ASUS ZenScreen MB16ACE Review A 15.6in 1080P IPS Option

ASUS ZenScreen MB16ACE Monitor Performance

For our monitor testing, we use a Datacolor SpyderPro (Amazon Affiliate) to measure the monitors’ color performance. This is not the fanciest test equipment by any means, but we just wanted to get some general sense of performance.

ASUS rates the MB16ACE at 220 cd/m2 typical brightness. Official specs also list 260K colors, which means this is not positioned as a wide-gamut creator display.

Below is the measured color gamut from our Datacolor run.

We measured 64% of sRGB, 48% of AdobeRGB, and 48% of P3. That is closer to the lower-cost budget portable monitors than to the better QHD and higher-refresh panels we have tested recently.

Below is the color accuracy result from the same run.

Color accuracy was not a strength. We measured a minimum Delta-E of 2.09, a maximum of 12.92, and an average of 6.69. For spreadsheets, terminals, browser windows, and travel productivity, that can still be usable. For color-sensitive photo or video work, this is not the monitor we would pick.

Power Consumption, Brightness, and Contrast

We have found that the monitors often do not scale power and brightness to match the settings. That is important because, as a portable monitor, it may be powered by a battery, making power and brightness important trade-offs. Here is what we captured for monitor power on the Type-C power input at different brightness levels.

• 0% (15.0 nits) is 2.8W
• 25% (79.1 nits) is 3.6W
• 50% (140.7 nits) is 4.5W
• 75% (204.5 nits) is 5.4W
• 100% (263.6 nits) is 6.5W

In case you were wondering about what we saw for the brightness and contrast:

Maximum brightness measured 263.6 nits, which is above the 220 cd/m2 typical figure and slightly above ASUS’ 250 cd/m2 maximum note for USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode. That is the good news. Contrast ranged from 590:1 at minimum brightness to 1250:1 at full brightness, while the white point stayed in the 6700K to 6900K range.

Here is the measured tone response.

Gamma measured 2.2 with 0.05 variance, which is a solid result for this class, even if the color gamut and color accuracy are not standout results.

Final Words

ASUS’s ZenScreen MB16ACE is best understood as a slim, branded travel display rather than a high-performance portable panel. Its biggest advantages are the thin chassis, smart cover, a single USB Type-C cable operation, and a measured maximum brightness that exceeded ASUS’s own typical rating in our testing.

Trade-offs are clear. A single USB-C input is less flexible than the dual USB-C plus mini HDMI layout we see on many portable monitors, and measured color coverage of 64% sRGB is limited. Anyone expecting the color performance of newer QHD or high-refresh portable monitors will be disappointed.

Still, this kind of monitor can make sense if the host system has the right USB-C output and the buyer values a light, simple second display. We would view the MB16ACE as a productivity travel monitor first, not a media creation display or a gaming-oriented portable panel.

Where to Buy

If you just want to pick one of these up, here is the Amazon affiliate link to where we purchased this unit.