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ASUS’s new ZenBook Duo 14 has evolved beautifully over the years, including an internal layout redesign. The new redesign includes an ErgoLift and AAS plus hinge – this lifts the ScreenPad Plus to a comfortable slanted angle, offering an overall satisfying computing experience.
DESIGN
As soon as you take the laptop out of its packaging, you cannot help but drool all over its gorgeous magnesium-aluminum alloy body, which comes in a beautiful Celestial Blue finish. The ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 weighs just 1.6-kgs and is 16.9-mm thin. In the first generation of the ZenBook Duo, we saw ASUS include a surprise package called the ScreenPad Plus, in order to enable users with an ultimate edge in workflow and multi-tasking efficiency.
This time around, ASUS takes it a step further by equipping the new ZenBook Duo 14 with an AAS Plus and a new hinge design that lifts the 12.6-inch ScreenPad Plus by up to 7 degrees. ASUS has also bumped the brightness by up to 400nits on the 2021 ScreenPad Plus to avoid screen reflections and improve the overall touch screen experience.
DISPLAY
As you open the lid of the laptop, the first thing you see is the 14-inch FHD display with slim 4mm NanoEdge bezels on all four sides, making the display almost bezel-less. This translates into a screen-to-body ratio of 93%.
The display on this one is also PANTONE Validated to provide you with the most precise colour accuracy. You also get Low Blue light modes and Anti-Flicker technology, with the display having passed the TÜV Rheinland Eye Care certification.
HARDWARE
The ZenBook Duo 14 is as thin and light as a laptop can get. Under the hood, the ZenBook Duo 14 is powered by an 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor running at a clock speed of 2.80GHz. You also get 32GB of memory and 1TB of PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD storage.
In terms of connectivity, you get boatloads. There’s a Thunderbolt 4, a full-size HDMI 1.4 and USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, along with a 3.5 mm audio jack and a microSD card reader. In terms of wireless connectivity, the laptop is equipped with WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.
When it comes to battery life, the ZenBook Duo 14 accompanies a 70Wh lithium-polymer battery that on paper offers a battery life of up to 17-hours. For graphics, you get assistance from NVIDIA GeForce MX450 GPU that’s capable of accelerating all of your workloads.
SCREENPAD PLUS
Let’s talk about the new ScreenPad Plus – this time around, the ScreenPad Plus comes packed with a brand-new Control Center UI and it is quite a breeze to use. Users can adjust the location of the Control Center and snap it to the right, left, or bottom, according to their own preference.
A new Control Center button makes it possible to minimise the taskbar into a floating button and enables an auto-hide function that hides the taskbar entirely. Buttons on the new Control Center taskbar can also be added or moved to allow for customization.
The Launcher on the ScreenPad Plus UI is now faster and more efficient – it allows you to launch your favourite apps on the ScreenPad Plus. Simply tap or click an app icon to launch the app. It can also be personalised by adding new apps from the main screen to the Launcher, or by removing apps from the Launcher by clicking the edit button in the top right corner.
Other ASUS utilities that form a part of the ScreenPad Plus UI include Handwriting, which allows you to use the ScreenPad Plus to input text, simply writing it by hand. The Quick Key allows you to create your own hotkeys to increase efficiency, while the Number Key lets you input numbers using the ScreenPad Plus. The Control Panel on the other hand allows you to increase functionality by using Adobe apps such as Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, and so on.
OTHER FEATURES
The audio on the ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 is certified by Harman Kardon. You also get an Array microphone with Cortana voice-recognition support and AI Noise-Canceling. The web camera above the display is an HD infrared webcam that also supports Windows Hello.
The ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 also comes with Amazon Alexa that makes it easy to use voice control for many of your chores. This could include asking Alexa to play music, read the news, answer questions, and more.
PERFORMANCE
The star of the show here is the ScreenPad Plus. Of course, the ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 is an outstanding device. But the enhanced ScreenPad Plus truly steals the show. It takes multi-tasking to newer heights and it quite intuitive to use, with little or no learning curve.
The overall performance of the ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 is top-notch, thanks to the 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. Everything felt effortless, making it a compelling upgrade over last year’s iteration.
While you may think dual-screen laptops aren’t for everyone, if you are a content creator who would require a dual-screen on the go, the ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 makes for a convincing case for why you would need one!
The ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 (UX482EG) thus comes across as highly recommended.
Price: AED 5999 onwards
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