The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 GX550 is a dual-screen gaming laptop computer that’s realized a factor or two. It has just a few predecessors, most just lately the HP Omen X 2S 15 and Asus ZenBook Pro from 2019. But auxiliary display screen sizes have been the limiting issue. The ZenBook Pro upped the ante with a a lot bigger display screen, for instance, however it nonetheless lay flat, which made viewing angles a ache within the neck.
With the eye-catching—and blisteringly quick—ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 GX550, Asus takes the identical small-screen idea from the ZenBook Pro and makes use of a folding mechanism to tilt the display screen up about 20 levels as you open the lid. That tilt each will increase visibility and permits for a extra environment friendly cooling path by means of the laptop computer. Pretty slick. And fairly costly ($3,699 from Asus.com). But being the primary at your LAN celebration with a dual-display gaming laptop computer have to be price one thing.
This evaluate is a part of our ongoing roundup of the best gaming laptops. Go there for data on competing merchandise and the way we examined them.
The ScreenPad Plus touchscreen tilts up about 20 levels for simpler readability and higher cooling.
ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 GX5550 Specs
The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 GX550 is about medium-sized for a gaming laptop computer, with only a few compromises in options. Here are the main points:
CPU: Intel 10th gen 8-core Core i9-10980HK with liquid steel thermal interface materials
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q
RAM: 32GB DDR4/3200 in dual-channel mode
Displays: 15.6-inch, UHD 4K 60Hz factory-calibrated 100 p.c Adobe RGB panel with assist for G-Sync and Optimus; 13.4-inch x 7.4-inch 1920×550 contact display screen.
Storage: Two 1TB Samsung PM981 NVMe M.2 in RAID 0
Networking: WiFi 6, Realtek Gigabit ethernet
Size: 14.1 x 10.5 x 0.8 inches.
Weight: Asus lists the laptop computer as 5.29 kilos, however our scale put it nearer to 5.6 kilos, with one other 2 kilos for the 240-watt energy brick.
The greatest method to describe the truthful assortment of ports is with images. On the left you discover a devoted charging jack for the 240-watt energy brick and two analog audio ports.
The left aspect of the Zephyrus Duo is kinda naked
With the left aspect fairly naked, Asus fortuitously makes good use of the again of the laptop computer by providing you with Gigabit ethernet, USB-A, and full-size HDMI 2.0.
Asus makes use of the again of the Zephyrus Duo to present you gigabit ethernet, USB-A and HDMI 2.0
The proper aspect offers you two USB-A and Thunderbolt 3. We would have appreciated to see a card reader. The excellent news is the Thunderbolt 3 jack helps USB Power Delivery, so you may go away the chunky 240W brick at residence and simply use a USB-C charger for light-duty duties.
Right Type USB-A and a Thunderbolt 3 with assist for USB Power Delivery.
Keyboard and trackpad
The per-key RGB keyboard is fairly typical of gaming laptops. The format makes few compromises. As a gaming laptop computer, the house bar is wider on the left to accommodate those that maintain their fingers at excessive angles whereas gaming.
The trackpad is an offset selection. It takes some getting used to, however we perceive as a result of a gaming laptop computer ought to actually be used with a mouse more often than not. An extended faucet on the higher left nook activates a digital ten-key function, which may very well be helpful for somebody possibly training for the professional Microsoft Excel gaming scene.
In this spot you’d usually see a webcam.
No webcam. Really.
We have to say the elephant within the room: no webcam. Again. This is the second ROG laptop computer we’ve seen and not using a webcam which, seen in a Zoom video chat world, looks like the most important head slap this aspect of Taipei. We suspect that when this laptop computer was sketched out a 12 months or two in the past, few thought anybody would care if the webcam went overboard. The shift to distant working has compelled us all to care about this former afterthought.
The ScreenPad Plus is like Apple’s Touch Bar, however truly helpful.
