Best Gadgets I Tested in 2024 #2: Asus ZenBook Duo
Back in 2018, Asus invited me to Computex in Taiwan, where, along with the launch of the first ROG Phone, it also teased a futuristic dual-screen laptop codenamed “Project Precog”. While that was not ready for commercial launch then, Asus did innovate and introduced a NumberPad in the trackpad, followed by adding a touch screen with multiple functionalities in the trackpad and then followed by the ZenBook Pro Duo series with half keyboard and half touchscreen display in the bottom half.
Nearly six years later, after first showcasing the dual-screen “Project Precog” laptop, Asus finally launched a fully functional dual-screen laptop, the Asus ZenBook Duo. I used it for nearly one month as my primary laptop and felt that the dual-screen implementation was more practical.
Dual screen = double productivity?
Six out of 10 of my colleagues use one or more monitors with their laptops/desktops. One of my colleagues uses two monitors along with his laptop screen, making it three screens in total. One screen is dedicated to Excel, one screen for Teams chat and Emails to not miss a conversation, and one screen for surfing.
But I was never sold into this idea of using multiple monitors/displays with the laptop, as it takes away the flexibility of using a laptop. But with Asus’ implementation of dual screens, and after using it for a month, I do feel that dual screens can add a lot of value and increase productivity, if not double.
For instance, I can browse some websites and read on the top screen and watch videos on YouTube or other OTT platforms on the bottom screen. I can even extend the on-screen content that stretches across both screens to have a smooth, free-flowing experience.
I can even open a web browser on one screen and play games on the other screen. And I think stock traders who use multiple screens will find this even more useful, as they can have charts open on both screens, or have news on one and charts on the other and so on, quite a few permutations and combinations.
Even content creators, especially video editors, will find the ZenBook Duo quite versatile as they can have the video they are editing on one screen, and the timeline on the other screen, increasing visibility.
There are other modes as well, where one can place it vertically and have two different types of content on both screens or use it to mirror the screen in presentation mode.
There is also the ability to have virtual keyboard on the screen as well, but I did not find typing and using virtual trackpad that intuitive.
In terms of hardware, you get dual 14-inch OLED FHD+ displays, Intel Core 9 Ultra 185H processor with dedicated NPU for AI tasks, Arc Graphics, 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB SSD. Performance-wise, I did not face any hiccups, and battery life was good too, lasting anywhere between four and a half hours to six hours of screen time, depending on what I was using it for.