breeze. Nowadays, the OS is capable of detecting and installing the driver for accessories that you plugin.
Overall, when it comes to the ease of setup and build quality and design considerations, we can confidently say that the TRIO and TRIO MAX have exceeded our expectations. Yes, we did have our initial qualms about the plastic build of the device itself, but that was very quickly put to rest and the rest of the process and experience was a pleasing one.
More about the TRIO and TRIO MAX
Let’s talk a bit more in-depth about the TRIO and TRIO MAX devices. As we mentioned earlier in the review, the TRIO and TRIO MAX are basically portable displays that you can attach to your laptop and use as secondary displays. You can connect one or even two displays at the same time, as long as you have as many USB ports on your laptop. Even if you don’t, you can very easily get yourself a USB hub and increase the number of USB slots you have for your laptop.
Coming to the technical side of things, both, the TRIO and TRIO MAX work at Full HD resolution at 60Hz, which is great considering they are secondary attached displays. The TRIO measures 12.5 inches, while the TRIO MAX caters to the ones who prefer a bigger display at 14 inches. Both the devices have a brightness level of 300 nits and a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Coming to the color options, you have none, as the TRIO display comes in a Gunmetal Gray color while the TRIO MAX display comes in a metallic black color finish.
What we appreciate is that the TRIO devices feature an on-screen personalization menu, that allows you to tweak the smaller settings such as the color grade, brightness, and much more. This is great for creators and designers as the TRIO devices as optimized to work best with all the major content creation and design software in the market, including the Adobe suite, Da Vinci, Final Cut Pro among others.
What brings the case home for the TRIO and TRIO MAX is the fact that they work with both, Windows and macOS. But, what’s truly amazing is that you can hook up the TRIO display to an Android smartphone and even a Nintendo Switch. This allows you to enjoy some mobile gaming on a bigger screen, and trust us, it gets a whole lot more immersive than on the smaller screen of portable consoles and smartphones.
All in all, while we enjoyed the super-easy setup of the TRIO devices, we enjoyed using the devices even more. The performance of the TRIO and TRIO MAX displays absolutely impressed us and we would highly recommend these devices to anyone who is in the market for portable devices for their laptops.
Picking the right TRIO device
When you are ready to buy yourself a TRIO display, you need to ensure that you pick the right one. The brand has made it a whole lot easier to make the decision, but if you want a reference right here, then this is the size to product reference guide –
- For laptops that measure 13 inches to 14 inches – TRIO (12.5 inches)
- For laptops that measure 15 inches to 16 inches – TRIO MAX (14 inches)
- For laptops that measure up to 17.3 inches – TRIO MAX (14 inches)
When it comes to pricing, the TRIO and TRIO MAX are currently available for online orders at a great discount. The TRIO, which normally costs $419.99, is available for $251.99 and the TRIO MAX, which usually costs $429.99, is available for $257.99.
In conclusion, if you are someone who loves to multi-task and is out and about a lot, then the TRIO and TRIO MAX displays are the absolute solutions for you. The build is great, the setup is a breeze, and the performance is certainly a bang for the buck. In a market that is buzzing with such accessories, the TRIO and TRIO MAX truly stand out as deserving candidates.
