I just saw this in the wild, and talked with the user, who programs 3D AR/VR content.
I saw the dual screen in use with the top screen for a VR scene and the bottom screen for code. The user's interactions among the two screens and keyboard were seamless. The screen colors were vibrant and rich, even in bright light.
Based on what I saw, I would definitely try it for typical office use or even for typical website programming.
However, I saw a lot of graphics lag and chop in the VR scene rotations, and the user said the battery didn't last long enough to get through the day, so YMMV if you're considering developing 3D, AR, VR, etc.
Laptop of these specs won't last a day in general, and they'll also be power constrained in most running profile when straight on battery (you'll be out of power in a few hours if using the full extent of the GPU)
Anyone planning to do 3D work in the wild with no power outlet should invest in a (heavy) 100W power bank. Also reliable 100+W chargers will cost an arm and a leg, same docking stations.
It's definitely still on the cutting edge and you won't be managing it like a wimpy Macbook Air.
Edit: I thought this one had a discrete GPU, but looking at the specs it's not and only needs 65W. Power consumption could be fine ?
You can buy GaN chargers of up to 180W nowadays, they weigh half as much as regular power bricks and are fairly affordable if you need them. You don't even need to cover the peak power usage and can go with a smaller charger covering regular usage and let the battery come to help when momentarily drawing more power (this is what I do with my Zephyrus G14 + 65W Voltme).
My laptop lets me connect my $100 external portable monitor to my computer via usb-c. I can't fold it in crazy ways like this but I have an IPS panel and dual monitors and it only cost me $100. And when I don't need to have dual monitors I just put the second one in my bag, or leave it home.
> However, I saw a lot of graphics lag and chop in the VR scene rotations
Was it a review/pre-release unit? Dave2D's review 4 days ago said he wasn't allowed to benchmark it because they haven't finished optimising the drivers. I wouldn't rush to performance judgements just yet.
I would — frankly nothing exists in the Intel/Nvidia line to compete with M3 in terms of efficiency. This laptop will either not run the necessary software or run out of battery in less than two hours doing it. More than likely both simultaneously.
I have an Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16, and I love it. I use it for personal work in graphics, 3D CAD, animation (Blender), and music, and for work. the dual screen (smaller touch panel below) has really changed the way I work. The battery life is a lot better than I thought given I was planning on using it plugged in all the time. I have had this in Saudi with me for 8 months in the last 2 years, heat and all, and all over, for office work, field work, airports, etc. and not a glitch yet. Dedicated graphics card, 32mb of memory, and a great keyboard (I usually use a Kinesis Advantage 2) for a notebook (reminiscent of my Lenovo T430u keyboard from 2012). It took a while to get used to the touchpad to the right, but it works. I find myself trying to do the opposite when I switch notebooks now - touching the right side of center touchpads and vice versa. I am looking for the best MR headset to come out that I can work with some sort of chorded keyboard or other less bulky input device and still see my surroundings without going blind.
I hope there will be a similar dual screen system that comes with leading edge graphics/matrix hardware (such as for LLMs in addition to 3d) and runs Linux.
Hey soared, I saw your post two years ago about "App lovin," and some possible claims of fraud. I'm a tech journalist. Can we chat? viktorlazlo1@proton.me
I would also go with a portable monitor. Just keep in mind that a lot of them have quite low resolution, low brightness, poor colour accuracy and that some of them still need a power brick (if they require more than 15 watts).
Both have their uses. Travelling with a tablet (in addition to a laptop) gets you a useful standalone device that's more portable than a laptop and better for certain tasks such as reading.
If you're using a mac you can extend your screen wirelessly to the iPad. I found the image gets compressed a bit but it's still plenty usable for showing a browser during web development.
Yeah I was talking specifically about Windows and Linux, because I figured that people running MacOS would already know about Sidecar.
Note: you refer to 'mac' (the hardware) but Sidecar is tied to MacOS (software). A Mac running Windows or Linux won't support Sidecar. A non-Mac running MacOS (aka hackintosh) probably will.
If you're running old Mac hardware like a MBP 2015, you can install Ventura (and user Sidecar) using OpenCore Legacy Patcher.
Samsung tablets can act as second screens for windows PCs AFAIK.
For Linux I've had some success with Microsoft's RD Client android app -> remote to Linux PC.
I'm on gnome though, which has some experimental setting which allows you to set remote desktop clients to act as a new display instead of cloning your existing display.
i’ve tried this with an android tablet and the lag is just unbearable have you noticed this? is it because my tablet ( samsung galaxy tab s6 lite) has usb c 2.0?
A similar device is the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i. The next gen model was shown off at CES and is coming out in a few months. That one also has a 180 degree hinge unlike the Asus model which can't be fully flattened. I've seen good reviews about the first gen model and might get the new one if I get a laptop this year.
Every non-Thinkpad Lenovo I've had, or a relative has had, has the build quality of a cheap toy, and eventually, some part of the plastic case would crack, a hinge would fail, or similar.
I'd absolutely never buy another one ever.
