Buying a new gadget is always special. Somehow it feels like an achievement. I remember the first time I bought my smartphone a Samsung Galaxy S. That was in the turn of the millennium and it felt like a big achievement. It was a great feeling, a special feeling.
Then you unbox the device, a delicate mix of glass, and plastic, and metal these days. It felt like a trophy at that time. Then you have to set it up, which is a pain in the butt.
Setting up your device for the first time is always quite a painful process. It takes out plenty of your time. You have to transfer as much data as possible from one smartphone to the other. In the old days, some of the most important data on your device is your contacts. You can do that with a simple Google sign in now. But the rest of the device, not so easy.
Since I switch to a smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S, I have never turned back to switch to another manufacturer. Since I have switched to the Note series from the Samsung Galaxy Note2, I have never turned back. Now, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is here, and we have to get our hands on it.
First Set-Up
We did, and then we have to set it up like any other phone. In that regards, I switched out from a Samsung Galaxy Note9 to this Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. Thank the heavens, we have the Smart Switch app that simplified data transfer from one phone the other, to a certain degree.
The first set-up of the device is quite painless. Since I am coming from another Samsung device, it is a simple turn on the Smart Switch app on the older device and get them to pair. When I switched out my Samsung Galaxy Note5 to a Samsung Galaxy Note9, I had to do the transfer via a wire. Now, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 does it wirelessly with the Samsung Galaxy Note9; neat.
Smart Switch App
The whole process is quite painless if you do it correctly and should be done within an hour depending on your smartphone. We did something wrong and had to reset twice to get the data transferred correctly. It took us about 40 minutes (when we got it right) for all the necessary data to reach the Galaxy Note20 Ultra.
It was worth it though, once done the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 looks exactly like the Note9 in terms interface. You get the same background you’ve set on your older device and even the same lock screen. Of course, you have to set up your fingerprint sensor and facial recognition again.
Things like your Google Account has already been signed into and you can access almost everything else that is singed in with Google account without having to sign in again. Of course, you have to sign into your Samsung account and Microsoft account again. Facebook is mostly already set up too if you transferred your data with Smart Switch app. Other things like Twitter and Instagram requires you to sign in again though.
If you want to, you can even transfer all the older photos that you took with your older device to the Samsung Galaxy Note20. That is what we did, and everything we had from the old Samsung Galaxy Note9 is now in the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. We only wish that the app also helps us mimic all the app settings and accounts we had. We were quite annoyed to find that certain apps are not signed in and most of our games progress has been reset.
Naked and Vulnerable
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 review unit that we got does not come with a device case to protect it from the world. When we checked with Samsung’s rep, there is a chance that the retail unit might not come with an included case too. In that case, we do suggest that you procure one the moment you get your Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra unit though. You would want to slap a case on its back because of the huge camera bump.
The device is not particularly thick, which makes the camera bump a little bit of an odd stand out. It is half the thickness of the S Pen and definitely thicker than your 50cent coin. You might need to stack two coins and it will just clear the height of the bump.
It is not a small bump either. It has to fit a large 108-Megapixel sensor along with two supporting sensors at that. Just in case you do not remember, the camera sensors are now larger as well. The term ‘stick out like a sore thumb’ plays very well here.
Still, the bronze that was presented on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 is a unique touch to smartphones. While every other manufacturer is doing all they can to get their device’s backs to look like they came out of the North Pole, Samsung goes back to basic with their flagship productivity machine.
The bronze is not even in a glossy shade for style points. They didn’t really bother with creating fancy effects either. It is just a matte finish that even feels nice in your hands. The only thing about it is that it is quite slippery in your hands. That is why we advise you to buy a case too.
We do really like the matte texture to the back of the device though. While it is nothing new, it is quite refreshing at this time and it does look good to a certain degree. Still you might just cover it up with a case anyway.
Battery Concerns
Out-of-the-box, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 comes with about 50% in battery charge when you turn it on. That should be enough for you to do your set ups or the data transfer. Once set up is done, the battery is still good enough to play around with and to do all extra set ups. While that is good news, it might disguise its actual battery life though.
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 houses the biggest battery of all the Note series that came before. The thing is, we do feel like it has about the same battery life as the Samsung Galaxy Note9 though. It is not great, but it is not bad either. If you constantly keep your device on, the battery does dwindle a little bit. We suspect that the battery life is driven down by the 120Hz refresh rate.
