Are two screens better than one at college? I put the Asus Zenbook Duo to the test

(Image credit: Future)

The new Asus Zenbook Duo has a lot going for it. The Duo sports a dramatic redesign that can enclose the keyboard inside the two displays for extra portability, a strong sturdy hinge to support the dual OLED panels, the powerful Intel X9 chipset with best-in-class Arc B390 integrated graphics, and fantastic ergonomics.But it is pricey. While anyone can pick up the Zenbook Duo, the laptop is intended for creators and editors who need the extra screen-space of a dual-panel setup. Which begs the question: are two panels really better than one?To see if a dual screen laptop is really that much better than a standard clamshell laptop, I replaced my Apple MacBook Pro M1 Pro for a week with the Zenbook Duo (2026).The OLED difference

(Image credit: Future)While my MacBook Pro was cutting edge when I bought it, the M1 Pro is now five years old, compared to the Zenbook Duo’s brand new Intel processor.However, I don’t often need to edit enough video to really stress out the M1 Pro even after five years of daily usage. So while the Zenbook Duo is perhaps a bit faster than my MacBook, it’s a pretty close comparison in terms of general multitasking performance.Instead, the Zenbook’s major upgrade over my Mac is its dual OLED touch displays. For all of Apple’s claims, the Liquid Retina display on my MacBook Pro just doesn’t have the same vibrancy and near-infinite contrast as an OLED display.