Two screens actually are higher than one

It takes time for novel designs to catch on. Besides, I’m nonetheless questioning why the Zenbook Duo hasn’t had a much bigger affect in the marketplace after ASUS launched its first true dual-screen laptop two years ago. Notebooks like these present the form of display house you’d usually solely get from a twin monitor setup, however in a way more compact type issue which you could simply tackle the highway. It might be that folks had been cautious of an unfamiliar design, shorter battery life or shopping for a first-gen product — all of that are comprehensible issues. Nevertheless, now that ASUS has given the ZenBook Duo a complete redesign for 2026, the corporate has addressed virtually all of these limitations to entry whereas making it an much more convincing machine for anybody who might use extra show house. Which, in my expertise, is just about everybody.

Editor’s observe: The 2026 ASUS Zenbook Duo is predicted to be out there for pre-order someday in late February, with basic availability slated for March.

Design

For the brand new mannequin, ASUS did not mess with the laptop computer’s primary format an excessive amount of. As a substitute, the corporate polished and tightened all the pieces up, leading to a system that weighs about the identical (3.6 kilos) whereas decreasing its general measurement (12.1 x 8.2 x 0.77 to 0.92 inches) by 5 p.c. Critically, you continue to get a built-in kickstand on the underside and a removable keyboard that you just transfer wherever you need. There’s additionally a good variety of ports, together with two USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, one USB-A 3.2 jack, HDMI 2.1 and a combo audio port. That stated, I do want ASUS had discovered room for an SD card reader of some variety, although given the Zenbook Duo’s distinctive design, I get why that did not make it.

One of many Zenbook Duo’s most essential design upgrades is a brand new “hideaway” hinge that reduces the hole between the laptop computer’s two screens. Not solely does this make the laptop computer simpler and extra nice to make use of in dual-screen mode, it additionally permits your complete system to put flat on a desk, which is good for drawing or sharing your display with somebody sitting reverse you. Sadly, whereas my assessment unit didn’t include one, ASUS says its forthcoming Pen 3.0 will come bundled with the Zenbook Duo within the US, so that you gained’t have to pay further for it.

One other small however appreciated enchancment is the brand new pogo pins beneath the decrease show, which gives a safer and dependable manner of protecting the laptop computer’s removable keyboard topped up. In my expertise, even after working a number of rundown checks that fully drained the Duo’s battery, I by no means needed to cost up the keyboard by itself. It was at all times sensible sufficient to sip electrical energy from the principle system within the background, although it additionally has a built-in USB-C port for energy simply in case. On the flipside, in case you’re not terrified of typing on glass, you may nonetheless use the decrease display as a keyboard and touchpad, or as a spot to show widgets for information, the climate, efficiency and extra.

Shows

The standout characteristic on the Zenbook Duo continues to be its twin shows, and now for 2026, they give the impression of being higher than ever. Each OLED panels have a 144Hz refresh charge with a 2,880 x 1,800 decision whereas additionally protecting one hundred pc of the DCI-P3 spectrum. And whereas its nominal brightness of 500 nits for SDR content material is simply OK, ASUS makes up for that with peaks of as much as 1,000 nits in HDR. And to make each screens much more pleasurable, ASUS managed to shrink the scale of their bezels down to only 8.28mm. That is a discount of 70 p.c in comparison with the earlier mannequin, so now there’s even much less getting in the way in which of you using these screens to their fullest.

Efficiency

The Zenbook Duo may be configured with a spread of latest Intel Core Extremely 7 and Core Extremely 9 processors, together with the X9 388H chip used on our assessment unit. For basic use and productiveness, the laptop computer is tremendous easy and responsive, although that should not be a shock coming from Intel’s newest top-of-the-line cell CPU. Nevertheless, for these in search of max efficiency, a number of the benchmark numbers aren’t fairly as spectacular as you would possibly anticipate. That’s as a result of ASUS has restricted the Duo’s TDP (thermal design energy) to 45 watts — which is shy of the chip’s 80-watt turbo energy restrict.

In PCMark 10, the Zenbook Duo solely managed a rating of seven,153 in comparison with 9,651 from a Dell XPS 14, regardless of the latter having a lower-tier Intel Core Extremely X7 358H processor. That stated, in different checks like Geekbench 6, the Duo had no hassle staying on high with a multicore rating of 17,095 versus 9,651 for the Dell.

One other nice shock is that as a result of the Duo’s chip comes with Intel’s upgraded Arc B390 built-in GPU, this factor has loads of oomph to sport on, not to mention edit movies or different related duties. In Elden Ring at 1,920 x 1,200, the Zenbook maintained a comparatively secure framerate between 55 and 60 fps on excessive settings, which is nice contemplating this factor does not have discrete graphics. This implies so long as you do not thoughts fidgeting with sport choices a bit, it’s best to be capable of play newer AAA video games with out an excessive amount of hassle.

Battery life

You’d suppose a laptop computer with two shows can be tremendous energy hungry. Nevertheless, by growing the capability of its cell from 75WHrs to 99WHrs, ASUS has made the Zenbook Duo’s endurance (or lack thereof) a whole non-issue. On PCMark 10’s Fashionable Workplace rundown take a look at, the laptop computer lasted 18 hours and 33 minutes in single-screen mode. Granted, that is almost 4 hours lower than what we bought from MSI’s Prestige 14 Flip AI+, however contemplating that is the longest-lasting pocket book we have ever examined, I am not bothered. When in comparison with ASUS’ own Zenbook A14 (18:16), issues are mainly a wash, which I believe is a win for the Duo, because the A14 is supposed to be an ultralight system with an emphasis on portability and longevity.

Clearly, battery life takes a success whenever you’re utilizing each shows. Nevertheless, once I re-ran our battery take a look at with its two shows turned on, the Duo nonetheless impressed with a time of 14:23. That is greater than sufficient to provide the confidence to set this factor up in dual-screen mode even when an outlet is not shut at hand. Fortunately, for instances whenever you do want an influence adapter, the charging brick on ASUS’ cable is somewhat compact, so it is not a chore to lug it round.

Wrap-up

I am a believer that in the future folks will finally embrace typing on screens with laptops identical to they’ve for smartphones. Nevertheless, even in case you’re not keen to make that bounce simply but, the Zenbook Duo nonetheless has all of its bases lined. Its removable keyboard offers you a pleasing expertise whereas liberating up the underside of the pocket book to be a second show. This lets you have one thing much like a conventional dual-monitor desktop however in a chassis which you could simply tackle the highway with none main compromises.

The 2026 Zenbook Duo combines a compact design with robust efficiency, loads of ports and surprisingly good battery life. Certain, it is a contact heavier than a typical 14-inch laptop computer, however its two screens greater than make up for a bit added weight and thickness. That leaves value because the Duo’s remaining disadvantage, and beginning at $2,100 (or $2,300 as reviewed), it definitely is not low-cost.

Nevertheless, when you think about {that a} equally geared up rival like a Dell XPS 14 prices simply $50 much less for a single display, that value distinction is somewhat negligible. Alternatively, in case you go for a extra reasonably priced ultraportable after which tack on a decent third-party portable monitor, you are still doubtless a bundle that prices between $1,500 and $1,800. Plus, that setup is considerably bulkier and extra annoying to hold round. So whereas the Zenbook Duo is likely to be an unconventional decide proper now, it has all of the instruments to ship unmatched moveable productiveness and I don’t suppose it will likely be an excessive amount of longer till the lots catch on.