Dual Display Perfected?

ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 DUO

- Kenny Yeo

A GLANCE

CPU Intel Core i712700H

GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti

MEMORY 16GB

DISPLAY 14-INCH 2.8K OLED TOUCHSCREEN, 12.7-INCH SCREENPAD PLUS

STORAGE 1TB PCIE 4.0 SSD

ASUS has been working hard on the concept of dual-display notebooks for a while. The ZenBook Pro 14 Duo UX8402 is their third take and I'm not going to beat around the bush, they have made it better.

From the outside, it's hard to tell what has changed. One way to tell that it's new is the redesigned lid. There's the new arrow-shaped ZenBook logo. The signature ZenBook concentric motif is still there, but it's more subtle now. The notebook is made with magnesium-aluminium alloy and the overall build quality is good. The chassis feels stiff and strong, and there's minimal flex.

Weight has gone up a tad from 1.6kg to 1.75kg, while thickness remains roughly the same at 17.9mm. Don't forget, this notebook has dual screens and discrete graphics.

The position of the keyboard and trackpad is still not ideal and will need significant adjustment.

The entire hinge mechanism has been redesigned. The front lid no longer props the notebook up. Instead, an internal stand lifts the secondary display, which ASUS calls the ScreenPad Plus, up to a maximum angle of 12 degrees.

The greater tilt not only makes the secondary display easier to see, it also makes it look more seamless with the main display. ASUS also claims airflow is improved by a whopping 38% thanks to the redesigned hinge.