The first dual-screen laptop worth buying

Nearly each main PC maker has dabbled with the concept of a dual-screen laptop computer sooner or later. Means again in 2011, sporting not one however two 14-inch shows. Then at CES 2017, Razer confirmed off which bumped the panel rely 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 Even Apple gave the class a go on the outdated , solely to reverse course and .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 relationship again to the unique and culminating most lately 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 pieces along with the It’s a brilliant smooth 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 a large 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 conventional clamshell, ASUS’ Zenbook Duo is the primary dual-screen laptop computer you’d truly wish to purchase.

Professionals

  • Modern design
  • Beautiful screens
  • Constructed-in kickstand
  • Good port choice
  • Stable battery life
Cons

  • Barely pricier than a conventional clamshell
  • Home windows 11 nonetheless is not optimized for dual-screen laptops

$1,500 at ASUS

Design

One of the spectacular issues concerning the Zenbook Duo is that it doesn’t appear to be 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 number of ports across the exterior (two Thunderbolt 4, one USB 3.2 Sort-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 attention-grabbing as a result of as quickly as you do, the Duo’s second show springs to life. From right here, you have 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 be able to comply with with a swipe as much as reveal a conventional keyboard/trackpad combo. However the cool factor is that as a result of these are all digital stand-ins, it is simple to swap in a brand new format (like for different languages), transfer the touchpad off to the aspect or name up a numpad if you’ll want to 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.

ASUS built a very handy kickstand into the bottom of the Zenbook Duo.

Photograph by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

However issues preserve 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, type 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) identical to a desktop. The one small downside to this design is that if you happen to rotate the Duo’s shows into portrait orientation aspect by aspect, the design of the kickstand means there’s no solution to regulate 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 methods are virtually the identical measurement.

Moving apps from one screen to another is as simple as dragging and dropping or using ASUS' handy snapping menus.

Photograph by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

My one gripe is that ASUS’ darkish grey paint job shade 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 unbelievable 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 supply sturdy brightness (round 500 nits), additionally they pump out wealthy and correct colours (one hundred pc of DCI-P3). However the actual magic is while you use each panels collectively.

In tight spaces, the Zenbook Duo can function just like a traditional clamshell laptop.

Photograph by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Transferring apps from one show to a different is so simple as dragging and dropping or utilizing the useful menus that seem on the high 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 useful widgets for issues like a management panel, a handwriting recognition software, information and climate and extra. If the objective 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 plenty of apps nonetheless aren’t totally optimized for methods like this. For instance, after I performed a spherical of Teamfight Techniques and needed to drag 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 pieces that it began working once more. Granted, conditions like this have been uncommon, however it’s essential to do not forget that while you’re utilizing a cutting-edge machine, there could also be some bugs or awkward interactions.

Efficiency

The Zenbook Duo features a excellent selection of ports for its size including two Thunderbolt 4, one USB 3.2 Type-A. 3.5mm audio and a full-size HDMI 2.1 jack

Photograph by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

The Zenbook Duo comes with an Intel Core Extremely 7 155H processor, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB NVMe SSD. Whilst 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 have been an identical to these from equally outfitted 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 plain downside is that not like some 14-inch methods such because the XPS 14, there’s no room for a discrete GPU, which makes the Zenbook Duo higher suited to common productiveness than extra demanding duties like video enhancing.

Battery life

You may assume a system with two screens can 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 continues to be greater than sufficient to outlive a complete workday.

Wrap-up

The most impressive thing about the Zenbook Duo is that it offers two screens without adding a ton of extra bulk or cost.

Photograph by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

OK, so the Zenbook Duo delivers on the guarantees of dual-screen laptops. However one query I get so much is who’re gadgets like this truly for? The obvious software is for individuals who carry a transportable monitor round whereas touring. However extra usually, this factor is geared toward anybody who appreciates a number of displays and needs a system that may recreate that have in a extra travel-friendly approach, which is one thing the Zenbook Duo does with aplomb. One of the best half although is that it doesn’t make main sacrifices to take action, as a result of due to its removable keyboard, it will possibly perform identical to some other clamshell when area is tight (like on an airplane).

When you have got room to unfold out, it transforms into a transportable workstation with loads of display area for a mission up high and bonus actual property for Slack, e-mail, video calls or the rest you may want down beneath. It is acquired ample ports so that you don’t want to hold a dongle round and due to its attractive OLED screens, your work (or play) all the time seems nice. The Zenbook Duo can do all the pieces a conventional laptop computer can and extra. Sure, the software program expertise may very well be a bit extra polished, although that’s not totally on ASUS. We nonetheless want a brand new model of Home windows to offer higher OS help 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 fabulous torchbearer for a brand new class of transportable PCs.

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