ASUS Zenbook Duo (UX8406): Analysis of a beast

Lately it seems that only laptops focused to the gaming environment They have the right to monopolize the covers of websites, however, productivity also has a fairly important market niche, especially when we talk about teleworking.

ASUS Zenbook Duo is a real beast, with incredible technological solutions and a stunning double OLED screen. Discover with us one of the most incredible laptops on the market, with features for all tastes, debuting with a new processor and above all, designed to maximize your productivity capabilities. Are you going to miss it? We're sure not, so don't waste another second.

As on other occasions, we have decided to accompany this analysis with a video in our YouTube channel, because a picture is worth a thousand words, so if you want, you can continue directly there and join a community of more than 15.000 technology lovers.

Design: It's not quite a laptop...

The device, like almost all ASUS computers, and even more so those with a price of infarct, is pampered down to the smallest detail. The laptop has arrived in the color “Inkwell Grey”, Look how marketing managers like to mess around with colors. Dark gray for the whole family, but I'm not going to deceive you, it's very cool.

The device is manufactured with US MIL-STD 810 military certification, so its resistance is not in question. But as we have said, andThis laptop is not very "portable", it is due to its weight without keyboard of 1,35 Kg, which goes up to 1,65 Kg with the keyboard mounted. As for the dimensions, they are not modest either, 31,35 x 21,79 x 1,46 / 1,99 centimeters. The thickness penalizes you notably compared to other competing laptops.

We do have, however, a solution that I at least had not seen before, a kind of stand at the bottom that works very well and allows us to put the computer almost vertically. In addition to this, pay attention, because it is possible to open the laptop cover without using both hands, something that in my more than ten years of testing devices I have only been able to observe in Apple laptops. This is nothing more than another example of the care with which ASUS has designed and manufactured this Zenbook Duo, a masterpiece of engineering.

Hardware: Power to work

We are going to talk a little about the hardware, and we will start with the processor. A boast with him Intel Ultra 9 185H, a 2,3 GHz base processor, with up to 24 MB cache and up to 5,1 GHz in turbo mode. It has 16 cores and 22 threads, making it one of the most suitable for this type of laptop.

On the graphics card we do not find so much display, Integrated Intel Arc, We will not be able to enjoy gaming in its highest definition, but more than enough for processes and applications that require many resources. Besides, It has an independent neural processor, the Intel AI Boost NPU.

All of the above is accompanied by 32 GB of LPDDR5X RAM integrated on board, and 1TB of M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. In this sense, ASUS has opted for the most recent and powerful technology. It is noticeable when turning on and moving through the Operating System (Windows 11 Home Edition) that we have chosen ultra-fast storage systems, and it is appreciated. However, I want to point out that it is the minimum expected in a device of these characteristics and prices.

We have a double HD camera (720p) with IR function, It has an infrared sensor that will help us integrate it with Windows Hello. The reality is that the quality of the camera is more than enough for regular video conferences. I have, however, missed a mechanical system to disable it.

With regards to connectivity we do not lack anything:

• 1 3.2 x USB
• 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C)
• 1x HDMI 2.1 TMDS
• 1x 3,5mm Combo Audio
• Bluetooth 5.0
• Dual band Wifi 6 (2×2)
• Built-in microphone array

At the level of autonomy, We have a 75 Wh battery, with four lithium ion cells. It will offer us an acceptable autonomy of almost a day's work with a screen and keyboard, things change (for the worse) if we want to use both screens. To charge it, we have a compact 65W adapter with a 1,5 meter cable that will delight lovers of minimalism.

Double screen and multimedia

We are greatly surprised by the double screen. The operation is simple, we remove the keyboard and enjoy. Both screens, 14″ OLED, are touch screens, and have Gorilla Glass, although the anti-reflective coating can be improved.

• 3K OLED (2880 x 1800)
• Ratio 16: 10
• 120Hz refresh rate
• 500 nits of maximum HDR brightness
• DCI-P3 Color
• HDR True Black 500 VESA Certification
• Pantone Validated
• Blue light reduction
• 91% ratio
• Dolby Vision

These screens are compatible with the stylus that is purchased separately. They are incredibly well tuned and it is a real luxury to enjoy content (and create it) directly. The same happens with sound, compatible with Dolby Atmos and signed by Harman/Kardon, little more could be asked for.

We can use the double screen in:

• Traditional laptop mode
• Dual screen mode
• Desktop mode with double vertical screen
• Shared mode, with the double screen on a surface

In addition to the above, if you dare, you will have a full keyboard directly on the touch screen. This leads us to talk about the keyboard, With a travel of 1,4 millimeters it helps us mitigate finger fatigue, it seemed very complete to me, although once again, the trackpad is the weak point, for its large area without button interaction.

Editor's opinion

We conclude with my opinion. We are looking at an almost museum piece, two screens that are the envy of the market, fully integrated stylus compatibility, a keyboard solution never seen before, and a very high perceived quality. All of this contrasts, of course, with a laptop that is very little portable.

The price is amazing, above the 2.500 € at the main points of sale. We bring you the information, now you decide.