ASUS Zenbook Duo OLED (UX8406 2024) Review

In many ways, the new ASUS Zenbook Duo acts as the next evolution for the brand when it comes to extended displays. We have seen ASUS tackle more screen space in some rather creative ways in the past. Many of the Zenbook models feature displays on their trackpads, larger displays that make up the bottom of the chassis and even an entirely foldable OLED Zenbook. However, everything up to now has always felt like it was “almost there”. The Zenbook Duo feels as if ASUS has finally reached the end destination for its vision.

Watch the ASUS Zenbook Duo Review below

The notebook is a dual OLED device that from the outside, looks like just your average Zenbook. However, flip up the included keyboard and there are two 14-inch OLED panels that create a world of possibilities for users.

The ASUS Zenbook Duo is also packed with some high-end tech. It includes an Intel Core Ultra 9, 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. The Intel Core Ultra 9 is the most important part here but I will get into why during the benchmarks.

Of course, the big push for the ASUS Zenbook Duo is to deliver more screen real estate while offering an extremely portable and on-the-go solution. So is it practical but what corners have been cut to deliver a dual OLED notebook that only weighs 1.5 kg?

ASUS Zenbook Duo Design

It goes without saying that the ASUS Zenbook Duo is the most unique notebook I have ever used. This nifty device looks like a normal single-display Zenbook from the outside with the traditional markings and all the ports you would expect from a fully-fledged notebook. Sure, it is a little bit thicker than ASUS other Zenbook models but this tech is hiding away an entire second display.

When I say “hiding” I really mean it. I went around and asked my family to open up the device. Upon opening it, they asked me “What is so special about this?” That’s because unless you know there’s another display hidden underneath the half-sized keyboard, you won’t be none the wiser.

The body of the ASUS Zenbook Duo is made from a magnesium aluminium alloy. The full metal shell makes it incredibly lightweight but also premium. There’s almost no plastic on this device at all bar the rubber-like bezels on the displays and the keyboard. The unit doesn’t feel like a chunk of metal and if anything, feels almost plasticky thanks to the magnesium aluminium.

When closed, the device looks like a notebook. On the left, you’ll find a USB 3.0 port and two USB-C ports. The keyboard switch and USB-C charging port for the detachable unit are technically on the left of the device too. On the right, you’ll find an HDMI 2.0 port and audio jack combo. When it comes to ports, that’s all you’ll get here. The unit charges with USB-C so there’s no extra charging port either.

The bottom of the ASUS Zenbook Duo then features a metal kickstand. This kickstand can rotate to 90 degrees and feature some hefty hinges to keep the device stable. There are also some rubber feet on the unit to help with grip when positioned flat.

You’ll also spot some vents around the device on both sides, at the back and underneath it. There are also two speaker grilles. ASUS has packed the Zenbook Duo with Harmon Kardon speakers.

The unit opens up and can be positioned completely flat at 180 degrees. The keyboard is easily removed from the unit thanks to its magnetic pins that keep it in place. I was honestly surprised by the detachable keyboard. It is incredibly light and even with its ridiculously thin form factor, delivers a satisfying key press. ASUS even included a sizable trackpad on this tray too. Some brands don’t even include a large trackpad on their all-in-one notebooks let alone on a detachable keyboard. It makes gestures a breeze.

Removing the awesome keyboard I was greeted by the two-display design. Both OLED panels are identical here and are designed to function as a hybrid between a tablet and a notebook. However, that all depends on how well the software has been built around this experience and I had a few issues here and there. I will get into that in a second.

As for the displays, these are two of ASUS’ highly-calibrated OLED panels. They both pack a resolution of 2880 x 1800, an aspect ratio of 16:10, 100% DCI-P3 Colour Gamut, 120Hz refresh rate and they both reach a peak brightness of 550 nits. They also come with Dolby Vision support.

Having one OLED panel is already fantastic but having two is a whole other ballgame. Just general use of the device was a dream and the vibrant panels combined with the rich and bright colours make using this ASUS Zenbook Duo a real dream. It is the perks of one OLED display but doubled, of course, the 91% screen-to-body ratio also goes a long way to create as much screen space as possible. So whatever you’re doing, it looks wonderful.

The displays also work with the ASUS Pen 2.0 stylus which is included in the box. The pen is easy to pair with the ASUS Zenbook Duo and works as any other stylus would. It also includes various pressure points.

Overall, the OLED displays are superb. They look amazing to use and even the oleophobic coating helped keep smudges away…. most of the time. But the displays are only as good as the software running the experience and my time with the ASUS Zenbook Duo was somewhat hassle-free.

First off, ASUS offers various gestures that are meant to make life easier for those who are only using the displays and not the keyboard. For example, if you tap the bottom display with six fingers, Windows is meant to bring up a virtual keyboard. Essentially, this turns the device into a notebook without the physical keyboard. Helpful for those who need to quickly type something while using both displays.

