ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces Zephyrus Duo 15

By AIT News Desk On Apr 2, 2020

Ultraslim gaming laptop features integrated secondary 14.1-inch full-width touchscreen for accelerated multitasking, gaming, content creation, and more

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) announced the groundbreaking ROG Zephyrus Duo 15, which integrates two displays in an ultraslim form factor to bring a new dimension of versatility to premium gaming laptops, without sacrificing any of the high-powered performance that defines ROG.

Empowering gamers who also create with flexible designs that streamline their work is a passion at ROG. The Zephyrus Duo 15 doubles down on displays with an elegant Active Aerodynamic System (AAS) Plus design that makes the full-width ROG ScreenPad^™ Plus touchscreen an integral part of the cooling system. As the AAS Plus system tilts the laptop up, the second display also rises for comfortable viewing, while revealing a large air intake for deep airflow. The sophisticated cooling design gives Zephyrus Duo 15 ample thermal headroom to fit powerful flagship processors in a groundbreaking multi-screen gaming laptop.

ROG ScreenPad Plus unlocks endless possibilities

As the Zephyrus Duo 15 is opened, ROG ScreenPad Plus tilts up at a 13-degree angle for comfortable viewing and touchscreen interaction. This fluid motion is carefully choreographed by a custom hinge that staggers the rise of the displays to prevent damage. To prevent the screens making contact as the lid opens, the hinge incorporates curved sliders that delay the deployment of the secondary display.

The 14.1-inch panel in ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 is the largest second display put in a production gaming laptop. The IPS panel stretches wide viewing angles across the full width of the body, and its 3840 x 1100 resolution boasts a high pixel density that delivers rich details, crisp text, and flowing lines at a smooth 60 Hz refresh rate.

Having more screen space enhances a wide range of scenarios. ScreenPad Plus can be used to turn the primary display into a more immersive medium for gaming, streaming, and content creation. Users can get a more expansive view of their game, movie, or other media, while using the secondary screen to keep an eye on emails, social media, and more.

ROG is working with game developers like Techland to optimize AAA games like Dying Light 2, which artfully moves co-op chats to ScreenPad Plus for easy viewing, and adds touchscreen controls for easy switching between inventory items and quests. A collaboration with Overwolf also allows gamers to download apps for games like League of Legends, Fortnite, and CS:GO to see real-time stats, build recommendations, and more — all to amplify the advantages that the multi-screen design offers.

Avid creators can use ScreenPad Plus to keep toolbars, timelines, and reference materials in sight with a more clutter-free workspace on the main screen. The touchscreen also supports the ASUS Pen active stylus that makes scribbling and sketching seamless.

Companion functions optimized for ScreenPad Plus also speed up day-to-day work and play. The Task Group feature lets users take snapshots of app arrangements across both screens, and then open those apps instantly with a tap of its associated icon. ROG Armoury Crate has a built-in resource monitor that allows users to track vital stats like CPU and GPU frequencies at a glance. And streamers can run their broadcasts more easily with an interface optimized for the secondary screen thanks to Xsplit Gamecaster.

AAS Plus amplifies airflow

For maximum efficiency in a compact form factor, the ROG ScreenPad Plus secondary display also doubles as a crucial component of the overall cooling system.

Modern processors only achieve their full potential under optimal thermal conditions allow, which is particularly challenging in slender systems. The original ROG Zephyrus revolutionized ultraslim laptop cooling with an innovative Active Aerodynamic System (AAS) that opens a large intake vent as the lid is lifted. The Zephyrus Duo provides an opportunity to take things in another direction with AAS Plus, tilting the touchscreen at an angle opens a larger 28.5 mm air intake, and allows the fans to draw in cooler air from above the laptop instead of warmer air from beneath it. This massive air intake increases airflow by up to 30% over previous AAS implementations, improving performance and putting less strain on the internal cooling system. Decreased need for heat dissipation means that noise levels can be kept below 46 dB(A) in Turbo mode, and 43 dB(A) in Performance mode.

Go hi-res or hi-speed on the display

ROG works closely with panel partners to ensure that each device can be configured in ways that fit every need. For the Zephyrus Duo 15, users can choose between an ultrafast 300 Hz / 3 ms gaming panel or a high-resolution 4K UHD display.

