If you have tried the ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) UX8406 Since its release earlier this year, chances are you’ve received several notifications that the product is out of stock. The laptop, with its revolutionary dual 14″ full-size 3K OLED touchscreens and detachable full-size Bluetooth keyboard, offers plenty of power and generous screen real estate, making it a dream come true for multitaskers.
I got the chance to try out the ASUS Zenbook Duo, and believe me, there’s a good reason why so many retailers have the device waitlisted. To read my honest review of the laptop and see if I would pay $2,199 for the ASUS Zenbook Duo, read my thoughts below.
ASUS
This dual-screen laptop comes with two full-size touchscreens, a detachable keyboard, and an integrated stand.
- Incredible for multitasking
- Responsive touchscreen displays
- Includes 2 crystal clear 14″ OLED screens
- Everything looks and feels great
- Generous screen real estate
- Accessories vary by region
- Significantly more expensive in Canada
- Speakers are a bit muddy
- Some may find the keyboard slippery
$2,199 at ASUS
What is it: The 2024 ASUS Zenbook Duo is a dual-screen laptop with two full-size 14″ 3K OLED touchscreens and a detachable Bluetooth magnetic keyboard.
What is included: Accessories vary by region. Bee Best Buy Canadashoppers will only receive a laptop and an ultra mini adapter.
Who is it good for: If multitasking and peak productivity are your tech love language, then ASUS Zenbook Duo is for you.
What’s missing: If you’ve seen review videos showing cool accessories like a laptop case, backpack, and stylus, you’ll be disappointed. Accessories vary by region, and Canadian shoppers certainly get the short end of the stick.
The details
The ASUS Zenbook Duo 14″ OLED touchscreen laptop is a dream come true for multitaskers and is even named one of the best laptops of 2024 by Tom’s Guide.
Although the Zenbook Duo looks and functions like a regular laptop, it goes beyond traditional models. When you remove the detachable keyboard, you are presented with two 14″ 120Hz OLED screens. These screens can be used in different modes: laptop mode with one screen and the keyboard attached, dual screen mode with a virtual keyboard, dual screen mode with the physical keyboard, desktop mode with both screens in portrait configuration and share mode where the screens lie flat like a tablet.
The keyboard snaps into place easily and will theoretically never run out of battery as it is constantly charging while plugged in. If you detach the keyboard to access both screens, it features a USB Type C port for charging. If you feel like working without the physical keyboard, you can use the virtual keyboard and virtual touchpad on the screen.
If you want to access one of the dual-screen modes, the back has an adjustable built-in stand that keeps the screens stable. When fully extended, ASUS Zenbook Duo offers up to 19.8″ of workspace – more than enough room for creative projects, presentations and more.
The Zenbook Duo is the perfect laptop for digital nomads, weighing 1.65 kg (3.6 lbs) and being 2 cm thin. The 75Wh lithium-ion battery provides hours of video enjoyment in both laptop and dual-screen modes, although users can choose to save battery power in traditional laptop mode.
ASUS
– Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor and 16 GB LPDDR5X RAM
– 1TB SSD drive
– Two full-size 14-inch OLED touchscreens with 1920 x 1200 resolution
– Integrated Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) (dual-band) 2×2 and Bluetooth 5.3 wireless card
– Lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 75 Wh
– Meets military standards MIL-STD 810H
– Pre-installed with Windows 11 Home operating system
– 1x audio jack, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, 2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C and 1x USB Type-C on detachable keyboard provide multiple options for connecting external devices
– Full HD IR webcam with ASUS AiSense technology ensures fast facial login
$2,199 at ASUS
What good does it do?
My first impressions of the ASUS Zenbook Duo can be summarized as follows: it is a very cool laptop. I’m by no means a technical expert, but I found the installation super easy. Right from the start, the two 14″ 3K OLED screens give a major wow factor. These screens are made for multitasking. The two screens, plus the detachable keyboard, make this the best home laptop I’ve come across. Takes the convenience of the two monitor screen of your office and packs it into a compact laptop form.
The ASUS Zenbook Duo has a lot of different configurations for you to play with. I’ve used dual-screen mode to read a recipe and watch a program at the same time, and desktop mode to create full-screen presentations with all my resources and photos fully accessible on the other screen.
At 3.6kg, the laptop is slightly heavier than some of its competitors, but when you consider everything it packs, the weight is next to nothing.
The first time I expanded the screens to full capacity, there were definitely some nerves involved. One screen actually looks like it’s floating on top of the other, but thanks to the strong stand and hinge, you don’t have to worry about the second screen falling over. The laptop also meets the extremely demanding military MIL-STD 810H standards for reliability and durability, passing multiple high and low temperature, shock, vibration and altitude tests.
In short, it’s a laptop you want to work with at home. If, like me, your days involve a lot of multitasking and dozens of tabs open, the ASUS Zenbook Duo will be a joy to work on.
Room for improvement
Although the ASUS Zenbook Duo is almost perfect, there are a few drawbacks to note.
First: battery life. Considering this device has two 14″ OLED panels, it shouldn’t surprise you that you won’t get the double-digit battery life of other laptops. In dual-screen mode, battery life is around eight hours. That’s obviously not the case .the worst, but if you want to use Photoshop, listen to music, watch a show, and have dozens of tabs open, you’ll want to park near a power source.
Another disadvantage of the Zenbook Duo is the lackluster audio. In my experience, the speakers were a little muddy, but not enough to put you off unless audio quality is your top priority.
Finally, and perhaps my biggest complaint, is the lack of accessories given to Canadian customers. In the US and several other countries, the Zenbook Duo comes with a backpack, an ASUS Pen 2.0 SA203H with MPP 2.0 support, and a 65W USB-C charger. In Canada you get the charger. ASUS notes that accessories vary by region; However, I wasn’t too happy when I realized that it is Canadians who are falling short of what is freely given to other markets. The laptop already costs $2200 CAD versus $1500 USD, so the lack of accessories almost feels rude – or impolite, as we Canadians would say.
Is the ASUS Zenbook Duo worth buying?
Despite some minor issues, the ASUS Zenbook Duo deserves its near-perfect rating. The laptop’s dual screen is a dream come true for anyone who needs extra screen real estate and device versatility. The Zenbook Duo is an extremely useful laptop and, despite the lack of accessories for Canadian consumers, well worth the $2,199 price tag.
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