I want to buy a portable monitor next to my iPad, is it possible to use it with the second monitor without connecting a mouse or keyboard to my tablet to be able to look at things other than the monitor while taking notes from my tablet?
iPad Air, iPadOS 26
While you can successfully use an external display/portable monitor with your iPad in the manner that you describe, you'll not be able to directly interact with Apps that are displayed on the external monitor. At the very least, when using iPadOS Stage Manager feature, you will require a basic Mouse or an Apple Magic TrackPad. To fully interact with Apps when using Stage Manager and an external display, you will also require an external keyboard.
Unlike your iPad touch-screen, with which you can interact with the iPad, an external display/monitor does not respond to touch input. At this time, iPadOS does not support external touch-screen monitors. Similarly, Apple Pencil can only be used with the iPad screen.
The Apple Magic TrackPad works really well with a Stage Manager combo - and is available in black or white to suit your aesthetic preference:
Black: https://store.apple.com/xc/product/MXKA3Z/A
White: https://store.apple.com/xc/product/MXK93Z/A
The iPad User Guide documents the available TrackPad gestures:
Trackpad gestures for iPad - Apple Support
A basic three-button and scroll-wheel Bluetooth Mouse works well if you prefer a mouse. Don't bother with a sophisticated third-party mouse with multiple programable buttons as they are not fully supported by iPadOS.
For my own setup, I use the Apple Magic TrackPad with a Logitech K380 wireless keyboard (grey). Other Bluetooth keyboards that have the Apple-style secondary functions and command keys should be just as usable.
I'm studying notes with Apple Pencil and since I'm writing on the tablet while doing this, I need another screen to review the document, what do you recommend to check the documents on the other screen while taking notes with Apple Pencil?
If you use a Magic TrackPad, you will be able to move and manipulate Apps that are displayed on the external screen. The TrackPad is relatively small - and generally requires less space than a Mouse. Without either, while you can open/send App windows on the external monitor, you won't be able to interact at all with App Windows displayed on the external monitor.
I want to buy a second monitor next to my iPad, how can I use it without a mouse?
