Espresso Displays' Australian pioneering of portable displays, which began with a Kickstarter, is about to take another leap forward with the release of the company's first professional-grade, USB-powered monitor.

Described by its designers as "the world's most powerful portable display," the new Espresso 17 Pro is the company's largest product, boasting a 17.3" touchscreen, a huge leap from its predecessor Espresso Display V2 This is a big leap forward from the [Of course, there is more to the Espresso 17 Pro than its screen size. As its name suggests, the company's third-generation display is aimed at creators and professionals, and is said to be the only portable monitor capable of displaying 10-bit color and 100% DCI-P3 color range, making it a reference-quality monitor for use in digital cinema production It is said to be the only portable monitor capable of displaying 10-bit color and 100% DCI-P3 color range. [In addition to this, the Espresso 17 Pro is also the company's first 4K monitor (previous models were up to 1080p) and can reach peak brightness of 450 nits. [Recently, I was invited to Espresso Display's headquarters in Sydney, Australia to get an early look at the Espresso 17 Pro and was amazed at how compact and light the 17.3" monitor feels, especially in direct comparison to the 15" Espresso Display V2.

This was a great opportunity to see how compact and lightweight the 17.3" monitor is.

This is largely due to the monitor's sleek new design, which does away with the iMac-style silver chin found on earlier models; those familiar with the V2 can imagine the monitor just behind the black bezel.

Nevertheless, there is a slight trade-off: the Espresso 17 Pro is thicker (0.35" / 9mm) than the V2 (0.2" / 5.3mm). But it is a miracle that the Espresso 17 Pro weighs only 1.1 kg/2.4 lbs (a mere 8.3 oz/235 g more) with a larger, brighter 4K display. Kudos to the aircraft-grade aluminum body.

Nevertheless, the most impressive thing about the Espresso 17 Pro is that it allows users to apply the touchscreen and pen capabilities to any computer or laptop (even a Mac).

Unlike Microsoft's Surface products, Apple has always resisted touchscreen capabilities in the Mac arena. However, the Espresso 17 Pro display offers MacBook users an easy way around this hurdle.

The Espresso Display V2 already offered models with basic touch and pen functionality for use with certain apps, but the Espresso 17 Pro takes it a step further with the introduction of the company's new Jot software.

Available as a free download for Espresso 17 Pro users, Jot applies a sort of digital sketchpad to the entire desktop, with the ability to annotate and draw on anything on the screen, create screen slips, drag files to the screen.

Like previous models, the Espresso 17 Pro is powered by a laptop via a USB Type-C connection for impressive portability.

During my brief hands-on time with the new monitor, it occurred to me that its lightweight and portable nature would be ideal for use with the Samsung DeX feature on my Galaxy Z Fold 5.

Sure enough, connecting the monitor to the fold via USB-C instantly activated the DeX interface for a full desktop-style experience.

The Z Fold 5 alone was not enough to power the new 17.3" display, and I had to get more power from Espresso's Charge power brick, but I was able to use my device as a large trackpad (and even a touch keyboard) I was able to use it, and had what was essentially an instant workstation.

Given that it is a professional-grade product, it should come as no surprise that the Espresso 17 Pro is considerably more expensive than its predecessors. Pre-order prices start at $999/£999/AUD$1,499 for the Essentials Bundle, which includes the display and the new magnetic stand Pro.

For the complete experience, Espresso Displays also offers the Studio Bundle, priced at $1,315/£1,285/$1,925.

The Studio Bundle includes the Espresso 17 Pro and the Magnetic Stand Pro. It also includes the company's touchscreen-enabled pen, an official case, a matte screen protector for drawing with a paper-like texture, and Charge, a 27,000mAh / 99.6Wh battery pack.

Note that the Charge power bank attaches magnetically to the bottom of the Stand Pro, but requires a USB-C cable to power the Espresso 17 Pro.

For comparison, the 15-inch "Touch" version of the Espresso Display V2 is priced at $499/£479/749 AUD.

The new Espresso 17 Pro monitor, which is available for pre-order from the Espresso Display website for release this November, appears to be a major step forward for the Aussie company. Its design, features, and technical specifications have all been significantly upgraded and should appeal greatly to creators looking for a professional monitor that they can take with them on their travels.

However, it is not cheap, so those who choose to purchase the Espresso 17 Pro will have to put portability first.