ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) UX8406 Review – Twice as Impressive

ASUS has been pushing the boundaries for its laptop ranges in recent years. Not contempt to settle for the norm, the brand has created the ultimate lineup for creatives where budget isn’t an issue. Most of these advancements have featured in its Zenbook range, which has delivered yet another unique design. Launched at CES 2024, the ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) UX8406 has landed on South African shores, delivering another unique experience.

ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) UX8406 Build and Design

Although it may seem rather unassuming at first glance, knowing what lies beneath makes the first glimpses of the Zenbook Duo even more impressive. Expecting that you’ll be looking at a much thicker laptop due to the dual-screen approach, seeing its sleek build for the first time is quite a surprise. And that’s just the start of it.

There are a few permutations when it comes to the specifications of the design. As such, there are two dimensions to note for the design:

• Without Keyboard: 313x217x14.6mm
• With Keyboard: 313x217x19.9mm

Using it in the conventional laptop mode – with keyboard included – the unit still only has a thickness of less than 20mm. Removing the keyboard reduces this to less than 15mm. It is pretty thin known that you technically have two fully functional screens, with all the hardware internals hidden behind this skinny frame.

In addition, it weighs 1.65KG and 1.35KG, with and without the keyboard, respectively. That, too, is a remarkable feat for the brand.

The keyboard has its specifications, adding a distinct design approach to the build. Measuring 313x209x51mm and weighing just 300g, it is neatly compact and lightweight. Even when attached to the laptop, it feels like part of the setup without being like an add-on. With its magnetic clips underneath, it slots in perfectly with ease. It can pair via Bluetooth when removed as a standalone keyboard and has a toggle to turn off the Bluetooth in standby mode.

It is worth pointing out that there are magnetic strips underneath the Bluetooth. These are used to connect the laptop easily to its chassis. However, you should be wary of where you place the keyboard, as it could scratch the surface of a desk, for example. I didn’t have any issues using a mouse pad, but be sure to double-check before using it in its free-standing mode.

Even with its screens being part of the construction, it’s still reasonably rugged. It offers TÜV Rhineland certification as well as Corning Gorilla Glass. The latter provides ease-of-mind that the screen won’t easily scratch or bend under pressure when in use.

Overall, both the design and build of the ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) UX8406 are of high quality. It is awe-inspiring that a fully dual-screen laptop with a Bluetooth keyboard can be sleek and compact.

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Screen and Display

The ASUS Zenbook Duo UX8406 screens are both a design and performance concept. Not only does it add a host of new use cases when using both screens, but ASUS has not skimped on the hardware side either.

The panels are identical. They are branded ASUS Lumina OLED displays featuring a 14” OLED panel with HDR NanoEdge support. It offers a 120Hz refresh rate with a 0.2ms response time to reduce any observable lag. Additionally, the screen has a 3K resolution at 2,880×1,800px.

In terms of certification, it also covers a wide array of standards. This includes a 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, 133% sRGB, and Pantone validation. Other supporting features include HDR and VESA DisplayHDR™ 500 True Black.

The specifications and certifications don’t mean much if they’re not translated into the viewer experience. In that case, it delivers. Its clarity, brightness and contrast are excellent to view. It has a peak brightness of 500 nits, with its deep blacks down to 0.0005 nits. This contrast level is incredible to experience and doubly so with both screens.

The impressiveness of the configuration doesn’t end there, either. As a bonus, both screens also offer touch support. This makes it even more of a creator’s dream, allowing users to whip out the included pen and let their creative juices flow.

On the negative side, when using both screens, users may be able to detect slight differences in the brightness. I often use a brightness setting of 80% during the day and about 50-60% at night, which isn’t configured to these exact specifications for both screens with the bottom sometimes appearing brighter.

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Performance

There’s even more to love about the ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) UX8406 laptop regarding its performance, which is derived from its impressive hardware. There are several configurations of the device, most of which are the three configurations of its CPU. This includes an Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 185-H CPU and the 7 and 5 variants. Each of these would deliver excellent performance. The variant I received for testing is the Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 setup.

