ASCII.jp ZenBook Duo Actual machine review = It was a portable futuristic dual-screen notebook PC!
On May 7th, ASUS JAPAN released a new dual-screen notebook PC, the ZenBook Duo.
This product is the younger brother of the world's first dual 4K display equipped 15.6-inch notebook PC "ZenBook Pro Duo". By adopting a 14-inch full HD + 12.61-inch full HD display and a U processor that features low power consumption, it is compact, lightweight, and long-running, making it a dual-screen notebook PC that can be mobile every day. there is
Since I borrowed the actual machine before the release this time, I will review it while comparing it with my big brother ZenBook Pro Duo!
ASUS JAPAN "ZenBook Duo" from 182,800 yen
That coveted machine can also be used with a compact and lightweight Surface Pen!
ZenBook Duo is a 10th generation (Comet Lake) "Core i5-10210U" (4 cores 8 threads, 1.60-4.20GHz) / 8GB (LPDDR3-2133) / 512GB SSD (Intel Optane memory 32GB) equipped with "UX481FL-HJ118T" (182,800 yen including tax), "Core i7-10510U" (4 cores 8 threads, 1.80-4.90GHz) / RAM 16GB / 1TB SSD equipped with "UX481FL-HJ122T" ( 219,800 yen including tax) 2 models are available.
Other specifications are common, and "NVIDIA GeForce MX250" is implemented in external graphics. The display uses a 14-inch full HD color liquid crystal (1920 x 1080 dots, non-glare) and a 12.61-inch full HD (1920 x 515 dots, non-glare). The ZenBook Pro Duo had gorgeous specs such as an H processor, GeForce RTX 2060, and an organic EL panel on the main display, but these three points were downgraded.
The communication function uses Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) for wireless LAN and version 5.0 for Bluetooth. Wired LAN terminal is not equipped.
The battery has a built-in 70Wh lithium polymer battery (4 cells), the battery charging time is about 2.4 hours, the battery driving time is 14.3 hours for the Core i5-10210U model, and 13.9 hours for the Core i7-10510U model. It is supposed to be time.
It is unfortunate that it does not support power supply by USB Power Delivery. Even if the portability is improved, if you have to carry a dedicated AC adapter, it will be half attractive. I think that USB Power Delivery will be standard equipment for notebook PCs released in 2020.
Unlike the ZenBook Pro Duo, the ZenBook Duo does not come with an "ASUS Pen", but when I tried the digitizer pen I had, I was able to use the old and new Surface pens. On the second display, you can write like a tablet, so use it at your own risk, but I strongly recommend that you prepare a pen that is compatible with Surface.
Surface Pen could be used on both the main display and the second display
In addition to the main unit, an AC adapter, power cable, manual, and stand are included.
Compared to ZenBook Pro Duo, the footprint is about 81%, and the weight is about 66%. The ZenBook Pro Duo was 359.5 x 246 x 24mm and about 2.5kg, so the footprint was about 81% and the weight was about 66% smaller and lighter. If it becomes this light, you will feel like carrying it around every day.
The interface is USB 3.1 Type-C Gen2 x 1 (maximum 10Gbps), USB 3.1 Type-A Gen2 x 1 (maximum 10Gbps), USB 3.0 x 1, HDMI, microSDXC memory card slot x 1, 3.5mm headset Equipped with a jack x 1 and a power terminal.
However, the USB 3.1 Type-C Gen2 terminal only supports data transfer, and does not support video output or power supply to this product.
The brightness and color gamut of the main display and the second display have not been announced, but when measured with the display calibration device "i1Display Pro" and the chromaticity diagram creation software "ColorAC", the brightness of both the main and second displays is 250cd/ Around square meters, the main color gamut was sRGB coverage of 98.9%, and the sRGB ratio was 100.2% (the color gamut of the second display could not be measured due to an error).
Although it is not as good as the ZenBook Pro Duo, which has an organic EL panel with a DCI-P3 coverage of 100%, the ZenBook Duo also has a sufficient color gamut as a mobile notebook PC.
The keyboard is an 87-key Japanese specification with a built-in backlight, with a key pitch of around 17.5mm and a keystroke of around 1.5mm. Since the touchpad is mounted on the right side, it is unavoidable that the keyboard is a little cramped for a 14-inch notebook PC.
The top of the main unit. Spin processing centered on the familiar logo of ASUS products is applied
Bottom of main unit. Both the front and rear rubber feet are bar type. Since there is almost no space on the keyboard surface, most of the stickers are attached to the bottom
An array microphone with echo cancellation, noise suppression, and directional recording functions is built into the top of the display.
On the right side, microSDXC memory card slot x 1, 3.5mm headset jack x 1, USB 3.0 x 1, power terminal on the left side, HDMI, USB 3.1 Type-A Gen2 x 1 (maximum 10Gbps), USB 3.1 Type-C Gen2 x 1 (up to 10Gbps) is arranged
At the top of the display is a built-in 920,000-pixel webcam and Windows Hello compatible IR (infrared) camera.
The key pitch of the 87-key Japanese keyboard with a built-in backlight is around 17.5mm.
