ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo review: Outrageously expensive, totally awesome

RATING : 8.6 / 10

When you're buying a laptop and trying to fig retired really to spec it, there's a statement you sometimes transverse aft you make judge each your halfway requirements are met. You commencement adding things that are conscionable bully to have, for illustration other representation and much storage. However, pinch nan ROG Zephyrus Duo, it feels for illustration ASUS is trying to push that bound into different magnitude because location isn't really a business wherever a $4,500 gaming notebook pinch dual OLED displays and up to an RTX 5090 GPU tin really beryllium considered a normal desire.

That's precisely what I for illustration astir what mightiness beryllium ASUS' wildest laptop to date. Even though this point is outrageously expensive, it's besides a awesome illustration of nan glorious overkill you get erstwhile a institution focuses connected making thing that's much powerful than practical.

One of nan astir astonishing things astir nan Zephyrus Duo is that erstwhile closed, it doesn't really look that different from 1 of ASUS' regular gaming laptops, for illustration Zephyrus G16. It's decidedly a touch thicker astatine 0.98 inches (compared to 0.7 inches for nan G16) and it's importantly heavier excessively (6.2 pounds vs 4.3 pounds). But you still get a very acquainted creation pinch a azygous slash crossed its lid (but without nan embedded LEDs) and a boxy, minimalist chassis pinch subtly rounded corners. That mimicry continues connected nan inside, wherever nan Duo looks astir indistinguishable from a emblematic clamshell acknowledgment to its RGB-lit keyboard and perfectly monolithic touchpad. However, if you look closely, you will announcement immoderate mini differences, for illustration nan beingness of speakers positioned connected nan sides of its framework alternatively of nan emblematic up-firing audio, and a side-mounted powerfulness button.

The Zephyrus Duo's existent shape only originates to look aft you recognize that its keyboard is only held connected by magnets. You tin yank it disconnected to uncover a 2nd 16-inch 3K OLED show identical to nan 1 up top. It's clip to prepare for problem and make it double. In clamshell mode, you tin usage nan precocious show for gaming while nan little half becomes a spot to support widgets (news, weather, etc.), stash other browser tabs aliases show a virtual keyboard and/or mousepad. ASUS smartly included useful gestures for illustration rubbing nan title barroom connected an app earlier sending it to nan different surface pinch a flick of your finger. While I did announcement that a mates of keys felt somewhat mushy, for a detachable keyboard that measures conscionable 5mm thick, you still get a bully bounce pinch ample cardinal travel. And because ASUS included a statement of pogo pins connected nan bottommost separator of nan laptop, nan keyboard automatically recharges erstwhile you reattach it.

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However, nan existent magic happens erstwhile you fold retired nan Duo's built-in kickstand and prop nan full strategy up to create a stacked dual-screen all-in-one pinch its detached keyboard laying level retired successful front. The only point you'll really request to bring is simply a mouse, because arsenic large arsenic its touchpad is, it's still not a due replacement to a detached pointer. From here, you tin proceed gaming connected nan apical screen, while nan bottommost serves arsenic a 2nd show for Discord, guides, walkthroughs aliases immoderate different app (or apps) you need. It's a veritable gaming wall that you tin still fold up and easy stash successful a backpack.

The main downsides to nan Zephyrus Duo's design, speech from its other bulk, are that its fans tin get noisy nether load. It doesn't travel pinch support for Thunderbolt 5 aliases a dedicated Ethernet jack either, nan second of which would travel successful useful for demanding competitory gamers. Thankfully, ASUS' six speaker setup is amazingly boomy, allowing it to easy drown retired nan whirring erstwhile you don't consciousness for illustration wearing headphones. Meanwhile, nan remainder of its connectivity is rather ample, arsenic nan Duo supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, full-size HDMI, a combo 3.5mm audio jack, an SD paper scholar and a full of 4 USB ports (two Thunderbolt 4 and 2 USB3.2 Type-A).

The guidelines configuration for nan ROG Zephyrus Duo costs $4,500 for an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H CPU, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of retention and NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti graphics. However, if you're emotion other spendy, you tin fork complete different $1,000 to upgrade to an RTX 5090, which is nan exemplary I tested for this review. Sadly, this spec bump doesn't travel pinch immoderate other RAM aliases storage, which feels a spot skimpy connected a laptop this expensive. But pinch RAM prices for illustration they are today, there's a bully chance that would push nan value of a afloat loaded Duo adjacent to $7,000. That's astir apt a spot excessively rich | moreover for nan benignant of people that don't person problems splurging connected tech for illustration this.

Given nan Duo's top-notch components, it had nary problems pinch performance. In Cyberpunk 2077 astatine 1080p connected nan Ultra RT preset, nan Zephyrus pushed retired 75 fps. Meanwhile, successful Control astatine 1080p connected Epic graphics, it fared moreover amended hitting 124 fps. That intends there's plentifulness of room to pump up nan solution to thing person to nan laptop's autochthonal 3K spec. In fact, erstwhile I re-ran nan benchmark astatine QHD (2,560 x 1,440) and nan aforesaid Epic settings, it was clear location was still plentifulness of juice near to spare arsenic it deed 95 fps.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Unsurprisingly, nan Duo makes mincemeat of lesser tasks for illustration photograph and video editing. When utilized for that, nan laptop's onboard SD paper scholar becomes moreover much useful while its Pantone-validated displays (100 percent sum of DCI-P3) guarantee that you're ever looking astatine agleam and meticulous hues. So while this is geared towards gamers, it tin really grip practically thing you propulsion astatine it.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo is astir arsenic adjacent to a hyper gaming laptop arsenic you tin get, akin to really a Lamborghini Urus aliases a Ferrari stacks up against your emblematic crossover aliases coupe. It's ridiculously costly and it comes pinch a fistful of typical considerations owed to its unsocial design. But astatine nan aforesaid time, it's really powerful and its dual displays let for setups that accepted clamshells tin only dream of. And dissimilar your emblematic hypercar, its ratio is amended than expected while it besides offers a beardown action of ports and connectivity.

Sometimes I deliberation nan Zephyrus Duo could person utilized a amended sanction because it's an moreover amended transformer than immoderate of ASUS' erstwhile devices, for illustration a tablet that converted into a laptop, that bore that designation. If Hasbro wanted to reimagine its iconic G1 bots arsenic modern gadgets, I can't thief but deliberation that this laptop would beryllium nan cleanable creation for an updated return connected Blaster aliases Soundwave. There's a childlike joyousness I get each clip I unfastened up nan Duo to uncover its 2 displays, and arsenic an big I really admit nan other surface abstraction you get pinch its creation — not to mention its fantabulous performance. Unfortunately, its value intends that astir of nan group who mightiness besides bask it astir apt can't spend one. But if you can, nan ROG Zephyrus Duo is exceedingly cool and there's really thing other for illustration it disposable today.