The Zephyrus Duo 16, the most recent model of the gaming laptop, is now available. It has some obvious design adjustments that promise to have a significant impact as well as a new selection of combinations. The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 is a state-of-the-art gaming laptop for those who demand the best technology available—and we do mean all of it. It is an improvement on the current Duo 15, increasing screen size while moving the creative secondary screen backwards to produce a dual-display arrangement that is almost seamless. An AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU enabling top-tier gaming performance support its efficient design. All of this is accomplished within a sophisticated, slim chassis that is full of cutting-edge features. The Duo 16 does deliver for early adopters with significant pockets, even though it isn’t for most shoppers because it’s so obvious where the exorbitant pricing comes from. also you can learn our article on Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 review.
Design
The Zephyrus Duo 16’s dual screens, like those of Asus’ other Duo models, take centre stage in the design. The main display is a 16-inch QHD Mini-LED model with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, which fits the 3:2 aspect ratio better. The bottom one lifts gracefully upward from the keyboard on two large hinged supports and features an IPS touch-sensitive display with a resolution of 3840 x 1100. The layout gives you a pair of screens that you can switch between at pleasant viewing angles, but it affects how everything else must fit. The trackpad and wrist rests are ordinarily located on the front half of the device, which is now taken up by the keyboard. On the right side, the trackpad is vertically crammed in. All side-facing connections are also moved to the front to make room for the vents around and beneath the Screenpad. There won’t be a problem with the connectors themselves. On the left side, there is one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, a micro SD card slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack. A second USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with charging is located on the right, and there is also a Type A port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a Gigabit Ethernet port towards the back. But because Asus placed the power outlet next to the ports and sockets on the left, it can be difficult to use due to the bulky, reinforced plug and thick cable. Due to the dual-band Wi-Fi 6E compatibility and Bluetooth 5.2 included into the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, you are prepared to use the newest high-performance routers, Bluetooth headsets, Bluetooth mice, and more.
Keyboard and touchpad
You can only type comfortably on the keyboard if you utilise the accompanying rubber palm rest (depth: 5.5 cm, 2.2 in, tilted). Although it works reasonably well, it basically only functions on a set surface. The illuminated chiclet keyboard’s smooth keys offer a short stroke and a distinct pressure point. The keyboard doesn’t flex while you type, and the key resistance is acceptable. also you can check our article on Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 review. A function key is used to manage the RGB illumination’s three different settings. Overall, Asus provides a keyboard that is appropriate for routine tasks. a multi-touch device The mouse is replaced by a portrait-oriented, 5.8 × 9.6 cm (2.3 x 3.8 in) clickpad. The smooth surface makes it easier for fingers to slide across it. The pad has a sharp pressure point and a short stroke. A number pad will appear when you tap the relevant symbol on the pad.
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 review: Display
The Duo 16 has a 14-inch secondary display in addition to a 16-inch primary screen, as the name would imply. Both are IPS, however only the main panel supports touch. The primary screen does, however, have a trick up its sleeve: you can switch between 3,840 x 2,400 120Hz and 1,920 x 1,080 240Hz, the former of which is better for gaming and the latter for creative work, but you have to reboot to make the switch. Also equipped with a MUX switch, the Duo 16 can take a while to reboot in order to achieve the best display performance. With a maximum brightness of 448cd/m2 and a pixel density of 283ppi in 4K mode, the main panel is bright. With 104% of the DCI-P3 gamut represented, there is also plenty of color, and it is fairly accurate with an average Delta E color deviation of 1.8 in comparison to the DCI-P3 color space. The 363dpi ScreenPad also performs admirably, with a maximum brightness of 355cd/m2 and coverage of 102.5% of the sRGB colour palette. You can lower the resolution on the Screenpad to either 2,560 x 734 or 1,920 x 550 if you find the writing on it to be a little too small. There is no doubt that the Duo 16 is a superb double act. Overall, the interaction between the two screens is rather fluid; the only annoyance is that occasionally, you have to consciously push or pull the pointer in order to switch between panels. It occasionally seems as though Windows forgets to switch the cursor from one screen to the next when moving around generally.
Audio
You get a performance mode in games that focuses on delivering correct directional sound, as well as a tonne of intelligent and preset EQs for movies and music, thanks to the Duo 16’s strong six-speaker system and compatibility for Dolby Atmos. Although the Duo 16 offers the option to build personalised audio profiles, we wish it had a little more low-end thud. The Dolby Atmos audio system is also excellent, but it is limited by the lack of space for external speaker grilles. As a result, it is not too loud, measuring at 83 dB on average from a pink noise source at a distance of 1 m and peaking at 86 dB during music playback. However, the setup is well-balanced and has respectable depth and bass. We don’t notice anyone having problems with the Duo 16’s audio system, whether they are listening to music, viewing a movie, or playing a game.
