If you had 300,000 Pesos, would you spend it on a laptop? Even a souped-up gaming one? That’s pretty much the question that the latest iteration of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo is asking.
Launched middle of 2022 in the Philippines, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 is the 3rd iteration of the famed dual screen laptop first unveiled in their Zenbook line back in 2019. Already winning industry design and innovation awards, the dual screen on a premium ROG Gaming Laptop can already be deemed as a game changer. And with 3 iterations on the series, it seems we’re not the only one agreeing with that claim.
But for an SRP of PHP 319,995, what are you really getting with the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16? Here
Monster Specs
The first item on the list is the internals. You are spending a lot of money, so the internals must be in tip-top shape and should be able to last longer than a few years (so you can get your money’s worth). ASUS Republic of Gamers packed the Zephyrus Duo 16 2022 with the latest processors, RAM, and a whopping RTX 3080Ti so your unit can take advantage of current-gen triple-A games as well as handle incoming future ones, too.
The idea is to create a “future-proof” machine that can keep up with the future releases from your favorite game developers and publishers. Our review unit is fitted with the following internal specifications:
- AMD® Rembrandt R9-6900HX
- Nvidia RTX3080 Ti
- 64GB (32GB x 2) DDR5 4800 MHz
- 4TB (2TB + 2TB in raid 0 configuration) PCie Gen 4
Those items alone should more than indicate where you’re spending your hard-earned Peso at. The internal configuration of the highest-spec’d ASUS ROG Zepyrus Duo 16 can rival a lot of powerful rigs out there. And we haven’t even touched up on the killer design built to optimize these lovely internal components.
Game-Changing Design
Gone are the days when mega gaming laptops needed to be unwieldy and gaudy; the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 is proof of that. In years past, with internals such as these, the Zephyrus would look like an amalgam of high-octane 80’s rock, cyberpunk, sci-fi and blinding RGB. These days, however, gaming laptops are blending seamlessly more into every contemporary, yet still retaining their prestige and individuality.
This majestic machine is the epitome of quiet resolution. The simplistic “Luminous Black Tech” design with the Luminous back and camouflage dot creates playful texture. The ROG logo is laser etched along with a very two-tone gradient slashed line across the unit and the text “Republic of Gamers” written across it.
The back cover does not have any RGB whatsoever – a surprising choice considering the brand. However, despite the lack of RGB LEDs on the rear cover, the unit makes it up on the inside. A large 90% screen-to-body ratio main display greets you as well as a very well lighted large dual screen as the contraption pops up and slides forward connecting your main display with the second screen for a more “boundless” display.
Right below the second screen is a small black semi-transparent glass so you can still see the PCB underneath it.
Keys are lighted up brightly as well and you can customize your RGB sequences via the armory crate –which opens lovely across the entire second screen of the Duo.
Studio on-the-Go
We’ve already highlighted the ASUS ScreenPad Plus’ benefit for content creators in our ASUS Zenbook Duo 15 OLED review a year back. For budding content creators, having a second screen where you can extend your Premier Pro timeline, or open up revision notes on word or your email as you edit through your content, just helps optimize productivity tenfold. For the Zephyrus Duo 16, the ASUS ScreenPad Plus has been made snappier and more intuitive to use. I remember checking out the very first iteration of the ScreenPad back in 2019 and it took us a while to get the hang of it. With this iteration, it took me no more than 5 minutes to manage and find all the preset tools that I need, pin them in the best order that suits my need and create presets for when I’m video editing or image manipulating.
As always, the second screen has Adobe control panels that work hand-in-hand with their editing/ content creating software like Photoshop, Premier Pro, Lightroom and whatnot.
You can customize the control panel further and it seems the dials are much more accurate now than they were a generation ago.
That being said, because of the strong internals of the and Pantone Validated Screens of the ASUS Zephyrus Duo 16, this is most definitely a content creator’s dream machine.
Ultimate Gaming Anywhere
Of course, this is an ROG Laptop so gaming is definitely on the list of what needs to be done on the ROG Zephyrus Duo 16. But Gaming with dual screen? YES, yes you should. See, the dual screen setup doesn’t just benefit content creators, or trade professionals. The dual screen is useful for heavy gamers as well.
