Tag Archives: Asus

ASUS Zenbook DUO (2026) Review: One Laptop, Two Screens, All Business

Posted on by

PROS:


  • Beautiful, nearly identical 14-inch 144Hz 3K OLED screens

  • Narrower hinge creates a more immersive visual experience

  • Ceraluminum design adds visual and tactile character

  • Powerful Intel Panther Lake performance and impressive battery life

CONS:


  • Quite pricey

  • No built-in card reader

  • RAM is soldered

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) earns its premium with two stunning co-equal OLED screens, a sleeker hinge, and Intel Panther Lake performance built for serious work on the go.
award-icon

For a time, it seemed that foldable and rollable screens would be the future of laptops, just as they are positioned to be where smartphones are going. That was until people realized that what may be good for handheld devices might not work for 14-inch slabs with keyboards. Foldable laptops might still have their day, but they are too impractical and costly for now.

ASUS has chosen to instead design and deliver a solution for today’s needs and problems. Rather than a screen that folds just to save space, the Zenbook DUO has opted to expand the user’s workspace instead, bringing the productivity advantages of dual-monitor setups from desktops to laptops. This year’s ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) does more than just upgrade the spec sheet. It is also adding a touch of style and elegance that makes a power user tool feel more considered.

Designer: ASUS

Aesthetics

The 2026 ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) is quite stunning in almost any form, whether it’s closed shut, opened like a laptop, or especially when it’s wide open. The lid cover exudes not only minimalism but also character, with a reflective “ASUS ZENBOOK” logo engraved against the Elephant Gray “Ceraluminum” surface, creating a simple yet eye-catching visual and material contrast.

That Ceraluminum is, of course, ASUS’s latest material innovation that uses a special oxidation process to give aluminum some ceramic-like properties, particularly durability and higher resistance to scratches. The end result is a material that isn’t just nice to look at but also pleasing to touch, giving the lid a texture that almost feels like stone or, well, ceramic. There is also a certain visual “roughness” to the Ceraluminum surface, setting it apart from the brushed metal or anodized appearances of its peers.

Of course, the real show happens when you open the laptop and lift the keyboard away, revealing two gorgeous 14-inch screens connected together by a hinge, no messy or awkward cables. For this iteration, ASUS poured its efforts into making that connection look even more seamless, not only by shrinking the bezels between the displays but also by developing a new “hideaway” hinge that narrows the gap from 25.31mm down to 7.6mm. Make no mistake, there’s still a very obvious separation between the two, but it is now less jarring, making it feel like you’re working with a screen that just happened to be split into two, rather than two screens stitched together.

With the detachable Bluetooth keyboard resting on the second screen or when it’s closed, the Zenbook DUO (2026) looks almost like a normal laptop. You have a few (literally) ports on either side along with some air vents, and a wide-long grille at the bottom above the built-in kickstand. Your only clue that this isn’t a normal laptop is when you accidentally close the laptop lid without the keyboard attached, creating a very noticeable gap that, unfortunately, would also be an open invitation for small items to come in and scratch the screens.

Ergonomics

At 1.65kg (3.64lbs) with the Bluetooth keyboard attached, the ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) isn’t exactly lightweight compared to other 14-inch laptops in the market, at least the non-gaming kind. That said, it’s not exactly on the heavier side either, especially when you consider that you’re carrying two 14-inch screens, not to mention a 99Wh battery, in a single bundle. In that context, it’s actually amazing how much ASUS was able to reduce the heft without cutting corners.

That said, having two connected displays brings its own ergonomics puzzle, something that ASUS seems to have finally solved almost to perfection. You have no less than 5 ways to use the laptop, from a normal laptop to two screens vertically stacked to the side-by-side “desktop mode”. While the hinge does most of the hard work, the built-in kickstand literally carries the burden, supporting that full weight (minus the keyboard) on its own.

The new kickstand is stronger, sturdier, and stiffer, providing confidence it won’t just suddenly close down. It can open to a maximum of 90 degrees, which is the angle you’ll need for desktop mode. That said, it also means that you only have possible angle for the displays in that mode, unless you have a separate stand to prop it up, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a built-in kickstand.

One thing to note in desktop mode is that you will naturally be sacrificing one side of ports. Thankfully, you can turn the Zenbook DUO (2026) which ever side up, whether you need an extra HDMI and headphone jack, or an extra USB-A port. Thankfully, both Thunderbolt 4 ports are equal in capabilities, so you don’t have to make a sacrifice on that end.

