I would like to thank Mobile Pixels for supplying the review sample.


Mobile Pixels focuses on providing additional portable screens to your notebook setup. Unlike most portable monitors, the DUEX and TRIO series attach to the back of your notebook screen housing and may then be used in various configurations while retaining the portability of the laptop. The DUEX Max we are looking at in this article is their latest, biggest screen at 14.1". It recently had a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $830,000, and may be pre-ordered right as this is written.

Packaging and Contents

The Mobile Pixels DUEX Max ships in a full color cardboard box, which should stand out nicely in a retail store, but you may order it directly from the company as well. The front of the flat box clearly focuses on selling the product, while the rear dives into a bit more detail about functionality and specifications.


Inside, in the first layer, you will find the display packed into a protective bag. Below that is a molded plastic tray for all the smaller accessories.


The cable Mobile Pixels provides with the DUEX Max is about 3 feet long and sports an angled USB-C connector on the end that attaches to the display, while the other for the host system has a combo USB-C and USB-A plug. This makes the DUEX Max a pure USB-powered screen as no HDMI interface is present. You also get some sheets of thicker paper that help install the screen, a little pouch with additional documentation, wipe to clean the notebook before installation, and 12 additional sticky pads.

A Closer Look

Out of the package, the DUEX Max is lightweight for a display of this type. That light 1.7 lb is mostly achieved by utilizing plastic instead of a heavier material like metal. This is quite necessary as your notebook's hinges will need to support that extra weight; as such, lighter is better. From a design perspective, Mobile Pixels has stuck to a similar look and feel as the DUEX Plus with gently elevated edges on both sides of the screen, which should make it easier to grab and slide out.


There are four elongated metal pads on the interior side of the screen housing. These each hold a strong magnet. You are meant to centrally install the screen on your device and pull it out along the metal pads towards the side, so that the hinge is at the edge of your notebook screen.


The Mobile Pixels DUEX Max sports two USB-C type connectors, one of which is Thunderbolt. No matter which one you use, the other can be used for passthrough power to your phone, for example. Three buttons on the back give you quick access to the central OSD and direct brightness control.


Sliding the DUEX Max out fully, you can see that the back panel is essentially solid but does have some extra branding for those curious onlookers at your local coffee shop who may wonder what you got there. On the opposite side, with the screen exposed, there's is not much else to see. Unlike some other brands of portable devices, Mobile Pixels did not add branding to the frame of the screen.


Set up is pretty easy, but I was a bit nervous about attaching four magnets to my expensive MacBook Pro. Mobile Pixels has done a good job simplifying the process with the template, but there aren't any real tools and instructions on how to safely remove the magnets. I used one of the the pieces of cardboard paper to seesaw back and forth underneath the magnet, which did the trick. Mobile Pixels could just add a credit-card sized plastic card to the accessories and label it as a removal device.


Once the magnets are in place, you can simply put the DUEX Max in place. It holds reasonably well, but not as well as the DUEX Plus, a smaller 1.3 lbs unit. The DUEX Plus still doesn't weigh much, but the metal pads on the unit have no raised edges, so the screen can slide a few millimeters. This is unfortunate as the DUEX Plus does have those raised edges.