Once you start to charge it though, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 will prompt you if you want to fast charge it if fast charging is available. That is quite clever as well. If you tend to leave your device charging overnight, you might want to consider turning that function off. That is also a very clever way to preserve your battery shelf life.
120Hz Goodness
Once you start working with the smartphone, you first notice how smooth everything is. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 turns on 120Hz refresh rate by default but limits your resolution at Full HD. If you want the full quad HD treatment, sorry. Still, 1080p is still plenty good looking on the AMOLED display, so we left it that way.
The smoothness of the interface is uncanny though, everything flows really nicely with each swipe. Even the Samsung Keyboard is made to take on 120Hz, the suggested words just flow along as you type, which was a nice touch.
Of course, the other benefit to the fast display is gaming. Unfortunately, this aspect will have to wait until we properly review the device though. Why? We have not even launched any of the games we have on the device.
S Pen – Mightier than the Pen
Okay, that was an exaggeration. It is technically a digital pen, and we maintain that the stylus experience still cannot beat an actual Pen experience. But this, in our first tests, does feel quite close to an actual pen.
No, not the actual pen on paper experience. Instead, you still know that you are writing on glass, a smooth surface. We can liken it more to using market pen on whiteboards. That said, this S Pen is unlike any other stylus experience we are used to. This is coming from a Samsung Galaxy Note9 user.
It is faster than before, they say at 9ms. That means that response is near instant with the S Pen. Before we can start though, S Pen has some setting up and tutorial to do when we first take it out of its housing at the bottom left this time (used to be bottom right).
The first set up is to teach us how to use the three gesture controls that is available for the S Pen. If you do everything correctly, you will get that done within 30 seconds and you are good to go. You have to set up your apps with gesture controls first though, if you want to use them. We have not.
Then we fired up the S Notes app that is native to Samsung devices. We started writing and comparing to older Samsung Galaxy Note devices like the Note10 and the Note9. We fell a little in love after that. The experience is much changed and different now. While it is only a small difference between in the speed, the difference can be clearly seen. Especially when you are scribbling quickly, the scribbles on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 appears to really follow the pen without any visible breaks. We suspect that the 120Hz play a small role in this.
First Impressions After 24 Hours
This, in our humble opinions, could be Samsung’s most important and significant Samsung Galaxy Note ever. They are realising it into a highly volatile and uncertain market. No, not because Samsung is doing badly or that the smartphone market is doing badly. Those are provided also because of the bigger global concern that is the COVID-19 pandemic at this time.
For most, it is business as usual like Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 is sort of a new normal too. It is bigger, faster, and cleverer than before. It is a statement to the world that the digital pen is ready to take on paper and pen for speed and practicality. It is a new way to work on things.
It does not have the same camera prowess that is the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra’s 100x zoom. But it is a productivity beast when it comes to things that matter. You can use it as your alternative work device if you really want to. It refined the Samsung design philosophy a little bit with better ergonomics on the sides. The top and bottom are flat now, which does give it a slightly edgier and fresher look.
It is huge, even compared to the previous Samsung Galaxy Note devices. But it is never uncomfortable to hold (save for that big camera bump, we have nothing to complain about). It is even more powerful too, with bigger stamina tank. But it is not obnoxious in looks. It looks understated and we like that.
All in all, the experience is one that we have quite enjoyed. We have not gone into detail on the missing 3.5mm jack just yet. We have not even explored the Super-Fast Charging capabilities on the Note20 Ultra just yet. We also have not started talking about the big cameras yet.
In the modern smartphone age today, there are a few launches that is always anticipated within the year. One of them is from Samsung early on in the year. This will be the Samsung Galaxy S line, for this year it will be the number 20, matching the year 2020.
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Just like last year, and as the title suggests, there are three of them to complete the line-up. Unlike last year, the naming scheme is a little different. You start with a plain old Samsung Galaxy S20, then there is the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, and then the biggest Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. All of them packs 5G support. Of course, if you do not want to dive into 5G just yet or want to fork out that much more money, there is the regular LTE version of the devices.
