UPERFECT GR19BU Blaze Gaming Monitor Reviewed by Cristian Herrera

Handheld gaming has completely changed the way that I play games, and it's not just being able to take your games anywhere, even though that's a huge part of it, but weirdly enough, it's all the things that you can do when you're not using them as a handheld. Look, over the years, I bought gaming laptops in the past, and for some odd reason, they always ended up collecting dust. But when it came to handhelds, now I'm looking for controllers, docks, EGPU cases, you name it.

I'm always trying to figure out ways how I can turn this little thing into a full-fledged gaming setup. And recently, UPERFECT sent me a product that has sparked the idea for this video. And this product is their 19-inch Blaze gaming monitor. And yeah, a 19-inch portable monitor sounds a little ridiculous, but after using it, it perfectly explains why I've been enjoying handheld gaming so much more than when I had a laptop, desktop, or even a console.

The Versatility of Handheld Gaming

So, let me explain, the biggest thing that handhelds have taught me is how much I value versatility and flexibility, and some examples are, if I'm sitting on the couch, I can just grab my handheld and play. That's easy and straightforward. But then maybe I wanna play on my TV, so I dock it.

But then maybe I want a controller to get competitive on Apex, so I grab one, grab my Xbox controller, and it's on. Or maybe I'm at my desk and want more performance. Then I just grab this handheld and connect it to an EGPU. All of these are examples of what I think makes this era of handheld gaming so freaking cool, and you're starting with this tiny little computer, and then you decide what you want it to become, which brings me to this accessory and why I think it pairs well with handhelds.

Introducing the UPERFECT Blaze

This is the UPERFECT Blaze. It's a 19-inch QLED portable monitor with a 4K resolution up to 144 Hz. And when UPERFECT reached out to me about this 19-inch monitor, its size is what actually caught my attention.

It was such a sweet swap because it's smaller than the standard 24 inch monitor people have and right above the 16-inch portable monitors that I've used in the past. And I'm big on external monitors, and they're in my everyday carry and they are great. And this one right here is right at the limit to fit in a backpack.

So pretty much this is basically a desktop monitor that I can move around, and I immediately started thinking about all the different ways that I could use this thing. So, obviously, gaming was the first trill test. I've been playing a lot of Call of Duty and Apex lately, and playing on a handheld is a love-hate relationship.

Gaming With the UPERFECT Blaze

A Bigger Screen for Competitive Gaming

Playing on my Lenovo Legion Go 2 is nice, but the Joy-cons are just terrible for those types of games. And on my Xbox Ali X it's actually pretty freaking good, but I need a bigger screen. And I need to get competitive, especially when I'm traveling.

I just want a bigger screen so I can take something like my handheld, grab it and connect it to the Blaze, and grab also an Xbox controller, and that's it. I basically built myself a little gaming station, ones like we dreamed of back in the 2000s, and this is where that 144 Hz actually matters to me. For Call of Duty, Apex, or really anything that I'm trying to play games with as many frames as possible, I want the higher refresh rate, and going from that handheld screen to a 19-inch monitor changes the fricking game.

Keeping the Handheld Experience

But I have to answer to the people who are asking, Christian, then what the heck is the point of buying a handheld if you're just gonna connect it to a giant monitor? And honestly, that's exactly my point. I'm not always just gonna use it with this monitor, and most of the time, I actually don't even wanna just be bound to only having to use the handheld screen, and that's what I love about it.

When I'm done playing here, I just unplug one cable, pick this thing up, and it's a handheld again. Tonight, I might play Call of Duty on my monitor. Tomorrow, I might be laying on the couch playing something completely different in a different direction on that handheld.

I'm not choosing between having a handheld or having a desk set up. I can have both anywhere and at any time. And flexibility becomes even more interesting when you stop thinking about handhelds only as gaming devices, which brings me to the second use case, building a portable computer.

Turning a Handheld into a Portable Computer

Creating a Desktop Setup

We have to remember that most of these handhelds are Windows-based anyways, which is what desktops typically run on. So let's say this is your only PC or let's say that you're on a tighter budget and you've already spent all your money on something like a Lenovo Legion Go 2. Well, connect the handheld to the monitor, add a keyboard, add a mouse, and now look at, you've basically built a desktop and I can browse, I can do work, I can open up Da Vinci Resolve, and technically, I can edit this whole entire video on this setup.

And again, when I'm finished working, since I'm already set up, all I do is open up Steam and start gaming with a keyboard and mouse. It's just that easy and it's super cool. But realistically, this is probably where I'm personally gonna get the most use out of this Blaze outside of gaming.

Using the Blaze for Work and Travel

So, I travel quite a bit for videography, and sometimes I'm gone for a few days. I obviously bring my MacBook for editing and on that MacBook, it gets super cramped just using the MacBook screen. So, when you're used to having so much real estate on a 49-inch monitor, connecting this portable monitor makes it so much easier.

I can have my editing screen on the actual Mac and I can have all my files and everything I need. So, when I'm not gaming, I have that beautiful 4K resolution and cute LED panel, but when I need to game, I have the 144 Hz just like I want. And pretty much all of a sudden, my hotel room doesn't just feel like a crappy hotel room where I can't really get anything done.

It actually elevates and is no longer compromised, and my workflow can speed up again, or if I wanna just hang out and play, I can't. So that's the kind of stuff that I'm talking about with the versatility and flexibility on these handhelds and using this monitor. But let's talk about the obvious thing.

Is a 19-Inch Monitor Really Portable?

The Size Factor

This thing is freaking huge, and 19 inches is definitely pushing the definition of a portable monitor. For me, I usually buy the bigger screens, for example, I have a 49 inch monitor. I have an iPad Pro 13-inch.

I have the bigger iPhone, and that's the kind of portability I want, and that's great for me. But if you're someone that just uses a sling bag, then you probably wanna look somewhere else because that's not really how I would use it. So if you're like more compact, more minimal stuff, then this is not for you.

Carrying the 19-Inch Blaze

But for me, I'm always using a backpack and I'm traveling somewhere for a few days, quite a bit or staying at some kind of hotel for videography. So, the 19-inch fits perfectly in this bag. And I'd rather sacrifice some portability because for me a backpack is easy to just slip on and get a bigger screen.

Final Thoughts on Handheld Gaming and the Blaze

But to finish out this video and recap, this is not just about the UPERFECT monitor, it's about how amazing handhelds are and the versatility and flexibility with these handhelds and also what it brings to us gamers. It's stuff like this that makes me enjoy handhelds so much right now, and it's the ecosystem around these things that makes it just so much fun to use. It's like rigging out a camera.

I just love doing those kind of things and bringing whatever I can to these handhelds to elevate them or just make them a little bit more fun and a little bit more different. And again, it's the not being bound to just using the screen here and you can plug up to a TV, an EGPU, a desktop, take it when traveling, or even this nineteen-inch monitor. But I do wanna ask the last question, 19-inch portable monitor, that's pretty big.