The Arovia Splay Portable Foldable Monitor and Projector is a truly remarkable piece of kit. Not only does it promise a 25-inch, 1080p screen that can fold down to the size of a book, it actually delivers… with a surprisingly bright, clear image that doesn’t need a darkened room.
As the name indicates, it can also be used as a small portable projector.
I watched hours of TV shows on the Splay, and used it for work, too. I’m truly impressed with the performance. I’m less pleased about the price, though.
Arovia Splay Portable Foldable Monitor and Projector review
Large LCD screens don’t travel well. I frequently carry a 17-inch one, and it’s just barely fits in a backpack. There’s no way I could get a 25-inch screen in a carry-on bag.
Well, that’s what I would have said until I started using the Arovia Splay. It’s a full 25 inches, but folds down to be the size of a book. Admittedly, it’s a fairly big book, but it easily fits in a roller bag or even a backpack. Alternatively, the accessory won’t take up much room in an RV, tiny apartment, etc.
When I get to my destination, I can pop the screen open and I’m ready to show a presentation to a group of people, or lean back and watch a movie. I can even work from a hotel room on a screen almost as large as the one I use in the office.
Enjoy a 25-inch 1080P display that can fold up and fit in your backpack or camera bag. Image/video quality is top notch, and the projector doesn’t need a darkened room.
- 25-inch screen folds to fit in a carry-on bag
- Bright enough for regular room lighting
- Pricey
Table of contents: Arovia Splay review
- Image/video quality is amazingly good
- Arovia Splay vs LCD
- Arovia Splay includes revolutionary screen material
- It’s amazingly foldable
- Powerful portable projector
- Connectivity, charging, battery life, etc.
- Arovia Splay review: Final thoughts
- Pricing
Image/video quality is amazingly good
The Arovia Splay isn’t limited to darkened rooms like typical projectors. It’s bright enough to be used in ordinary lighting. More than that, it looks good in ordinary lighting, providing vivid colors. I tested it in a variety of rooms, and even my screened-in porch, and it came through time and again. Arovia says the projector goes up to 760 Nits. It has limits, of course. I tested it in a very brightly lit room with multiple skylights and windows and the screen looked washed out.
Even better, the image is more than just bright. It’s 1080P (1920 by 1080 pixels), so it doesn’t look grainy. That said, it needs to be carefully focused to look clear, but once that’s done, I can work with text on the display.
This isn’t a discount product — it’s a premium one. I’m not going to cut it any slack. It has to look better than OK. And it does.
If you’re feeling skeptical, it might help to learn that Arovia actually launched the Splay a year ago but only recently began consumer sales because the U.S. military bought up the full output. It’s being used for briefing soldiers in the field.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Arovia Splay vs LCD
As impressed as I am with this foldable portable monitor, I’m also realistic. Image quality does not fully match a top-quality LCD. The picture is not quite as bright. And while the device does an amazing job holding the screen flat, it’s not perfect, which means the image can’t be as perfectly focused as an LCD.
But we can’t overlook portability. It’s not fair to compare the Arovia Splay to an LCD that’s too big to travel easily. That beautiful LCD in your office won’t impress potential customers at the trade show 500 miles away. Realistically, the competition is between a 25-inch Splay and a 17-inch LCD, as both are equally portable. And if I need to show a sales presentation or video to a group of people somewhere outside of my office, I’d choose the Splay every time. At 25 inches, it has more than double the screen area, making it far easier for a group to see.
The same goes for watching video for relaxation. To lean back and enjoy a movie on a couch, additional screen area makes the Splay a better option than a smaller portable LCD.
On the other hand, I prefer the LCD when working from my laptop with the screen sitting next to me. From close up, the slight imperfections of the projection screen are more obvious.
Arovia Splay includes revolutionary screen material
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The hardware needed to produce such a gorgeous projected picture requires three major components. One is the projector, then there’s the actual screen, and the third part is the hardware that holds the screen in place in front of the projector. All three components are amazing, but let’s start with the screen.
Going into this Arovia Splay review, I had real doubts about that screen. I was concerned it would wrinkle easily and be a hassle to use. Nothing of the sort happened.