Samsung Galaxy S20
Samsung’s Galaxy S20 is Samsung’s smallest 2020 Galaxy S device thus far. Barring the Samsung Galaxy S20 Lite, which might be quite inevitable, the smallest Galaxy S20 device will pack either a Samsung staple Exynos System on a Chip (SoC) for the global market or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC for the United States market. Malaysia will no doubt get the Exynos version.
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
The Android 10 device will come with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for the LTE version. If you opt for the 5G version you get up to 12GB with the same internal storage option. Of course, you can expand that with a MicroSD card. Remember when Samsung did not allow the Galaxy Note5 to be MicroSD expandable? Disaster that one.
There is a square camera array arrangement going on at the back with three lenses. There is the main 12-Megapixel shooter, which is quite expected. It does not have the dual aperture that was known since the Samsung Galaxy S9 though. Paired to the main shooter is a 64-Megapixel telephoto shooter that enables the Samsung Galaxy S20 to have an optical zoom factor of 3x. Of course they will not forget the all-important 12-Megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor for that beautiful wide angle shots. Up front is a 10-Megapixel selfie shooter which should produce some stellar results.
Source: Samsung
As expected the Samsung Galaxy S20 has the beautiful Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O panel. It measures at 6.2-inch and pushes out the usual and expected 1440p Quad HD+ (1,440 x 3,200 pixels at 30Hz). Of course, Samsung being Samsung the display is an HDR10+. Oh, before we forget, it is a 120Hz (defaults to 1080p) display too so you should be getting an ultra smooth experience with the device. Thanks to 240Hz screen response rate, you should get a snappier experience too.
The OneUI 2.0 flagship will ship with a large 4,000 mAh battery under the familiar design language (very much like Note10 series) with some interesting colourways. The large battery can also be used to revers charge any wireless charging devices you may have in your accessory cabinet. There is no 3.5mm jack to be found anywhere, which is still quite sad.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus (S20+)
The bigger, bulkier Samsung Galaxy S20+ is technically a blown up version of the regular S20. Instead of the S20’s measly 6.2-inch though, you get a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O display with the same resolution and refresh rate. Bigger is better, right?
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Of course bigger devices also means bigger battery and more cameras. Instead of the three cameras, it has four within the same camera array set up. There is an additional DepthVision Camera that helps with depth detection and therefore better Bokeh results.
Storage and RAM wise, if you opt for the LTE version, you are not getting anything more than what you would be getting on the regular Galaxy S20. Yes, 8GB RAM plus 128GB storage with MicroSD expandability. If you opt for the 5G version you get 12GB of RAM with up to 512GB in storage. Nice? Nice.
Source: Samsung
Of course, it comes with a bigger battery too at 4,500mAh. Obviously you get to chose from the same colour options too. Except, you do not get Cloud Pink. Hey, at least you can choose Cosmic Black.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
This is even bigger than the Plus. Its Dynamic AMOLED 2X display measures in at 6.9-inch and pushes Quad HD+ resolution (1440p) at up to 120Hz, just like its little brothers. Big, bigger, biggest.
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
The Ultra is a different beast entirely though. You get the option of choosing between an LTE or even a 5G version too. Storage options starts from 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage up to a mind-boggling 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Yes? Yes.
You get a huge 5,000mAh battery too. You would want that battery, 5G can really drain the battery. The cameras too might really drain your battery life.
First of all, up front, in the O-punch hole, you get a 40-Megapixel front-facing camera. That camera is one of the most powerful selfie camera fitted in a Samsung Galaxy device. It is easily the most powerful fitted to a Samsung Galaxy S device.
Source: Samsung
Then there is the rear cameras. Its an array of four cameras too. It is not the usual 12-Megapixel plus 64-Megapixel plus 12-Megapixel arrangement that you get on the lesser models though. This top-of-the-line flagship gets an impressive 108-Megapixel main camera. You might not be surprised that the 108-Megapixel you find on the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro is also the same Samsung developed sensor.
The 108-Megapixel camera is paired to a 48-Megapixel telephoto camera that gives the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra the ability to zoom up to 30x optically and 100x digitally. Stalker smartphone alert? Defnitely.
Source: Samsung
There is also a 12-Megapixel ultra-wide angle lens too on the other side. There is also the DepthVision sensor you find on the S20+. If you stayed up and watch the livestream, you might notice a low-light sensor fitted in too. They did not talk about the sensor, but that should help with good looking low-light photos.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra takes camera to a whole new level not just with the physical cameras too. The new camera array comes with a slew of new software that might really change the game too.
