T3 - UK (2020-03)

of the screen is tempered by the extra
thickness and weight. The bottom
screen also doesn’t seem capable of
matching the brightness of the main
display, either, which is disappointing.
Battery life takes a hit. The Duo
can’t keep up with other laptops in
that regard, and was unable to make it
past six hours on full brightness with
both screens active in our tests.
There are other features beyond
the ScreenPad Plus, of course. The
Zenbook Duo has a handful of nice
security features built in, from a
manual webcam power button to a
quick lock function key, which is
perfect for thwarting a nosy family
member or colleague. An infrared
camera setup means you can use
Windows Hello to unlock your Duo
with your face, even in dimly lit
spaces. Fully integrated Alexa support
in Windows 10 is also a pleasant
addition to the omnipresent Cortana.
Physically speaking, the Zenbook
Duo has all the connectivity most
users could want. Two standard USB
ports are joined by a high-speed
USB-C port, MicroSD card reader, and
audio jack. There’s even an HDMI port
for linking a second (or third, in this
case) display. There’s also 802.11ax
high-speed Wi-Fi 6 connectivity,

providing the fastest in wireless

connections to make up for the lack

of a standard Ethernet port.

While both screens do have their

drawbacks, the upper display is still a

decent LED panel; colours are vibrant

and sharp, surrounded by a super-

slim bezel. The viewing angle is

fantastic, with a 178-degree field-of-

view that makes it great for multiple

viewers to crowd around and watch.

We wish it was a bit bigger, though

Asus has released a supercharged,

15.6-inch model of the Duo: the

Zenbook Pro Duo.

Unfortunately, it feels like the

Zenbook Duo is doomed to remain in

the shadow of that big brother. The

Pro model is almost twice the price

(depending on the model you opt for),

but the larger form factor makes it

better suited to the double-screen

design. It also packs a 4K main display

and ScreenPad Plus, along with a far

superior GPU and the aforementioned

integrated numpad.

Yes, this version is significantly

cheaper; £1,500 isn’t a slender asking

price, sure, but performance-wise the

Zenbook Duo is worth the money.

With a unique selling point as

significant as the ScreenPad Plus, it

feels like Asus could’ve priced this

laptop higher without incurring too

much wrath from consumers.

But that lower price comes at a

cost, and in this case it took the

ZenBook Duo a point where we just

can’t quite heartily recommend the

product. It has its merits for sure, and

there will be plenty of people who

could make great use of such a

gigantic touch bar, so we can’t

disparage it too much. If the twin-

display gimmick doesn’t sound like a

gimmick to you, then you might be

better off buying the Pro edition.

WE’RE IMPRESSED Sturdy, ergonomic build;

Wi-Fi 6; lower screen is a good concept.

WE’D IMPROVE Thick and heavy; cramped

keyboard; touch screen has design issues.

THE LAST WORD A decent laptop with a

supersized touch bar, but it’s not a no-brainer.

VERDICT

View our selection of the world’s best

laptops here: bit.ly/t3laptops

MARCH 2020 T3 85

Asus ZenBook Duo

Colours on both

screens are vibrant

and sharp

ALL LIT UP

The cool white keyboard

backlighting looks great,

and the key press response

feels particularly good.

The edges of the keyboard

are a bit squished, though,

making some keys

uncomfortably small

SOUND THOUGHT

Audio design by Harman Kardon

means that music and videos

sound good, although not

beyond what is expected from a

laptop of this size; the speakers

are fairly small