Whether you’re a solo player, competitive multiplayer, or a video game streamer the ASUS ScreenPad Plus can help open game guides, stream background videos, or open your socials so you can check comments on your live stream on the go without compromising your main window solely for gaming.
Game guides can be opened and viewed at the ScreenPad Plus
Improvements on the dual screen, particularly how it now blends seamlessly with the main screen in terms of clarity of image and brightness, helps maintain a unified look all throughout the laptop. The second screen has a max resolution of 3840×1100, has both touch and stylus support and has a color range of 100% sRGB. The screen brightness can also go up as high as 500 nits.
For the main screen itself, this Zephyrus Duo 16 has a sprawling 16” 4K (3840×2400) display that can support up to 120hz refresh rate with 3ms response time, it’s reminiscent of gaming display monitors now – especially those that are calibrated for heavy triple-A Studio gaming and/or next gen console gaming like PS5. However, if you do need better screen performance in terms of higher refresh rates, the ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 can go as high as 240Hz refresh rate at WUXGA (1920×1200) resolution.
For better gaming immersion as well, the unit has 6 Hi-Res Dolby Atmos Speakers. The speakers can get pretty loud at times but because of the Smart Amp technology built into the system, the unit monitors audio output and makes real-time adjustments to keep the speakers within thermal and excursion limits. This helps keep the speakers in tip-top shape for a more prolonged time.
Another main improvement on the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 is its thermal management. The Active Aerodynamic System Plus 2.0 (AAS+ 2.0), increases airflow on the machine by opening a massive 28.5mm air intake behind the tilted second screen. According to ASUS ROG, the larger space also helps keep noise levels below 43dB in performance mode, enabling a quieter gaming experience.
And while you can still hear the fans whirling, it’s not as loud as previous generations or other gaming laptop at this price point. Especially when you’re overclocking the unit and pushing what else Cyberpunk 2077 can offer.
Lastly, we tried playing triple-A titles on coffee shops and mall benches without hooking the unit up to its power adaptor. Surprisingly, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 can handle it. Well, some of it. The unit had no problems playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake on battery mode even when graphics are set to ultra.
It did have major framerate issues when we fired up Cyberpunk 2077, though. But, that’s also why the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 comes with a 100W travel adaptor so you don’t have to lug around the brick of a power adaptor everywhere you go. Of course, if you need the full strength of the unit, you may have to bring the large power adaptor with you.
While it’s definitely going to add on some weight, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 weights only around 2.5kg. Sure, that’s still heavy if you compare that to a Vivobook or a Zenbook even, but with a full fledge miniature gaming rig that you can bring with you anywhere, it’s a pretty good compromise already. Our video editor still lugs around a 5kg laptasaurus with her and the Zephy Duo 16 has way more better specs (and design) than that.
Complete Gear in a Package
Lastly, just to round everything off, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 comes packed with all sorts of goodies to get your started with your next-gen gaming. The huge box doesn’t just contain the 16” Dual Screen Gaming Beast, it also comes with the following peripherals:
- An ASUS ROG Ranger (BP2701) Gaming Backpack
- An ASUS ROG Chakram Core Gaming Mouse
- An ASUS ROG Delta Gaming Headset
Sadly the Ranger isn’t the older style where the bag itself has an LED strip for more RGB. The new ASUS ROG Ranger follows the stylish simplicity of the laptop itself. The additional bundle is valued at around Php 20,000.
Final Verdict
So, is the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 your next power PC-Rig-on-the-go? The answer is most definitely YES – if you have the money to burn, of course. But more than just a tech flex for your friends or colleagues, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 can easily be a quick replacement for a full-fledged rig already. If you want a bigger screen, you can easily connect the unit to your favorite 4K or even 8K monitor as the laptop will support 120Hz on an external 4K monitor or 60fps on an external 8K monitor thanks to the HDMI 2.1 connector found on the unit. Other I/Os include 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C Ports, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x RJ45, 1 x Audio combo jack, 1 x MicroSD Card reader.
If splurging Php 319,995 is just a bit outside your price range, there is a sub-variant of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 at Php 269,995 but it comes with an NVIDIA RTX 3070Ti, 32GB of RAM, and only 1 TB of SSD.
For more on the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 check out their socials.