Design

The G16’s new all-aluminum chassis is simply fantastic. That’s because in addition to being a touch lighter (about 0.1 pounds) and thinner (about 0.2 inches) than the previous model, it feels even sturdier. For 2024, ASUS ditched the dot matrix display on its lid for a single diagonal slash with white (not RGB) LEDs running down the center, which gives the laptop a much more sophisticated look without becoming boring. It’s like a teenager who grew up and learned to dress properly without losing touch with their gamer roots. On the inside, there’s a backlit keyboard with rainbow lighting (though it’s single-zone and not per-key) flanked by some surprisingly punchy speakers with an absolutely massive touchpad below. All told, it’s a beautifully designed system that looks as good as it feels.

ASUS / Engadget89100

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024)

A great all-around multimedia laptop for gamers and editors

Like its smaller sibling, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 combines a vivid display with a super sleek build but with better connectivity and even longer battery life.

ProsVibrant 240Hz OLED displaySleek designGreat speakersSolid performanceConsMemory is soldered inA bit priceyReduced wattage CPU and GPUAmoury Crate app is clunky$2,700 at Best Buy

ASUS has also included the right blend of connectivity options. The G16 features two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A slots, two USB-C ports (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4), HDMI 2.1, a full-size SD card reader and a 3.5mm audio jack. This is the kind of arrangement that lets you travel freely without needing to worry about extra dongles or adapters. Plus, thanks to ASUS’ new Slim Power Jack, you don’t have to hog any other ports while charging. And in a pinch, you can also juice up the G16 via USB-C, albeit at slower speeds (up to around 100 watts) than with the included 240-watt brick.

Display

The G16’s 2.5K (2,560 x 1,600) OLED screen might be the best component here. It’s vivid and supports a huge color gamut (100 percent of DCI-P3), while its 240Hz refresh rate makes it great even for gamers looking to squeeze out every last competitive advantage. Though brightness is just average at around 400 nits in standard definition mode or 450 nits in HDR, I didn’t really have any trouble seeing the screen unless the G16 was in direct sunlight. One last bonus for photo and video editors is that ASUS does include a few calibrated viewing modes in its Armoy Crate app for sRGB, D65 P3 and DCI-P3 so you can more accurately adjust hues or color grade footage.

Performance

The G16’s performance is pretty solid thanks to an Intel Core ultra 9 195H CPU, up to 32GB of RAM, 2TB of storage and NVIDIA RTX 4090 graphics. However, here’s where some trade-offs for the G16’s slim chassis factor in. Compared to similarly-sized rivals like the Razer Blade 16, the G16 features a lower overall TDP (total device power), which means even if they appear to have the same listed components, there’s still a difference in capabilities. For example, on our review unit with an RTX 4080, the amount of power sent to the GPU caps out at 115 watts versus 175 watts for the Razer. The G16’s RAM is also soldered in, so you can’t add more post-purchase.

In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p and ultra graphics with ray-tracing on, the G16 hit 68 fps, which is just barely ahead of what we saw from a smaller Razer Blade 14 (66 fps), despite the latter having a lower tier RTX 4070 but with a similar wattage. That said, those figures are more than adequate to keep AAA games running smoothly. And let’s not forget that the Blade 14 model I referenced costs $2,700, which is the same price as our G16 review unit. This makes it an apt comparison even if Razer’s laptop has a smaller footprint.

Battery life

One of the main advantages of a larger system is having extra room for a bigger battery. On PCMark 10’s Open Office rundown test, the G16 lasted 9 hours and 17 minutes versus just 5:12 for the smaller G14. That’s a solid mark considering it’s also better than an XPS 16 (8:31) we reviewed. However, overall longevity depends on your workload, because when I ran the battery test a second time only using the GPU instead of relying on NVIDIA’s Optimus graphic switching feature, that time dropped to just 3:08. That means the system will last all day if you’re using basic productivity app, but for more demanding tasks like gaming or video editing, you’ll want to keep ASUS’ 240-watt power brick close by.

