7 Best handheld Oscilloscopes (Portable 2024)

Looking for the best handheld oscilloscopes? Well, then welcome 🙂

You know, an oscilloscope is a great electronic device when it comes to studying and analyzing various signals.

It gives you the power to see any signal (voltage or current) with reference to time. It is also good for finding glitches in electronics systems.

As it is a fundamental tool, that is why a lot of manufacturers are making high-quality bench-top oscilloscopes from day one. But our focus in this article will be entirely on some best handheld oscilloscopes.

Some of the best manufacturers out there on the market i.e. Tekpower, Keithley, Keysight, Aim-TTI, Rohde and Schwarz, and some new guys like Rigol, Hantek, Siglent Technologies, and GW Instek.

Keep in mind, that handheld oscilloscopes are not that powerful (feature-rich) compared to the general bench top ones. But its portable and cheap nature makes it very useful for a lot of outdoor field situations where carrying a bench top becomes a problem.

Hay, I am Abbas. I am not perfect, nor this article is going to be. This is just my limited knowledge try to help you somehow.

I hope you will enjoy it.

Best handheld Oscilloscope

The selection of any best handheld oscilloscope depends on a few things and parameters, i.e.

Size & weight
Price
Memory
Bandwidth
Sample rate
Waveform update rate
Warranty & maintenance
Input impedance
Features
and much more

It also depends on who you are, i.e. a design engineer to diagnose operational and design problems, an automotive engineer measuring the vibrations, a repair technician, or you’re simply trying to maintain your electronic pieces of equipment.

The best handheld oscilloscope that field professional recommends is either the Fluke 123B or Hantek 2D72. They are the best scopes because they come from the world-known brands, are reliable, low priced, and are of high quality.

Alright!

Following is the list of some top quality handheld oscilloscopes.

1- OWON HDS272S Oscilloscope

The first handheld oscilloscope is from the OWON brand. The beauty of the best handheld scopemeter is you can use it as:

Digital multimeter
2 channels oscilloscope
Waveform or signal generator

This is like a 3-in-1 electronics testing instrument that you can carry to any place, for any required measurements.

It comes what a beautiful bag, a user manual (don’t expect to see how to use it, just a manual to show you which buttons are doing what), various types of probes, a USB charging cable, and extra rechargeable batteries.

Following are some key features of this oscilloscope:

70 MHz Bandwidth
125MSa/s Sampling Rate
20mVpp-5Vpp Amplitude Range
8K Waveform Length
14 bits Vertical Resolution
50 Ω Output Impedance.

In a short summary, OWON HDS272S Oscilloscope (Amazon link) has two acquisition modes, a high refresh rate, deep storage, 7 kinds of auto measurement, cursor measurement function, and save function. It can be your best handheld oscilloscope if you like it.

If you want a great multipurpose tool that gives you more than your money’s worth, choose this guy.

2- Hantek 2D72 Handheld Oscilloscope

Hantek is a very popular brand among electronics professionals. They make a lot of high quality testing instruments for students, industrial and professional work.

The handheld oscilloscope from this brand, i.e. 2D72, is no different. It is of high quality and can be used as 3 in 1 device just like the above one.

You can use it as a multimeter for measuring resistance, voltages, currents, and capacitance. You can use a signal generator. It has a built-in signal generator. Also, this can be your handheld scope for any outfield measurements you want to perform.

Technical features:

2 Channels scope
250MSa/s (Single-channel) & 125MSa/s (Dual-channel)
70MHz Bandwidth.
Record Length: Max. 6K for single-channel; 3K samples per dual-channel
10MV-10V Vertical resolution
Minimalist keyboard design simplifies operation
Auto automatic measuring function

In a short summary, Hantek 2D72 Handheld Oscillos c ope (Amazon link) is a multifunction device that has, high sensitivity and accuracy, showing clear results on the display, strong anti-overload capability, and is easy to carry.

3- Hantek 2C42

The above model from Hantek has a waveform generator, which I think most of you will not require using.

So, if you don’t need a signal generator, then with this Hantek 2C42 you can save money and can have the above best handled scope (i.e. Hantek 2D72) without a signal generator.

It has the almost same feature as the above one:

2 Channels scope
250MSa/s (Single-channel) & 125MSa/s (Dual-channel)
40MHz Bandwidth.
Record Length: Max. 6K for single-channel; 3K samples per dual-channel
10MV-10V Vertical resolution
Minimalist keyboard design simplifies operation
Auto automatic measuring function

In a short summary, Hantek 2C42 (Amazon link) has a 1-year warranty with 30 days of worry-free return, so 100% satisfaction and zero hassle returns.

You can use it as an oscilloscope as well as a digital multimeter. It comes with quality multimeter probes for almost every circuit parameter measurement.

4- Fluke 123B

Fluke is a household name when it comes to electronic measuring instruments. They manufactured high quality and premium products. Because of its high quality, its products are costly, but they are worth the cost.

The handheld oscilloscope, the Fluke 123B, from this brand is reliable, and I can say you will be able to use it for a lot of your measurements and troubleshooting.

You know, this model combines the performance of a bench oscilloscope with a multimeter and paperless recorder for installing, commissioning, and maintaining industrial and electronic equipment out in the field.

Some important features of this device are as follows:

Dual-input digital oscilloscope and multimeter
20 MHz oscilloscope bandwidth
Two 5,000-count true-RMS digital multimeters
Connect-and-View trigger simplicity for hands-off operation
IntellaSet technology automatically and intelligently adjusts numerical readout based on the measured signal
Dual-input waveform and meter reading recorder for trending data over extended periods
Recorder Event Detect captures elusive intermittent signals
Optional Wi-Fi adapter connected to the internal USB port to wirelessly transfer information to the PC, laptop or Fluke Connect mobile app
FlukeView ScopeMeter Software for Windows

In a short summary, Fluke 123B (Amazon link) portable oscilloscopes take you into territory that standard bench oscilloscopes can’t readily withstand, harsh, hazardous and dirty industrial environments.

