Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED (UX582L) review: A premium dual-screen laptop for creative pros

Asus is properly acknowledged for its exclusive tactic to laptop computer style and design, and particularly the thought of second screens. Earlier this 12 months I reviewed the fourteen-inch ZenBook Duo fourteen (UX482), which incorporates a complete-width second display screen that lifts and tilts up when the laptop computer is opened. The new ZenBook Professional Duo fifteen OLED (UX582L) has the exact same second display screen configuration, in a larger sized variety factor. It’s a beast in phrases of dimensions and bodyweight, but with an Intel Core i9 processor, discrete Nvidia graphics, a super-dazzling substantial-resolution fifteen.six-inch OLED display screen and characteristics designed for creators, could it be a contender, even with a $3,000 cost tag? 

Couple of people will want to carry the ZenBook Professional Duo fifteen OLED quite considerably, as it weighs two.34kg (five.16lbs) and measures 35.98cm large by 24.92cm deep by two.15cm thick (fourteen.17in. x 9.81in. x .85in.). That usually means it will will need a significant bag and robust shoulders. The ability source is chunky and will include even more bodyweight — and it may perhaps properly be desired, offered this laptop’s disappointing battery daily life (see under). 

The ZenBook Professional Duo fifteen OLED is licensed to fulfill MIL-STD 810G and so need to cope properly with the rough and tumble of a laptop computer bag. However, it truly is nice to get a bundled sleeve, which need to prevent bag dust from fouling ports and the plentiful air vents on both equally sides of the chassis, as properly as safeguarding the deep blue/grey chassis. This Celestial Blue livery will be common from any variety of other Asus laptops. 

The exterior of the ZenBook Professional Duo fifteen OLED, like its ‘Duo’ brethren, gives no indicator of the radically unique display screen arrangement within. Open up and a second display screen — the ScreenPad Plus — raises itself to sit at an angle designed for less difficult viewing than if the display screen were being flat. The ScreenPad Additionally occupies a lot more than half of the room ordinarily available to the keyboard and touchpad. I calculated its panel at 12.5cm deep (this involves the bezel), while the keyboard area has ten.5cm of depth (together with the surround into which it truly is recessed). 

The keyboard keys are normal in dimensions and give an satisfactory 1.4mm of travel. You will find a long row of half-height Fn keys with all the regular suspects, plus a few that relate to the second display screen. The arrow keys are half-height and double-width, and there is certainly a large but not added-tall Enter crucial.  

You will find a small a lot more resistance than regular on the downward crucial press, which slowed my typing down a bit, but I observed it comfortable more than enough in brief bursts. On the other hand, the absence of a wrist rest and the awkward positioning of the touchpad are a lot more critical difficulties, for me at minimum. 

In phrases of the wrist rest, by my measurement the keyboard sits 20mm previously mentioned desk height. That leaves your wrists hanging in mid-air when typing until you use a independent wrist rest. Asus does offer 1, and if you system to carry this laptop computer all over you need to look at supplying it bag-room, despite the fact that it may perhaps not be feasible to use it in cramped circumstances these kinds of as on trains or airplanes. 

Touchpads normally sit under the keyboard in the wrist rest area. As which is not possible here, the touchpad is relocated to the suitable of the keyboard, and also rotated by means of ninety levels, supplying it a portrait part ratio. This is the exact same configuration as in the ZenBook Duo fourteen (UX482). As with the fourteen-inch model, the touchpad is basically a third display screen, doubling up to offer a variety pad which is toggled by pressing an icon in its higher suitable corner. 

At a time when touchpads are finding larger sized rather than lesser, the portrait orientation feels awkward in use. That said, I can fault neither its responsiveness nor the clarity and brightness of the variety pad. If you use an exterior mouse or other unit you can expect to just disregard the touchpad, and option navigation solutions are available via the touch delicate primary display screen and the ScreenPad Additionally.  

Asus also supplies a stylus which is driven by a solitary AAAA battery. It’s properly weighted and comfortable to use, and supports 4,096 stress degrees. It magnetises to the keyboard, but not to both facet of the laptop computer, and there is certainly no inside of-chassis household for it. As a final result, it truly is very possible to be mislaid. 

The primary display screen is a fifteen.six-inch 4K (3840 x 2160) OLED touch panel with a 16:9 part ratio. It sits in reasonably massive bezels, but the depth of the base bezel is obscured by the elevated ScreenPad Additionally. The higher bezel properties an Hd webcam with IR for Windows Hi there confront authentication. Peak brightness is 550 nits, despite the fact that this mechanically dials down when the method is jogging on battery ability.  