Raising The Camera Game
8K resolution will be standard on all the Galaxy S20 variants. But it does not stop at just long form videos. 8K Video Snap is a new thing, made for more social media use, you can use it to capture moments very quickly by just launching the camera. Keep in mind that if you shoot on 8K using the Samsung Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy S20+ you are using the Telephoto lens. Bummer.
Source: Samsung
While the regular, traditional smartphone cameras take photos using one sensor at a time. The Samsung Galaxy S20 devices takes a single picture file with all the cameras they have. They call this Single Take.
If you work with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, you get to zoom 30 times, or zoom it out to to ultra-wide photo, or just the regular wide angle photo all within a single shot. No more fiddling around and missing moments. Just make sure you get the right things in the frame and you are set.
The camera software also packs some new flashy Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) that improves on image stabilizing. It also helps with some rolling shutters when you move plenty. Oh yes, this can be your new production camera. They did use the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra to shoot the whole Unpacked 2020, you know.
More Stuff With The Galaxy S20 Series
All The Samsung Galaxy S20 devices in the series will be IP68 certified, as expected with all the modern Samsung Galaxy S devices. All of them will come with Fast Charging too via USB Type-C. If you are hoping the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra comes with 3.5mm jack, it does not too, sadly. All of the Samsung Galaxy S20 devices comes certified with Google’s Live Caption feature as part of Google’s Accessibility program.
Source: Samsung
Of course, it only makes sense if you get Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 at 10W. That wireless receiver can become transmitters for all the devices too. While all the devices come with dual SIM support, they work with eSIM too, which is always great since one of the SIM slots needs to be sacrificed if you opt for a MicroSD expansion.
There are a few colours available for the Samsung Galaxy S20 line-up. They differ slightly as you go through the range though. The Samsung Galaxy S20 comes in Cosmic Grey, or Cloud Blue, or Cloud Pink. The Samsung Galaxy S20+ comes in Cosmic Grey, or Cloud Blue, or Cosmic Black. The S20 Ultra comes in Cosmic Grey or Cosmic Black options only.
Prices start from US$ 999 (MYR 4,129*) for the Samsung Galaxy S20, US$ 1,199 (MYR 4,956*) for the Samsung Galaxy S20+, and US$ 1,399 (MYR 5,782*) for the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. Keep in mind these are the 5G variants though. Unpacked did not mention anything about the LTE versions but we are definitely getting them in Malaysia. More information on their website.
*Approximate conversion based on US$ 1 = MYR 4.13 on 12/02/2020
UPDATE: The Samsung Galaxy S20 series will start from MYR 3,599 (S20), MYR3,999 (S20+), and MYR 4,999 (S20 Ultra). For Malaysia, the Samsung Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ will only be available in LTE variants while the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra will come in both LTE and 5G variants. Pre-orders starts from the 12th of February 2020 at 5.00 p.m. onward to the 26th February 11.59 p.m., terms and conditions apply. The devices should be out in stores on the 4th of March 2020 onward.
The
PC that we know today has evolved leaps and bounds from the old days.
These days, while PC towers are still around, and you can buy a decent
one for less than MYR 2,000, portable PCs are kings. They offer
unrivalled portability and yet still offer you the power to work like
you have never left the office, or your desk. Powerful enough notebook
PCs are even able to allow you to not only work on graphic heavy
applications, they allow you to play games at a level of immersion that
has never been seen before. They are as powerful as your desktop tower
PC at home.
Still, there are some limitations to a notebook PC. The keyboard for one, you cannot change that, and most will never get the benefit of mechanical keyboards, thanks to the bulk in most mechanical keyboard designs. So you end up with less-than-stellar keyboard most of the time. Then there is cooling. A notebook PC will always have the same cooling issues because you try to fit powerful, aluminium melting processors into a space that is not even big enough for your pinky to fit into. Of course, there are going to be heat management problems. Of course, technology have negated those issues and caught the notebook PCs up to the traditional desktop towers.
There
is however, one problem that can hardly be solved when it comes to
notebook PCs – display, or should I say; displays. There is only one
display on a notebook PC, and you cannot upgrade it once you get one. On
a desktop tower, you can choose to get one large display, or two, or
three, or four; depending on your budget and set up requirements. On a
notebook PC you only can have one, thanks to the size. Or is it?