This whole experience is handled by the built-in program called ASUS ScreenXpert. This works hand-in-hand with the ASUS Control Panel and Dial. The ScreenXpert experience is a mixed bag. I was able to tap six fingers on the display and launch the keyboard but at times, it felt unresponsive.

I could also slide six fingers up to pull up a larger on-screen keyboard with a large trackpad and slide them down to remove the keyboard altogether leaving the handwriting app behind.

Think of the experience like every finger slide would expand the offerings from a full-sized keyboard to a mini keyboard with handwriting and then closing it. So you’ll gesture across this rhythm depending on what you need.

The mini-keyboard is definitely the easiest to use in my opinion because it has the little trackpad on the right-hand side. This can be toggled. The larger keyboard would take some time to get used to. Not only does your hand rest on the display and get warm but resting my hand on the screen felt incredibly unnatural at first.

Even with some of the issues I was impressed by the apps and everything they had to offer. The Dialpad changes to whatever app I was using which is great for those who use it in programs such as Photoshop and Lightroom. I also thought the way ASUS has handled the digital keyboard was smart. Don’t get me wrong, it is not perfect but when it works it feels great.

The extra screen space is also helpful for the other modes of use here too. When you have ScreenXpert open, you can quickly toggle a range of shortcuts to access other apps. There’s also a window pop-up that appears when dragging any window across the display. Here I would quickly drop the window on either 1 or 2 which would send the window to either the first or second display. There’s also various blocks I could choose from to seamlessly arrange my windows the way I want. It saves dragging stuff around and finding room for it all.

I also really enjoy the cross-display wallpaper. It looks so awesome and when toggled for the first time, it moves. I just wish there were more to choose from because applying my own images didn’t look as if they were designed for these two displays.

Okay, so getting around managing these two OLED displays was a lot easier than I expected. However, that is thanks to ASUS’s software. There are a few hiccups here and there though. Especially when Windows 11 wants to jump in and help with a task. But for the most part, it was a smooth experience.

When it comes to the performance of this ASUS Zenbook Duo, it holds up quite well. The Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU is a relatively new processor that was only just announced in December 2023. The device includes the high-end Intel Core Ultra 9 185H that has a 5.1GHz boost clock. It also includes the Arc GPU with eight Xe Cores. This all helps boost visual performance while keeping the battery use low.

I ran some performance tests on the unit while plugged into the charger, of course. I focused on a visual 3D test and CPU test. I had a few issues with PCMark 10 crashing during its tests. I think the program just doesn’t work well with these new Intel notebook chips. I will update this review in the description as soon as I can get these tests completed.

• 3D Mark TimeSpy CPU Profile
  • Max Threads: 3124
  • 16 Threads – 3175
  • 8 Threads – 2635
  • 4 Threads – 1659
  • 2 Threads – 1269
  • 1 Thread – 933
• 3DMark Time Spy Graphics Score
  • Overall – 3801
• Geekbench
  • Single Core – 1989
  • Multi-Core – 10980

These tests showed that the ASUS Zenbook Duo is more than capable of tackling your daily tasks. Is this a heavy PC video editing device? Maybe some light video editing and photo editing but nothing overly crazy. The gaming benchmarks also showed that even with an Intel Arc GPU, this notebook isn’t a gaming device at all. Even using Intel’s XeSS AI upscaler test, we had frames in the low 10s. I wouldn’t suggest gaming at all, even light gaming.

During my tests, the fan did spin. There’s an obvious noise but I was surprised at how subtle it was. There was some heat build-up on both sides of the vents too. After heavy testing, I wouldn’t want to have this on my lap as the warmth can get a little overwhelming.

As for the speakers, I was surprised at how loud they were. They definitely lack a decent bass system but in terms of clarity and loudness, you can get away with music and video watching without worrying about sound quality.

Lastly, the battery life. This is my second hands-on with an Intel Core Ultra and I was taken aback by how energy-efficient this chip is. The chip combined with the 75Wh battery provides a reliable experience here. It can easily see you through 10 hours of use with 70% screen brightness on both displays. If you don’t use both displays, you’ll get more battery so it is all dependent on how much you use here. But given the power on offer and the dual-screen display, the battery life was quite impressive.

I have to praise the ASUS Zenbook Duo for its innovative design. While the device’s performance isn’t up to scratch, this unit feels a lot less gimmicky than previous dual-screen notebooks from ASUS and that is an achievement on its own. Using it felt natural and the simple things like removing the keyboard and propping the notebook up into its stand mode were seamless and hassle-free. Sure, there are still a few wonky software moments here and there but nothing that really got in the way of using the device. ASUS has done a great job here. If you’re looking for a lightweight and portable notebook that is more than just a single screen, this is the best you can get from the brand.

This ASUS Zenbook Duo review is based on a unit set to us by ASUS. The device is now available starting at R42,999. Find out more on the official site here.