If there’s one thing I found a bit cumbersome in the Zenbook DUO’s design is that the power button sits so flushed against the frame. On the one hand, that means it won’t snag with anything in your bag, nor will it get triggered accidentally. On the other hand, it also makes it harder to locate it without looking or fumbling with your finger sliding across the edge repeatedly.

Performance

The ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) is one of the early laptops to embrace Intel’s new Panther Lake chips, specifically the Intel Core Ultra 3 series. The dual-screen laptops comes in two options, one with an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 and the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H. In terms of CPU alone, these already represent a huge leap not just in performance but also in power efficiency, but the latter configuration pulls an even bigger feat.

The review unit we received comes with an Intel Arc B390 GPU based the latest 3rd-gen Intel Xe graphics. Forget what memories you might have had of integrated Intel graphics, because we’re entering an era where you can actually play games with decent settings on it. Of course, your mileage may vary and benchmarks can only provide some general idea, but that all these specs mean is that the ASUS Zenbook DUO (2026) is built for serious productivity and creative work.

It is, after all, designed for heavy-duty computer users ranging from knowledge workers to creators who need to bring the productivity they enjoy on the desktop to wherever they go. Productivity suites, video editors, graphics programs, 3D modelers, and even games won’t make this flexible laptop break a sweat. And yes, that includes some AI shenanigans, thanks to an upgraded NPU as well.

Of course, this also means that it has enough muscle to support running two screens which, by default, is set to extended (versus mirroring each other). The beauty is that these two screens are nearly identical not just in size but also in capabilities, where other dual-screen laptops skimp on the second screen more often than not. We’re talking two 14-inch 3K (2880×1800) 144Hz Lumina Pro OLED displays. Both support touch and, more importantly, both support the ASUS Pen stylus.

In reality, there are very slight differences between the two screens in terms of full color gamut and maximum brightness, but you won’t notice it too much unless you are actively looking for it. In practice, most people will keep content they’re working on in one of two screens anyway, leaving the other as an auxiliary for references or controls.

The latter is actually an interesting aspect of this dual-screen laptop, making the Zenbook DUO feel almost futuristic. While it does have a detachable keyboard, there might be times when you want to have more direct access to the lower touch screen without having to switch back and forth with the Bluetooth keyboard at the side. With a six-finger gesture, you can summon a half-height virtual keyboard, a half-height virtual keyboard with a virtual trackpad to the right, or a full-screen keyboard with a large trackpad below it, pretty much like the virtual equivalent of the physical keyboard.

Additionally, you can have other virtual knobs and sliders above the keyboard or as floating windows, thanks to ASUS’s Dial & Control app. These controls, which also include a numpad and an area for writing with a pen, can change depending on what app is currently in focus. With a browser window, it can have a button for a new tab or a dial for zooming in and out. Or it could be a knob for volume and a slider for screen brightness.

As for the detachable keyboard, it magnetically snaps into place, with retracting pogo pins creating a more stable connection than Bluetooth, though that is the only way to use it when it’s detached. That said, there are no notches or protrusions along the edges of the keyboard, so prying it away from that strong magnetic hold can take a bit of work. The keyboard charges when it’s lying on the laptop, but it can also be charged separately via USB-C. Key travel is decent, but the keys themselves feel a bit squishy. The large trackpad is sensitive, but the hydrophobic coating gives it too much resistance when gliding your finger across it.

The combination of the more power-smart Intel Panther Lake processor and the 99Wh battery tucked inside gives the ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) quite a long uptime, even with both screens enabled. Even a battery of benchmarks and hours of typing and browsing has left a good 12% of battery left, rounding up to a little over 15 hours of use, just a little below ASUS’s advertised 18 hours (with two screens). The included 100W USB-C charging brick helps mitigate the battery loss, and the fact that you can easily use power banks to top up on the go makes the battery narrative even more compelling.

Sustainability

ASUS didn’t use to speak much about the sustainability of its laptops, but that has changed in recent years. The invention of Ceraluminum adds another level to that story, though a bit indirectly. In a nutshell, the material is meant to increase the durability and longevity of the product by protecting it from small accidents. Whether the ZenBook DUO uses sustainable materials, or at least what percentage of it does, isn’t public information.

That longevity, however, is also affected by how much you can upgrade or even repair the laptop. Given how unconventional its design is, it’s really no surprise that there isn’t much here in the way of upgrade options. You do have easy access to the SSD underneath the kickstand. The Zenbook DUO (2026) can support up to 2TB with a full-sized M.2 SSD. The 32GB RAM, however, is soldered down.

