Virtually each main PC maker has dabbled with the concept of a dual-screen laptop computer in some unspecified time in the future. Means again in 2011, sporting not one however two 14-inch shows. Then at CES 2017, Razer confirmed off which bumped the panel depend to 3 earlier than demoing one thing a bit much less extravagant a yr later in . Quick ahead to 2020, when Dell dazzled us with the . Even Apple gave the class a go on the outdated , solely to reverse course and .
In the meantime, Lenovo has a complete household of gadgets courting again to the unique and culminating most not too long ago within the , with the latter coming extraordinarily near turning the promise of dual-screen laptops into an precise interesting selection. However now after a number of generations of its personal gadgets, ASUS has put all the things along with the It’s an excellent glossy machine with two screens that’s barely bigger than a equally sized clamshell. There’s additionally a removable keyboard and a built-in kickstand for optimum adaptability. And beginning at $1,500, the Zenbook Duo doesn’t command an enormous premium for one thing with a ton of additional utility. So whereas it’s been fairly a journey to get right here, ASUS has lastly made a dual-screen laptop computer that proves as soon as and for all that two screens actually are higher than one.
Photograph by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Beginning at $1,500 and with dimensions that aren’t a lot larger than a standard clamshell, ASUS’ Zenbook Duo is the primary dual-screen laptop computer you’d truly wish to purchase.
- Modern design
- Attractive screens
- Constructed-in kickstand
- Good port choice
- Strong battery life
- Barely pricier than a standard clamshell
- Home windows 11 nonetheless is not optimized for dual-screen laptops
Design
One of the vital spectacular issues concerning the Zenbook Duo is that it doesn’t seem like some sort of Frankendeivce. It’s only a regular-looking 14-inch laptop computer. Even after you open it, issues nonetheless look regular with a bodily keyboard and touchpad, to not point out a wholesome choice of ports across the exterior (two Thunderbolt 4, one USB 3.2 Kind-A and a full-size HDMI 2.1 jack). A small a part of me needs ASUS had discovered room for some sort of SD card reader, however I perceive if there simply wasn’t area.
It’s solely after you take away the keyboard that issues get fascinating as a result of as quickly as you do, the Duo’s second show springs to life. From right here, you’ve got a ton of choices. Tapping three fingers on the decrease panel summons a floating touchpad. Alternatively, eight fingers makes a digital keyboard seem, which you’ll observe with a swipe as much as reveal a standard keyboard/trackpad combo. However the cool factor is that as a result of these are all digital stand-ins, it is easy to swap in a brand new format (like for different languages), transfer the touchpad off to the facet or name up a numpad if you must do some knowledge entry. There’s simply a lot extra flexibility when half of a laptop computer’s inside isn’t taken up by a inflexible set of bodily keys.
However issues maintain getting higher, as a result of on the underside of the Duo is a flap that folds out right into a kickstand. This lets you prop the system up and use each screens as correct shows, form of like a transportable dual-monitor setup however all in a single self-contained system. And since the removable keyboard connects wirelessly over Bluetooth, you possibly can place it in entrance (or wherever you need) similar to a desktop. The one small disadvantage to this design is that for those who rotate the Duo’s shows into portrait orientation facet by facet, the design of the kickstand means there’s no option to modify how far it tilts. This closely favors the stacked setup with one show above, which is ok as a result of I feel that association is extra helpful in most conditions.
One other nice shock is that for a tool with two screens, the Zenbook Duo isn’t a lot larger or heavier than a typical clamshell. It weighs 3.6 kilos and measures 0.78 inches thick versus the two.82 kilos and 0.59 inches for the standard Zenbook 14 OLED. And when in comparison with one thing like a Dell XPS 14 (3.7 kilos and 0.71 inches thick), each techniques are virtually the identical measurement.
My one gripe is that ASUS’ darkish grey paint job coloration doesn’t assist the Duo stand out. It’s virtually like somebody who wears subdued colours to keep away from drawing consideration. However this design is implausible and I want ASUS would give this laptop computer (and the engineers who designed it) the flowers it deserves.