That’s because Arovia developed a patented nanomaterial for military applications and built it into a product that’s now available for consumers. I spoke with Alexander Wesley, one of the co-founder of Alivia, about this material. He said:
“We believe the future of technology must be durable, recyclable, and adaptable to human needs — not the other way around. Our breakthrough nanomaterial is central to this vision. It’s what allows the Splay screen to be fully flexible, incredibly durable, and completely collapsible — a combination that’s never been possible before. In an industry where $2 trillion of non-durable, non-recyclable tech is discarded each year, this technology changes the game. It’s not just about making a better display; it’s about setting a new standard for how technology should behave: smarter, more sustainable, and built around real-world mobility.”
What that means in the real world is that the Splay’s screen can be crumpled up into a case for months, then emerge unwrinkled. Really, completely, totally unwrinkled.
It’s an ideal material to put into a foldable portable monitor.
It’s amazingly foldable
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Take the Arovia Splay out of its carrying case and it looks a bit like a pterodactyl that got run over by a truck. But pull firmly on the handle built into the projector and it shapes itself into a large display that’s ready to be used in your presentation.
The carrying case is 8.75 inches square and 3.2 inches thick — small enough to go into a backpack along with your notebook. But it opens to show a 25-inch screen.
When open, the Splay looks like a CRT monitor from years ago covered in black cloth. The projector sits at the back, where its control buttons and ports are easily accessible.
Be sure you take into account how deep this product is when it’s open: front to back measures about 18 inches. This is a lot to get used to if you’re accustomed to almost flat LCDs.
The foldable portable monitor can be mounted onto a tripod, and it comes with a small one. It’s 2.9 pounds, so the weight shouldn’t be a strain for any good tripod.
Peering inside the Arovia Splay turns up one of the secrets of its success: the four struts that unfold to hold the nanomaterial screen in front of the projector. They look like mechanical spider legs, but do their job very well by holding the screen up and aligned correctly, and then folding down to fit in the carrying case.
Setting up the device is quick. Going from the display inside its carrying case to watching video takes just a minute and a half.
Powerful portable projector
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
At the heart of this foldable portable monitor is a small but powerful projector. It’s so bright that the Splay can be used in a room without dimming the lights.
On the top are a basic set of controls for screen brightness, speaker volume, and an on/off button. There’s also a slider to let you focus the image being projected.
The final button reverses the image — needed because the Arovia Splay has one more trick up its sleeve. You can remove the screen and use the projector on its own. It’s an easy way to get a larger image — 10 feet across if you want — and it still looks great.
There are a couple of caveats. Using the projector this way requires a darkened room — it’s bright but not that bright. Also, the process includes detaching and reconnecting each of those mechanical spider legs I mentioned earlier. It’s quite doable, but it’s not a quick and easy job.
The speaker built into the Splay probably isn’t loud enough to be used at a trade show, or even a large meeting room. Consider adding an external Bluetooth speaker to your kit. I used the Victrola Music Edition 1 in my testing.
Connectivity, charging, battery life, etc.
Video comes into the Arovia Splay through the HDMI port on the back of the projector. That’s the only option, but the foldable portable monitor comes with an HDMI adapter you can plug into the USB-C port on your Mac, iPad or iPhone. The necessary HDMI cable also comes in the box.
Charging the Splay’s internal battery takes place through a USB-C port next to the HDMI one. I love that Arovia went with USB-C rather than a DC plug because it can use the same charger and cable as my MacBook. A travel charger with integrated cable is included.
I’ve talked up how bright the projector is, but the downside of that brightness is a heavy toll on the battery. During my testing, I got a bit over an hour of use with the backlight at maximum brightness. At minimum brightness, it’s good for over 3 hours.
Recharging for an hour gets the battery level back up to about 50%. A full charge takes 2.5 hours. The storage case includes a flap so you can charge the projector without removing it.
There’s a good chance you’ll need external power at some point. I often kept the Splay connected to a power bank — I used the mophie Powerstation Pro for many hours of use. But any external battery that puts out at least 15W can do the job.
Arovia Splay review: Final thoughts
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Everyone I showed this foldable portable monitor to was blown away both by the quality of the picture and how large the screen is compared to the storage case. There’s a good chance your clients or potential customers will be, too.
★★★★★
The extreme amounts of innovation built into this product push up the star rating. It’s not perfect, and it costs quite a bit, but there’s nothing truly like it out there.
Pricing
The Arovia Splay costs $1,299.
Buy it from: B&H
Enjoy a 25-inch 1080P display that can fold up and fit in your backpack or camera bag. Image/video quality is top notch, and the projector doesn’t need a darkened room.
- 25-inch screen folds to fit in a carry-on bag
- Bright enough for regular room lighting
- Pricey
Arovia provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.