Value

The ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) is a laptop on a mission. It is, in a nutshell, designed for people who thrive and need multi-tasking capabilities that they could only enjoy while chained to their desk (or awkwardly carrying a portable monitor). That actually covers a wide range of professions and industries, including creators, designers, office workers, executives, and, yes, gamers. In that sense, there can probably be no better tool for them than this.

In both performance and flexibility, the 2026 Zenbook DUO offers users the power they need, as they need it. Cramped for space on a plane? Just use it as a single-screen laptop, and no one will be the wiser. Need to collaborate with a team? Lay it out flat on the desk to give everyone the same perspective. Need to reference documents as you write? The book-like desktop mode has you covered.

That said, it’s definitely far from perfect. For a laptop aimed at creatives and professionals, the absence of a built-in SD card reader seems pretty odd. And then there’s the $2,699.99 price for the configuration that has the impressive Intel Arc graphics. That puts it way above most 14-inch ultra-thin laptops and in the range of gaming laptops. But then again, none of those have two 14-inch screens, either.

Verdict

Laptops with foldable screens admittedly look fancy and impressive. The big OEMs, including ASUS, are still playing around to find the formula that will finally make it feel more than just a fancy and expensive experiment. In the meantime, however, people need to get work done, and when it comes to that, nothing really beats using more than two screens.

You could always carry a portable screen along with your laptop, which is awkward, cumbersome, and inefficient, or you could grab the ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407). With an improved hinge, beautiful co-equal 14-inch displays, and an Intel Panther Lake processor that can handle almost anything you throw at it, the dual-screen laptop lets you choose the way you want or need to work. And it looks stylish to boot in any form, making sure you’ll be the envy of everyone in the coffee shop.

The post ASUS Zenbook DUO (2026) Review: One Laptop, Two Screens, All Business first appeared on Yanko Design.

ASUS Zenbook DUO (2026) Review: One Laptop, Two Screens, All Business

Posted on by

PROS:


  • Beautiful, nearly identical 14-inch 144Hz 3K OLED screens

  • Narrower hinge creates a more immersive visual experience

  • Ceraluminum design adds visual and tactile character

  • Powerful Intel Panther Lake performance and impressive battery life

CONS:


  • Quite pricey

  • No built-in card reader

  • RAM is soldered

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) earns its premium with two stunning co-equal OLED screens, a sleeker hinge, and Intel Panther Lake performance built for serious work on the go.
award-icon

For a time, it seemed that foldable and rollable screens would be the future of laptops, just as they are positioned to be where smartphones are going. That was until people realized that what may be good for handheld devices might not work for 14-inch slabs with keyboards. Foldable laptops might still have their day, but they are too impractical and costly for now.

ASUS has chosen to instead design and deliver a solution for today’s needs and problems. Rather than a screen that folds just to save space, the Zenbook DUO has opted to expand the user’s workspace instead, bringing the productivity advantages of dual-monitor setups from desktops to laptops. This year’s ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) does more than just upgrade the spec sheet. It is also adding a touch of style and elegance that makes a power user tool feel more considered.

Designer: ASUS

Aesthetics

The 2026 ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) is quite stunning in almost any form, whether it’s closed shut, opened like a laptop, or especially when it’s wide open. The lid cover exudes not only minimalism but also character, with a reflective “ASUS ZENBOOK” logo engraved against the Elephant Gray “Ceraluminum” surface, creating a simple yet eye-catching visual and material contrast.

That Ceraluminum is, of course, ASUS’s latest material innovation that uses a special oxidation process to give aluminum some ceramic-like properties, particularly durability and higher resistance to scratches. The end result is a material that isn’t just nice to look at but also pleasing to touch, giving the lid a texture that almost feels like stone or, well, ceramic. There is also a certain visual “roughness” to the Ceraluminum surface, setting it apart from the brushed metal or anodized appearances of its peers.

Of course, the real show happens when you open the laptop and lift the keyboard away, revealing two gorgeous 14-inch screens connected together by a hinge, no messy or awkward cables. For this iteration, ASUS poured its efforts into making that connection look even more seamless, not only by shrinking the bezels between the displays but also by developing a new “hideaway” hinge that narrows the gap from 25.31mm down to 7.6mm. Make no mistake, there’s still a very obvious separation between the two, but it is now less jarring, making it feel like you’re working with a screen that just happened to be split into two, rather than two screens stitched together.

With the detachable Bluetooth keyboard resting on the second screen or when it’s closed, the Zenbook DUO (2026) looks almost like a normal laptop. You have a few (literally) ports on either side along with some air vents, and a wide-long grille at the bottom above the built-in kickstand. Your only clue that this isn’t a normal laptop is when you accidentally close the laptop lid without the keyboard attached, creating a very noticeable gap that, unfortunately, would also be an open invitation for small items to come in and scratch the screens.