Wrap-up

Just like its smaller sibling, ASUS’ ROG Zephyrus G16 is an almost ideal thin-and-light gaming laptop. It’s got a sleek all-aluminum build, a gorgeous 240Hz OLED display and longer battery life. Granted, it might not be quite as powerful as some of its rivals thanks to lower-wattage components, but it’s still got enough oomph to handle practically anything you can throw at it. And thanks to a full-size SD card reader, it makes for an even better portable editing workstation. But most importantly, with a starting price of $1,750, the G16 is more approachable than many of its high-end (and bulkier) competitors, which makes it a great pick for people who want a larger system that won’t weigh them down.

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ASUS / Engadget91100

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

The best 14-inch gaming laptop on sale today

For anyone who wants strong performance in a portable design, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is both pound for pound and dollar for dollar the best choice around.

ProsBeautiful understated designGorgeous OLED screenStrong performanceGood port selectionPunchy speakersConsBottom vents can get a bit toastyKeyboard only has single-zone lightingArmoury Crate app is kind of messyRAM is soldered in$2,000 at Best Buy

Design

Compared to previous models that were awash in RGB or had dot-matrix displays built into their lids, this year’s G14 is an exercise in restraint. It’s almost like the line has grown out of its awkward teenage phase and become a stylish but still fun-loving adult. The lid is accented by a simple diagonal slash with white (not RGB) LEDs embedded down the middle. Meanwhile, on the inside, there’s a sturdy deck with a large touchpad and surprisingly powerful speakers.

The one thing I miss is per-key RGB lighting instead of ASUS’ single-zone approach. After all, this is a gaming laptop and if you’re going to offer multiple colors, it’d be nice to have full customizability.

That said, the G14’s redesign isn’t just about style, it’s functional too. The switch to a unibody aluminum frame has strengthened the whole machine. There’s barely a hint of flex even on typically weaker parts like the lattice between keys. But more importantly, ASUS also reduced the laptop’s weight to just 3.3 pounds, which is noticeably lighter than rival notebooks with similar metal builds like the Razer Blade 14 (3.95 pounds). Plus, even with the smaller size, the G14 features a healthy selection of ports including a full-size HDMI 2.1 jack, two USB-C (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4), two USB-A and a microSD card reader.

Display

Another glowing component of the G14 is its OLED screen. In addition to producing vibrant colors, it has a sharp 2,880 x 1,800 resolution along with a 120Hz refresh rate and a color gamut that covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 spectrum. Recently, I’ve been watching Three Body Problem and I’ve been absolutely loving the OLED panel’s excellent contrast and deep blacks. Furthermore, because ASUS includes a handful of color-calibrated settings for sRGB, D65 P3, DCI-P3 (but not Adobe RGB), the G14 is a very capable photo- and video-editing machine.

The one small issue is that because 2,880 x 1,800 is a somewhat uncommon resolution, you may not be able to play all of your games at their native resolution, which is an issue I encountered when playing Returnal.

Performance

A big change for the 2024 ROG G14 is that GPU options now top out with an NVIDIA RTX 4070 instead of a 4080 like on the previous model. That may be a bummer for some, but as I prefer laptops that are easier to carry around, I’m OK with trading out a little top-end oomph for enhanced portability. And with all models featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS chip along with at least 16GB of RAM (or 32GB like on my review unit) and 1TB of storage, you won’t be lacking in speed.

On Geekbench 6, the G14 matched the performance we saw from a larger XPS 16 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chip. In games, it hit 90 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 on ultra settings, which is just shy of a much more expensive Razer Blade 14 (101 fps). That said, there are some important details you should know. Unlike previous models, the latest G14’s memory is soldered to the motherboard, so there’s no way to add extra RAM later. Additionally, while both ASUS and Razer’s 14-inch systems appear to have the same RTX 4070 GPU, the G14’s is capped at 90 watts versus 140 watts for the Blade, which explains the small gap in gaming performance.

