Let’s get the most difficult question out of the way: Is Asus Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED (UX8402) worth your time? It’s among the best Windows laptops to have released this year if you are a content creator. And if you don’t fall in this category, you can still use it to get everything else done, but be careful of the price tag, especially if you’re planning to put this on the shopping list only for the sake of keying in emails or just browsing. The name is indeed a mouthful but the device is unlike any other we have been using, given the dual-screen format.
Not that this is the first dual-screen option from Asus but you can say the company has perfected the art of making one, especially when it comes to the cooling system.
Use the stylus to take down notes
The layout
It’s a special laptop that comes with a big 14.5-inch 2.8K OLED primary display but there is also a second screen that’s 12.7 inches. Basically, two displays on one laptop. There are use cases when I would like to have a second screen but there are also trade-offs for having two displays on a laptop.
Looking at it from a design perspective, there is no room for complaints because there is a gorgeous metal chassis, an updated Asus logo with a Star Trek vibe to it and it’s very light (given the specs) at only 1.75kg.
Something important: Asus has managed to balance the two screens well so that the laptop can be “lapable”. You will feel comfortable keeping the device on your lap for 30-40 minutes as long as you don’t have to do a lot of typing. We will come to that part later. If it is about video editing or watching content, it’s not an issue.
There are enough ports, including a combo audio jack on the left-hand side and then on the right hand are two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a USB-A port. And on the back, you have an HDMI port, microSD card slot and the power connector.
Once you open up, you will notice the keyboard is towards the bottom half of the machine. This had to be done to accommodate the second display. It’s a very tactile keyboard and is great to type on but from an ergonomical standpoint it’s not the best of option if you are looking for a device only for typing as there is no palm rest. It’s a trade-off that had to be made to accommodate the secondary screen.
The touchpad is fantastic but there should be a model for left-handed people. Otherwise the touchpad is very accurate and there are actual physical buttons that you can work with.
The hinge design allows enough airflow
Display(s) like no other
The secondary display is 12.7 inches and it’s not OLED like the main 14.5-inch display but it is an excellent quality IPS panel. It reflects the same sort of colour accuracy you get on the bigger one. They both use 120Hz and they both have excellent colour gamut. The star of the show is, of course, the upper display. The OLED display is not the first generation panel that we have seen in previous laptops; on this colours simply pop. If you play games on this or watch content, you will never be able to move to another laptop. And it has a low response time of 0.2 milliseconds. I can’t wait to see all-out gaming laptops use this display as well.
We are not done. There are physical buttons that allow you to move apps back and forth between the two displays. Or you can just use your mouse to drag an app to the secondary display.
Perhaps the coolest thing is that it has built-in software that allows you to quickly access certain applications. You can pin some of your favourite apps on the secondary display, helping easier access. Other things include being able to turn the camera on or off at the touch of a button and the same goes for the microphone. You can adjust the brightness of the bottom screen, which goes up to around 500 nits. On tapping the screen with three fingers, it turns into a touchpad.
The machine comes with Asus’ Pen 2.0, which is a very good option and I like to use it on the secondary display to take notes since it is flat enough to write on and it feels natural. A quibble: There is no silo to hold the stylus, which I keep forgetting to carry around.
The touchpad is accurate and comes with physical buttons
Significant performance improvements
All this brings us to the hinge for the secondary display, which indirectly ties in with performance. The improvement on the hinge ensures there is a lot of room for airflow and the second screen comes up a little bit more than before. The main display is bright and beautiful but it floats on the stilts that are there while the secondary is supported by the same stilts. The resulting space between the secondary screen and the machine allows a lot more airflow, keeping the laptop cool.
There are three performance modes — Whisper, Standard and Performance. If you keep it to Whisper the fans will be below 40 decibels but in Standard mode, the fans tend to come on more often. Yet, the laptop doesn’t heat up too much because there is enough airflow.
Running the show is 12th Gen Intel Core i9 12900H processor with 32GB LPDDR5 RAM. Adobe Premiere Pro runs very well and the same goes for Photoshop. As for After Effects, it depends on how much you are using it. In case of simple 3D models, things should be fine.
This is a laptop that’s mainly for video creators and developers, especially the latter because you have the vertical space in the 16:10 display, plus a second display below that gives you more screen real estate when you are typing codes.
Even if it hasn’t been designed for gaming, you can get away with complicated titles as long as you are fine with dropping the resolution slightly. Something like Overwatch runs smoothly.
The audio on the machine is also impressive. Tuned by Harman Kardon, there is support for Dolby Atmos and they sound very good even though these are bottom-firing speakers. There is enough bass and depth.
Buy or bury?
For someone who does video, photo or audio editing, the secondary screen is helpful and unique. It also helps that one can take down notes easily.
A couple of issues that Asus can look at: First, the 720p webcam is good but rivals are offering better options. Second, the McAfee anti-virus package needs to go because Microsoft Defender is quite efficient. For someone on the lookout for a pure gaming laptop, try ROG Zephyrus Duo 16.
Coming to battery life, it can be anything between four and six hours of on-screen time, which is not too bad because there are two screens.
Asus Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED (UX8402) is about possibilities of what can be achieved on a laptop. For content creators, this is the real deal.
The new Asus logo has a Star Trek feel to it
At a glance
Device: Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED (UX8402)
Price: Upwards of Rs 144,990 (review unit is priced at Rs 224,990)
High notes
- The second screen is helpful if you are a content creator
- There is sufficient airflow to keep the laptop cool
- Enough ports
- ScreenPad can become a touchpad
- Excellent design
Muffled notes
- The trackpad is on the right hand side, so it can be difficult to reach if you are left-handed
- 720p webcam is dated