This configuration is paired with 32GB onboard RAM (LPDDR5X-7467) and a 1TB (or 2TB) PCIe 4.0 NVMe m.2 SSD. The configuration delivers excellent speeds to breeze through all the testing while quickly eating up everyday tasks. It feels crisp and responsive, even with the stylus and touchscreen capabilities.

In addition to the powerful CPU, the chipset includes the Intel Metero Lake configuration with NPU (neural processing unit). This allows for support of AI functions built into the firmware and OS. Most of these aren’t always visible to the consumer. Still, it manages the CPU usage to save on battery consumption and delivers excellent processing speed when editing images or video, for example.

There are several ports to aid your everyday use, including x2 Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports, full HDMI, USB 3.2 and auxiliary ports. Its HDMI 2.1 port supports up to 8K HDR, which is impressive.

If there is one area that is a cause for concern, it is that out of the box, the CPU has limited power draw to 20W. This means that you won’t be able to use the potential of the chip at 45W. The issue may be the result of the latest Windows 11 build, which causes CPU throttling as it clashes with the MyASUS software. As such, you’ll need to update the MyASUS software, and may also require users to update the laptop firmware.

Overall, the performance is beautifully smooth, powering two screens without you giving it a second thought, even when using the integrated Intel GPU. Another impressive tickbox checked.

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ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) UX8406 Battery Life

Although it’s not a title contender for best battery, the ASUS Zenbook Duo delivers the best battery performance I’ve encountered on an ASUS laptop. My testing delivered a great mix of results across the various tests for its 75-watt-hour battery.

It delivered impressive times by Starting with standard testing, such as the battery rundown streaming video using Wi-Fi. The battery would last six to ten hours, depending on the video streaming and quality.

For more strenuous tests, the battery would average between five and six hours, which is still quite impressive.

However, it was the real-world testing that impressed me the most. Conventional testing is excellent for averages but doesn’t always translate to real-world results given the changes in use, power demand and other variations.

Having taken the Zenbook Duo off the charge and leaving home to spend a day at the office, I had forgotten to put the unit on charge when I arrived at the office due to the new device, which didn’t support the same power output. Although I had the charger in my bag, I continued to use the laptop as is, running on battery for a few hours before I realised I had not plugged it in yet.

Curious about the outcomes, I decided to proceed without using the charger. To my surprise, I managed to eke out an impressive eight hours of battery life while at the office. That said, there were a few periods where I’d step away from the laptop, which prolonged its use for the day. However, having continued this for the three days I worked at the office and over two weeks, I was happy it could go a full day on five of the six days.

It is worth noting that I’d use the single-display approach for the standard workday. Testing the dual-screen functionality, the battery life was impacted somewhat, although not halved as you may think. Instead, using the dual-screen offering, you can still eke out an impressive five to six hours unplugged.

Regarding recharging, it takes up to two hours to fully charge from near 0%. However, ASUS states it can charge up to 50% in 30 minutes. From my testing, achieving this would take 35-40 minutes, with an average of 100 minutes to fully charge. This isn’t bad at all. However, if you’re in a pinch away from a charging point, its Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port allows easy charging via your portable charger using USB-C® Easy Charge.

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Is the ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) UX8406 Worth It?

At R42,999 ($1,899), the ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) UX8406 isn’t ideal for most budgets. However, if you are in the market in this range, the laptop delivers excellent overall results. From its outstanding performance to its unique OLED screen and long-lasting battery life, it covers all your creative and business needs.

Added to this, its unique dual-screen option adds functionality with ease. Its hot-swap capabilities mean you don’t have to worry about software or hardware adjustments, giving you more real estate by simply lifting the keyboard. This opens up a new dynamic and use cases, making it worthwhile and removing the need to invest in a second screen.

Also, check out reviews of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Laptop and the ASUS ROG Strix Go BT Gaming Headset.