The portability of a laptop is something that everyone has a use for. I mean, how else will you finish some work while glancing at social media every 5 minutes? Your phone isn’t gonna cut it. But there are times, where you’re at a desk, getting down for business, to get things done. And you think to yourself, I really miss having multiple monitors at home to spread out my work, and I’m tired of TAB-ALT or CMD-TAB. Well there’s a couple of options to fix that, but turning your iPad into a second display, is one of the more interesting ones. Let’s go into a bit more detail.

To start off, there are many other solutions to the single screen laptop problem. Thin portable usb c displays, carrying a monitor everywhere with you, the razer triple screen laptop that linus tech tips stole, and then using your ipad as a display. This concept isn’t new, but it sure is useful, and more specifically, Duet Display is easy to use. Now, this is an app for ios that allows any ios device to be used as a usb monitor. I’ve personally bought and used this same app for the last two years and honestly, it works really well.

You just download the app on your iphone or ipad, then on your pc or mac. What I like about this solution is that it’s a relatively cheap option. Many people have an ipad they often use or an old one laying around, and for just $15 dollars, you can easily create a second portable display. Set up is super easy, download it for your ipad, and your computer. Then open it on both, plug your ipad into your computer and BOOM. Dual monitors. There’s a couple of options on the app allowing you to change between resolution and frame rate, so that you don’t make your battery smoke and die. Trust me, it kills battery. And if you own a mac, you can make a touch bar on non-touchbar models, if that’s your thing.

Overall this is a good option for those who own an ipad that supports ios7 or above and provides you the ability to create a more spacious work environment. The only thing that really limits you is the size of your device. You can use duet on your iphone or an ipad mini but the small screen real estate probably won’t make your life easier, just a lot more tedious since you’ll might be squinting a bit to see everything. This thing really shines with the bigger ipads but the average 9.7in is a good choice.

Now there are a few negatives to this app. It does require a wired connection via lightning cable between the ipad and the computer. There are other solutions like Luna display that allows a wireless connection via dongle, but that does cost quite a bit more. Like. 4-5x more. Also, the performance level of your main machine may affect the level of performance of duet display. This is just based on my two machines, a macbook and a built PC. The cost of implementing this setup requires an ipad, and if you don’t already own one, it’s expensive for just a display. Make sure you want an ipad as a tablet as well, or else, you’re better off just buying a portable display. It’s cheaper and provides the same functionality. And finally, the app does take a toll on laptop battery life and I highly recommend plugging your laptop in while using it. After all, you’re probably at a desk anyway to even be doing dual displays.

Overall, I think this is a good solution for those who already own an existing ipad. It provides additional functionality that the device didn’t originally have and makes the ipad even more versatile. However, if you don’t own an ipad, a portable display is just plain cheaper.

Anyway guys, what do you think? Is this app worth it? Does this make your old ipad, or current ipad more useful? Leave that down in the comment section below, if you enjoyed this video, give it a thumbs up, and well don’t forget to subscribe. Ill see you guys next time.