Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 (2022) review: A dual screen laptop that can do it all

Price When Reviewed

$3,825

Best Prices Today: Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16

$3699.00

$4399.99

The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 is a exceptional laptop computer, not solely benefiting from a chipset improve that make it quicker and extra highly effective than predecessors, but in addition a design revamp that delivers a brand new and improved twin display screen viewing expertise.

What’s much more spectacular is that Asus manages to bundle all this right into a chassis no greater or thicker than that of a laptop computer with a single show. Granted you don’t thoughts utilizing a smallish sized trackpad, the Duo 16 is the sort of laptop computer that may entrance you with its visuals and impress you with its zippy efficiency in each video games and productiveness apps.

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16: Specifications and options

The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 is available in CPU configurations as much as AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX. The specs of our evaluate unit are as follows:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
• RAM: 32GB DDR5 / 4800MHz
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
• Displays: Primary: 16-inch QHD (2560 x 1600) MiniLED, 165Hz refresh charge, 100 % DCI-P3 colour gamut. Secondary: 14.09-inch UHD (3840 x 1110), 60Hz refresh charge, IPS degree, touch-sensitive
• Storage: 1TB SSD PCIe 4
• Ports: 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DisplayPort), 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DisplayPort and 100W Power Delivery), HDMI 2.1, microSD card reader, 3.5mm audio port, RJ-45 Ethernet port
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.2
• Dimensions: 0.81 x 13.98 x 10.47 inches
• Weight: 5.73 lbs (2.6kg)
• Color: Dark Tech (Black)
• Battery capability: 90WHr
• Price: $3,999.99

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16: Design and construct

Despite being a twin display screen laptop computer, the Duo 16 appears to be like each bit as fashionable as another Asus ROG gaming laptop computer. From its tremendous edges to the ROG slash and brand and dot matrix patterning on the highest cowl, it’s remarkably elegant.

That styling, after all, helps to tell apart it from the extra productivity-skewed twin display screen laptops in Asus’s secure, just like the Asus ROG Zephyrus Pro Duo 14 – the Duo 16’s closest relative being the extra gaming centered Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE. But it additionally provides it that high-end enchantment that makes you are feeling proud to indicate it off anyplace you go, whether or not that be your gaming den or office.

Asus

Asus deserves reward for squeezing two panels into such a light-weight and skinny chassis. The Duo 16 measures simply 0.81 x 13.98 x 10.47 inches, which amazingly places it on par with some single show laptops just like the HP Victus 16. It additionally weighs simply 5.73 kilos, which suggests it’s by no means a burden to hold round.

While the Duo 15 SE was a category act in its personal proper, Asus have pushed the envelope additional, constructing upon that best-in-class design to make the Duo 16 the manifestly higher possibility.

For one, its major show is now greater, bringing to life visuals in a extra satisfying 16-inches. It’s additionally taller and has thinner (4.3mm) bezels that body it up in a 16:10 ratio as an alternative of a 16:9 ratio that now feels a bit dated within the Duo 15 SE.

The principal advantages of those modifications are apparent: If you’re a gamer, you’ll undoubtedly see extra motion within the periphery of the Duo 16’s show. Creators, alternatively, will enjoy how a lot simpler it’s to match spreadsheets, run apps side-by-side, or view a number of home windows—all issues that are actually a lot less complicated.

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16: Keyboard and trackpad

Fitting two superb shows into the Duo 16 has meant its trackpad is kind of small—that’s regardless of Asus growing its dimension year-on-year. It’s additionally positioned on the far proper hand facet of the laptop computer’s chassis, which feels a bit awkward.

Despite these small grievances, the keyboard is each very comfy and enticing. It sports activities spacious keys which are neither too bouncy nor too squishy, with beneficiant 1.7mm journey between them.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

The keyboard’s per-key lit RGB backlighting can be a sight to behold, wanting stunning any time of the day. You gained’t get any unpleasant halo results across the keys both, even on the brightest setting. The RGB lighting will also be simply custom-made by way of the Aura Sync utility within the Armory Crate software program app.

