Asus Zenbook Professional 14 Duo OLED assessment: Perfecting the twin show laptop computer

Asus’ twin display Zenbook Duo laptops are like pandora’s packing containers for content material creators, providing a complete new productiveness expertise for these courageous sufficient to provide their distinctive two-display configurations a attempt. We’ve seen some good ones since they debuted at CES again in 2019, however none that fairly supply the steadiness of energy and ergonomics accessible on this newly minted 14-inch Zenbook Duo mannequin.

It wins the day due to its highly effective new Twelfth-generation processor, a extra seen ScreenPad Plus, and a taller, brighter 120Hz OLED major show that provides superlative visuals from each angle. To cap it off, a spate of considerate software program upgrades optimizes the ScreenPad Plus operation, making workflow extra seamless than earlier than.

Asus Zenbook Professional 14 Duo OLED specs:

The Asus Zenbook Professional 14 Duo OLED is out there in configurations as much as Intel Core i9-12900H and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU. Our assessment unit has the next specs:

• CPU: Intel Core i7-12700H
• RAM: 16GB DDR5 / 4800 MHz
• GPU: Intel Iris Xe graphics and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
• Shows: Main: 14.5-inch, 2.8K (2880 x 1800) touch-sensitive OLED, 120 Hz refresh charge, 100% DCI-P3 coloration gamut; Secondary: 12.7-inch (2880 x 864) touch-sensitive, IPS-level, 120Hz panel, 100% DCI-p3 coloration gamut
• Storage: 1TB SSD PCIe Gen 4
• Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), USB-A 3.2 Gen2, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio port, microSD Specific 7.0 reader
• Networking: Twin-band Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.2
• Dimensions: 12.74 x 8.85 x 0.70 inches
• Weight: 3.86 lbs (1.75kg)
• Coloration: Tech Black
• Battery capability: 76Wh
• Worth: $2,000

Design and construct

The Asus Zenbook Professional 14 Duo, like final yr’s 14-inch Zenbook Duo options not one however two shows – a 14.5 major show and a 12.7-inch secondary (ScreenPad Plus) show that’s planted neatly above the keyboard. Measuring 12.74 x 8.85 x 0.70 inches, its proportions are moderately compact and skinny. That stated, its 0.70-inch-thick chassis and three.86 pound weight doesn’t fairly qualify it as an Ultrabook.

There are some year-on-year design upgrades which make the 2022 Zenbook Professional 14 Duo higher than its predecessor. The obvious is that the secondary show now tilts up at 12 levels from the laptop computer’s base as a substitute of simply 7 levels earlier than. Ergonomically, that makes it loads simpler to see, as you gained’t need to crane your neck in an unnatural approach to get work performed.

Such a tall tilt is achieved by changing the 2021 Zenbook Duo’s Ergolift hinges with new AAS Extremely hinge mechanisms – a course of that required a rejig of among the inner elements. Going to all that bother has supplied a thermal payoff too. Asus say, the interior {hardware} will get a 38 % elevated airflow – therefore the moniker, AAS, which stands for: Lively Aerodynamic System.

Newly positioned air vents additionally work to chill the laptop computer. Gone are the vents that pressure scorching air upwards onto the first show. They’re changed by a neat row that blow scorching air out the left-hand aspect. Asus has camouflaged these to appear to be USB-A ports, so except palms are positioned in entrance of them, they may go unnoticed.

There are upgrades to major show too. It advantages from a bigger 92 % screen-to-body ratio and a taller 16:10 side ratio, which replaces the 16:9 side ratio we noticed final yr. It’s additionally notably brighter and by all accounts appears excellent from any angle you view it from.

For the model aware, this yr’s 14-inch Zenbook Duo makes a really perfect work accent. It seems glossy and complex it doesn’t matter what type of lighting you’re sitting underneath, and its Tech Black magnesium-aluminum alloy end blends it seamlessly into nearly any type of work setting.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Moreover, flipping the lid down reveals a easy however compelling Asus ‘A’ brand that displays nearly each coloration again at you underneath brilliant lights, so count on your Zenbook Duo to get loads of envious appears in boardroom conferences.

Keyboard and trackpad

Though as soon as once more fairly slim, the Zenbook Duo’s keyboard feels balanced and comfy. It does an honest job of constructing use of all of the accessible house within the chassis. The keys additionally really feel massive, they usually have a beneficiant 18.5 mm pitch between them.

