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Apple Sidecar VS Portable Display!

9:06 video

After my last video on using a Dell portable display with my Mac Studio and Studio Display, someone commented about using Sidecar wired with an iPad. A quick search showed you really can, and I don’t know how I missed it. I’d had reliability issues with wireless Sidecar, which is why I started looking at a portable display at all. A small second display suits a laptop on the go, or a desk setup with one big display and a smaller one below for research, notes, web browsing and remote desktop, while the main display handles primary tasks. So how do the two compare?

Price and design

  • The 14-inch Dell C1422H is just under $330 on Amazon, with a USB-C cable and a wool sleeve.
  • iPads start at $329 for the 9th-generation model with a home button, up to $1,099 for the base 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and they go on sale often.
  • The Dell is all plastic with a matte display, thin bezels on three sides, an adjustable-angle built-in stand, two USB-C ports, a power button, a brightness rocker and a ComfortView button. An iPad needs a case or stand: Apple’s Smart Folio is expensive with limited angles, and I’m using a MoKo aluminum stand with five angles, which is an added cost and another thing to pack. The built-in stand is a valuable addition.

Sharpness and size

The Dell is 1080p at 14 inches, 157 ppi, well below the iPads’ 264 ppi minimum. Apple doubles the pixels, so a 12.9-inch iPad Pro’s working resolution is 1366 by 1024, versus 1440 by 900 on my MacBook Air. Text and icons are a little bigger on the iPad in Sidecar than at the Dell’s native resolution, and the 12.9-inch iPad nearly matches the Dell’s size. The iPad looks sharper and right-sized to me, though that may not matter to everyone.

Color

I calibrated both with a SpyderX Elite. I expected the iPads’ P3 panels to win, but due to compression in Sidecar, the colors measured worse: the Dell hits 98% of sRGB (iPads about 95%) and 75% of P3 (iPads 73%). To my eyes the iPad still looks better, maybe because it’s glossy vs. the Dell’s matte panel. Either way, don’t rely on either for color-critical photo or video work.

Response and brightness

Both are 60 Hz, but the Dell’s pixel response is very poor: scrolling leaves a visible trail, and video shows tearing and distortion. The 10.2-inch iPad has no issue near that level. The Dell reaches up to 300 nits, iPads 400 to 500 or more. Night Shift (iPad) or ComfortView (Dell) reduce blue light.

Other differences

  • The iPad is still an iPad when disconnected, can use the Apple Pencil or a Touch Bar in Sidecar (I use neither), and can work wirelessly in a pinch. Wireless Sidecar is less stable for me (disconnects, doesn’t always reconnect when waking the Mac), but wired has been extremely stable.
  • The Dell does pass-through charging up to 65 W through its second USB-C port, and has a good stand and protective sleeve.

Which to get

If you have an iPad of any kind, give it a shot. Because both frequently cost around $330 or less, I think the iPad is the better value: brighter, better-looking, better-performing (even if slightly less color accurate), usable wired or wireless, and it does iPad things when not a second display. You’ll need a case or stand, but that trade-off is worth it. Other portable monitors offer different ports, sizes, refresh rates and touchscreens, but they may not work with the Mac and cost more.

The only reasons I see for the Dell or a similar display: a permanent desk setup where you never want to disconnect it, or mobile use where you need pass-through charging to the laptop. Otherwise, I’d pick an iPad. Have you used Sidecar over USB, or are you looking at portable displays?

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