Over the past couple of years, we’ve seenWindowshardware manufacturers begin to experiment with the form factors of their PCs.LenovoandAsusin particular have been busy engineering and shipping an all-new class of hardware – PCs with dual screens.Multi-monitor setupsare a longtime staple of the Windows desktop space; the thinking goes that access to a second display can be just as useful while on-the-go, as it is while stationary.
Microsoft may have bowed out of the dual-screen race with the cancelation of its ambitiousSurface Neoproject, but on a conceptual level, the idea remains deeply compelling. Withthe Zenbook Duo, Asus has crafted a dual screen PC that inherits much of the excellentDNA of its hardware siblings. Has Asus managed to build a product that delivers on the promise of a dual-screen future? I spent some quality time with the device to find out.
Asus Zenbook Duo
The Asus Zenbook Duo is a Windows 11 laptop with a twist – it’s keyboard deck is removable, revealing a second display. Together with a built-in kickstand, this PC functions as a dual screen device.
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Price, availability, and specs
As you might expect for a laptop housing an entire second display within it, the Asus Zenbook Duo is a fairly substantial piece of hardware. Compared to your average thin-and-light ultrabook-style PC, the Duo is on the thicker and heavier side.
The unit measures at 12.34 x 8.58 x 0.57 ~ 0.78-inches (31.35 x 21.79 x 1.46 ~ 1.99 cm), and weighs 3.64 lbs (1.65 kg) with its keyboard hoisted on. Sans keyboard, the device is slightly lighter at 2.98 lbs (1.35 kg). The product’s wedge-shaped form factor helps reign in its dimensions, which is an appreciated design consideration.
Naturally, the dual set ofOLEDdisplay panels are the star of the show when it comes to the Zenbook Duo. Each display measures in at 14.0-inches, and Asus has opted to use the 16:10 aspect ratio as opposed to the more common 16:9 widescreen sizing. Both displays are multitouch-enabled and offer native stylus support (the pen itselfis a separate $100 purchase).
Naturally, the dual set of OLED display panels are the star of the show when it comes to the Zenbook Duo.
In terms of brightness, these panels are capable of 400 nits (sustained), as well as 500 nits (peak HDR mode). The base model ships with FHD (1920 x 1200 pixel) resolution panels that each run at 60Hz, but this can be bumped up to dual 3K (2880 x 1800 pixel) resolution displays that run at 120Hz. Regardless of screen configuration, the Zenbook Duo features thin bezels, while also managing to fit in an FHD webcam and an IR sensor forWindows Helloface unlock.
Connectivity wise, the Zenbook Duo offers a relatively generous assortment of ports compared with its contemporaries. Three USB-C ports adorn one side of the laptop and a single USB-A port for connecting to older PC peripherals. One of theUSB-Cports is a standard 5Gbps affair, while the other two offer the super speedy 40Gbps courtesy ofThunderbolt 4. On the other side of the device, you’ll find a3.5mm headphone audio jack, as well as a full-sizedHDMI 2.1port for plugging into external displays.
The base $1,300 model offers 16GB of RAM along with an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor and integrated Arc graphics.
The Asus Zenbook Duo comes in a single colorway, which the company calls inkwell gray. The device ships with its dedicated keyboard and trackpad accessory out of the box, and it comes with a base SSD storage configuration of 1TB. The base $1,300 model offers 16GB of RAM along with anIntel Core Ultra5 processor and integrated Arc graphics. If you’re willing to spend more on speccing out the device, you can also opt for a 32GB RAM option, complete with a more powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 processor.
What I liked about the Asus Zenbook Duo
Multi-screen setups are always a productivity game changer
Microsoft has gone on record in saying thatdual screen setups are superiorfor productivity compared to a single screen, and I’m fully on board with this premise. In my personal experience, the compartmentalization of separate, bespoke displays enhances my workflow in a way that a singleultrawide monitor– let alone a cramped laptop panel – is unable to emulate.
As such, I was immediately at home when powering on the Asus Zenbook Duo for the first time. It took me a few minutes to adjust to the vertical orientation of the dual 14-inch panels, but it wasn’t long before I was well and fully acclimated. I found myself placing peripheral content – instant messaging chats, browser tabs, and more – primarily on the top screen, while utilizing the bottom screen for my primary word processing work flow.
When put together, the Zenbook Duo delivers a convenient experience that genuinely elevates my productivity.
When put together, the Zenbook Duo delivers a convenient experience that genuinely elevates my productivity. I found the 14-inch panels to hit a sweet spot in terms of sizing, and the OLED technology provided a pleasant and punchy viewing experience when consuming media content. I’m a fan of Asus' decision to outfit the device with 16:10 aspect ratio screens as opposed to 16:9 – the latter always feels too cramped for me when scrolling through documents and web pages.
