UPERFECT UGame K118 Monitor Review

As gaming becomes more popular, the capacity for customizing your gaming experience becomes larger and larger. There is an overwhelming amount of hardware available for purchase that allows you to make your gaming as casual or as hardcore as you want. From motherboards to graphics cards, you can make your experience exactly what you and your budget allow for. One of the most important (and seemingly overlooked) aspects of gaming is exactly what gaming monitor you’re going to be actually viewing your games on. There are tons of variables that go into which monitor will work for your gaming experience: what resolution the monitor runs at; what the monitor's refresh rate is; what size is the screen; how much power it draws; is the screen curved or flat. There are tons of things to consider when purchasing a monitor. One thing that’s a constant between every monitor, however, is this – they’re pretty universally difficult to drag around. 

That’s where the UGame K118 Portable Monitor comes in. Developed by UPERFECT, the UGame K188 is an 18 inch portable monitor sporting 2k resolution and a 144hz refresh rate. UPERFECT was kind enough to send us at SUPERJUMP a UGame K118 144hz gaming monitor to test out, and after giving it a few weeks of testing, I have some thoughts. 

Packaging and contents

The UGame K188 comes in a stylish white box with the company’s branding on it, and is accompanied by everything you need to set up the monitor from the get-go. Inside the box contains the monitor itself, a fold-able screen protector (not unlike many of the ones you see on iPads,) 2 USB-C to USB-C power cables, a wall power adapter, an HDMI-to-mini-HDMI cable, and an instruction manual. The packaging is very professional and secure, with everything clearly labelled and easy to understand. One of my favorite things about the UGame K188 is just how simple the setup is due to everything you need being provided in the package. Take it out of the box, use the USB-C power cable and wall adapter to plug it in, plug the mini HDMI cable into your gaming box of choice, and go. It does require a mini HDMI cable to work, however, so you may not have a ton of extra ones laying around, but the one it comes with works perfectly fine. It automatically turns itself on and goes to sleep, as well as automatically recognizing whatever you’ve plugged into it. It’s quick and easy with very little hassle to speak of, and from out-of-the-box to playing Half-Life 2 took less than 20 minutes. 

Display quality

The 2k 144hz screen is of frankly phenomenal quality. I have a curved Dell 32-inch monitor as my main screen for gaming, and if it weren’t for the fact that my Dell is slightly larger, I honestly think I would switch my main monitor to the UGame K118. The colors are crisp and vibrant, and despite the screen only being able to handle 2k over 4k, games look phenomenal due to the 144hz refresh rate. I tested out the UGame K118 as a second screen for my gaming PC, the main screen of my gaming laptop, as my PS5 gaming monitor, and as the monitor for my Nintendo Switch. It handled each of these devices quickly and easily, and looked great. I even played some competitive games of Fortnite with some friends on the UGame K118 on my PS5, and had no issues discerning any aspects of the match, detecting enemies at far distances with ease. It functions exceptionally well as a gaming monitor, and it would be perfectly suitable as your main monitor if available space is at a minimum. The monitor itself also comes with built-in speakers and two USB-C inputs to charge controllers or headsets while playing. While the speakers won't provide deep thumping bass, they work just fine as a game's singular source of audio if headphones aren’t available. Actually using this monitor was nothing but a pleasant and easy experience.

The 2k 144hz screen is of frankly phenomenal quality.

Portability

I decided then to test the UGame K118’s main advertised feature – the portability. I took the monitor to work to have a temporary second monitor for my work computer, as well as to my partner’s house to play some Alan Wake II with her while we decorated for the holidays. This is where my first real snag with the UGame K118 comes in. Honestly, the 18 inch monitor is just a little bit too big to be truly “portable”. 

The idea of a portable monitor has a catch-22 baked within the concept itself: if a monitor is small enough to be easily portable, it’s probably too small to be easily gamed on. The 18 inch UGame K118 144hz monitor works really well as a gaming monitor, meaning that, by default, it’s a little bit too big to be convenient to lug around with you everywhere you go. I was constantly worried with it filling up the entirety of my backpack whether or not it was going to break or whether or not I was going to set down my backpack in just the wrong way to cause damage. It’s of a sturdy design and is in no way flimsy, but it’s still a big 2k monitor with a thin layer of synthetic casing separating it from disaster. Needless to say, I didn’t take it around with me too much, and found much more enjoyment in using the monitor, rather than trying to bring it with me. 

With that being said, it is easy enough to move around, and I can definitely see the use case for something like this. If you have limited space or spend a lot of time in hotels, you could easily bring this monitor along with you to bring your gaming on the go. Realistically, if you’re bringing a gaming console around with you to wherever you’re going, you’ll probably have enough room to put this monitor in with your equipment and have one on the go. The small profile and lack of necessary mount also make it ideal for smaller set ups in things like micro apartments or camper vans, and is extra useful for portable devices like the Switch or the Steam Deck. I just recommend being very careful when moving it around, as there isn’t a lot of material to actually protect the gorgeous screen. 

Pricing and final thoughts

The UGame K118 costs $369.99 USD (currently on sale for $279.99,) which is a pretty steep price for a monitor, especially when similar non-portable monitors of the same size and quality are significantly cheaper. On top of that, if you want to replace the standard case with a kickstand for vertical use, it’ll cost you an additional $60.00 USD (currently on sale for $40.00.) I think that price in itself will turn many people off from choosing the UGame K118 as their peripheral of choice. Keeping that in mind, the UGame K118 does exactly what it says it does and it does it really really well. If you’ve been looking for an easier solution than lugging a full-sized monitor around, if you’re looking for a potential second monitor that won’t take up too much desk real estate, or if you have limited space and need something that can take up the least amount of room as possible while still being functional, the UGame K118 is a cool piece of tech that can certainly fill that niche. It’s made well, the resolution looks great, and it’s incredibly easy to set up, as long as you’re willing to pay for it.

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