It’s also worth noting that heat can be an issue in certain situations. In normal use, it’s not a big deal as the fans rarely need to spin up when browsing the web or watching movies. But under load, because the G14’s vents are on the bottom of the notebook, your lap can get toasty fast. Thankfully, this won’t be a major problem if you’re gaming, since you’ll probably want to be at a desk or table to put an external mouse on anyway.

Battery life

While the G14 doesn’t last quite as long as a traditional ultrabook, it still carries enough juice to last nearly an entire workday. On PCMark 10’s Modern Office rundown test, it lasted 7 hours and 29 minutes which is slightly better than the Razer Blade 14’s time of 6:46. And, new for 2024, ASUS has added its proprietary Slim Power Jack, which sort of looks like a USB-C port if you squint (but it isn’t). However, if you want to really travel light, the G14 supports charging via USB-C so you can leave the adapter at home. The one caveat is that USB-PD on this maxes out at 100 watts (versus 180 watts when using the included brick), so the battery may still discharge while gaming or performing other intensive tasks.

Wrap-up

Even though we already loved its predecessors, the 2024 ROG Zephyrus G14 has managed to take another big leap. It’s got an exquisitely crafted chassis along with a vibrant new display and boomier speakers – all while shedding nearly half a pound in weight. On the inside, you still get up to an RTX 4070 GPU. Sure, it’s a touch slower than a similarly equipped Blade 14, but considering our review unit costs $2,000 compared to $2,700 for the closest equivalently specced Razer, I’m happy to trade a tiny bit of performance to get a much more affordable machine. And that’s before you factor in a starting price of just $1,450 for one with an RTX 4060. My biggest gripe is that ASUS’ Amoury Crate app still feels clunky, thanks to settings that are hard to find or toggles that don’t work like you’d expect. But make no mistake, the G14 is a great laptop – for both gamers and content creators – who want good performance in a portable package. So while I appreciate what the Blade 14 and other high-end notebooks can do, ASUS’ latest creation is the one I’d buy.

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The hardware side of things isn’t quite as simple. Chromebooks started as cheap computers meant mostly for web browsing, but both Chrome OS and the laptops themselves have gotten a lot more advanced since then. There are still plenty of budget models out there, many with questionable build quality or specs; there are also lots of “premium” Chromebooks with powerful internals, high-end screens and great industrial design.

Then there’s a middle ground: utilitarian but well-designed laptops with powerful enough hardware for most users that don’t break the bank. In the last few years, I’ve had a hard time finding that sweet spot, but today Google is announcing the Chromebook Plus initiative to make that easier.

Essentially, Chromebook Plus devices have a guaranteed set of specs to ensure a consistent and quality experience. That means every Chromebook Plus has an Intel Core or AMD Ryzen (7000 series) processor, at least 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. A full 1080p IPS display and 1080p webcam also come standard.

Google and four OEM partners are announcing a total of eight Chromebook Plus models today: two each from HP, Acer, ASUS and Lenovo. With the exception of two 15.6-inch models from Acer and HP, all of these devices will feature 14-inch screens, making them solid all-around options for most people. And while the “Plus” name might imply that we’re strictly talking about premium hardware, like HP’s $999 Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, these devices start at $399. That’s not the absolute cheapest price we’ve seen for a Chromebook, but quality can be hit or miss below that price – but with the Plus initiative, buyers will hopefully be a lot more secure in what they’re purchasing.

Chromebook Plus devices will also get access to a handful of software tricks, including a Material You design, dynamic wallpapers and the Magic Eraser tool in Google Photos. Some of the AI-powered tricks Google uses to improve calls in Meet will also work on other video call platforms, as well. Specifically, you’ll be able to use the auto “improve lighting” and “noise cancellation” features on Meet as well as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

There’s also a new File Sync feature that’ll automatically keep files from Google Drive locally available for when you’re offline. Google says that’s thanks in part to the minimum 128GB of storage available on Chromebook Plus models, but it’s not clear how the system will decide what to download or how much space to use up. But expanding offline utilities for Chromebooks should nonetheless be handy. Google says that all the software improvements it announced as part of Chromebook Plus will be coming to all Chromebooks that meet these minimum specifications soon, as well.