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16: Dual shows

My evaluate unit’s QHD (2,560 x 1600 pixel) ROG Nebula HDR major panel with 165Hz refresh charge produced fantastically detailed photographs and easy, constant frames that made gaming and watching movies a blast. The 14.09-inch UHD ScreenPad Plus was equally beautiful, and being touch-sensitive, it saved me a ton of time – I might merely transfer information and icons round with my finger.

The major show is powered by MiniLEDs with 512 zones of illumination, so it’s quite a bit brighter than normal LED shows. I measured 1039 nits by my Lux meter, which trumps some rivals by practically 600 nits of brightness. It additionally has a 1000:1 distinction ratio.

If that appears like overkill, wait till you see the colours and darks it could produce; it renders a number of the richest hues and deepest blacks I’ve seen at this decision, making it ideally suited for artistic work involving images or shading. The colour accuracy on this 100 % DCI-P3, VESA DisplayHDR 1000 licensed panel can be high notch, so it’s excellent for evaluating photographs.

Asus

Although I didn’t get to attempt one, Asus additionally provide the possibility of a Dual Spec major show. This helps you to swap on a dime between a productivity-friendly UHD decision with 120Hz refresh charge, or an esports-primed FHD decision with 240Hz refresh charge. This is a superb selection in case you intend on utilizing your Duo 16 for each work in addition to aggressive gaming.

In comparability to the Duo 15 SE, there’s additionally a lot better visible continuity between the shows. This will be attributed to the brand new positioning of the ScreenPad Plus.

Just like within the Duo 15 SE, it tilts up at a 13-degree angle, however its new residence 25 mm nearer to, and immediately beneath, the first show renders the underside bezel nearly invisible, supplying you with a extra complete view of each panels directly.

To say this makes multitasking simpler than within the Duo 15 SE is an understatement. For instance, the place earlier than it will have taken me a complete second cross-referencing a gaming map or studying my Discord chats, within the Duo 16 it took simply milliseconds.

One can solely predict the impression this can have on customers’ gaming efficiency or productiveness. Suffice to say, it’s going to make for a way more satisfying expertise general.

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16: I/O choices and audio

With video games and video content material now shared between my units each day, I want my laptop computer to have a superb number of ports to maintain up. Thankfully, the Duo 16 had simply what I wanted, together with two USB-A ports and two USB-C ports, a HDMI 2.1 port and a microSD card slot for fast file swaps.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

The Duo 16 additionally comes with subsequent technology Wi-Fi 6E wi-fi connectivity, which harnesses an additional 1200 MHz on the 6G frequency band in comparison with normal Wi-Fi 6. This is a should have for avid gamers who need the quickest attainable latency in high-performance video games, nevertheless it’s additionally actually helpful for content material creators juggling massive information within the cloud.

With not two or 4 however six audio system onboard, together with twin force-cancelling woofers, the Duo 16’s audio is surprisingly resonant for a laptop computer so skinny. It additionally sounds very crisp. Dolby Atmos help additionally helps ship a cinema-like encompass sound expertise, so watching films with dramatic storylines is an actual deal with.

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16: CPU efficiency

The Duo 16 sports activities an 8 core, 16 thread Ryzen 9 6900HX cell processor belonging to AMD’s 6000 Series. This CPU has a base clock of 3.3 GHz and a most enhance clock of 5.0 GHz – pretty first rate working speeds by anybody’s requirements.

AMD says its 6000 Series processors are 1.3x quicker than the earlier 5000 Series technology of cell processors, which suggests the Duo 16 will get a pleasant pace enhance over the Duo 15 SE. What’s extra, these chips are extra power environment friendly, benefiting from roughly 50 built-in power-management options, together with some for the laptop computer’s fan and cooling system.

While we didn’t have benchmark scores on file for the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE, we did have outcomes from a panoply of highly effective laptops to match and distinction our Duo 16’s efficiency to. These included laptops that includes Intel’s nearest CPU equal—the Core i7-12700H CPU, just like the 2022 Razer Blade 17.

