They say two hands are better than one, but will the same be true with two screens? Asus thinks it might, and has a new laptop to show it with AI readiness onboard.
Foldables are sure expensive, in part because you’re paying for that folding screen technology. It’s one reason why foldable phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 remain expensive, even though foldable phones started popping up several years ago. Folding laptops are still relatively new, and command a seriously high price tag.
However, the Asus approach of using two screens instead of a folding display could just get the same idea with a lower price tag, while keeping the performance up there.
And it seems as though Australians will get to experience that shortly, with the Zenbook Duo launching in Australia in February. It will even sport that whole AI in a computer thing, too.
This isn’t technically the first Asus dual-screen device, with the Duo appearing before, but the latest machine ups the tech and brings Intel’s AI-readiness to its line-up, something we found across CES 2024 announcements.
The new machine sports two 14 inch OLED displays, one where the screen would normally be and the other where the keyboard and mouse section sits, each of which run at a 2880×1800 (3K) resolution with 120Hz, making them sharp and fast, and just the sort of premium you might expect on a high-end laptop.
Each screen is a touchscreen, and there’s also an included magnetic rechargeable keyboard, should you wish to use the laptop as a standard laptop, but the 2024 Zenbook Duo can also be used in other ways.
For instance, because the keyboard is wireless, you can set it apart from the Zenbook Duo itself, and use the laptop as a desktop or as a dual-screen device. It can also lie flat thanks to a 180 degree hinge, which turns the dual-screen lappy into a tablet of sorts.
Asus is using the latest Intel chips on the Zenbook Duo, with support for up to 32GB RAM, up to 1TB storage, Thunderbolt 4, and up to Intel’s Core Ultra 9 in the laptop, which makes it an AI PC.
As for what you can use the AI for, that’s a bit of a question mark, but Asus is covering with effects to the camera for use during video calls, AI to improve noise cancellation on the microphone, and improvements in the battery life department. We expect the new Windows Copilot key will be there, so Copilot support in Windows 11 is another way you’ll be able to use AI on this PC.
You’ll also find some durability features in the 2024 Zenbook Duo, with Corning’s Gorilla Glass protecting the screen and the laptop spec’d to match military durability with a MIL-STD-810H rating.
It won’t necessarily be cheap, that said, with the UX8406 Zenbook Duo attracting a recommended retail price of $3999 locally, available in stores from mid-February.