Graphic and gaming
When it comes to laptop GPU performance, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU with 16GB of VRAM powers the Duo 16, which is the industry leader. It ought to be more than competitive with the top PC games. In addition to playing it ourselves, we ran it through our standard battery of benchmarks to see how it compared to the competition. Shadow of the Tomb Raider achieved 106 frames per second on the maximum 1080p settings, exceeding the category average of 89 fps and trailing only the Alienware x17 R2 (RTX 3080 Ti, 107 fps), while Legion 5 Pro (RTX 3070, 80 fps), and Zephyrus M16 (RTX 3060), lagged behind. The Duo 16 performed similarly on the GTA V benchmark (Very High, 1080p), managing 123 frames per second (fps), far exceeding the 106 fps average for high-end gaming laptops. Both the Zephyrus M16 (86 fps) and the Legion 5 Pro (84 fps) were unable to keep up. The Duo 16 outperformed the Alienware x17 R2 at 97 frames per second on the Borderlands 3 benchmark (Badass, 1080p), outpacing the category average of 82 frames per second. Again coughing in the dust were the Zephyrus M16 (64 fps) and Legion 5 Pro (80 fps). The Duo 16 and Alienware both achieved 78 frames per second on the Red Dead Redemption 2 benchmark (Medium, 1080p), outperforming the average for high-end gaming laptops (66 fps). The Zephyrus M16 (59 fps) and Legion 5 Pro (66 fps) settled into their accustomed spots in the rear.
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 review: Performance
The ASUS Zephyrus Duo 16 is one of the most potent computing devices available thanks to its Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU. While Intel’s 12th-gen CPUs have reduced AMD’s lead over it, the former still outperforms the latter in terms of power efficiency. You already know that simple operations like opening a dozen Chrome tabs or Microsoft Office won’t even slightly irritate the machine. The Zephyrus Duo 16 performs admirably in benchmark testing, with Cinebench R23 producing a multi-core score of almost 14,000 and PCMark 10 producing 6,731 for work simulation. In addition, the laptop has 32GB of dual-channel DDR5 RAM, which can be increased to 64GB. Our variant’s 2TB NVME PCIe 4.0 SSD achieved read and write speeds of 6,709MB/s and 4,953MB/s, respectively. Under continuous load, the system’s thermal stability is only significantly improved, although the Armoury Crate allows for configurable fan speeds. A better thermal flow of air inside the chamber is made possible by the AAS Plus 2.0 system, which elevates the ScreenPad Plus from the chassis. According to claims, the 28.5mm elevated chamber will boost air intake by 30%. Additionally, ASUS chose to employ Thermal Grizzly’s new Conductonaut Extreme Liquid Metal, which can cool the CPU by an additional 15 degrees, rather than a conventional thermal paste. The Arc Flow fans, which boost air intake by around 5%, are a final option. Overall, the Zephyrus Duo 16 does get a little warm, but never to the point of being uncomfortable.
Battery life
Battery life isn’t great, but that’s hardly surprising given the specs and the two screens it has to support. The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 ran out of power in just six hours and two minutes according to PC Mark 10’s Modern Office battery benchmark, which was consistent with our actual usage of streaming video, web browsing, and simple browser-based apps. you can read our article on Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 review. When using demanding programmes or playing games, you’ll be lucky to get an hour of use unless you drastically reduce the brightness. After only 47 minutes of unplugged play while running Borderlands 3 at 80% brightness, the ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 was ready for bed. Like any gaming laptop with these specifications, it performs best when plugged into a power source and is not suitable as a mobile workstation.
Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 review: Heat
Despite the Duo 16 getting a little warm in some places, it maintains its cool a lot better than we would have thought given its dual displays and spec list. Although it wasn’t enough to keep the entire Duo 16 below our 95-degree comfort level, Asus underlined that the Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut Extreme Liquid Metal decreases the CPU temps by 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit). The touchpad only reached 89 degrees Fahrenheit during our normal test, which entails letting the laptop play a 15-minute video before taking temps there. The underside of the keyboard reached 111 degrees, while the keyboard itself reached 93 degrees. Surprisingly, playing video games for 15 minutes while performing the same tests didn’t much worsen the situation; the touchpad only reached 92 degrees, the keyboard stayed at 93 degrees, and the bottom only reached 117 degrees. The Duo 16 isn’t the greatest laptop to select if you plan to use it in your lap frequently, even though you can absolutely do so. In light of this, it is advantageous that it maintains a comfortable temperature on the laptop’s top even when it is being used vigorously.
Configuration options
The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 comes in a variety of variations, with the GPU and the main screen serving as the primary dividing lines. It costs $2,499 for the base model, which includes an RTX 3060, an FHD screen, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. While this is a high entry price, it is unquestionably a fantastic setup for 1080p gaming. A Ryzen 7 6800H CPU and an RTX 3070 Ti graphics card are used in the UK’s most cheap variant, which costs $2,699.99. With a 16:10 QHD+ display, Asus’s ROG Nebula HDR technology, an RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, 2TB of storage, and 64GB of RAM, our version is a more advanced model. One of the priciest gaming laptops on the market, this model has a whopping $3,999 price tag. Pricing for SKUs in Australia and other regions is currently a little hazy, but budget at least AU$3,499 per item.
Conclusion
In search of a laptop that is truly built to impress? ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 is a must-have. This gaming laptop pushes the bounds of design with its striking dual-screen layout, top-tier performance, and gorgeous displays. However, the unit’s distinctive ScreenPad Plus is severely underutilized and doesn’t nearly receive the software support it deserves. The Zephyrus, on the other hand, is a device that never fails to catch people’s attention every time the lid is opened since it combines mobile gaming with the multitasking capabilities of a second screen.
