Radiant Monitor 2 is a sunlight-visible portable monitor with a transflective LCD display

The Radiant Monitor 2 is a portable monitor with a 15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel, 60 Hz LED backlit touchscreen display. But what sets it apart from most portable monitors is that it has a transflective LCD display.

That means that you can use the backlight to illuminate the screen the way you would with a transmissive LCD. But the screen is also visible using nothing but ambient light, like a reflective LCD. In other words, this is a portable monitor that can be used indoors or outdoors and in bright or dark settings. But unlike E Ink displays, which are also visible using ambient light, it supports 16.7 million colors and smooth 60 Hz screen refresh rates.

If all that sounds too good to be true, it’s worth keeping in mind that there are a few reasons why transflective displays aren’t more common in devices like this. While they’re commonly used for things like digital watches, you don’t find laptops, tablets, or portable monitors with transflective displays very often.

One reason is that colors tend to look muted or washed-out. Another is that viewing angles are sometimes more limited than they would be with other types of displays. And another is that it costs more to make a transflective LCD displays than transmissive ones, partly because they use specialized technology that complicates the manufacturing processor and partly because, well… they’re less common. They’d probably be cheaper to make if there were enough demand to mass produce more of them.

So… it’s unsurprising that the Radiant Monitor 2 ain’t cheap. It’s currently selling for $789, making it more expensive than most similarly-sized E Ink monitors and more than 5 times more expensive than models with transmissive LCD screens.

That’s not to say that there’s no audience for this sort of device. Folks who are willing to trade some color vibrancy for outdoor visibility and improved eye comfort might be willing to pay a premium price for a low-glare display that can be used with or without a backlight, especially one that doesn’t include screen tearing or motion blur at 60 Hz the way E Ink displays do.

But $789 is still pretty steep though.

The Radiant Monitor 2 also looks best when viewed head-on. While many modern LCD and AMOLED screens have 178 degree or higher viewing angles, Radiant Monitor 2 maker Eazyeye only promises 65 degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles.

Other specs include a 1000:1 contrast ratio, 5ms response time, micro HDMI and two USB Type-C inputs, and 3 watt typical power consumption with the backlight off or 8 watt with the backlight turned all the way up.

The display has a gray aluminum frame and comes with a folio case. It’s also compatible with an optional portable lift stand, which is sold separately for $99.

The Radiant Monitor 2 measures 290 x 260 x 53mm (11.4″ x 10.2″ x 2.1″) and weighs 1.77kg (3.9 pounds).

Oh, and if you’re wondering about that number two in the name, this is indeed the second model from Eazyeye. The company says compared with the original Radiant Monitor (which is no longer available for purchase), the Radiant Monitor 2 has “higher contrast, brighter whites, deeper blacks, and better visibility in bright environments.”

Thanks Diego!