ShortCircuit · Video summary
Windows is the worst thing about it - ASUS Zenbook Duo
The ASUS Zenbook Duo offers a unique dual-screen experience with a powerful Intel Ultra 9 chip, but faces trade-offs in speaker quality and potential thermal throttling.
Watch on YouTube ↗Key takeaways
- 💡The 'Seraluminum' chassis offers a premium feel with good scratch resistance and fingerprint resistance, contributing to the device's overall durable and high-quality construction.01:08
- 🎯The 'Sceraluminium' material provides a durable, scratch-resistant, and fingerprint-resistant finish that feels premium to the touch.01:15
- 💻The USB-C port on the detachable keyboard allows for wired connectivity to other systems, offering flexibility beyond its primary use with the Zenbook Duo.03:36
- 🚀The detachable keyboard offers flexibility, allowing it to connect via USB-C to other devices and enabling a wireless mode, though its attachment mechanism has some drawbacks.03:36
- 🔧The detachable keyboard's physical click mechanism can lead to accidental inputs, a notable usability issue that could be mitigated by a software option to disable physical clicks.06:39
- 🔧Be mindful of the keyboard's trackpad sensitivity and physical click, potentially adjusting your typing and resting habits to avoid accidental clicks.06:39
Chapters
- 0:00🎯 Introduction and unboxing
- 0:06🎯 Design and build quality
- 3:04🎯 Ports and hinge
- 3:41🎯 Opening and keyboard
- 9:56🎯 Display features
- 11:05🎯 Display testing and color accuracy
- 12:08🎯 Speakers and webcam
- 13:41🎯 Internal specs and battery
- 14:48🎯 Software and features
- 16:34🎯 Gaming performance
- 18:49🎯 Thermal performance and heat
- 18:58🎯 Price and value
- 20:01🎯 Conclusion and future prospects
The digest
The ASUS ZenBook Duo 2026 edition features a distinctive dual-screen design combining two 14-inch 3K OLED displays, paired with a top-tier Intel Panther Lake processor to deliver strong performance and excellent battery life. This laptop targets power users who value multitasking and productivity enhancements through its secondary screen, but it comes with trade-offs, especially in user interface quirks and Windows-related limitations. The review evaluates design, performance, thermals, usability, and price, highlighting both the innovation and compromises ASUS made.
Dual-Screen Innovation and Build Quality
The ZenBook Duo's defining feature is its two-screen setup: a large 14-inch primary OLED display plus a secondary 14-inch OLED touchscreen positioned above the keyboard. Both displays offer 3K resolution, up to 144Hz refresh rate, and up to 1000 nits peak brightness in HDR, ensuring vivid visuals and wide viewing angles. The use of OLED technology delivers superior color and contrast, which is beneficial for content creators and multitaskers.
The laptop’s chassis is made from "seraluminum," an aluminum body impregnated with ceramic to enhance scratch resistance and reduce fingerprints while maintaining a pleasant tactile finish. Despite its relatively thick profile, the ZenBook Duo is solidly built, resisting creaks and bends, including the kickstand on the back, which also provides quick access to the M.2 SSD slot for storage upgrades.
Port selection is thoughtful with dual Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports supporting power delivery and DisplayPort alt mode, an HDMI 2.1 port, a USB-A port, and a headphone/mic combo jack. A unique USB-C port on the detachable keyboard enables Bluetooth or wired connection to other devices, demonstrating flexibility.
Keep reading in The Digest
The full 6-minute article, 8 more sections, and every new episode from ShortCircuit and the creators you follow.
- Keyboard, Trackpad, and Input Experience
- Displays and Ergonomics
- Performance, Thermals, and Battery Life
- Software and Ecosystem
- Price and Positioning
- Key Framework: Dual-Screen Productivity Model
- Practical Implications & Takeaways
- Recommended Actions for Potential Users