Google is also smartly partnering with Adobe, who just announced Photoshop for the web last week. While the company acknowledges that it’s a “streamlined” app for the web, it still represents the first time that Chromebook users will get a taste of the Photoshp experience. (It’s worth noting that existing Photoshop customers get access to Photoshop on the web as part of their subscription.)

Adobe and Google are giving Chromebook Plus buyers a three-month trial of Photoshop on the web, along with access to the Adobe Express creation tool that lets you quickly build things like animations, logos, flyers and so forth. Express users Adobe’s Firefly generative AI models, and Chromebook Plus owners will get to try that out too.

Google also teased a slew of AI-powered software improvements coming to Chromebook Plus laptops next year. One is a text composer that understands the context of the tool you’re using, whether it’s something like YouTube video descriptions or short-form comments on social media. There’s also going to be a generative image AI that’ll let you make custom wallpapers for your Chromebook with text prompts. Similarly, you’ll also be able to generate image backgrounds for when you’re on video calls.

The initial eight Chromebook Plus models will be released on October 8. Lenovo will offer two Intel-powered 14-inch models, the IdeaPad Slim 3i and the IdeaPad Flex 5i for $550 and $500, respectively. Acer has a 14-inch Chromebook Plus 514 with a Ryzen 3 or Ryzen 5 processor and the 15.6-inch Chromebook Plus 515, with an Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor. Both models are priced at $400.

HP also has a 15.6-inch model with an Intel Core i3 processor for $600 and the Chromebook Plus x360 14 inch with a 360-degree hinge and up to a Core i5 processor for $750. Finally, the ASUS Chromebook Plus CX3402 includes up to an Intel Core i5 processor and a 14-inch screen, while the Chromebook Plus CM34 Flip has a 360-degree hinge and a more rugged design. (ASUS didn’t provide pricing for these models as of publish time.) Obviously there are a lot of smaller details that differentiate all these devices, and we’ll be looking forward to getting our hands on them soon so we can see what this all translates to in terms of the end user experience. But if Google can standardize solid specs across a wider range of price points, it’ll be a lot easier for people who want to give Chromebooks a shot.

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This mistake can be spotted alongside the “Polymo lighting” I/O cover panel, which has a display that switches between the iconic red mecha and its stubborn pilot, Asuka. As pointed out by Digital Trends, the official product shots also contained said typo at the time of publishing this article. Interestingly though, this wasn’t the case with the press images received by Engadget back in July — as per the above comparison image. We’ve reached out to ASUS regarding this amusing error, but there’s probably not much point in rectifying it at this point — much like the anime’s original abrupt ending.

Having said that, sometimes it’s typos like this that turn products into collectibles, but good luck finding one. This limited edition motherboard was once listed for above $1,000 by third-party sellers on Amazon, but it has since sold out. You may still find stock in some Micro Center stores, according to its website.

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Meanwhile, the offending typo has already disappeared from ASUS’ website, but you can still spot the extra “n” in the original product shots on Amazon and Micro Center.

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The biggest change is the new CNC-machined aluminum chassis with a somewhat boxy frame and clean minimalist lines. Not only is this construction stiffer and more durable than before, both new models are smaller (up to 4mm thinner) and lighter (by up to 0.3 pounds) than the previous generation. Keycaps are also 12 percent larger and on the inside, there’s enough room for 20 percent larger speakers. Meanwhile on the outside, instead of a bunch of RGB lighting, there’s a single white LED strip arranged in a slash across the lid. It looks bold without being too in your face, and you can choose from two colors: Eclipse Gray or a stunning Platinum White. It feels like ASUS has made a stylish machine that adult gamers don’t need to be embarrassed about whipping out in public.

