CES 2021 continues unabated and Asus has not forgotten about the creatives and business people out there.

Zenbook Duo


The Duo is the business counterpart to the Zephyrus Duo and while on the surface they may seem like the same laptop rebranded for different markets, there is a difference. First off, the Zenbook has a redeveloped hinge to ensure that both the ergo lift to tilt the keyboard and to provide the AAS lift to the ScreenPad+ are smooth and does not fail prematurely. Asus are proud of this bit of engineering and I do not blame them as it is these small, hidden things that make a product a pleasure to use. The hinge is guaranteed for 20 000 uses but that is likely a minimum and will last for far longer than that/

As with their all their laptops Asus has increased the fan blade count, this time from 43 to 59 to improve airflow and reduce noise under load. Screen to body ratio has increased to 93%. The laptop will come in two sizes with the Pro Duo 15 featuring a Core i9 and up to an RTX 3080 to power a 4k OLED panel. The Duo 14 a Core i7 with the option of Intel’s integrated Xe graphics or an MX450 and will only feature a FHD 1080p panel.

The laptops main feature is of course the second screen dubbed the ScreenPad+ and to go with it there is a new version of the ScreenPad+ software. It will feature an updated app dock as well as integrated controls for various programs like Photoshop and Premiere. Dubbed the Control Panel, these controls mimic professional hardware controls that you would find in a studio like dials for scrubbing through footage and to adjust colour correction. It is a brilliant implementation of the software and looks to improve the speed and ease of use of software and integrates seamlessly into any workflow. For now the various baked in implementations are limited but Asus is inviting content creators to mail them at ASC_support�asus.com with suggestions. I does not look as if Asus is releasing the API to devs for them to create whatever they want and I think that this is what Asus should really be doing. If you own a 2020 Duo have no fear you ScreenPad+ will get the same updated software.

The laptops will have a variety of accessories available including a palm rest, stylus and the Duo Stand.

The laptops will release in February with an MSRP starting at R31 999.

ASUS ProArt Display


As part of their push to ease productivity workflow, Asus has developed the ProArt Display, a 14” 4K touch display that is 100% sRGB accurate that will also be compatible with the ScreenPad+ software. This will give you the same touch functionality on a larger display, but you can resize the apps in the display so that you can see more on the screen if you need it.

If you are using it to display your work instead of using the Control Panel, the screen has a physical Asus dial on the back that is mapped to things like colour correction in Photoshop, but whose application will change depending on the program being used. It also integrates with the Windows Dial tool in Windows 10 and a simple change in the settings will switch between two implementations. Unfortunately, the screen is not designed as a drawing tablet so will not work with a stylus.

ASUS TUF A15 & A17


ASUS Also announced two new TUF books. The laptops are improvements on the 2020 models and will feature 240Hz panels for the first time. Battery life is said to have improved to 16.6 hours and at just 19.9mm thick will not break your back.

These laptops will feature up to an Intel Core i7-11375H and up to a GeForce 3070. The laptops will go on sale in February with a MSRP starting at R28 999.