Esports enthusiasts can gain a serious competitive advantage at 300 Hz. The ultra-high refresh rate surpasses the standard for tournaments and makes fast-paced encounters feel incredibly smooth. The 3 ms response time keeps the picture crisp and blur-free for precise target tracking.

For those who prefer high-resolution experiences, the 4K UHD display offers incredible visuals at the highest fidelity detail. Both of these displays are factory calibrated and PANTONE Validated to guarantee color accuracy, but this particular panel also covers 100% of the Adobe RGB color space. The wide gamut and accurate colors let gamers who are also creators produce work at a professional level.

Both primary display options also use NVIDIA G-SYNC technology to enable a uniquely engaging experience. Game performance tends to vary with the intensity of the scene, but traditional displays refresh the on-screen image at a constant clip. This disparity can cause visual tearing artifacts that disrupt immersion. G-SYNC synchronizes the refresh rate with the frame rate to eliminate tearing, minimize stuttering, and reduce input lag.

A GPU switch exclusive to ROG lets users toggle between G-SYNC and Optimus modes depending on whether they want smoother gaming or longer battery life, reinforcing this laptop’s innate duality.

Super-powered GPU speed

A top-tier display requires a top-tier GPU to keep up. The new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER makes everything fast and fluid. Thanks to advanced cooling and ROG Boost, the GPU can hit peak clock speeds as high as 1330 MHz in Turbo mode.

The revolutionary Turing architecture behind the GeForce RTX series enables incredible visual realism. Lifelike lighting, shadows, and reflections render with speed across upgraded CUDA cores for programmable shading, RT cores for real-time ray tracing, and Tensor cores for AI processing. These versatile cores can also accelerate workloads like image processing, 3D modeling, and deep learning.

Boosted productivity

Up to an 8-core 10th Generation Intel^® Core^™ i9 CPU hits speeds as high as 5.3 GHz on a single core, and can engage up to 16 parallel threads with Hyper-Threading technology to power through heavy duty tasks.

With up to 48 GB of combined onboard and SO-DIMM memory, Zephyrus Duo 15 is ready for multitasking mastery across multiple displays. Its DDR4-3200 RAM outpaces the old 2666 MHz standard, improving system speed and responsiveness.

Two nimble NVM Express^® PCIe^® x4 SSDs run in RAID 0 to provide plenty of high-speed storage. The dual-drive array makes the whole system feel more responsive, with lightning load times and quick access to data. With up to 2 TB of capacity, gamers and creators can take their entire game library and professional portfolio wherever they go.

Beyond the hardware inside, USB Type-C™ (USB-C™) with Thunderbolt^™ 3 offers versatile connectivity for a wide range of powerful accompaniments. Gamers can hook up to high-speed storage for ultrafast multimedia editing and transfers, speed up gaming and rendering by plugging into external graphics, daisy-chain multiple monitors to augment the integrated displays, or connect to a fully equipped desktop dock with the simplicity of a single cable. With peak theoretical interface bandwidth of up to 40 Gbps – 4X the speed of USB 3.1 Gen 2 standard – Thunderbolt 3 can balance multiple performance-hungry devices and drive external displays up to 8K resolution.

Revolutionary cooling

To carve out even greater cooling headroom, the CPU of Zephyrus Duo 15 is coated with Thermal Grizzly’s liquid metal compound instead of standard thermal paste. Applying the exotic material is delicate work typically done by hand. That’s not viable for mass production, so ROG commissioned custom equipment to automate the process with mechanical precision, and also designed a special internal fence to prevent the liquid from leaking, over time. After honing the approach with the ROG Mothership, it is being rolled out across the entire lineup of laptops with 10th Generation Intel Core processors.

Improving heat transfer between the CPU and cooling module provides thermal margin that can be used to lower temperatures, reduce noise, or increase performance.

