How Asus fits two screens into their new ZenBook Pro Duo
- Hoàng Minh Tuấn
- Jul 3, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 4, 2019
In this article, we will discuss about some cool laptop designs over the years, and whether the new ZenBook Pro Duo should be your next pro laptop.
Looking at smartphones trying their best to utilize all the space on the structure, I’m somewhat disappointed seeing laptops haven’t had much evolution on the form factor. The laptop has always been like that: a screen, a keyboard and a trackpad. And people don’t have much to complain about that. It still does the job: it can be carried, it opens easily, people can type on it - it’s perfect! Although the internals have been updated, I always felt like something can be done to improve the design.
One attempt to solve this problem is from Apple, with the touch bar on the Macbook Pro lineup.
Replacing the function key row, the TouchBar can improve a lot on your user experience. The normal layout includes common actions: volume, brightness, escape key, siri,... When using certain apps, the middle part of the row becomes a control panel for the app. You can use it to change the colour hue in Adobe CC, scroll through pictures on the Photos app...
On the other side of the earth, Asus is also famous for their innovations on laptops. They found a way to lift up the back of the laptop to increase ergonomic and thermal performance, what they’re calling “Ergo Lift”. This has featured in both their budget laptops and their top-tier gaming ultrabooks.
A few years ago, Asus introduced the Zenbook Pro, aimed at high end users. This laptop features the trackpad with a display underneath it, which is called Screen Pad. We have seen this kind of implementation before where the trackpad can also be used as the numpad. But to have another display on your laptop is a blessing if you think about it.
It can help you control background apps without pressing alt tab. You can write your essays with the Spotify media control on the touchpad, or watch an NBA match while reading the news. To be fair, a small display like that don’t have too many applications, but most of us could still appreciate a second screen, and I don’t even use the trackpad to slide the mouse so this actually makes the trackpad useful. Furthermore, Asus has published the source code online for app designers, and they promised to bring this technology into cheaper Vivobooks in the near future.
When Asus first released their Zephyrus laptops, it shocked us all not just because of the slim design, but also the keyboard position: shifted down to the bottom, leaving a huge space unused.
It’s understandable since it has to drive a GTX 1080 Max-Q under the hood, and your fingers can get quite “funky” typing on hot surface. But the “blank space” on the laptop leaves me questions on how they can achieve any usability from it.
Three years later, on May 2019, Asus announced their new ZenBook Pro Duo, an exciting refresh from the specs to the design. This is a true 2019 powerhouse with i9 HK chip and RTX 2060. They include their best technologies to prevent it from thermal throttling: the “Ergo Lift” thingy, more air vents on the sides. And of course, they have to shift down the keyboard, but this time they fill the space with an OLED touch display.
Unlike the touchpad screen, this display is the continuity of the main one, so it doesn’t require any program. You just drag the window downwards, and it will reappear on the second display and fill the screen. Now this is the perfect state of multitasking on laptops. The possibilities of this are endless, because as mentioned before, everyone can appreciate a second display, from editors, content creators to streamers and students. As a game streamer, you can play your game on the main screen and chat management on the second one. As an editor, you can edit your videos on the main screen and have the control display underneath. As a student writing essays, you can have your Word file on one screen and the references on the other. Asus has finally found a way to maximize the productivity from the design.
The 2019 ZenBook Pro Duo is so easy to recommend to everyone, whether you need to edit 3D and play hardcore games on the go, or just simply browse the internet in a futuristic peace of technology.
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