Asus ZenBook Duo Pro 15 OLED è the new incarnation of the dual display laptop from Asus. We saw its first version two years ago, an evolution of it last year and this time we had the opportunity to try it with the addition of an OLED display and other interesting innovations that improve the user experience. Without further ado then let’s dive headlong into our Asus ZenBook Duo Pro 15 OLED review.
Asus ZenBook Duo Pro 15 OLED: our review
As you will surely imagine, one of the main features to evaluate with regard to this laptop lies in its distinctive feature, that is the second display, placed between the keyboard and the main screen. This panel is called ScreenPad + and features several enhancements that improve usability over its predecessors ZenBook Duo Pro 15.
First of all we have a better brightness, capable of reaching 400 cd / sqm, which is almost the same value as the main screen, and a resolution of 3840 pixels, both features that make it less tiring to use both displays at the same time. Particularly useful in this regard is the idea of tilting ScreenPad + slightly forward, which makes the touch interaction much more natural.
The same software that manages this component of the laptop has evolved significantly since its first appearance in 2019. In fact, with this latest model we notice a better possibility of managing the space on the screen and shortcuts, which makes it very versatile, even if not able to adapt to all situations.
One problem that ScreenPad + shares with its predecessor is in fact a general lack of bespoke applications. In fact, our only control tool will be the Control Panel which, although useful, has some significant limitations, such as the ability to interact only with Adobe suite software. Too bad because the software itself allows a very deep degree of customization of the various parameters.
Keyboard and touchpad
Another limit to keep in mind is keyboard design, a bit sacrificed and uncomfortable, as it has to share space with the ScreenPad + and consequently takes a long time to get used to. A necessary compromise, given that it is, by force of circumstances, so far ahead.
The result, in practice, is that you will be forced to work with your wrists raised and your arms “suspended”, a position that in the first days of use made our muscles a little sore and forced us to take a few more breaks than usual.
The touchpad instead it turns out to be the least successful design element of the entire laptop, since it is located on the right of the keyboard, it is very small and quite annoying to use frequently. We therefore advise you to equip yourself with a mouse with which to solve the problem, otherwise you could spend a bad quarter of an hour.
The display is OLED
In this case we are not faced with a big news, but it should be mentioned that this new model of ZenBook Duo mounts display OLED 4K. This is essentially the same display that was chosen for its predecessor, with refresh rate di 60Hz it’s a 15.6 inch diagonal.
The brightness, as we have partially anticipated a few paragraphs above, exceeds 400 cd / sqm, complete with very deep blacks and particularly high contrast. The end result is above average visibility, which will allow you to enjoy screen images in virtually any circumstance.
To make the couple with this great image quality we find two speakers of 2W each just below the body, which offer a sufficiently clean sound, even if not excellent, especially due to a rather marked lack of bass.
The hardware sector
If we take a look at what lies beneath the surface of ZenBook Duo Pro 15, we discover a one Tenth-generation Intel Core CPU or, more precisely, Core i9 10980HK equipped with 8 cores and 16 threads with 1 TB Samunsung SSD. The graphics card is not bad either NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 mobile.
With these two more than discrete components at our disposal, the laptop performs well in virtually every possible situation. We also add that if you work in graphics or video editing this laptop easily becomes something that is difficult to do without.
Entering the specific case of the reviewer who is writing this article, a frequent visitor of Premiere Pro, being able to view timelines and video sources on the display and ScreenPad + simultaneously and independently of each other is a function that made us truly appreciate the design of the PC, also by virtue of its hardware compartment, which is also able to reproduce the heavier videos without exhibit LAG phenomena during assembly.
If your work includes creative processes related in some way to image and video editing, then the Asus ZenBook Duo Pro 15 will hardly disappoint you.
Asus ZenBook Duo Pro 15 OLED: our review in brief
In conclusion, we can undoubtedly define Asus ZenBook Duo Pro 15 OLED an excellent laptop, but with important clarification. The distinctive and discriminating element of the device is the ScreenPad +, therefore any purchase must take this feature into account in relation to the advantages that we can draw from it in terms of our productivity.
After all, it is a device that to give the best of itself must be used in specific contexts and it must be said that, in such situations, you probably will not find a better model than this.