5- BSHAPPLUS Handheld Oscilloscope

This is another amazing best handheld oscilloscope from the BSHAPPLUS brand. It is an oscilloscope and multimeter combined and comes with an accurate waveform display.

In the multimeter mode, you can use it for the following measurements:

AC voltages
AC Currents
DC voltage and currents
Capacitance
Frequency measurements

Using this device is like using your digital multimeter with a scope feature as well. It has a built-in 500mA/10A double protective tube, and dual protection of the instrument.

You can choose the option of automatically shut down or continuous operation – which is very applicable to the workplace such as family, school, and factory.

Let’s see some technical features of this handheld scope:

Automatic Shutdown
2.5Msps high-speed A/D data collection
Double Protective Tube
10 Waveforms & 100 Sets of Date
High sampling rate and high bandwidth
One-Key Transform to Waveform Function
Dedicated Chip, More Accuracy and Efficiency

Now, if this device has got your attention. Then you can follow this link, BSHAPPLUS Handheld Oscilloscope (Amazon link), to know more about it yourself.

6- Proster Oscilloscope Multimeter

The best alternative to the above one (i.e. no 5) is this model from the Proster brand. This model is a 4000-Count intelligent oscilloscope with an automatic waveform capture function.

Important features:

One-key transform to oscilloscope mode
200KHz bandwidth
High-seed A/D data collecting
Independent monitoring of 100 sets of data and 10 waveforms
41-segment analog bar display.

In a short summary, the Proster oscilloscope multimeter (Amazon link) is designed to easily observe test waveforms and quickly solve complex problems in electronics, factory automation, power distribution, and electronic engineering equipment.

7- Allsun 2 in 1 handheld digital storage oscilloscope

Another best handheld oscilloscope is from the Allsun brand. This brand is very popular for creating very accurate testing instruments.

Some important features of this model are as follows:

It has 2 channels – which means you can measure two separate signals with this scope.
25MHz digital storage
True 6000 words RMS digital multimeter
100MSa/s real-time sampling rate
25MHz real-time bandwidth.

In a short summary, Allsun 2 in 1 handheld digital storage oscilloscope (Amazon link) automatically captures waveform. It comes with waveform display processing, single & dual cursor measurements, and scanning and recorder functions.

8- YEAPOOK ADS1013D Digital Tablet oscilloscope

Now, this oscilloscope is different from all the above scopes. It is like a tablet with a capacitive touch screen – making it very advanced looking.

It is not just a good looking device. It has a one-key screenshot and saving design, built-in 1GB storage space, can store up to 1000 screenshots + 1000 sets of waveform data, and support UBS export.

Furthermore, it comes with 6000mah high-quality lithium battery, which can last for 4 hours on a full charge.

YEAPOOK ADS1013D Handheld Digital Tablet oscilloscope Portable Storage Oscilloscope

It is 2 channel professional designed handheld oscilloscope. Let’s see some of the key features of this device:

2 channels
100 MHz analog bandwidth
1 GSa/s Real-time sampling
240kbit Sample memory depth
7” color TFT- LCD touch screen with 800 * 480 resolution
Capture instantaneous waveform
Built-in high-voltage protection module
Tolerate a continuous voltage of up to 400V

In a short summary, YEAPOOK ADS1013D (Amazon link) is one of the best handheld oscilloscopes that are widely applicable in the academic experiment, electronic product design, debugging and maintenance, electronic engineering education, etc

9- Hanmatek HO52

Hanmatek is a well-known electronics company. The portable scope from this company i.e. HO52 is very unique and is of good quality.

You can use it as a multimeter to measure voltage, current, and resistance. Also, you can use it as an oscilloscope to measure signals.

The best part of this scope is, that it uses a powerful and intelligent chip to ensure the accuracy of acquisition and measurement.

Let’s see some of the key features of this scope:

50Mhz bandwidth with dual-channel
3.5 inch HD display provides you with better vision
250Msa/s
USB rechargeable battery
It is small, light, and easy to carry. You can use it in your hand
The waveform refresh rate is up to 10000wfms
Recording length up to 8k dots
Cursor measurement function
Self-calibration function.
One key automatic setting function
Convenient for detecting and debugging.
Up to 6 automatic measurements can be displayed simultaneously on the screen.

Moreover, The reference waveform can be displayed on the same screen as the measured waveform for convenient comparison of the waveform.

Now is this scope has got your attention and you want to know more about it. Then you can follow this link, Hanmatek HO52 (Amazon link) for your own further research and investigations.

Options for Hobbyists and Complete Beginners?

Of course, there are many other options you can look at if you are just starting with signal measurements.

Conclusion

An oscilloscope is a very fundamental lab tool when it comes to signal analyses. It helps us to draw the signal with reference to time.

When we have signals varying with time – we can have a lot of useful information from this. Like we can find the signal frequency, its amplitude, and most importantly its shape and behavior.

Now there are various top notch bench top oscilloscopes for the above task. But sometimes they are very heavy to carry. And sometimes we really don’t need that high level of performance and advanced features to work with.

So, to handle such a situation we can have a portable best handheld oscilloscope that is cheap, and we can carry it anywhere in the outdoor field.

In this article, we look at some of the best handheld scopemeter out there on the market, and I try to give you a list for your own interest and research.

All the oscilloscopes in the article are top-notch and come from world known brands. A lot of people have used them for their professional work and have had very good results using them.

I hope you enjoy my this little help.

Thank you and have a grateful life.