I'm not looking to buy a new laptop for many years, and I hope a Thinkpad version comes out before then. This is very much a design I appreciate. For now, from the photos, I think Asus did it better, though.
Hopefully, by that point, they'll also be 4k displays. My current laptop has 4k, which is very competitive with dual 3k.
I actually switched from Thinkpads to a Legion 7 2021 and I'd recommend them over Thinkpads. It is by far the best Linux experience on a Laptop I've ever had.
* upgradable RAM
* two NVMe slots
* actually good keyboard (that unfortunately is part of the case, but replacement parts are available)
* the glass touchpad is better than my P14s with the X1C glass touchpad mod.
* the panel and refresh rate is very good and there's no lottery.
I don't know why Lenovo cuts corners on their business laptops, especially in the last two points.
It's heavy, but I don't lug it around too often, and having a 140W (max power spec) 3070 is great.
Just avoid placing them vertically on a stand, I had to replace the thermal assembly eventually.
I find all laptops suck. (Not tried Apple though) and so gone for the Dell option (knowing it’ll fuck up like any other laptop) and then going hard on the accident damage, extended warranty, home service etc. Well worth it, had em out 4 times in first 4 months :-)
I have an earlier DUO model, one with the half-screen between the main and the keyboard. While shopping for a replacement for a laptop that had been dropped a few too many times, manic me bought it as a gimmick and when it arrived I feared it would just be that. I have found it genuinely useful in various ways though: during dev with various small utility tabs on the lower screen, messaging on bottom screen with full-screen video on top, smaller video and/or messaging on bottom with work on top, etc. Handy that you can easily turn it almost off too, to save battery when mobile.
I still carry a 14" external (USB3) monitor for when at a desk. The extra half-screen is still useful in those circumstances, though, just not as much so.
To make Windows11's taskbar less irritating (which it is even more so, if you can imagine that, with an extra screen under your primary) I recommend using something like ExporerPatcher or another shell improver/replacement.
I have the Zyphreus Duo ( https://rog.asus.com/in/laptops/rog-zephyrus/rog-zephyrus-du... ) with the touch screen in between the screen and the keyboard. Its perfect for todo/whatsapp/zoom/file explorer and I have an external screen/keyboard/mouse (so in total 2.5 screens). Perfect desktop replacement and a good gaming laptop. Mobility is limited due to battery life but it suits my needs.
Mine is from the much lower-spec (and appropriately cheaper) ZenBook DUO range. The battery life is pretty darn good until I plug in the external screen, and still better than many laptops even then. It isn't often I'm away from a power socket for and needing to work, but when I am, it can be for a fair few hours. Gaming isn't something I find time for these days, so this model is much better value for this use pattern.
Just a service announcement: you can get an external monitor that is charged and driven by a single USB-C for about $100 which weighs about a pound. Feels like it would get 90% of what I want out of a setup like this.
I initially got a $100 one, but ended upgrading to an Asus model with a touch screen and built in battery. It can run everything (video and charging the display) over a single USB-C cable.
I used to travel with it and sometimes a gaming desktop, but these days I use it around the house whenever I need a display & mouse for a server that doesn’t have a dedicated monitor. Just today I did a BIOS update with it.
This is the one I got on Amazon in 2020, there might be better options in 2024:
ASUS ZenScreen Touch Screen 15.6” 1080P Portable USB (MB16AMT) - Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS, Anti-glare, Built-in Battery, Speakers, Eye Care, USB Type-C, Micro HDMI, Smart Case, 3-Year Warranty https://a.co/d/cJKzQi8
You can buy an OLED touchscreen monitor for $100? People that are happy with Frankenstein setups will always find a cheap way to replicate a product while ignoring all the downsides of a home grown replica.
No stylus support on the external monitor for the most part though.
The only one I'm aware of w/ a decent stylus which is reasonably affordable (the new Wacom One) is not that great in terms of pixel density (don't want to compete w/ their Cintiq line).
Interesting! A brief look down this rabbit hole while wondering about stands shows various things that latch onto the back of a laptop screen and extend a monitor on one or both sides of it.
It's also just 3 pounds, which is 0.5 lbs lighter than the 14" Macbook Pro. I really like this breakdown by TechChap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzBxLYTUuK4, Dave2d's video is also good.
The thing also comes with a pen with high sensitivity.
It feels like this is priced as a loss leader for ASUS.
Readit News
I saw the dual screen in use with the top screen for a VR scene and the bottom screen for code. The user's interactions among the two screens and keyboard were seamless. The screen colors were vibrant and rich, even in bright light.
Based on what I saw, I would definitely try it for typical office use or even for typical website programming.
However, I saw a lot of graphics lag and chop in the VR scene rotations, and the user said the battery didn't last long enough to get through the day, so YMMV if you're considering developing 3D, AR, VR, etc.
Anyone planning to do 3D work in the wild with no power outlet should invest in a (heavy) 100W power bank. Also reliable 100+W chargers will cost an arm and a leg, same docking stations.