Shows and software program
The centerpiece of the Duo is its pair of 14-inch shows, that are an absolute delight. Not solely do the matching OLED panels provide sturdy brightness (round 500 nits), in addition they pump out wealthy and correct colours (100% of DCI-P3). However the actual magic is whenever you use each panels collectively.
Shifting apps from one show to a different is so simple as dragging and dropping or utilizing the helpful menus that seem on the prime of the show. As well as, there’s a floating button within the backside left for ASUS’ ScreenXpert software program, which supplies shortcuts for adjusting brightness (individually or as a pair), disabling particular panels or pulling up helpful widgets for issues like a management panel, a handwriting recognition device, information and climate and extra. If the purpose was to get as a lot worth out of the Duo’s two shows, I feel ASUS’ software program does a reasonably good job.
The draw back to all that is that regardless of ASUS’ greatest efforts, Home windows 11 and lots of apps nonetheless aren’t absolutely optimized for techniques like this. For instance, once I performed a spherical of Teamfight Techniques and needed to tug up some recreation stats on the decrease show, I bumped into a problem the place the digital touchpad stopped working. It was solely after I set the sport to borderless window mode, closed the sport and relaunched all the things that it began working once more. Granted, conditions like this had been uncommon, nevertheless it’s necessary to keep in mind that whenever you’re utilizing a cutting-edge machine, there could also be some bugs or awkward interactions.
Efficiency
The Zenbook Duo comes with an Intel Core Extremely 7 155H processor, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB NVMe SSD. When you can improve it with double the reminiscence and a quicker Extremely 9 chip, I discovered the bottom configuration to be loads quick. On assessments like Geekbench 6 and PCMark 10, the Zenbook Duo turned in outcomes that had been an identical to these from equally geared up clamshells, together with . That is nice as a result of it means there’s not a ton of overhead as a result of addition of a second display and even when setup in desktop mode, dragging apps from one show to a different felt snappy and responsive. The apparent disadvantage is that in contrast to some 14-inch techniques such because the XPS 14, there’s no room for a discrete GPU, which makes the Zenbook Duo higher suited to normal productiveness than extra demanding duties like video enhancing.
Battery life
You may assume a system with two screens could be a battery hog, however the Zenbook Duo fared higher than anticipated. With only one display on, it lasted 13 hours and 12 minutes on our video rundown take a look at, which is just about equal to (truly a contact longer than) the Zenbook 14 OLED (12:43). And with each screens going, the Duo’s time solely dropped to 10:17, which remains to be greater than sufficient to outlive a complete workday.
Wrap-up
OK, so the Zenbook Duo delivers on the guarantees of dual-screen laptops. However one query I get lots is who’re gadgets like this truly for? The obvious software is for individuals who carry a transportable monitor round whereas touring. However extra typically, this factor is aimed toward anybody who appreciates a number of displays and needs a system that may recreate that have in a extra travel-friendly method, which is one thing the Zenbook Duo does with aplomb. The most effective half although is that it doesn’t make main sacrifices to take action, as a result of because of its removable keyboard, it could possibly perform similar to every other clamshell when area is tight (like on an airplane).
When you’ve got room to unfold out, it transforms into a transportable workstation with loads of display area for a undertaking up prime and bonus actual property for Slack, e mail, video calls or anything you may want down under. It is bought ample ports so that you don’t want to hold a dongle round and due to its attractive OLED screens, your work (or play) at all times seems to be nice. The Zenbook Duo can do all the things a standard laptop computer can and extra. Sure, the software program expertise may very well be a bit extra polished, although that’s not fully on ASUS. We nonetheless want a brand new model of Home windows to offer higher OS assist for dual-screen machines. However contemplating all of the struggles and a number of generations it took to get right here, the Zenbook Duo is a wonderful torchbearer for a brand new class of transportable PCs.
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