From A to Zen: The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED covers all your content creation bases
From A to Zen: The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED covers all your content creation bases
Much like stubbing your toe on a rock, inspiration can sometimes be a pain. Not only do you not know when and where it’ll strike, but when it does show up on your mental doorstep, it only lingers for the briefest of moments. However, as any content creator will tell you, not being able to act on that spark is infinitely more frustrating than waiting for it, which is why ASUS has rolled in with an immensely versatile solution that covers all the corners: the ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED.
When inspiration strikes
Measuring 17.9mm thin and clocking just 1.7kg on the scales, it might be easy to dismiss this sleek powerhouse as “just another notebook” at first glance. But like a tub of your favourite ice cream, its true appeal only shows when you start digging into it.
Sporting the world’s first 14.5-inch 2.8K resolution 120Hz OLED touchscreen display, the Pro 14 Duo OLED’s main screen features a 16:10 aspect ratio, a 0.2ms response time and cinema-grade 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, meaning creatives will truly be able to “seize the moment” when it strikes, translating their inspirations into magnificent material that their community can then enjoy. In fact, there’s some added utility in the form of ASUS Splendid functionality too. This allows you to switch between different viewing modes like sRGB, Adobe RGB and the aforementioned 100% DCI-P3 anytime, and works excellently in tandem with the in-built adaptive RGB colour sensor, which automatically adjusts the display settings to fit the ambient environment.
Naturally, much like its predecessors in the Duo line, the notebook comes with a secondary 12.7-inch 2.8K resolution 120Hz ScreenPad Plus screen just above the keyboard, which can be tilted up to a 12-degree angle for ease of visibility or interaction. It features a layer of anti-glare coating to aid functionality in brighter areas, and even comes with world-first Active Aerodynamic System (AAS) Ultra technology that helps to vent the chassis considerably, further enhancing airflow and cooling during use.
Artists, in particular, will also appreciate the helpful Control Panel functionality on the ScreenPad Plus, which lets you easily change brush sizes, adjust layer opacities and other digital art functions within your preferred creative apps as it’s compatible with five different Adobe software - Photoshop, Illustrator, LightRoom Classic, Premiere Pro and After Effects. So, not only will you be well-equipped to jot down notes and sketch your ideas on the fly, but the notebook itself will remain cool and comfy even on your lap, allowing you to work for longer periods if needed.
Under the hood
Internally, this dual-screened notebook is no slouch either. It features a beefy 12th-Gen Intel Core i7-12700H CPU with 14 processing cores and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX3050 Ti graphics card, supported by 16GB of LPDDR5 4800MHz memory. On top of that, you’ll also be able to select a 1TB PCI-e 4.0 x4 SSD, providing the necessary combination of power, speed, storage and graphics delivery that you’ll need to get both casual and professional jobs done.
However, with so many powerful components housed within it, you might then ask how the notebook fares in terms of cooling and battery life. Well, the short answer is that it excels in both as we found out from our testing. That means you won’t have to worry about your notebook suddenly ‘catching fire’ or going dead in the middle of an important project.
Regarding the former, apart from the AAS Ultra technology that supports airflow and keeps the second screen propped up, the Pro 14 Duo OLED also features ASUS IceCool Plus for up to 85W of cooling performance, and with a 12V dual-fan boost function available within the reach of your fingertips, this powerful notebook has no problems keeping itself cool and efficient even under high workloads.
As for the battery life, the Pro 14 Duo OLED can still hold its own with its 76Wh battery even with such cutting-edge features and high-performance components. It might not be the chunkiest battery that the market can offer at the moment, but it will definitely carry you through your daily dose of “fieldwork” without concern and still feel portable at just 1.7kg.
All that utility and then some
Now, if you thought that was all this diminutive partner had to offer, you’d be mistaken. On top of its stellar versatility with respect to its dual-screens, excellent visuals and all-around performance, the Pro 14 Duo OLED also offers a suite of peripheral utilities that will be invaluable to content creators.
One example is the notebook’s HD IR Camera, with large 1.4 µm pixels that offer 156% more light capture than usual webcams. Not only is this useful for regular day-to-day video conferencing, but if you’re a streamer, a high-definition camera is essentially a staple for your work, and having one with you wherever you go adds points to consistency and quality.
But when you have good visuals, you should also have good audio, and you’ll be happy to know that the Pro 14 Duo OLED comes equipped with a Smart Amplifier and Dolby Atmos multi-dimensional audio capabilities. As most people can attest to, regardless of whether you’re watching a funny video on YouTube, streaming your favourite drama on Netflix, or even creating your own video content, there’s no denying that good audio can add entirely new dimensions to these experiences. Coupled with the active noise cancellation and four-mic array for 360-degree audio capture, content creators will be able to add (and of course, hear) crystal-clear, distinct audio, bringing maximum immersion and impact to their audiences.
Last but not least, no modern notebook, much less one tailored for content creators, would be complete without a touch of accessibility. Apart from the Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports for lightning-fast data transfer and charging, the Pro 14 Duo OLED also comes with ASUS Pen 2.0 support with 4096 different pressure levels and a quartet of interchangeable pen tips that can be swapped as needed. This adds a nice bow on top of the notebook’s already-impressive versatility, and with all these features at your beck and call, you’ll easily be able to capture any moments of inspiration when they pass you by, content creator or not.
To find out how well this notebook really fares, check out HardwareZone’s full review here.
As for price and availability, the ASUS Pro 14 Duo OLED is currently retailing for S$3,699 with a free 3-month Adobe Creative Cloud subscription offered on purchase with access to all applications. For more information, feel free to check out the official ASUS product page.