Key pitch is around 1.5mm
The specifications of the AC adapter are 100-240V to 1.5A input, 19V/3.42A output, and 65W capacity.
The actual weight of the main unit is about 1650g
Actual weight of AC adapter and power cable is about 285.6g
ScreenPad Plus usability is equivalent to ZenBook Pro Duo!
The usability of the ScreenPad Plus itself is the same as the ZenBook Pro Duo. Grabbing the title bar of the window displays the "App Switcher" icon to move the app to the other display, "Add" to pin the app to the launcher, and "ViewMax" icon to maximize the app on both the main and second displays. so you can quickly arrange the application windows.
Also, if you click the transparent icon on the left side of the second display, the ScreenPad Plus launcher will start and you can use various utilities. The main is 1920 x 1080 dots and the second is 1920 x 515 dots, so the resolution is lower than the ZenBook Pro Duo, but I think it's acceptable enough if you adjust the display scaling.
Because it does not come with a dedicated palm rest like the ZenBook Pro Duo, some people may be concerned about the difference between the keyboard and the desk, but a stand that adjusts the angle is included for such users. ing. Since the Ergolift hinge was originally used, the keyboard surface can be tilted when the display is opened, but the tilt can be made deeper if the stand is attached. The stand can be reapplied any number of times, so once you purchase this product, you should try it out for comfort.
Other changes include that the touchpad has been changed from a diving board structure to a button separation type, and the numeric keypad mode has been omitted. The ScreenPad Plus utility has a "Number Key" instead of a numeric keypad, but if you use the numeric keypad frequently, you should use an external USB numeric keypad.
The main display of the ZenBook Pro Duo was glare (glossy), but the ZenBook Duo was non-glare (non-glossy) on both the main and second displays.
Non-glare (non-glossy) displays are less likely to make your hands oily when touched.
When you grab the title bar of the window, the "App Switcher", "Add", and "ViewMax" icons appear, and when you release the mouse cursor over them, the operation is performed.
Click the transparent icon on the left side of the second display to reveal the ScreenPad Plus utility
The launcher includes "Quick Key" for entering shortcut keys, "Handwriting" for recognizing handwritten characters, and "Number Key" for use as a numeric keypad. In addition, icons such as ASUS application portal "AppDeals", management utility "MyAsus", music streaming service "Spotify" and "KKBOX" are also registered.
The ErgoLift hinge not only gives the keyboard a tilt suitable for typing, but also plays a role in improving the cooling efficiency of the bottom.
You can deepen the tilt by attaching the stand to the bottom and winding it on the hinge side.
The touch pad has been changed from a diving board structure to a button separation type. Also, the numeric keypad mode is omitted along with it
The speed is not as good as that of its big brother, but the battery life is a whopping 13 hours!!
Let's take a look at the benchmark score of the Core i7-10510U equipped model. The CPU score of the CPU benchmark "CINEBENCH R20" was 1536 pts, and the CPU score of the CPU/OpenGL benchmark "CINEBENCH R15" was 760 cb.
3D benchmark "3DMark" Time Spy is 1018, Fire Strike is 2792, storage benchmark "CrystalDiskMark 7.0.0" sequential read (Q8T1) is 1926.00MB/s, sequential write (Q8T1) is 1770.00MB/s It was the result.
Compared with the benchmark score of ZenBook Pro Duo equipped with "Core i9-9980HK" (8 cores 16 threads, 2.40-5.00GHz), ZenBook Duo's CINEBENCH R15 has a CPU score of about 45%, 3DMark's Time Spy is about 17% and Fire Strike is about 20%. Rather than a younger brother, it is a performance difference that should be expressed as a disciple.
However, with the display brightness at 50%, the ZenBook Pro lasted 12 hours and 58 minutes, about four times longer than the ZenBook Pro Duo's about 3 hours and 12 minutes. Although it is a two-screen notebook PC with almost the same design, it should be considered that the usage scene is completely different.
ZenBook Duo has "auto" and "silent" in "fan mode". "Turbo" that was in ZenBook Pro Duo cannot be selected
CPU benchmark "CINEBENCH R20" CPU score is 1536 pts
The CPU score of the CPU/OpenGL benchmark "CINEBENCH R15" is 760 cb
3D benchmark "3DMark" Time Spy is 1018
Fire Strike is 2792
Storage benchmark "CrystalDiskMark 7.0.0" sequential read (Q8T1) is 1926.00MB/s, sequential write (Q8T1) is 1770.00MB/s
ZenBook Duo is the ideal two-screen laptop for those who value mobile performance
Two-screen laptops have the great advantage of being able to work in a dual display environment just by opening them. Also, it does not require a large space like when connecting to a mobile display.
The ZenBook Duo is an ideal machine for those who do not need as much power as the ZenBook Pro Duo and who value mobile performance such as portability and battery life.
It's a real shame that it doesn't support power supply by USB Power Delivery. However, if you replace the genuine power cable with a third-party one with a 3-pin socket, the AC adapter will be compact and lightweight. One way to solve this problem is with customization like this.