After wowing last year with the ZenBook Pro Duo, Asus is bringing a second screen to gaming with the Asus Zephyrus Duo announced today. It’s also refreshing its entire ROG gaming lineup with new 10th Gen Intel Core H-series processors and Nvidia RTX Super graphics.
The Zephyrus Duo will start at $2,999.99 in June. It has two screens: a 15-inch main display (either 1080p resolution at 300 Hz or 4K at 60 Hz). The secondary screen is a 32:9, 14.1-inch, 3840 x 1100 matte touchscreen. It lives below the main display for launching additional programs, programmable macros or features for games that support it. Just like on the ZenBook Pro Duo, Asus calls the second screen the ScreenPad Plus.
But this ScreenPad lifts to a 13-degree angle, which allows for more airflow into the system through a pair of fans below it. It’s unclear how many games will uniquely support it, but Asus says Techland is working on functionality for Dying Light 2. It will also have special support for Overwolf, used by game developers, for eSports overlays. Asus’ own Armoury Crate software will also have optimization to show a resource monitor.
Specs
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Zephyrus Duo | Zephyrus S17 | Scar 15 | Scar 17 | Strix G15 | Strix G17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Up to Intel Core i9-10980HK | Up to Intel Core i7-10875H | Up to Intel Core i9-10980HK | Up to Intel Core i7-10875H | Up to Intel Core i7-10750H | Up to Intel Core i7-10750H |
| GPU | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q | Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q |
| Display | 15-inch, Up to 4K | 17-inch, Up to 300 Hz FHD | 15-inch, Up to 300 Hz FHD | 17-inch, Up to 300 Hz FHD | 15-inch, Up to 240Hz | 17-inch, Up to 144 Hz FHD |
| RAM | Up to 32GB | Up to 32GB | Up to 32GB | Up to 16GB | Up to 32GB | Up to 32GB |
| Storage | Up to 2TB PCIe RAID | Up to 1TB PCIe SSD | Up to 2TB PCIe RAID | Up to 1TB PCIe SSD | Up to 1TB PCIe SSD | Up to 1TB PCIe SSD |
| Starting Price | $2,999.99 | $1,999.99 | $2,199.99 | $2,199.99 | $1,299.99 | $1,249.99 |
| Top-end Price | $3,699.99 | $2,999.99 | $2,799.99 | $3,299.99 | $1,699.99 | $1,699.99 |
| Release Date | June 2020 | May 2020 | May 2020 | May 2020 | June 2020 | June 2020 |
Additionally, the Zephyrus Duo has rear I/O, including HDMI, Gigabit LAN and USB 3.2 Type-A.
The Duo will go up to an Intel Core i9-10980HK and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q. Additionally, it will let you switch between Nvidia’s G-Sync or Optimus, depending on if you’re looking to focus on gaming performance or save battery, respectively.
The rest of the gaming lineup is getting revamped too. Each of the laptops, Duo included, are getting liquid metal thermal compound from Thermal Grizzly, which Asus said will reduce temperatures by 5 -10 degrees Celsius and increased performance. The laptops will also use DDR4 RAM at 3,200 MHz. Several systems are losing hard drives in order to maximize the number of PCIe NVMe SSDs, with some now being able to fit three.
The slim Zephyrus line has more new entrants: the Zephyrus M15, S15 and S17. The M15, with an 8-core/16-thread Intel Core i7 and up to a 4K panel, depending on the market, and up to an RTX 2070. The S15 and S17 will both top out at the RTX 2080 Super Max-Q and have 300 Hz display options (again, depending on the market). The Zephyrus is also getting a makeover with reflective dots on the lid.
As for the high-performance Scar line, it will go up to the RTX 2080 Super (this will require a slightly thicker version of the Scar 17) and Intel Core i9-10980HK. These systems boast more RGB lighting and will feature the ROG Keystone II NFC device first detailed at CES 2020 in January. It offers customized functions and decrypts a “Shadow Drive” on Windows 10 Pro systems.
The Strix G15 and G17 will go up to the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q and i7-10750H. The 144 Hz displays are standard, but can be bumped up to 240 Hz. Both systems will come in blue and black, while the G15 will also come in “Electro Punk,” a black and pink version. Electro Punk Strix G15 laptops will also come with a mouse pad.
All of these laptops are expected to come in May and June of this year.