The cooling module strategically snakes five heat pipes to draw degrees from the CPU, GPU, and surrounding power circuitry. Each of the four heatsinks is filled with ultrathin fins that maximize surface area for heat dissipation while decreasing resistance to airflow. Dual n-Blade fans circulate air with superslim blades made of a special liquid-crystal polymer that’s strong enough to withstand high spin speeds. Thinner blades leave room to fit 83 per fan, increasing airflow by up to 17% compared to traditional designs. A mesh cover guards the fans against anything that pokes into the AAS vent.

Cooling requirements change based on the task, so Zephyrus Duo 15 has multiple modes tuned for different needs. Silent mode sacrifices a touch of speed to keep acoustics low, which is ideal for everyday tasks. Performance mode offers the horsepower needed for high gaming frame rates without too much noise. Turbo mode dials the CPU up to full power and reaches higher speeds with a louder fan profile.

Users can switch between operating modes on demand with a handy keyboard shortcut or automatically with Scenario Profiles. Available through the ROG Armoury Crate utility, Scenario Profiles lets users link individual games and programs to specific operating modes, lighting effects, and other settings. They’re triggered by the foreground application and allow seamless switching that adapts to the active task.

Accuracy, comfort, and durability are key

To keep hands away from the warmest parts of the machine and create more space for ScreenPad Plus, the keyboard of the Zephyrus Duo 15 is shifted forward. The design lets wrists sit on the table, like with a desktop keyboard, and there’s a detachable palm rest to improve user comfort.

A handful of keyboard enhancements upgrade the input area below the touchscreen. The separated groups of function keys are easier to intuitively identify. Dedicated hotkeys put volume and microphone mute within easy reach. ROG Overstroke technology lifts the actuation point of the underlying switches for a more responsive experience. And multi-key inputs are more accurate thanks to n-key rollover that registers every press precisely. The touchpad tucked neatly to the right of the keys lights up a digital numeric keypad with the press of a button.

Per-key RGB is great for highlighting critical commands and time-saving shortcuts. It can be used to streamline workflows or just coordinate RGB lighting across an ecosystem of Aura Sync peripheral devices.

Stay active anywhere with portable power

The Zephyrus Duo 15 squeezes power and premium features into an impressively slim body that’s just 20.9 mm thin and weighs only 2.4 kg (approx. 5.3 lbs). The sleek magnesium-aluminide chassis is resilient, with clean lines, all-metal construction, and an anodized finish that imparts a professional feel.

It’s easier to stay productive anywhere with Zephyrus Duo 15’s high-capacity 90 Wh battery. The laptop can also charge via USB Power Delivery, so users can take care of lighter work with a 65 W USB-C adapter that’s much smaller than the standard unit required for full performance. If the battery runs low and there’s no free socket available, users can buy time by charging from a compatible USB power pack.

The ins and outs of on-the-go gaming

Comprehensive connectivity lets this gaming laptop power a full battlestation or workstation. The USB 3.2 Gen 2 port with Thunderbolt 3 supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4, and can be used to connect a G-SYNC desktop monitor. There’s also an HDMI 2.0b output capable of driving a 60 Hz signal for 4K UHD monitors and TVs. Three Type-A USB ports accommodate additional peripherals, including a mouse, gamepad, and VR tracking.

The Zephyrus Duo 15 features superfast WiFi 6 (802.11ax). When paired with a compatible router, WiFi 6 boosts peak interface bandwidth up to 2.4 Gbps, and improves efficiency for busy networks. It also reduces latency, meaning less lag for sensitive activities like online gaming, and expands upstream capacity, which provides more bandwidth for livestreaming. The Gigabit Ethernet jack at the back offers the lowest possible latency for serious multiplayer matches.

Two audio jacks make it easier to connect a standalone microphone and headset for streaming or voice chat, and a premium ESS Sabre DAC elevates the experience for gamers with high-end headphones. The hi-fi DAC reduces noise and distortion, enabling clearer audio with wider dynamic range. Combined with virtual 7.1-channel surround sound, spatial immersion in games and virtual reality is deeper. Hi-Res Audio certification guarantees fidelity for full-quality audio and other media, providing rich and detailed sound. Onboard speakers deliver reliable and engaging audio with minimal distortion. Smart amplifier technology keeps the speakers within thermal and excursion limits, so the volume can be turned up higher without damaging the cones.