It's definitely still on the cutting edge and you won't be managing it like a wimpy Macbook Air.
Edit: I thought this one had a discrete GPU, but looking at the specs it's not and only needs 65W. Power consumption could be fine ?
> Power Supply
> TYPE-C, 65W AC Adapter, Output: 20V DC, 3.25A, 65W
The price is too expensive, but if more people use it, maybe they'll be able to lower the prices.
Some videos from streamers partnered by Acer.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9D3BPL7POc
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acmGEovxgEw
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lwo9U9-iLc
We're V-Sekai (pronounced vee-say-kai):
https://github.com/V-Sekai/ - We're a community of open-source social VR enthusiasts.
Was it a review/pre-release unit? Dave2D's review 4 days ago said he wasn't allowed to benchmark it because they haven't finished optimising the drivers. I wouldn't rush to performance judgements just yet.
- a cheap HDMI USB capture device ($5 from Temu)
- a short HDMI cable to connect that to your laptop's HDMI output
- a USB to lightning or USB to type C adapter (depending on your iPad model)
- a free app to display the UVC camera input full screen, e.g. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/genki-studio/id6466343285
This isn't quite as convenient, but it's not much extra weight to throw in your bag.
It's bigger (15 inch), cheaper (less than $150), easier to use (just one USB-C cable).
And if we compare it to the Zenbook Duo, when your laptop becomes obsolete you can just buy any new laptop and still use your portable monitor.
This laptop is a game changer.
There are some dual displays with integrated hinge. Uperfect delta.
Note: you refer to 'mac' (the hardware) but Sidecar is tied to MacOS (software). A Mac running Windows or Linux won't support Sidecar. A non-Mac running MacOS (aka hackintosh) probably will.
If you're running old Mac hardware like a MBP 2015, you can install Ventura (and user Sidecar) using OpenCore Legacy Patcher.
Bonus points: it can a accept pen/touch and mouse/keyboard inputs as well, which makes it pretty useful.
For Linux I've had some success with Microsoft's RD Client android app -> remote to Linux PC.
I'm on gnome though, which has some experimental setting which allows you to set remote desktop clients to act as a new display instead of cloning your existing display.
You'll need a hdmi dummy plug on your PC though.
You'll need an app to view the camera. Search Google for 'android uvc viewer'.
I've tried a couple of these and the quality is pretty shitty. Maybe they've improved since then.
The outdated Display Port 1.0 can send up to 10.8Gbit/s, and the even older USB 2.0 could only send 480Mbit/s.
That'd let a raw 800x600 image per frame come through.
It'd be better just to stream over wifi.
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-seri...
I'd absolutely never buy another one ever.
I'm not looking to buy a new laptop for many years, and I hope a Thinkpad version comes out before then. This is very much a design I appreciate. For now, from the photos, I think Asus did it better, though.
Hopefully, by that point, they'll also be 4k displays. My current laptop has 4k, which is very competitive with dual 3k.
* upgradable RAM
* two NVMe slots
* actually good keyboard (that unfortunately is part of the case, but replacement parts are available)
* the glass touchpad is better than my P14s with the X1C glass touchpad mod.
* the panel and refresh rate is very good and there's no lottery.
I don't know why Lenovo cuts corners on their business laptops, especially in the last two points.
It's heavy, but I don't lug it around too often, and having a 140W (max power spec) 3070 is great.
Just avoid placing them vertically on a stand, I had to replace the thermal assembly eventually.
[1] https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theverge.com/2023/1...
I still carry a 14" external (USB3) monitor for when at a desk. The extra half-screen is still useful in those circumstances, though, just not as much so.
To make Windows11's taskbar less irritating (which it is even more so, if you can imagine that, with an extra screen under your primary) I recommend using something like ExporerPatcher or another shell improver/replacement.
I found the side trackpad less ergonomic, so use a separate (vertical) mouse.
I used to travel with it and sometimes a gaming desktop, but these days I use it around the house whenever I need a display & mouse for a server that doesn’t have a dedicated monitor. Just today I did a BIOS update with it.
This is the one I got on Amazon in 2020, there might be better options in 2024:
ASUS ZenScreen Touch Screen 15.6” 1080P Portable USB (MB16AMT) - Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS, Anti-glare, Built-in Battery, Speakers, Eye Care, USB Type-C, Micro HDMI, Smart Case, 3-Year Warranty https://a.co/d/cJKzQi8
Also you should ID affiliate links.
The only one I'm aware of w/ a decent stylus which is reasonably affordable (the new Wacom One) is not that great in terms of pixel density (don't want to compete w/ their Cintiq line).
This writeup doesn't include price, but others do, like https://www.engadget.com/the-asus-zenbook-duo-is-a-stunning-... . It starts at $1,499.
It's also just 3 pounds, which is 0.5 lbs lighter than the 14" Macbook Pro. I really like this breakdown by TechChap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzBxLYTUuK4, Dave2d's video is also good.
The thing also comes with a pen with high sensitivity.
It feels like this is priced as a loss leader for ASUS.