ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8406) review – Dual OLED Multitasking Masterpiece for Creators

Name: ASUS Zenbook DUO
Brand: ASUS

LaptopMedia.com Reviews and Analysis ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8406) review - Dual OLED Multitasking Masterpiece for Creators Page 2

From: Nikolay Palaozov 20 February 2024 / 19:03 | 2

2. Design and construction

1. Intro, Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box Previous page Next page 3. Display quality, Health impact (PWM), Sound

Design and construction

The ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8406) looks modern and clean thanks to the simple design with geometric lines on the lid covered with stealthy Inkwell Gray color. The device is made of 90% recycled magnesium-aluminum alloy. When the wireless keyboard is placed on the top of the second screen and the lid is closed, twisting the device seems impossible – it feels solid as a rock.

The lid opens easily with one hand. The unit is thin but has a Corning Gorilla Glass cover that makes it super rigid and the same applies to the base. The machine weighs 1.32 kg (2.91 lbs) and the keyboard adds another 284 grams (0.63 lbs) which results in a total weight of 1.604 kg (3.54 lbs). The profile is 14.6 – 19.9 mm (0.57″ – 0.78″) which is just fine for a dual-display gadget.

The bezels around the screens are as thin as possible. Above the main display, a 1080p IR webcam for Windows Hello is placed, supporting AI noise cancellation. The external keyboard is one of the laptop’s biggest advantages, attaching to the second panel via a pogo pin connector.

The 180-degree hinge allows the notebook to lay fully flat on an even surface (the so-called “Sharing mode”). The included stylus works well and it glides with ease.

The cooling and the ergonomics during typing can be enhanced thanks to the ErgoLift mechanism. The lid acts as a lever and it lifts the back of the base when the angle of opening is a bit wider than 90 degrees. Thanks to that, more fresh air reaches the internals and the two fans.

Since the keyboard is wireless, you can place it in front of the device and enjoy content on both screens. The board is surprisingly good, the key travel is decent and the feedback is clicky – pretty good for such a thin external model. The keycaps are quiet on press. The touchpad is wide, its surface is smooth and this allows good accuracy.

The kickstand is a useful feature. This way of usage is called “Dual-Screen mode” so can have a Web browser opened in the main display and Discord on the second one while you can use a full-blown keyboard and touchpad at the same time.

Multitasking feels great. We didn’t feel the need to use the Alt+Tab function during testing. You can watch a movie and chat with someone on the other display without minimizing the video player.

Expectedly, you can use the laptop as a standard clamshell device even without a keyboard. Which feels a bit strange because the virtual keys lack travel.

The bottom panel is home to four rubber feet, two speaker cutouts, a ventilation grill, and a detachable kickstand. The hot air is exhausted via two vents on the side and another one on the back. Some amount of hot air reaches the main panel during heavy CPU loads.

Ports

On the left side, there is a USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port and two Thunderbolt 4 ports with DisplayPort and PowerDelivery capabilities. On the right, you get an HDMI 2.1 TMDS and an Audio combo jack.