GeChic On-Lap 2501M 15.6" Battery-Powered Monitor, Tested

Results: Viewing Angle And Uniformity

The On-Lap 2501M is a TN panel, so its off-axis performance isn’t quite at the level of the IPS panels we’ve had in the lab recently. To better show the degradation of image quality, we’re now photographing grayscale step patterns. This way, it’s easier to see how all brightness levels are affected as you move off-center.

The On-Lap is pretty much a one-person display. If you want to share the image with another person, they need to sit close. Three people would probably not enjoy the picture as much. The side and bottom angles are especially dim at 45 degrees. The top angle doesn’t lose as much brightness, but you can barely see the steps in the pattern. The advantage to this is you can maintain privacy when working in a public space, such as an airport.

While some monitors are better than others, no LCD panel has perfect screen uniformity, and even samples of the same model can have quite a bit of variation. So, since there’s no solid standard for applying a rating to different monitors, we’ll simply present the results of our measurements.

To measure screen uniformity, zero percent and 100 percent full-field patterns are used, and nine points are sampled. We’re now expressing the values as percentages relative to the center of the screen.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
GeChic On-Lap 2501M
Black Field Uniformity (percentage of center)
101.90%88.58%94.16%
100.86%100.00%91.89%
94.11%83.21%88.81%
White Field Uniformity (percentage of center)
102.17%94.75%100.06%
96.42%100.00%90.48%
94.83%91.25%89.53%

The On-Lap does fairly well in this test. We are especially impressed by its black field uniformity. While it’s not quite as impressive as the Samsung S27B970D, it is better than most of the other monitors we’ve tested. While the smaller size does help, again, some excellent engineering is obviously at work here.

Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

  • mayankleoboy1
    So even though the hardware itself is excellent, the final product is too niche-y to sell ?
    Reply
  • slomo4sho
    A portable monitor at the conveniently low price of an entry level tablet or chromebook... I see real utility here.
    Reply
  • Fulgurant
    I might be interested in something like this at some point. Nice review.
    Reply
  • Senor Kalyan
    http://us.aoc.com/monitor_displays/e2251fwu
    Reply
  • warezme
    It is an industry artificial block in my opinion. All they would have to do is include a little extra circuitry to the existing pads for an HDMI input and viola, you could use your pad as a monitor to another device. Most pads have at least that resolution on some even better. I would never buy this item unless it was under $150 or less. It is a one trick pony with a low resolution screen.
    Reply
  • groundhogdaze
    I'd love to have one of these portable monitors. I've go a bunch of headless PC's that I need to check every once in a while and don't want to lug a regular monitor around nor hunt for a power socket for the test monitor. If only the price were a little lower...
    Reply
  • Fulgurant
    warezmeIt is an industry artificial block in my opinion. All they would have to do is include a little extra circuitry to the existing pads for an HDMI input and viola, you could use your pad as a monitor to another device. Most pads have at least that resolution on some even better. I would never buy this item unless it was under $150 or less. It is a one trick pony with a low resolution screen.I don't disagree that tablets could easily include an input, but to be fair, this product is far bigger than a tablet. It may only have a niche use, but it is clearly better suited for that niche use than a tablet screen would be.
    Reply
  • Fulgurant
    FulgurantI don't disagree that tablets could easily include an input, but to be fair, this product is far bigger than a tablet. It may only have a niche use, but it is clearly better suited for that niche use than a tablet screen would be.Come to think of it, laptops should include inputs too -- but to my knowledge, they never have.
    Reply
  • g00fysmiley
    interesting concept but would be nice if bluetooth connectivity wee there unless i am missing somethign it s hdmi only. touchscereen i know is pricier but again would add to utility. interesting product just as it is looks very limited
    Reply
  • RedJaron
    Senor Kalyanhttp://us.aoc.com/monitor_displays/e2251fwuNice product, except it doesn't have its own power supply and can only take a USB signal over a DisplayLink driver. Makes for a nice quasi-mobile secondary monitor for computers, but it won't connect to most types of mobile devices like the GeChic will.
    Reply