First check off the block was Maxon’s Cinebench R20 Single-Threaded benchmark which checks only a single core of the Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU. Below, our graph reveals the Duo 16’s efficiency was simply common in comparison with the comparisons.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

This outcome isn’t all that sudden; AMD’s personal benchmarks present solely modest features for Ryzen 6000 CPUs over earlier technology CPUs in single-threaded duties, however greater features in multi-threaded duties. Nevertheless, the Duo 16 will nonetheless don’t have any hassle operating light-weight applications, or apps.

Still within the Cinebench R20 program, we accomplished the Multi-Threaded benchmark. Here, each core of our laptop computer’s CPU was put to work rendering an in depth picture on its major show. At check’s finish, it scored 5,398, a outcome that proves it could simply deal with AAA video games or demanding productiveness applications.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

The free HandBrake utility was the subsequent port of name. This is our go-to program to check how properly a laptop computer can keep the course when processing a CPU-intensive process earlier than it will get too sizzling and must throttle efficiency.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

As you possibly can see in our graph, the Duo 16 completed within the quickest time of 1,018 seconds. Serious avid gamers, or creators that do encoding or video enhancing will likely be properly inspired by this outcome that suggests the Duo 16’s CPU can keep cool and energy on, even when some competitor laptops fall by the wayside.

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16: GPU efficiency

Our Duo 16 evaluate unit featured an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti discrete GPU—a really highly effective RTX 30 Series card that’s extremely coveted by avid gamers and content material creators alike for its means to provide quick body charges.

This almost-top-tier cell GPU has lots of highly effective cores onboard, together with 232 Tensor Cores and 53 Ray Tracing Cores. It additionally advantages from Nvidia’s latest software program help, together with DLSS AI rendering and Dynamic Boost expertise. Let’s see how the Duo 16’s RTX 3080 Ti fared in our graphical checks…

The 3DMark Time Spy 1.2 Overall benchmark supplied snapshot of the GPU’s skills throughout the framework of our laptop computer’s componentry. In this check, the Duo 16 positioned second in our subject of comparisons—greater than proving its suitability for rendering excessive constancy graphics in gaming or video purposes.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

In our first gaming benchmark for Rise of the Tomb Raider, the Duo 16 outclassed the Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition, however was pipped on the submit by two of essentially the most highly effective gaming laptops launched throughout the final 12 months—the Razer Blade 17 and Alienware X15 R2.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Finally, we ran the benchmark for the sport Shadow of the Tomb Raider. As you possibly can see within the graph, the outcomes are extremely in line with our earlier outcomes, in that the Duo 16 fell shy of manufacturing framerates as excessive because the Razer Blade 17 or Alienware X15 R2, however nonetheless outpaced a set of different very succesful laptops.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

So, what’s the decision? Although it didn’t high our charts, these outcomes present the Duo 16 to be a powerful performer in graphics-based duties, which isn’t any imply feat for a laptop computer with not one, however two shows. By demonstrating constantly excessive body charges, we will confidently say the Duo 16 is wholly as much as the duty it was designed for.

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16: Battery life

To check the Duo 16’s battery we juiced the laptop computer as much as 100 % cost then let it run right down to standby by enjoying a 4K Hollywood film on repeat. Following that, we examined the battery utilization report which confirmed that the Duo 16 lasted simply shy of the six hour mark.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

This is no surprise, nor a nasty outcome for a gaming laptop computer. The battery longevity of gaming laptops is common at finest, since they have an inclination to have essentially the most power-hungry {hardware} onboard. That stated, in an unplugged gaming state of affairs the Duo 16’s battery is prone to drain down in double time, so you possibly can count on roughly three hours gaming when away from an outlet.

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16: Conclusion

Dual show laptops have at all times been an fanatic’s selection and at round $4,000 you’ll must be fully bought on the twin show expertise to purchase one. The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 doesn’t change that reality, nevertheless it does make the proposition of switching to 1 extremely interesting. Gamers and content material creators will undoubtedly revel within the excessive energy, stunning visuals and wonderful portability this laptop computer has to supply.