One of the most surprising things about the Zephyrus Duo is that when closed, it really doesn’t look any different from one of ASUS’s regular gaming laptops like the Zephyrus G16. It’s definitely a little thicker at 0.98 inches (compared to 0.7 inches for the G16) and it’s also noticeably heavier (6.2 pounds vs. 4.3 pounds). But you still get a very familiar design with a single slash on its lid (but without embedded LEDs) and a boxy, minimalist chassis with subtly rounded corners. That mimicry continues inside, where the Duo looks almost indistinguishable from a normal clamshell thanks to its RGB-lit keyboard and absolutely huge touchpad. However, if you look closely, you’ll notice some small differences, like the presence of speakers located on the sides of its frame instead of the usual up-firing audio, and a side-mounted power button.
The Zephyrus Duo’s true beauty only begins to be revealed when you realize its keyboard is held in place only by magnets. You can shake it up to reveal a second 16-inch 3K OLED display, similar to the one above. It’s time to prepare for trouble and double down on it. In clamshell mode, you can use the upper display for gaming while the lower half becomes a place to place widgets (news, weather, etc.), hide additional browser tabs, or display a virtual keyboard and/or mousepad. ASUS cleverly included useful gestures like touching the title bar on an app before sending it to another screen with a flick of your finger. While I noticed that some of the keys felt a little snug, for a detachable keyboard that’s just 5mm thick, you still get a good bounce with ample key travel. And because ASUS included a row of pogo pins on the bottom edge of the laptop, the keyboard automatically recharges when you reconnect it.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
However, the real magic happens when you fold down the Duo’s built-in kickstand and lift the entire system up to create a stacked dual-screen all-in-one, with its separate keyboard lying flat on the front. The only thing you’ll really need to bring is a mouse, because as large as its touchpad is, it’s still not a proper substitute for a separate pointer. From here, you can continue gaming on the top screen, while the bottom serves as a second monitor for Discord, guides, walkthroughs, or any other app (or apps) you need. It’s a real gaming fortress that you can still fold up and easily put in a backpack.
The main disadvantage of the Zephyrus Duo’s design, apart from its added weight, is that its fans can be noisy under load. It doesn’t come with support for Thunderbolt 5 or a dedicated Ethernet jack, which will come in handy for demanding competitive gamers. Thankfully, ASUS’s six-speaker setup is surprisingly loud, making it easy to eliminate wheezing when you don’t feel like wearing headphones. Meanwhile, the rest of its connectivity is quite adequate, as the Duo supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, full-size HDMI, a combo 3.5mm audio jack, an SD card reader, and a total of four USB ports (two Thunderbolt 4 and two USB 3.2 Type-A).
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