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Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro: 30-second review
Carrying an extra monitor along on a business presentation can be awkward, and it only gives one additional screen.
The Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro is a compact folding display solution that adds three screens to a standard 14-inch laptop and connects entirely through a single USB-C line.
Once the driver is installed on the host system, Windows will detect the three 1080p panels, and you can arrange them as desired. That includes extending the desktop or duplicating the contents of the primary screen – so, it’s one of the best portable monitor (or rather, laptop screen extender) options if you need three screens.
While the system can be powered independently, it can also draw sufficient power from the connected computer, needing only about 15W to operate.
However, when fully deployed, the Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro is a large structure that wouldn’t be easy to use in a public setting. Although it would be fine on a full-sized office table, assuming little else was on it.
Considering these capabilities, the price of the Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro seems reasonable, given that it might quadruple your working screen area.
If you have a use case where this is appropriate, then you might be able to enhance your productivity with this accessory.
Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro: Price and availability
- How much does it cost? $469/£352/€417.95
- When is it out? It available now
- Where can you get it? Direct from Aura
For three additional screens, the cost of the Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro is surprisingly low.
Direct from Aura in the UK, the local price is £352, and with free shipping, it is $469 in the USA. Aura currently has a promotion for some regions, and in addition to the free shipping, it is also cutting $54.99 off the price for some customers.
For the functionality and build quality, even the price before the discount seems extremely attractive.
Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro: Specs
|
Model: |
Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro |
|---|---|
|
Screen Size: |
14-inch x 3 |
|
Resolution: |
1920 x 1080 |
|
Compatibility: |
USB-C |
|
Number of Ports: |
1 |
|
Ports: |
1x USB-C, 1xUSB-C for power |
|
Quoted colour spec: |
N/A |
|
Quoted contrast: |
N/A |
|
Panel depth: |
Unknown |
|
Display Technology: |
IPS |
|
Max Brightness: |
300 nits |
|
Size: |
353 x 208 x 35 mm (13.8×8.1×1.3 inches) |
|
Weight: |
4.7 pounds (2.2 kilograms) |
|
Accessories included: |
Stand is integrated, USB-C to USB-C/USB-A cables |
|
Touch capable: |
No |
|
Maximum refresh: |
60Hz |
|
Speakers: |
No |
|
Warranty: |
2 years |
Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro: Design
- Folding fun
- Aluminium construction
- Curious inconsistencies
It’s easy to blame Transformers for many things, but the way this product works is another impressive device that folds to become implausibly compact.
What Aura designers have created is a central 14-inch frame with an adjustable stand and connected panels on three sides using robust hinges.
It all comes in an object that is the size of a single screen in two directions, but more than three times the thickness of one display.
The problem with three displays all clad in aluminium and a frame that can hold them in place is that the Triple Boost 14 Pro ended up being quite heavy. At 2.2 kg, this isn’t ideal for those aiming to travel light, as it’s invariably twice the mass of a decent ultrabook.
There are specific unfolding and folding sequences, and not following these could result in damage to the displays.
To add additional complexity, when unfurled, there are three possible configurations. The obvious one is called landscape mode and has the three monitors of the Triple Boost bracketing the laptop.
One point that needs to be made about this mode is how much desk space it requires. Depending on the exact angles of the side displays, it could be approaching a metre across, not something you would want to try on a train or even in a coffee shop.
A less space-consuming option is triangle mode, where the displays point outwards to present what the laptop is doing. The one I found the most useful was a single panel in portrait mode, with everything else folded to provide firm support for it.
What’s slightly odd about single portrait mode is that the other displays are still on, and Windows still sees them, but you’re meant to ignore those possibilities or turn them off in the display settings.
To get any image on those displays, the Triple Boost needs to be connected via USB-C, and a driver provided pre-loaded on a USB key. The monitor has two USB-C inputs, but it only supports a single computer, as the second port is merely a means to provide external power. There is no HDMI or other display input, so it won’t work with a computer that doesn’t have USB-C.
An aspect of these displays that I found extremely confusing is that each panel has different controls. The rightmost panel appears to be the master. And it alone gets the OSD menu buttons and an on/off that disables the entire ensemble. The left panel is a slave, and has its own menu buttons, but no means to enable or disable the panel. The top panel is a hybrid, which acts like the left panel but has an off button that can be used to disable it only.
I like that the brightness and contrast on each panel can be customised, but that you can only disable the top panel or all of them, which seems inexplicable.
Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro: Performance
- Decent panels
- Consistent across screens
- Power frugal
|
Colour Gamut |
Percentage |
|---|---|
|
sRGB |
98% |
|
AdobeRGB |
80% |
|
P3 |
79% |
|
NTSC |
74% |
|
Rec2020 |
57% |
|
ACES AP1 |
54% |
|
ACES AP0 |
32% |
|
DaVinci |
32% |
|
Brightness/Contrast |
Row 8 – Cell 1 |
|
Maximum Brightness |
277.7 |
|
Maximum Contrast |
1350:1 |
What’s slightly unexpected about these panels is that despite Aura not making any claims about their gamut, contrast and brightness, they’re surprisingly good and impressively consistent.
The sRGB, Adobe RGB, and P3 percentages are all decent, and the brightness was close to the advertised level. These screens aren’t extremely bright, but they exhibit a good level of contrast, and the consistency between each panel is impressively close.
The more demanding parts of the Spyder X2 Ultra analysis show that, while not extremely budget-friendly displays, the Triple Boost 14 won’t appeal to those who require professional colour accuracy. But for general use, they’re probably better than anticipated.
What was also better than I’d presumed was the power consumption. Powered directly by a USB 100W supply (not included), the consumption of all three screens is only about 15.2 watts. Turning off the top screen reduces the amount by about 3 watts, suggesting a power management overhead of approximately 6 watts. Unfortunately, you can’t run only one panel, but using only two might help if you are powering it via the laptop.
Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro: Final verdict
It’s easy to get somewhat carried away with technology and what’s possible, and it’s easy to steam ahead without thinking if it’s the best approach.
That’s my thinking about the Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro. Although the designers succeeded in making this concept work and work well, I’m less than convinced that many people want something like this.
Unpacking this mission-control-in-a-suitcase is likely to get you banned from Starbucks (other coffeehouses are available, and most are better); even in a home environment, you need considerable desk space to use it in landscape mode.
Aura deserves some kudos for the engineering that made this product a reality, given the numerous technical hurdles that they overcame.
To put it pointedly, my issue here is practicality.
There are a few scenarios that could be suitable, such as being out on the road giving presentations or at home tracking stocks and shares, but it’s not something you can easily deploy anywhere.
Surely, a VR headset, like the Meta Quest 3, will do the same job, with higher-resolution virtual panels, and you can wear it on a train or a plane! Admittedly, that’s a more expensive option, but it’s much lighter, easier to prepare for use, and has a power source.
The Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro might be preferable if you have a massive desk and want to work all day without a headset, but the 1080p displays are limited by the amount of content they can present.
Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro: Report card
|
Value |
Not excessively priced for three screens. |
4 / 5 |
|
Design |
High-quality construction and clever folding design |
4 / 5 |
|
Performance |
Small displays and only 1080p resolution, but good colours |
4 / 5 |
|
Total |
Awkward to deploy without lots of space, and needs USB-C to connect |
4 / 5 |
Should you buy a Aura Triple Boost 14 Pro?