They’ve handy dish-shaped depressions to stop your fingertips slipping off. The dish-shaped depressions plus the 1.4 mm vertical journey allowed me to realize a excessive degree of accuracy whereas writing my evaluations.

The standout keys are within the very prime row. These embrace the Fn keys and a few further productiveness shortcuts. Helpful examples embrace a key to show the ScreenPad Plus on and off, one to take instantaneous screenshots and one other to change the webcam on or off.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

I discovered the ErgoSense trackpad wasn’t as person pleasant because the keyboard. It felt just a little cramped, being only a small rectangle to work on. Its proper hand-side positioning additionally makes it awkward for lefties.

Alternatively, its floor felt snug, because of a clean hydrophobic PVD coating. The trackpad additionally helps multitouch gesturing in Home windows, which was helpful for accessing my desktop by the piles of home windows that I at all times have open.

Main show

In addition to being taller and brighter (I measured 547-nits brightness by my Lux meter) than earlier than, the first 14.5-inch OLED HDR touchscreen produces vibrant, richly saturated coloration pictures, and deep blacks that seemingly sink into the show. That’s because of the panel’s one hundred pc DCI-P3 coloration gamut and VESA DisplayHDR True Black score that permits a 1 million to 1 distinction ratio.

I used to be significantly impressed by the colour accuracy in photographs I clicked on. By the way, Asus say the OLED panel is Pantone validated, which is a giant win for designers and graphic artists that want that deep degree coloration accuracy.

As a brand new addition this yr, you too can customise the colour gamut for various duties through the Splendid web page within the MyASUS software program app. The assorted coloration modes embrace, an sRGB mode for creating net content material and searching, a DCI-P3 mode for cinema content material and a Show P3 mode for film grade coloration. Nonetheless, switching between them didn’t present up that a lot distinction.

Extra apparent was how manifestly clean the 120Hz OLED panel appeared whereas taking part in movies. Micro stuttering was absent. Frames have been additionally extremely sharp when in comparison with various new launch gaming laptops within the workplace. Consequently, if you happen to’re questioning whether or not this laptop computer’s major show is superior to a 165 Hz IPS-level panel with a comparative decision, the reply is a powerful sure.

Connectivity

The addition of the AAS hinges has allowed the ability enter, HDMI and MicroSD card reader to be moved to the again aspect this yr – a placement that does require you to uncomfortably lean over the laptop computer at occasions. The I/O choices are top-notch, nevertheless. Along with the above, you additionally get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-A 3.2 Gen2 port and a 3.5 mm audio port.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Energy customers that need to velocity up productiveness will undoubtedly put the Thunderbolt 4 ports to good use. Every port permits you to switch recordsdata at as much as 40Gb/s, or to supply output to as much as two 4K shows or a single 8K show.

The Zenbook Duo additionally sports activities Bluetooth 5.2, and twin band Wi-Fi 6E. The latter is made even higher by a number of sweetener applied sciences – Wi-Fi Stabilizer acts to stop electromagnetic sign interference, whereas a expertise referred to as SmartConnect works to supply the absolute best Wi-Fi sign in your setting.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Though troublesome to qualitatively measure, simply anecdotally my wi-fi sign appeared just a little extra dependable than my work laptop computer, so kudos to Asus for including these further wi-fi enhancements.

Webcam and audio

The Zenbook Duo packs a HD Webcam with Home windows Whats up compatibility. Testing it out revealed moderately crisp pictures, however sometimes the AI did are inclined to overcook faces, which appeared just a little plastic. On the plus aspect, footage look exceptionally brilliant in low gentle circumstances, which saves you the trouble of at all times having to activate overhead lights.

The laptop computer’s twin audio system with Dolby Atmos assist do an honest job of holding the audio sounding clear and crisp and noticeably louder than some laptops of an identical measurement. I used to be additionally impressed by how little distortion they produced on the laptop computer’s larger quantity ranges.

Efficiency

Contemplating my assessment unit’s Intel Core-i7-12700H CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU configuration, I pulled comparisons from the PCWorld steady of productiveness laptops as properly our record of gaming rigs. One pocket book particularly, the MSI Katana GF76, featured the identical GPU/CPU mixture as my assessment unit.