Another big change comes with its display, as the new Zephyrus G14/G16 will be the first ROG laptops to feature OLED panels: a 3K 120Hz screen on the smaller model or a 2.5K 240Hz option on the larger system. Supplied by Samsung and branded as ROG Nebula Display OLEDs, both screens also feature 16:10 aspect ratios, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification, NVIDIA G-Sync support and blazing 0.2ms gray-to-gray response times. In short, they look great.

ASUS opted for slightly different hardware depending on which size you choose. The smaller G14 uses AMD Ryzen 8000 series processors with up to NVIDIA RTX 4070 graphics while the larger G16 features an Intel Core Ultra 9 chip with up to an RTX 4090 GPU. Both versions top out with 32GB of DDR5X RAM. Other small differences include a microSD card reader on the G14 versus a full-size option on the G16 along with a larger 90Whr battery (versus 73Whr). The only thing ASUS seems to have missed is support for Wi-Fi 7, but given how early we are into that rollout, it shouldn’t be a big deal as Wi-Fi 6e is still plenty fast.

One other important addition is the introduction of the ASUS Slim Power jack, which will be the company’s default charging port for high-power systems across its mainstream and ROG lines. It looks similar to USB-C, in that it’s also reversible, but with a slightly boxier connector. I kind of wish ASUS opted for USB-C power delivery, at least on the smaller G14. But I’ve been told that the cost and relatively low efficiency of high-power USB-C charging (especially above 140 watts, as the G14 uses a 180-watt brick) still isn’t good enough for widespread use.

Regardless, previous versions of the ROG G14 and G16 have been some of our favorite gaming machines over the past few years and with a full redesign that brings a gorgeous new aluminum chassis, top-notch specs, OLED displays and more. And if this early look at the next-generation is anything to go by, it seems ASUS is hoping to carry that momentum into the rest of 2024.

Unfortunately, there isn’t any word on expected pricing for the ROG G14 and G16 just yet, but check back soon because ASUS says it will provide updates closer to when its new laptops officially go on sale sometime in February.

We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

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For the uninitiated, NUC stands for Next Unit of Compute and refers to a line of ultra-portable desktop PCs and barebones computer kits. These are complete systems that you can hold with one hand, and the ROG NUC is no different. This mini PC, originally codenamed Scorpion Canyon, comes with your choice of Intel Core Ultra 7 or 9 processors and NVIDIA RTX 4060 or 4070 GPUs, allowing for four simultaneous 4K display outputs.

The whole system is designed for speed and multitasking, thanks to the proprietary Performance Hybrid Architecture that distributes additional E-cores to handle intensive tasks. ASUS promises a tool-less chassis design that lets users integrate upgrades and complete maintenance tasks in under 10 minutes.

As for connectivity, you get a HDMI 2.1 port, a DisplayPort 1.4, a single Thunderbolt 4/USB-C Type-C port and a USB 2.0 port. It also supports WiFi 6E and is compatible with both Windows 11 and Linux. Operation system flexibility is always nice. ASUS also says the system has been built to ensure seamless integration with the ROG Raikiri PRO controller and comes with the ROG Armory Crate app for creating unique RGB lighting schemes.

This is only the beginning. ASUS promises more mini PCs in the near future, saying that this release “heralds a new era in NUC gaming.” There’s no pricing or availability information for the ROG NUC, but that should come soon.

We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

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Specifically, the new 50-megapixel f/1.9 main camera is powered by a more efficient Sony IMX890 sensor (featured on the OnePlus 11’s main camera, as well as the 3x periscope camera on Oppo’s Find X6 Pro and Realme’s GT5 Pro). More importantly, ASUS also brought over the Zenfone line’s 6-axis hybrid gimbal stabilizer, which further improves low-light shooting and offers a “Super HyperSteady” video mode.

