ASUS launched the Zenbook DUO UX8406 in the Kenyan market earlier this year and it is the successor to the Zenbook S 13 OLED which was launched in April last year.
As with the Zenbook S 13, Asus have continued to ensure that they have done their part in reducing their carbon footprint by producing yet another eco-friendly laptop. Apparently, the Zenbook DUO is constructed from 90% post-industrial-recycled magnesium-aluminum alloy. While the paper packaging is made from 100%-recyclable FSC ™ Mix-certified and FSC Recycled paper.
I have to say that I was fascinated by the Zenbook S 13 which was super slim but the Zenbook DUO which rocks two 14-inch 3K 120 Hz OLED touchscreens totally blew me away.
Design
The Zenbook DUO is slightly on the chunkier side at 12.3 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches and weighs 1.6 kg. Which is comprised of the weight of the machine at 1.32 kg while the keyboard adds another 284 grams which results in a total weight of 1.604 kg. The laptop is 183 grams lighter than its closest rival the 2023 Lenovo Yoga Book 9i which has a total weight of 1.787 kg. However, I still found it to be very comfortable while using on my lap.
With a dual screen laptop, one is bound to worry about the many moving parts which could compromise user experience. However, the Zenbook DUO comes with a sturdy 180 degrees hinge which inspires confidence on its durability. According to Asus, the hinges have military grade durability having passed the MIL-STD 810H testing. Despite the sturdiness of the hinge, one is still able open the lid with ease.
The lid has a matte finish giving the laptop a premium look. When it opens up, it lifts the backside of the base from the ground. This helps in cooling the laptop as well as tilting the keyboard which makes it easier to type.
The screens come with a Corning Gorilla Glass cover for protection with the bezels around the screens are as thin as possible. On matters security, the FHD IR camera supports fast and secure face login with Windows Hello.
The laptop comes with a detachable keyboard which is thin and attaches to the second screen via a pogo pin connector. It attaches to the screen via a magnet which is firm, so you don’t have to worry about it falling off accidentally.
The keyboard is wireless which means that you can place it in front of the device and enjoy content on both screens. It works very well and comes with a wide touchpad that has a smooth surface which allows for accuracy. It also comes with a stylus that works quite well. With a battery life of the detached keyboard module being 7-10 days one is sure to utilize it the maximum without worrying that the battery will die on you.
The device comes with a kickstand which is quite sturdy and is able to hold the weight of the laptop while using the dual screen mode.
Zenbook DUO comes with two Thunderbolt 4 connections which support fast charging, 4K external displays, and up to 40 Gbps data transfer. It also has a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port and a HDMI 2.1 port which is useful in case you want to use an external display. It also rocks a 3.5mm headphone jack for the audiophiles.
Display
The Zenbook DUO UX8406 comes with two screens which are 14-inch OLED display with 3K (2,880 x 1,800) resolution and a 120Hz Refresh Rate. They also have an aspect ratio of 16:10 and a 0.2 milliseconds response time. The high response time ensures smoother fast-paced action scenes, low-latency gameplay. They have a maximum brightness of 500 nits which is adequate for any lighting condition.
The screens are certified for eye care by TÜV Rheinland and SGS with 70%-lower blue-light emissions. This ensures that your eyes will not get strained during those long working hours behind the keyboard.
The dual screen mode is quite handy as it allows one to handle multiple tasks at a go for example scheduling articles while watching a movie or say attending a virtual meeting while taking minutes in the secondary screen.
Performance
Zenbook DUO UX8406 rocks an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor which is a 16-core part with support for up to 22 threads and it runs at a maximum boost frequency of 5.1GHz. When it comes to memory, it has to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage. The CPU also has a neural processing unit which is designed to accelerate AI tasks.
I used the laptop for day-to-day tasks which included streaming videos, playing music, online meetings and opening countless tabs on the browser and I have to say that it performed well and without any lags. When it comes to gaming, the laptop is able to handle games with ease.
Sound
The laptop rocks Harman Kardon speakers which produce high quality sound which is enhanced by a Dolby Atmos system. You will definitely love listening to music or watch movies on this laptop.
Battery Life
The Zenbook DUO comes with a 75 Wh lithium-polymer battery which gave me about 8 hours of usage before needing to recharge. However, I noted that using both screens reduced the potential battery life. Good thing is that it comes with a 65W fast charging adapter and reaches 60% within roughly 49 minutes and got to 100% at about an hour and 20 minutes.
Conclusion
I have to say that I was impressed by the laptop’s sleek design, build quality, dual OLED screens not to mention the sound. It is a definite buy if you a looking for a laptop that will allow you to multitask with ease and good battery life that definitely gets the job done. You can purchase the Zenbook Duo here.