I started by operating the PCMark 10 General benchmark, which is sweet indicator of a laptop computer’s suitability for the trendy workplace setting; because it runs this benchmark simulates a variety of duties like phrase processing and video chats after which calculates an general rating based mostly on the outcomes. Right here, two AMD Ryzen powered productiveness laptops had a slight edge on the Zenbook Duo that was in any other case a robust performer on this check.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Subsequent, I examined the competency of the laptop computer’s CPU with Maxon’s Cinebench R20 Single-Threaded benchmark that targets only a single Core of our laptop computer’s CPU. On this benchmark the Zenbook Duo excelled, hitting a excessive rating of 692. This proves it has ample energy for on a regular basis duties like operating apps and packages.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Nonetheless in Maxon’s Cinebench R20 app, I ran the Multi-Threaded benchmark, which flexes all cores of a laptop computer’s processor. Once more, the Zenbook Duo topped our record of comparisons, fielding a rating of 5,585. CPU-intensive duties like video enhancing and encoding require a laptop computer to make the most of a number of CPU cores, due to this fact this end result exhibits the Zenbook Duo is properly suited to those duties.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Within the free HandBrake utility, I set the Zenbook Duo to encode a 30GB MKV file to MP4 utilizing the Android Pill preset. This check measured its means to carry out a CPU-intensive process earlier than it turned too scorching and needed to throttle efficiency. Within the outcomes, be aware how the Asus Zenbook Professional 14 Duo OLED finishes faster than the MSI Katana GF76.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

What do all these outcomes imply? Wanting them over, it’s clear that the Asus Zenbook Professional 14 Duo OLED offers enough processing energy for content material creators working in packages like Adobe Premiere Professional and Adobe Photoshop. Its higher finish rating in PCMark 10 General additionally means it will likely be fast and snappy in productiveness apps like Microsoft Excel and Phrase.

The HandBrake end result, nevertheless, is especially encouraging. This means the Zenbook Duo’s innovate AAS facilitated aerodynamic design might in actual fact present thermal benefits over some bigger laptops with comparable Intel or Ryzen processors, just like the MSI Katana GF76, in CPU-intensive duties. That makes it a rarity amongst 14-inch productiveness laptops.

3D efficiency

Since their launch, Asus’s Zenbook Duo laptops have occupied a center floor for graphics efficiency, carving out a distinct segment above most productiveness laptops, however barely beneath high-end gaming laptops. That feels about the place the newest mannequin sits too, based mostly on the outcomes of my benchmarking.

Regardless, the outcomes that play out beneath present that the Zenbook Duo is supplied with sufficient grunt to carry out capably in functions that contain 3D rendering, and though not a gaming laptop computer, it may even produce first rate body charges in reasonably demanding 3D video games.

To gauge the overall graphics efficiency of my Zenbook’s RTX 3050 Ti GPU I used the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark. As you’ll be able to see within the graph beneath, the Zenbook Duo positioned second solely to the MSI Katana GF76, outperforming most comparisons, together with some with RTX 3050 Ti discrete graphics playing cards.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

For the Rise of the Tomb Raider sport benchmark comparability chart, I selected to pit the Zenbook Duo towards gaming laptops. It proved solely barely off the tempo of that comparability record.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Battery life

Whereas the Zenbook Duo’s {hardware} and graphics efficiency extra intently resembles a gaming laptop computer than a productiveness laptop computer, so too does its battery life, which proved to be considerably missing.

To check the battery life, I ran the laptop computer down from one hundred pc cost to standby by taking part in a 4K Hollywood film on repeat. On this check, I generally discover productiveness laptops with 76Wh batteries can final between 9 to 13 hours, however the Zenbook Duo solely lasted seven hours, which suggests you’ll be able to solely count on it to final roughly 4 hours for battery-taxing duties like 3D rendering or gaming.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Consequently, you’ll need to be round an outlet after your morning espresso break if you wish to maintain it powered up for a full working day.

Do you have to purchase it?

The Zenbook Professional 14 Duo OLED is a well-tuned instrument for content material creators, excelling at a variety of common workplace duties in addition to duties that require just a little extra grunt like encoding and 3D rendering. The massive attraction is the laptop computer’s twin shows. They’re the perfect ones we’ve utilized in an Asus Zenbook Duo laptop computer thus far with a spate of year-on-year enhancements that make the visuals extra hanging and the cross-screen integration simpler than ever earlier than.