Not according to ASUS though. This is the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, a dual-display wieldinng
piece of hunk that you call a notebook PC. It has two displays and
still folds the same way any notebook PC does. No this is not some kind
of an e-ink display paired to a normal display like the Lenovo YogaBook
C930. This is a proper coloured LCD display that you get alongside a 4K
resolution OLED display. It is not a concept like the Razer that we saw
a few years ago too. It is real, and it is in our hands. Is it any good
though? Should you spend your money on this? Oh wait, we have not told
you how much it is just yet.
Design
On
the outside, it looks just like any other notebook PC. It is none of
those super slim, super light notebook PC though. It is a properly heavy
notebook PC packing some metal in its sculpted body. Well, then again,
its body is made up of metal as well.
There
is plenty aluminium everywhere, not a lot of plastic; very unlike any
other ASUS notebook PCs that we are used to. While using plastic sounds
cheap, the ones on most ASUS notebook PCs I know are quite high in
quality. The benefit of weight is also a good encouragement for the use
of plastics.
Of course, aluminium and other metal materials are more premium. That is exactly the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, premium in both feel and build. The downside to that is weight, but you are going to want this to sit on your desk most of the time anyway, it weighs 2.5kg; reminds you of the old days of notebook PCs no?
Still, the ZenBook Pro Duo looks unique. In line with ASUS Anniversary design language, the ZenBook Pro Duo looks sharp, with acute angles and powerful lines. You have the iconic brushed aluminium on the top clam, and multiple grilles on the sides and the edges to cool the rig. It looks, cool in that its metallic blue finish. It looks like a spaceship; otherworldly. It looks cool.
To
be fair though, this is a hate it or love it design. At first, I was
struggling to like the look of the odd notebook PC. It is aggressive in
looks, and if I am being honest, I like more flowy designs with softer
lines. Still, it grew on me.
Open
it up and you see the dual displays. The regular display is a beautiful
OLED, glossing in your eyes. Look down and you see another LCD display
that is put right above the keyboard, a familiar layout (ehem Zephyrus ehem). Oh, and there is an LED outlet too at the bottom part of the clam, under the keyboard. That is strangely cool.
Because typing on this kind of layout can be awkward, there is a palm rest included in the box of the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, which extends the bottom part of the notebook PC a little bit. No, it is not aluminium just like the rest of the PC, it is plastic constructed with some faux leather top and rubberised strips for better grip on the table and comfortable typing. There is a prism thing going on in the palm rest too reflecting the LED below the keyboard. It glows green when the PC is fully charged, and red while charging. Pretty cool if you ask me.
Unlike the ASUS notebook PCs of the previous generation, you do not get an indented display hinge. It is now a completely seamless hinge that goes from one end to the other end. It does make the notebook PC look cleaner than before. But there is another reason for this completely streamlined hinge. The display part of the notebook PC also acts like the stand to angle the notebook the PC’s bottom part. The benefit of that is the better ergonomics on your keyboard. The downside is cooling because the vents at the back is now pointing to the display. The ZenBook Pro Duo’s cooling though is on the sides, so your main display is not going to be overheated.
Hardware
The premium ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo is built with aluminium mostly, not as cold and heavy as steel but still very sturdy and high quality. That aluminium build, that we may not be very used to on an ASUS notebook PC, while makes it 2.5kg heavy, makes it a little more special. Yes, it has two displays.
To power two displays though you need some real processing ang GPU power. That is the 9th
Generation Intel Core i7 you find under the hood. That processor is
also paired to a NVIDIA GeForce RTX2060 for good measure. Yes, they
could have gone for an RTX 2080, but that would bring the cost up and
complicate the whole heat management issue. Remember, they have to deal
with dissipating heat from the other display too.