The new 13-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide camera benefits from a free-form lens for reduced distortion. As for the third camera, the old 5-megapixel macro camera is now replaced by a more practical 32-megapixel 3x telephoto shooter, which comes with optical image stabilization and pixel-binning process (8-megapixel output) for boosted sensitivity. On the other side of the phone, the 32-megapixel selfie camera — now a punch hole on the screen — has gained a wider field of view, jumping from 73 degrees to 90.

Another significant change on the ROG Phone here is the appearance. In what ASUS calls the “Gen#3” design, the ROG Phone 8 has opted for compactness by way of reduced bezels (especially top and bottom), body thickness (from 10.49mm to just 8.9mm) and weight (from 239g to 225g). Thanks to this re-engineering, the company was also able to implement IP68 dust and water resistance here — apparently a first for gaming phones, thus making it even more suitable for daily use.

The ROG Phone 8 line comes in two looks. The regular model features a redesigned Aura RGB logo on the back, and comes in either “Rebel Grey” or “Phantom Black.” The more premium Pro flavor only comes in “Phantom Black,” with the main difference being its “AniMe Vision” powered by 341 white mini LEDs. This dot matrix display supports over 20 preloaded animations that respond to the likes of X Mode, incoming calls, powering on and more. You can also create your own custom animations, and should you come across a fellow ROG Phone 8 Pro user, tapping both phones together will unlock new secret animations. (In case you’re wondering, ASUS has confirmed that there will be no “Ultimate” edition this time.)

It should come as no surprise that the ROG Phone 8 series packs the top options available in terms of processor, thermal design and display. You get Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip paired with a “GameCool 8” advanced thermal system, which features a tiny rapid-cooling conductor to apparently boost thermal efficiency by up to 20 percent. (You can go even further by utilizing the new AeroActive Cooler X attachment, which is designed with a larger cooling chip at the sacrifice of two physical buttons.) Both are tucked underneath a Samsung E6 flexible AMOLED panel — it’s the same 2,448 x 1,080 resolution, 165Hz refresh rate and 720Hz touch-sampling rate as before, but now with a whopping 2,500-nit peak brightness (from 1,500 nits).

There are some small trade-offs, though. For one, the battery size has been reduced from 6,000mAh to 5,500mAh, but it still supports 65W HyperCharge which takes just 39 minutes. ASUS’s justification is the improved efficiency of the new processor as well as display, and that it saw the weight of the earlier ROG Phones being a major pain point. It also needed to squeeze out more space for the better (read: larger) camera modules. That said, this phone still somehow manages to add wireless charging support, which follows the Qi 1.3 standard.

Another slight downgrade lies within the audio department. What used to be two loud front-facing speakers are now one front-facing speaker and one downward-facing speaker, due to the reduction in the top and bottom bezels. Still, ASUS thinks Dirac’s tuning is able to compensate for this change. Speaking of, you also get Dirac Virtuo spatial audio for all headphones, be it wired (3.5mm or USB-C) or wireless (Bluetooth). As for phone calls, the ROG Phone 8 offers computational noise-cancelling for voice input across various scenarios — be it in-game communications, IM calls or regular phone calls.

ASUS’ signature AirTrigger pressure-sensitive buttons are here to stay, for obvious reasons. There’s also X Sense 2.0, an AI pattern recognition system for automatically detecting key events on screen, in order to provide timely prompts for the right moments. For instance, in Genshin Impact, this function will know when to trigger tools like auto pick up, fast forward, running lock and auto press-to-escape. Another AI feature — though not necessarily related to gaming — will be wallpaper generation, due to arrive in a future firmware update. This will leverage fast stable diffusion for creating images offline.

The ROG Phone 8 series will be available for pre-order in the very near future, with the base model (16GB RAM and 256GB storage) asking for $1,000 (actual retail price will cost an extra $100), followed by the $1,200 ROG Phone 8 Pro (16GB RAM with 512GB storage), and a more premium $1,500 ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition (24GB RAM with 1TB storage, plus an AeroActive Cooler X which normally costs $100). All models will come with at least two major OS updates (from Android 14), along with four years of security updates.

