The latest version of the Asus Zenbook Duo is finally in our hands. Yes, we know, this came out earlier this year but it’s finally here, and in Text Book Centre stores countrywide. And it’s just great. A well-made machine; Chassis and lid made of magnesium aluminum alloy, feels good to touch, looks amazing, sounds amazing, just an awesome laptop to have. Seriously!
Last year we reviewed the UX481, and let’s just say, the Asus Zenbook left an impression on us. First impressions last, and we were awed to see the secondary display above the keyboard, appropriately called the ScreenPad in the dual display set up the first time, and we are again this time. Too good! It has a NanoEdge display with TÜV Rheinland Eye Care certification, to deliver those vivid colors and to care for your eyes of course, how sweet. The 14-inch FHD NanoEdge display features incredibly slim 4 mm bezels, 93% screen-to-body ratio.
So the Zenbook is great to look at and touch, but it also packs a serious engine to run all the operations smoothly and most efficiently. The power consumption at 150 nits is only 1W, which is over 50% lower compared to the panel power consumption of most laptop panels. Maximum brightness is 400 nits on the latest Zenbook.
The personalization options on these dual displays is incredible. So many options if you work with Photoshop or premier pro, it makes your work seamless and easy. The 2021 Zenbook comes with a new and improved UI and shortcuts, Improved action menu to move apps between displays, customizable control panel for Adobe software (Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop, and Lightroom Classic)
This 2021 Zenbook is a thin and light laptop, coupled with 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processors, 32 GB of LPDDR4X 4266 MHz memory, Thunderbolt 4, full size HDMI, USB Type-A, 3.5 mm audio jack and a microSD card reader. It’s definitely a gift that keeps on giving.
But then there is more to keep you smiling on this latest Zenbook. The audio quality from Harman Kardon. The dual speakers, placed under the ScreenPad which raises up to reveal them result in louder volumes, richer depth and surround effects, seriously. Great design again by Asus.
We have to talk about the new hinge design now, the Zenbook assumes a tilted stance when you open it with also tilts the ScreenPad, revealing the Harman Kardon and also acts as an air vent. All this in one swift motion. This thing is great and honestly I caught myself closing and opening it to see how the whole mechanism works. Very impressive.
An anomaly that soon becomes unnoticeable is the off center track pad. Since the ScreenPad takes up almost half the real estate on the keyboard side of the Zenbook, the trackpad is placed on the right hand side where a numbers pad would be on a larger laptop. The keyboard is back lit, firm keys, just all round good experience once you get used to it or just pair a Bluetooth mouse and go that way. Whichever way you decide, one thing is for sure, Bring that 2021 Zenbook out at the coffee shop…
Up to 17-Hours of Battery Life Plus Fast-Charging
The 2021 ZenBook Duo 14 is available with a 70-watt-hour battery that offers up to 17-hours* of battery life for all-day use. The ZenBook Duo 14 also offers a fast charge function that charges the battery from 0% to 60% in under 49 minutes
Built-in G-sensor
When leaving their laptop, many users close their laptop lid or adjust it to a low angle to prevent others from viewing what is on their screen. The 2021 ZenBook Duo 14 has two G-sensors on the lid and motherboard, that can detect the opening angle of the laptop. When it is less than 80-degrees, it will automatically reduce the CPU TDP to limit power consumption and boost its battery life
Control Panel
To help creators accelerate workflows with the ScreenPad Plus, ASUS has added a new Control Panel app to ScreenXpert 2.0. This function currently supports Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop, and Lightroom Classic. When the user opens any of these apps, the Control Panel app opens a corresponding panel suited to each software set, enabling commonly used functions such as zoom, brightness, and contrast via sliders, buttons and dials. Creators can fully customize the functions and icon positioning for each of the app specific decks. The Control Panel will automatically launch the deck assigned to each of the supported apps.
Action Menu
When a window is moved, a built-in floating shortcut menu with Switcher and ViewMax automatically pops up. App Switcher allows users to define where windows should be shifted to on the ScreenPad Plus. Four location options are available.
ViewMax allows users to maximize their workspace by merging the main and secondary display into one large virtual display.
AIPT – ASUS Intelligent Performance Technology
The 2021 ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 features ASUS Intelligent Performance Technology (AIPT) that boosts the CPU power setting from 15W to 28W watts, sustained, to improve performance. AIPT also dynamically adjusts power consumption according to the system loading status and temperatures, to optimize power consumption, efficiency and to achieve quieter operation and cooler temperatures.
Combined with the exceptional thermal design of ASUS laptops, ASUS Intelligent Performance Technology significantly increases processor efficiency to improve performance by up to 40%*. Thanks to the high quality thermal module and fan design the 2021 Asus Zenbook Duo 14 is able to operate the CPU at 28W nonstop.
ASUS exclusive algorithm with smart sensors
In addition, ASUS Intelligent Performance Technology not only features AAS PLUS for heat dissipation, but also features smart sensors on the motherboard of the new 2021 ZenBook Duo 14. The sensors allow temperature detection for various components in real time. Based on temperature data, an ASUS-exclusive algorithm accurately calculates the current power-consumption output needs of the CPU, allowing the laptop to achieve optimal power efficiency.
Through the test results of H.264(X264) and H.265(X265) benchmarks, we can see that the new ZenBook with AIPT not only has a significantly shorter processing time than the default 15 W setting, but it also consumes almost the same power.
Here is a great video review by Unbox Therapy. (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsTcErHg8oDvUnTzoqsYeNw)