As befits a display screen aimed at creators, the OLED show is a pleasure to work with. Video clip is pin-sharp, with wonderful colour rendering and the 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut exhibiting off to wonderful impact. The show is also Pantone Validated.  

The audio subsystem from time to time fails to enhance a wonderful show, but which is not the situation here. The Harman Kardon speakers produce robust, punchy seem even at major quantity. The DTS equaliser will make a serious distinction to seem options, with treble, audio and bass enhance as properly a a lot more detailed graphic equaliser and preset solutions for music, films and online games. My only criticism is that I’d like a lot more quantity. 

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The ScreenPad Additionally is a fourteen-inch IPS touch panel with 3,840 by 1,100 resolution. It’s much less lively than the primary OLED display screen, but is distinct and sharp more than enough. Asus assigns a number of jobs to it.  

People of Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Premiere Professional and Immediately after Results can entry a complete panel of controls, together with consumer-described presets, leaving the primary display screen absolutely free for the actual inventive work. The ScreenPad Additionally can also purpose as a second software display screen — you just drag an merchandise down from the primary display screen. Social media can scroll, a movie window can play, and so on. A Fn crucial swaps what’s on the primary display screen and the ScreenPad Additionally, while the App Navigator instrument lets you finger-flick applications between the two screens.   

Asus also delivers a number of dedicated second-display screen apps, together with a Spotify application, a different variety pad, Rapid Important (tappable shortcuts to frequently-utilised menu solutions in apps) and a handwriting recognition instrument. It’s a modest choice, but probably a lot more will become available in owing course.  

Along with the stylus and wrist rest, Asus bundles an ErgoLift Stand. This is an accessory that can be folded to make a riser for the laptop computer. The stage seems to be to allow the angle of the ScreenPad Additionally to be elevated even more, while you tilt the primary display screen again to the desired angle. This almost seems like an admission from Asus that the ScreenPad Additionally doesn’t increase up considerably more than enough to allow for comfortable use. 

The normal requirements of the Asus ZenBook Professional Duo fifteen OLED are remarkable, despite the fact that my £2,999.ninety nine (inc. VAT) critique device experienced a 10th technology Intel Core i9 (10980HK) processor instead of an 11th technology chip. This is coupled with a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. In the US, you get an 11th-gen Core i9-11900H and up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics for a very similar cost ($3,099.ninety nine), so hopefully these solutions will occur to the Uk in advance of long. 

On the still left edge there is a complete-dimensions HDMI port, a 3.5mm headset jack and a round pin ability connector. The suitable facet properties a solitary USB-A port and a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports with DisplayPort assist. Unusually, there is certainly no memory card slot, offered that photographers ought to be a crucial target market for the ZenBook Professional Duo fifteen OLED. If you will need 1, include it to the checklist of more kit for the carry bag. 

Just as apparent as the ports and connectors jogging alongside every single edge are the massive vents. They are desired: even when jogging reasonably simple jobs like movie streaming and crafting into internet applications, these vents threw out heat air, and the laptop’s underside was also significantly heat to the touch.  

I still left the ScreenPad Additionally on all the time through my battery take a look at. The fifteen.six-inch OLED on its have is very a problem, and preserving both equally screens jogging meant the 92Wh battery drained really immediately. In 1 three-hour session, with the battery complete and jogging my regular array of mainstream productivity jobs, together with crafting into internet applications and intermittent audio and movie streaming, the battery fell from 100% to 22%. That’s all over four hrs on a linear extrapolation, which only underscores this laptop’s unsuitability for daily life on the highway. 

At minimum charging is reasonably rapidly. With the battery at 21% the cost stage attained forty six% after fifteen minutes, sixty seven% after thirty minutes and 83% after forty five minutes. 

Conclusions 

The Asus ZenBook Professional Duo fifteen OLED is a massive and major laptop computer which is designed generally for creators. The primary fifteen.six-inch OLED display screen is outstanding, while the secondary ScreenPad Additionally delivers a set of controls precise to specific inventive apps, as properly as accommodating any software or application element you drag there, and catering for a little variety of bespoke instruments. 

It’s a nice thought, but to squeeze it in Asus has experienced to compromise the touchpad and eliminate the wrist rest in favour of a offered accessory. Functioning two substantial-resolution screens and the major-conclude processor compromise battery daily life to the stage the place you can expect to normally will need hassle-free entry to mains ability, building cellular doing the job something of a problem. 

These elements, plus the price, make the Asus ZenBook Professional Duo fifteen OLED a laptop computer for a quite precise set of inventive/ability people. 

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