Specifications
ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo UX581GV
As Tested
Processor (clock)
9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H (2.6GHz ~ up to 4.5GHz)
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB DDR6 VRAM)
Display(s)
Primary 15.6-inch OLED 4K (3840 x 2160) touch sensitive 100% DCI-P3 Secondary (ScreenPad+) 14-inch 4K (3840 x 1100) touch sensitive
Memory
1TB NVME M.2 SSD 32GB 2666MHz DDR4 RAM
Networking and Connections
1 x Thunderbolt™ 3 USB-C™ (up to 40Gbps and DisplayPort) 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A (up to 10Gbps) 1 x Standard HDMI 2.0 1 x Audio combo jack Intel Wi-Fi 6 with Gig+ performance (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0
Battery
71Wh 8-cell Li-Polymer
Operating System
Windows 10 Home
Miscellaneous
ASUS SonicMaster Audio with Harman Kardon Certification Detachable Palm Rest Detachable Laptop Stand ASUS Pen
Features
Its good looks are not all show, no go. This thing packs plenty of tasteful goodies. For starters you see the dual displays.
Doubling Down
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, true to its name, packs two displays. One is a full 15.6-inch display with 4K resolution on board. The other is also 4K in resolution, in width anyway. In height, it is half the size of the 15.6-inch display. It is not the same OLED panel as the main 15-incher display too. It is an LCD panel amd we are guessing that the decision to go LCD was also because of cost. An OLED panel would have made sense though with its minimal heat production and accurate colour reproduction. It would have added quite a little bit to the cost, yes.
Still,
dual displays built into a notebook PC; not the first time we see it
but it is the first that is commercially available. The first we saw of
this was a prototype that came from Razer a few years ago. While that
was an interesting concept, it was not viable mainly because of its
massive weight and estimated cost. It was stolen as well, a day or two
after it was displayed on the biggest electronics show floor.
So,
this the first commercially available and viable dual display notebook
PC for the market. It will still set you back more than MYR10,000 and
that is still a lot of money to be fair. But hey, where eles can you find a notebook with two displays built into it.
The
LCD display on top of the keyboard is mostly used as a control panel
for whatever applications you might think of. Things like Adobe’s
Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and what not can support a
multi-window workflow and the dual display surely benefits users from
that. For example, you can control your timelines and what not on Adobe
Premiere Pro on your secondary display. That way, your preview panel can
be bigger and fuller. I would still be recommending anyone to downscale the preview to half the resolution if they are planning to edit 4K videos though for smoother workflow.
For
gaming, we hardly see the point. But other form of entertainment like
movies, or Spotify, or YouTube, maybe. For Spotify especially, you can
just leave the Spotify window to open on the secondary display and
control music on the secondary display via touch. Yes, both displays are
touch sensitive, so there is that. Of course, you may not extend your
movie watching to go all the way into the secondary display, but you can
pull out your controls and use it on the secondary display.
The
secondary display can also act as your alternative web browser just in
case you need to refer to anything for other things on your main
display. If you do use the pen that comes in the box (we did not have
ours) you can even use the secondary panel as a drawing pad. There is
one thing about the PadScreen (as they call it) though that is a little annoying; its placement.
While
the secondary display is functional, its placement can be a little bit
of a literal pain in the neck. You are craning down on the secondary
display most of the time when you are looking at it. If you are not
using any palm rest for it the keyboard, you are going to have to
prepare yourself for carpal tunnel syndrome too, your wrist is going to
get injured in that kind of prolonged usage. Yes, they have included a
stand out of the box which you can use to raise the keyboard and ScreenPad panel a little bit, which helps; not a lot.
Still, there is definitely use for the ScreenPad. While we do think that you will not miss out that much if you do not have a ScreenPad,
it is a nice thing to have on the go. Still, we would recommend you to
pack the palm rest as well in your bag when you want to work offsite.
Still, it is a heavy piece of kit to be carrying around so you might
want to leave it behind and pack something lighter.
OLED Forever
The
15.6-inch main display is a 4K OLED unit, which also means
ultra-accurate colours with ultra-high contrasts. The numbers speak for
itself though; 100% DCI-P3. You get HDR with this display too for even
better contrasts. Well, it is an OLED panel after all.
Still,
the OLED display is not just important when you want to sit back, kick
back, and enjoy a good movie, or play a video game. It is important for
you as a creator as well. You need highly accurate colours to do colour
correction and editing. You need HDR to correctly tell where your
content is. You need OLED for everything. Yes, we really like OLED
technology.