Ergonomics

At 1.65kg (3.64lbs) with the Bluetooth keyboard attached, the ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) isn’t exactly lightweight compared to other 14-inch laptops in the market, at least the non-gaming kind. That said, it’s not exactly on the heavier side either, especially when you consider that you’re carrying two 14-inch screens, not to mention a 99Wh battery, in a single bundle. In that context, it’s actually amazing how much ASUS was able to reduce the heft without cutting corners.

That said, having two connected displays brings its own ergonomics puzzle, something that ASUS seems to have finally solved almost to perfection. You have no less than 5 ways to use the laptop, from a normal laptop to two screens vertically stacked to the side-by-side “desktop mode”. While the hinge does most of the hard work, the built-in kickstand literally carries the burden, supporting that full weight (minus the keyboard) on its own.

The new kickstand is stronger, sturdier, and stiffer, providing confidence it won’t just suddenly close down. It can open to a maximum of 90 degrees, which is the angle you’ll need for desktop mode. That said, it also means that you only have possible angle for the displays in that mode, unless you have a separate stand to prop it up, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a built-in kickstand.

One thing to note in desktop mode is that you will naturally be sacrificing one side of ports. Thankfully, you can turn the Zenbook DUO (2026) which ever side up, whether you need an extra HDMI and headphone jack, or an extra USB-A port. Thankfully, both Thunderbolt 4 ports are equal in capabilities, so you don’t have to make a sacrifice on that end.

If there’s one thing I found a bit cumbersome in the Zenbook DUO’s design is that the power button sits so flushed against the frame. On the one hand, that means it won’t snag with anything in your bag, nor will it get triggered accidentally. On the other hand, it also makes it harder to locate it without looking or fumbling with your finger sliding across the edge repeatedly.

Performance

The ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) is one of the early laptops to embrace Intel’s new Panther Lake chips, specifically the Intel Core Ultra 3 series. The dual-screen laptops comes in two options, one with an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 and the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H. In terms of CPU alone, these already represent a huge leap not just in performance but also in power efficiency, but the latter configuration pulls an even bigger feat.

The review unit we received comes with an Intel Arc B390 GPU based the latest 3rd-gen Intel Xe graphics. Forget what memories you might have had of integrated Intel graphics, because we’re entering an era where you can actually play games with decent settings on it. Of course, your mileage may vary and benchmarks can only provide some general idea, but that all these specs mean is that the ASUS Zenbook DUO (2026) is built for serious productivity and creative work.

It is, after all, designed for heavy-duty computer users ranging from knowledge workers to creators who need to bring the productivity they enjoy on the desktop to wherever they go. Productivity suites, video editors, graphics programs, 3D modelers, and even games won’t make this flexible laptop break a sweat. And yes, that includes some AI shenanigans, thanks to an upgraded NPU as well.

Of course, this also means that it has enough muscle to support running two screens which, by default, is set to extended (versus mirroring each other). The beauty is that these two screens are nearly identical not just in size but also in capabilities, where other dual-screen laptops skimp on the second screen more often than not. We’re talking two 14-inch 3K (2880×1800) 144Hz Lumina Pro OLED displays. Both support touch and, more importantly, both support the ASUS Pen stylus.

In reality, there are very slight differences between the two screens in terms of full color gamut and maximum brightness, but you won’t notice it too much unless you are actively looking for it. In practice, most people will keep content they’re working on in one of two screens anyway, leaving the other as an auxiliary for references or controls.

The latter is actually an interesting aspect of this dual-screen laptop, making the Zenbook DUO feel almost futuristic. While it does have a detachable keyboard, there might be times when you want to have more direct access to the lower touch screen without having to switch back and forth with the Bluetooth keyboard at the side. With a six-finger gesture, you can summon a half-height virtual keyboard, a half-height virtual keyboard with a virtual trackpad to the right, or a full-screen keyboard with a large trackpad below it, pretty much like the virtual equivalent of the physical keyboard.

Additionally, you can have other virtual knobs and sliders above the keyboard or as floating windows, thanks to ASUS’s Dial & Control app. These controls, which also include a numpad and an area for writing with a pen, can change depending on what app is currently in focus. With a browser window, it can have a button for a new tab or a dial for zooming in and out. Or it could be a knob for volume and a slider for screen brightness.