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As for performance, it’s hard to complain about a product equipped with one of Intel’s latest generation Core Ultra chipsets. The Zenbook Duo is zippy and performant, with my model scoring aGeekbench 6metric of around 1,509 in single-core and 9,155 in multi-core. Intel continues to make year-over-year strides in terms of efficiency-per-watt, but Qualcomm and itsARM-based computingarchitecture remain slightly ahead in this regard.
Of note is that despite offering aneural processing unit(NPU), this device isn’tCopilot+certified, which means it won’t be receiving some of Microsoft’s latest in AI innovations such asWindows Recalland Click to Do.
I found the device’s fans to spin up relatively infrequently during normal use, and the device only began to whirl and heat up during the installation of Windows Updates. Even when heavily taxed, the device remained responsive, and battery life never unexpectedly plummeted.
The device’s dedicated keyboard and trackpad overlay comes standard in the box, which can’t be said about theMicrosoft Surface Prolineup or many other high-end PCs. The keyboard travel and clickiness felt just right, which is an impressive feat considering its thinness and detachability. The magnets that attach the overlay directly onto the bottom display when in standard laptop mode are strong and confident – tolerances are tight enough that I never felt like the keyboard deck was compromised or flexing in any way.
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What I didn’t like about the Asus Zenbook Duo
Dual screen PCs are still very much a work in progress
While I certainly enjoyed typing away on the Zenbook Duo’s keyboard, I was slightly disappointed in the trackpad department. By no means is this a bad trackpad: the click is fairly satisfying, and it’s large enough to perform gestures on comfortably. That being said, I’ve grown accustomed tohaptic trackpadsand the added flexibility they provide. This is a rather small quibble overall, and it’s not one that overly took away from my experience of using the device.
The Zenbook Duo also comes with a built-in kickstand, and a well-designed one at that.
The Zenbook Duo also comes with a built-in kickstand, and a well-designed one at that. The hinge is premium, with strong resistance and a metallic outer casing. My one complaint is that I found the kickstand to be a bit on the abrasive side, which some additional silicone padding would’ve handily solved.
The inclusion of this kickstand also allows for the device to be propped up in a sort of ‘book’ mode, with both displays stacked horizontally. I found this orientation far less useful than the standard vertical positioning, and I didn’t make extensive use of the device in this way. I found that the lack of backwards tilt made this mode uncomfortable for use on a desk, and the unit is simply too heavy to hold in my hands like I would a paperback book.
Unfortunately, the company’s fancyCeraluminummaterial, which hybridizes aluminum and ceramic, isn’t featured on the Duo. Plastic may have been the right call in terms of weight management, but I would’ve preferred the trade-off for a more premium in-hand feel.
Windows as an operating system simply isn’t built with dual-screen form factors in mind, and the Duo suffers as a result.
My one big gripe when it comes to the usability of the Zenbook Duo is mostly out of Asus' hands. Windows as an operating system simply isn’t built with dual-screen form factors in mind, and the Duo suffers as a result. As with other dual-screenWindows 11 PCs, there’s a slight jankiness that sometimes crops up during use.
For example, I sometimes struggled to seamlessly move application windows from one display to another seamlessly, and when removing the keyboard deck, Windows sometimes would sometimes get confused and need to reorient itself. These issues are relatively minor, but they do add up over time – here’s hoping Microsoft improves its low-level support for dual screen PCs in a future OS update.
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Should you buy the Asus Zenbook Duo?
If you love being on the bleeding edge of PC innovation, then you’ll love the Zenbook Duo’s forward-thinking form factor
As is often the case with experimental hardware, the Duo still has some rough edges that need ironing out. I have to imagine that future generations of this form factor will see even thinner and lighter chassis become the norm, which is an exciting prospect. However, even in its current form, the Zenbook Duo is a fun product to do work and consume content on.
The vertically stacked pair of displays make for an ideal portable workstation, with multitasking becoming a no-compromise experience.
The vertically stacked pair of displays make for an ideal portable workstation, with multitasking feeling like a no-compromise experience. The OLED panels pop with color, the keyboard is a pleasure to type on, and the product’s built-in kickstand is sturdy and robust.
Most of my usability complaints regarding the Zenbook Duo have more to do with Windows 11 and the lack of native resources from Microsoft on the dual-screen hardware front. Asus has done a fine enough job of working within the software confines of Windows, but Microsoft really and truly needs to double down on supporting the form factor at a deeper system level.
Most of my usability complaints regarding the Zenbook Duo have more to do with Windows 11 and the lack of native resources from Microsoft on the dual-screen hardware front.
At the end of the day, the Zenbook Duo represents a small glimmer of what’s to come in the PC space. The tried-and-true notebook PC form factor has remained stagnant for several years now, and so I very much welcome Asus' product design innovation here. I’m a firm believer in the idea that two screens are better than one, and the Zenbook Duo is proof that the concept has legs.