Still,
beyond your creator and editing duties, you would like to be able to
enjoy contents too. In that case as well the OLED on the ZenBook
Pro Duo does not disappoint. Playing Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon:
Breakpoint definitely highlights the super accurate and vivid colours
that the OLED boasts. Even the slightest in light changes can be noted
on the display thanks to HDR on OLED. Watching Netflix with HDR and 4K
enabled shows is breathtaking and immersive, especially with a good pair of headphones.
Harman Kardon
While it is not the loudest speakers you can find on a notebook PC, it is actually quite good. Thanks to some magic from Harman Kardon, the speakers fires very balanced audio with very clear highs and mids.
The bass needs a little working but it is quite normal for notebook PCs
with no built-in woofers. Then again, not many notebook PCs come with
subwoofers.
Still,
it is loud enough if you are not sharing the speakers with a room full
of people. It is good enough for personal listening and entertainment
purposes. Spotify on the speakers sounds plenty than good enough.
Watching movies with it though is awesome.
Gaming with the Harman Kardon
speakers is a little weak though, mostly because the lows are not that
great here. Still, it is not that you cannot use it for gaming; you can.
Maybe play games that does not include a lot of explosions?
Performance
Power Power Power
The weighty ASUS ZenBook
Pro Duo is bound to be a powerful notebook PC. Especially its packing
of an Intel Core i7 paired to at least 16GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce
RTX 2060 GPU. You can spec this with a Core i9 by the way if you really
wanted, of course you have to pay more for it if you do. The maximum
that they will do for GPU is the RTX2060 though, as we previously
mentioned and as per specified by ASUS; cooling issues.
That
is not to say that the Intel Core i9 produces the same heat as the Core
i7. The more powerful CPU obviously runs hotter than the less powerful
Core i7. Still, the Core i9 does not produce a significantly larger
amount of heat that the fans within the ASUS ZenBook
Pro Duo cannot manage. It is a different story with the GPU though.
While the heat produced from an NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070 is not that much
bigger than an RTX2060 too, it is about choosing between using a lesser
CPU or a more powerful one. In the case of ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo – it is the matter of pure processing power.
The
result, at least on our unit (Intel Core i7), is a fast machine, very
fast with the SSD installed in the machine. While you can expect a
bigger performance to come from the Core i9, we do think that the Core
i7 is plenty capable enough and you may not need to fork out an extra
MYR3,000 price tag that the Core i9 comes with. Yes, the Intel Core i9
option sets you back MYR3,000 more than the regular Core i7 option. You
only need that kind of power in certain situations.
Still,
our Core i7 can cope with plenty that we can throw at it. It handles
video editing without major issue, we pushed 4K videos on it mind you
and downscales it to 1080p. It renders the preview with no more issue or
render time than usual.
Gaming
We seldom push games to extend all the way to the secondary display. Why? What for?
Most
of the time, if you do want a multi-screen gaming experience, you want
to extend the displays horizontally; not vertically like the ZenBook Pro Duo’s dislpay arrangement. In this case, I cannot really think of any use case for the secondary display.
Still, you can game with it and as I have mentioned, the 4K OLED display will not disappoint you. Any games will look gorgeous on the 4K OLED display with great contrast and vivid colours.
Of
course, the powerful Intel Core i7 helped with the generously adequate
NVIDIA GeForce RTX2060 helps with the extra smooth gaming performance
when we play Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: BreakPoint
and The Shadow of the Tomb Raider. While we may not be able to push the
graphics all the way to ultra, we are still able to render them at high
settings at the minimum. We did not try Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on
it yet, but we are pretty sure it will look good.
Would we like to see better GPUs in the ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo? An RTX2070 perhaps? Yes. Would it make sense if we spec it at a mere Core i7? Maybe? Would it make sense cost wise? Maybe not. On its own, we think that the MYR 12,999 asking price is already quite steep if you are just looking to game. We admit that games look really good though.
Still,
if you wish to go all the way to the RTX2080, just remember that the
behemoth of a thing called the Acer Predator Helios 700 with their slide
down keyboard just for more airflow to keep the big GPU from
overheating or melting your hands.
Bringing in the Heat
With any PC build, especially a notebook PC, there is always the consideration of heat management. This is always true when you are trying to have a powerful build. In the case of the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, there is the problem of powerful internals. Imagine the thought of fitting in an ultra-powerful Intel Core i9 to pair it to a powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX2060.