ASUS ROG Phone 8

$1,099 at ASUS

We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

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Similar to Lenovo’s Yoga Book 9i, the Zenbook Duo features two separate screens and a detachable Bluetooth keyboard that can be stashed inside the system for traveling. The difference is that ASUS’ OLED panels look even better, as they are slightly larger at 14 inches, while also offering a 3K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and stylus support. Plus, with a starting price of $1,500, it costs $500 less than the Yoga Book and not that much more than your average high-end ultraportable.

That alone would be enough to make it interesting, but what really elevates the Zenbook Duo is the polish ASUS has put into making it look and function just like a regular clamshell. Measuring just 0.78 inches thick and weighing 3.64 pounds (including its removable keyboard), it’s only a touch larger and heavier than a typical 14-inch notebook. And it doesn’t give up anything in terms of performance, with an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU, up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD inside,. The same thing goes for connectivity, where you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-A 3.2 slot, a 3.5mm audio jack and even a full-size HDMI 2.1 socket.

But the best thing about the Zenbook Duo is its fit and finish. Even though what I got to mess around with was a pre-production model, it felt incredibly sturdy. When packed up with its keyboard sandwiched between the two screens, there are no gaps or wasted space. And despite its super shallow dimensions, the detachable keyboard features full backlighting and more than enough travel to make sure your fingers don’t get sore while typing.

ASUS also added something I wish Lenovo had included on the Yoga Book 9i: a built-in kickstand. By mounting one on the bottom of the laptop, it sidesteps the need to have a separate folding cover, which streamlines the process every time you have to pack up and go. The small downside is that the orientation of the kickstand promotes a stacked setup with one display on top of the other. Though I’m not that bothered since that’s my preference anyway. Technically, you can use the Zenbook Duo with vertical side-by-side mode, but because there’s no way to adjust the kickstand in this position, it’s not quite as flexible.

As you’d expect from a system like this, you can use it as a standard clamshell with the Zenbook Duo featuring hidden magnets that allow the keyboard to snap neatly in place. However, when you have more room to work with, you can place the keyboard in front of the system and instantly double your screen space. There’s also a responsive virtual keyboard and touchpad you can use in a pinch along with handy widgets for the news, weather and monitoring system performance. And when you need to top up the removable keyboard’s battery, there are some thoughtfully placed pogo pins that allow it to trickle charge while it’s nestled inside the system.

Surprisingly, when it comes to battery life, ASUS managed to fit a 75 Whr power pack in the Zenbook Duo which is slightly larger than what’s available in the new Zephryus G14 (73 Whr), and that’s a gaming machine with way fewer moving parts. And ASUS claims the Zenbook Duo adheres to MIL-STD 810H testing standards, so it should be pretty durable too.

Last year, the Yoga Book 9i felt like a revelation; Lenovo combined all the right components needed to create an appealing dual-screen laptop. But ASUS has optimized that template even further by adding ports, moving to bigger and better screens, including a built-in kickstand and making it even more portable. And then there’s that surprisingly affordable $1,500 starting price. I’ve been waiting for years to switch over to a dual-screen laptop, and the Zenbook Duo might actually convince me to finally make that jump.

The ASUS Zenbook Duo is expected to go on sale sometime later in Q1 2024.

We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

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The device’s system has three degrees of freedom, and users can pin several screens where they want in the aspect ratio they prefer, whether it’s 16:9, 21:9 or 32:9. They can do so through the glasses’ intuitive touchpad located on the left temple, where they can also adjust brightness and activate 3D mode. The device also comes with built-in noise-canceling microphones and speakers.

While it may sound like the AirVision M1 could be a good companion for people who need to bring their work with them when they travel, it’s not a standalone wearable: It has to be connected to a PC or a phone via USB-C to work. ASUS has yet to reveal how much it costs and when it’ll be available, but its specs and capabilities indicate that it’ll cost a fraction of Apple’s Vision Pro.

We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

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