Construction
We don’t usually get into the development particulars weeds of a laptop computer, however the distinctive ROG Zephyrus Duo is worthy of it. For you upgraders, you may see within the picture from Asus under two M.2 slots (each of that are populated in our RAID configuration) and a single SO-DIMM slot for reminiscence. The second reminiscence module fortuitously isn’t soldered in, however it’s on the opposite aspect of the motherboard, so any upgrades would require main disassembly. Those cut-outs on the underside left and proper are to create space for the lean mechanism (extra images of which can be under).
If you look extra carefully on the image above, it’s also possible to see the CPU, which seems to be slightly bit like a baseball discipline from an airplane. The grey space that will be grass on this case is the place Asus clamps a containment system to maintain the superior liquid steel thermal interface materials face in place and forestall it from probably shorting out the laptop computer.
If you have a look at the image of the ROG Zephyrus Duo’s cooler, under, you may see the fence to comprise the liquid steel.
Why even take that threat over typical thermal paste? If you consider the thermal interface materials because the ketchup that mates the burger patty (CPU) with the bun (the cooler), Thermal Grizzly’s liquid steel compound is artisanal ketchup. Asus stated its checks present a few 10-percent enchancment in cooling over conventional thermal paste in laptops. Running cooler additionally means working quieter, and in our expertise the ROG Zephyrus Duo is definitely quieter than many of the 10th-gen laptops we’ve seen with this a lot {hardware}, even when working exhausting.
Here’s a better have a look at the “feet,” that are appreciable bumps. That’s usually an excellent factor in a gaming laptop computer, as air circulation is essential to efficiency, however they’re additionally massive as a result of they’re hole, to accommodate the hinge and tilt mechanisms.
The bumps within the backside are hole and accommodate the hinge and tilt mechanisms for the second display screen.
Lest you assume the tilting mechanism will break, Asus emphasizes that it’s a chunky piece of steel, which you’ll see under. It’s been designed to tilt the panel as much as a hard and fast angle whereas letting you proceed to regulate the first show’s angle.
The secondary panel itself is constructed of an alloy fairly than plastic to maintain it inflexible (the laptop computer’s physique is a magnesium alloy). Finally, for those who occur to get your mouse or energy cable jammed underneath the second display screen, Asus stated it will take a substantial quantity of drive to interrupt.
For kicks we put the laptop computer’s personal energy twine underneath one nook and tried to shut the lid. We stopped as we felt the cable’s resistance, and nothing broke or snapped. That doesn’t imply you may’t break it, however it’s not as delicate as you would possibly assume.
Is the second display screen definitely worth the problem?
All this work Asus has put into the ROG Zephyrus Duo can be meaningless if it weren’t definitely worth the effort to have a second show. The major show in our case is a 15.6-inch 60Hz 4K panel. It’s factory-calibrated, G-Sync-certified, and might hit 100 p.c of Adobe RGB. It’s not notably vibrant at a measured 300 nits. Asus provides this as a compromise for individuals who wish to do content material creation on the laptop computer. That’s superb, however for a gaming laptop computer, we expect the opposite choice is likely to be higher: a 300Hz 1080p show.
The ScreenPad Plus is the place the motion is. If we wished to watch the GPU’s thermals, the CPU’s clock pace, or just put a second doc inside eyeshot, having the second panel is, properly, as nice as having it in your desktop.
The gaming expertise is not good, although. If you are in a sport and contact the second display screen to regulate one thing or scroll a window–or advance to the subsequent YouTube video–Windows modifications focus from the sport, and you will have to Alt-Tab to get again to the sport. This is a shortcoming of Windows, not the ROG Zephyrus Duo. To forestall that from breaking your sport expertise, Asus added a button within the Armoury Crate software that permits you to simply disable the contact expertise.
Most of our multi-monitor expertise is side-by-side. The bottom-and-top configuration took some getting used to. That could also be our mousing habits although, as we are inclined to journey the underside border of Windows like a guardrail. With the top-and-bottom expertise, the cursor would simply go to the second display screen, and it will take us just a few moments to seek out it once more.
Asus’ Armoury Crate and different contact apps first launched with Zenbook Duo are very polished. We’d say that is doubtless one of the best multi-screen expertise on a laptop computer at the moment.
Keep studying for efficiency benchmarks.