While that may not be that much of a scary thought; you have to also think about the extra display that the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo packs. Not only that, ASUS is stacking the display on top of the CPU and GPU placements. That adds a whole slew of cooling problems in itself.
Still,
ASUS manages the heat with their new designed fans to dissipate the
heat mostly from the sides. That is why you see large grilles on the
side of the notebook PC, instead of the usual exhaust toward the back of
the device. In this case, if you aim all the heat to the back of the
device, it will heat up the 4K OLED display instead; not ideal.
Firing
the heat to the sides then is the most ideal way to dissipate the heat
generated by the internals and the additional LCD display; both the left
and right side for the ASUS. You will not believe the heat that is
produced by this thing though. I left a glass of chilled Coke with some
ice in it about 1 meter away from the left side of the notebook PC and
the ice melted within the 10 minutes I left it there. The drink got warm
a little later after that; so, I was left to drink a warm Coca-Cola
after that. To be fair, I was on Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint at
the time.
On normal operations though, you still feel a little bit of the heat coming down to your hands when you use a mouse right next to the notebook PC. While the fan may not be running at full chat, you can still feel the gush of air come out the side exhaust ports when the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo is on. If you have anything that is taxing on the GPU and CPU, you will hear the fan spooling faster and feel more heat on your hand; your mouse hand.
The Workhorse
The main function of the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo though is mostly for an added productivity. Thanks to the dual displays, at least, it should be quite something at that. Of course, with an included stylus, it should be even more intuitive and productive. We did not get to test it with the stylus though, sadly.
Still,
the dual displays do help a little with our video workflow. We use
Adobe’s Premiere Pro quite a lot in our video work process. As we have
mentioned we used the main AMOLED display for previews. The secondary
display is where all our timelines sits. You can put all the assets
there too and use that to enhance your workflow that way; we did
anyway.
Thanks to the colour accuracy of the main AMOLED display and 4K too, colour correcting is much easier to do with the ASUS ZenBook
Pro Duo. Of course, all the controls are pushed to the secondary
display to give more real estate for the preview screen. Larger display
real estate also means you can see more.
It is not all sunshine with the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo though. We do not like the keyboard
too much, we feel that the keyboard travel was a little too short;
uncomfortable to type on. The discomfort is pushed even further with the
keyboard placement; especially when you do not use the palm rest
provided in the box with the notebook PC.
The kind of keyboard layout the ZenBook Pro Duo has does not give us the possibility to use the notebook PC comfortably on our laps too. That, and the heat produced from the Zenbook Pro Duo just makes it uncomfortable after a while. The 2.5kg does not help too, it makes it feel like you are using your legs as ironing boards. You could toast a sandwich there too.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo – Unportable Productivity Machine
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo will set you back MYR 12,999. If I am being completely hoinest,
I would tell you not to buy this notebook PC for that kind of money.
For that kind of money, you might get a better deal if you look
elsewhere even in ASUS’ extensive stables. For that kind of money, you
could easily get a large sized gaming notebook with a fast 17-inch
display that is powered by the same sort of CPU and an even more
powerful GPU to work with.
You
lose the AMOLED display, sure. But you get bigger display, lighter
build, and more power. You might not get 4K resolution, but the trade-off is still quite big.
You do not get the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo for gaming though. You get it for the productivity appeal of it. You get it for the dual displays; not because it is practical to bring around. You are most likely to just leave it on your work desk, or home desk, and go to a meeting with a piece of print out or thumb drive you can work with. You really do not want to carry it much, you might break your back with it.
You
get it for work mostly; creative work. You get it because you need
extra flexibility that you get with the dual display. You get it for the
beautiful 4K AMOLED display that you would use to watch movies and make
films out of it. You get it for the touch screens that you would use to
draw something with. You buy it as a creator, you buy it as a creative
professional. Except, you might still not.
If
you are a creative professional and have MYR 12,999 to spend on a
powerful work notebook PC that you will not carry around, why not spend
on a PC tower that you will not even move from your work place? What
about getting two other full-sized monitors with highly accurate colours
as well?
So, who, in their right mind would get this? We still do think that this ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo is made for professionals and those are the guys that would get their hands on this device. Most likely though they might not get it on their own account. The most probable scenario for this is that the companies that they work for get one for them out of whatever necessity they have out of it. Hey, that is still one way to get a notebook PC.
