The webcam quality is mediocre at best, though, much like with other current notebooks. The Bottom Line. Finally, this laptop also gets a webcam and the microphones, both placed at the top of the screen, next to the IR cameras for Windows Hello. The fact that the top screen is so good – especially when it comes to brightness and vibrancy – means that the second Screenpad Plus screen looks a bit dull in comparison. Black Friday deals: see all the best offers right now! Essentially, it’s a supercharged Touch Bar – but while Apple’s slim screen (which also sits above the keyboard) is limited to shortcuts and icons, the much larger Screenpad Plus is able to show whole applications. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";amzn_assoc_enable_interest_ads = "true";amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "fatherday00-20";amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "auto";amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";amzn_assoc_region = "US";amzn_assoc_linkid = "b9262bfd0a741abacb709b2abd1d1026";amzn_assoc_emphasize_categories = "13900871";amzn_assoc_fallback_mode = {"type":"search","value":"laptop"};amzn_assoc_default_category = "PCHardware"; More importantly, the cooling has been completely redesigned, and the exhaust no longer blows into the screen. The performance on battery was surprisingly solid, though, on one of our samples, with the CPU constantly running at 45W TDP and returning scores of around 1000 points. It’s also worth adding that the 1% drop fairly low on this notebook, most likely due to the CPU’s thermal limitations, and that causes some noticeable stuttering from time to time. At the same time, the surface rattles when tapping it harder in order to compensate for that lack of response. The Asus ZenBook Pro Duo is an interesting spin on the classic laptop design, with two 4K screens and a huge amount of firepower built into its body. Among those, there’s the T-Rex functionality on the lap, the fairly heavy weight compared to other options, the somewhat limited CPU performance in demanding loads, and the multitude of aspects that you need to account for with an OLED laptop display. That second screen is the main reason why, on opening the laptop, the ZenBook Pro Duo feels like a futuristic laptop, despite its size and weight. On the other hand, the CPU is greatly limited and the GPU drops to around 30W while the laptop is unplugged, which suggests that the Pro Duo will struggle with demanding combined CPU+GPU loads in this case. The dual-screens are the main selling points of the ZenBook Pro Duo UX581. Screen: 15.6-inch, OLED Ultra HD (3,840 x 2,160), 14-inch Ultra HD (3,840 x 1,110) touch display We tested these titles at the screen’s native UHD resolution and on FHD, both with the undervolted CPU, stock GPU settings and fans on the Turbo profile. The dual screen setup of the ZenBook Pro Duo is by far its biggest selling point, and its most noticeable feature. The keyboard is also backlit, with white LEDs and three intensity levels to choose from. March 5, 2020 at 1:37 pm. And don’t forget you’ll also have to account for the power-brick in your backpack, at an extra .8 lbs, which you’ll most likely have to grab along, as battery life is not one of this computer’s strong assets and USB-C charging is not supported. Of course, the keyboard and trackpad have been pushed all the way to the front by the addition of that secondary display at the top, a design we’ve experimented on some ROG Zephyrus gaming notebooks in the past. First, we test the CPU’s performance in demanding loads by running Cinebench R15 for 10+ times in a loop, with 2-3 sec delay between each run, which simulates a 100% load on all the cores. I can’t tell how much that will bother you with actual use, just that I didn’t notice it during my time with the laptop. Asus also offers a higher tier variant with a Core i9-9880HK processor, 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, for $500 more ($3K for the top variant, $2.5K for the one we tested here). However, it feels like there are a few too many compromises made to house the second screen – known as the Screenpad Plus. I’d also like to see further development for third-party companion apps that would make better use of this ScreenPad, especially for the professional software this laptop targets: Premiere, Photoshop, Blender, Excel, etc. I would also like to know if the problem happens on both screens. As it is, there’s only a small grill on top of the CPU/GPU, but none on top of the fans. By tapping on an unobtrusive on-screen button, you can bring up a menu that lets you pin app shortcuts, tweak the Screenpad Plus’ settings and perform a few other nifty moves – for example quickly swapping which apps and windows are open on which screen. Finally, we also ran a few games on the ZenBook Pro Duo UX581, although this is not primarily a gaming notebook. You can get a Core i7/RTX 2060 gaming laptop for as low as $1100 these days, or better-balanced products that perform smother and are way less compromised for around $1500-$1700. You don’t get performance profiles on this ZenBook, so we’re using the stock settings for this test, with the fans on Turbo. TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. But at the same time, if money is no object, this dual-screen computer is so unique and different than everything else out there that it might just make sense for some of you. Overall, these results are in-line with our previous findings. In all fairness, you probably would, and you’d end up cheaper as well, but you’d have two things to carry around with you, not just a single notebook. We dialed back to -100 mV in order to prevent any stability issues. It means you can easily drag windows and apps down onto the Screenpad Plus and display them there. I’m not going to argue over the ScreenPad’s utility, I’ll just say that it will most likely grow on your the same way it did on me. OLED displays have an amount of graininess. I came in with little expectations, but ended up using it often, mostly out-loading various side-activities from the main display. You can also subscribe without commenting. I’ll also add that the laptop comes with a mid-sized 230W power brick, which weighs 1.8 lbs (.8 kg) in the two-piece European version, including the cables. Getting inside is fairly easy and requires you to remove the metallic back-panel, hold in place by a few screws visible around the sides. New York, Meanwhile, there’s also a version with an 8-core Intel Core i9-9980HK processor, and that sells for $3,299 (£2,999, around AU$4,900). Windows 10 treats the Screenpad Plus as a second monitor, so when you drag the mouse cursor to the bottom of the top screen, it will then appear on the bottom screen – and the reverse happens when you move the mouse to the top of the second screen. Asus ZenBook Pro Duo (UX581GV) Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (64-bit); 2.7Hz Intel Core i7-8559U; 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,666MHz; 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060; 1TB SSD For instance, the rubber feet on the bottom are larger and much grippier, and while there’s still not recess on the front lip, you can fairly easily grab the screen and lift it up with a single hand.