As for the detachable keyboard, it magnetically snaps into place, with retracting pogo pins creating a more stable connection than Bluetooth, though that is the only way to use it when it’s detached. That said, there are no notches or protrusions along the edges of the keyboard, so prying it away from that strong magnetic hold can take a bit of work. The keyboard charges when it’s lying on the laptop, but it can also be charged separately via USB-C. Key travel is decent, but the keys themselves feel a bit squishy. The large trackpad is sensitive, but the hydrophobic coating gives it too much resistance when gliding your finger across it.

The combination of the more power-smart Intel Panther Lake processor and the 99Wh battery tucked inside gives the ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) quite a long uptime, even with both screens enabled. Even a battery of benchmarks and hours of typing and browsing has left a good 12% of battery left, rounding up to a little over 15 hours of use, just a little below ASUS’s advertised 18 hours (with two screens). The included 100W USB-C charging brick helps mitigate the battery loss, and the fact that you can easily use power banks to top up on the go makes the battery narrative even more compelling.

Sustainability

ASUS didn’t use to speak much about the sustainability of its laptops, but that has changed in recent years. The invention of Ceraluminum adds another level to that story, though a bit indirectly. In a nutshell, the material is meant to increase the durability and longevity of the product by protecting it from small accidents. Whether the ZenBook DUO uses sustainable materials, or at least what percentage of it does, isn’t public information.

That longevity, however, is also affected by how much you can upgrade or even repair the laptop. Given how unconventional its design is, it’s really no surprise that there isn’t much here in the way of upgrade options. You do have easy access to the SSD underneath the kickstand. The Zenbook DUO (2026) can support up to 2TB with a full-sized M.2 SSD. The 32GB RAM, however, is soldered down.

Value

The ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407) is a laptop on a mission. It is, in a nutshell, designed for people who thrive and need multi-tasking capabilities that they could only enjoy while chained to their desk (or awkwardly carrying a portable monitor). That actually covers a wide range of professions and industries, including creators, designers, office workers, executives, and, yes, gamers. In that sense, there can probably be no better tool for them than this.

In both performance and flexibility, the 2026 Zenbook DUO offers users the power they need, as they need it. Cramped for space on a plane? Just use it as a single-screen laptop, and no one will be the wiser. Need to collaborate with a team? Lay it out flat on the desk to give everyone the same perspective. Need to reference documents as you write? The book-like desktop mode has you covered.

That said, it’s definitely far from perfect. For a laptop aimed at creatives and professionals, the absence of a built-in SD card reader seems pretty odd. And then there’s the $2,699.99 price for the configuration that has the impressive Intel Arc graphics. That puts it way above most 14-inch ultra-thin laptops and in the range of gaming laptops. But then again, none of those have two 14-inch screens, either.

Verdict

Laptops with foldable screens admittedly look fancy and impressive. The big OEMs, including ASUS, are still playing around to find the formula that will finally make it feel more than just a fancy and expensive experiment. In the meantime, however, people need to get work done, and when it comes to that, nothing really beats using more than two screens.

You could always carry a portable screen along with your laptop, which is awkward, cumbersome, and inefficient, or you could grab the ASUS Zenbook DUO (UX8407). With an improved hinge, beautiful co-equal 14-inch displays, and an Intel Panther Lake processor that can handle almost anything you throw at it, the dual-screen laptop lets you choose the way you want or need to work. And it looks stylish to boot in any form, making sure you’ll be the envy of everyone in the coffee shop.

The post ASUS Zenbook DUO (2026) Review: One Laptop, Two Screens, All Business first appeared on Yanko Design.

ASUS ROG’s First Open-Ear Earbuds: Hear the Game and the Room

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Gaming earbuds have long operated on an unspoken assumption: that total audio immersion requires cutting yourself off from the world around you. Sealed tips, passive isolation, the whole sensory cocoon. The ROG Cetra Open Wireless throws that logic out entirely, producing a pair of gaming earbuds that wants you to hear both the firefight and the person calling your name from the other room.

The open-ear design rests outside the ear canal rather than sealing into it, sitting against the outer ear with liquid silicone hooks that wrap around the back. It is the same air conduction approach used in sports earbuds, where hearing your environment is a feature rather than a flaw. The difference here is that ROG has tuned the hardware around gaming, not just fitness, which changes both the driver choice and the connectivity options.

Designer: ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG)

Each earbud is built around a 14.2mm diamond-like carbon-coated diaphragm driver. DLC coatings are favored in higher-end audio hardware because the material’s rigidity resists deformation at high frequencies, resulting in cleaner transient response and lower distortion. Open-ear designs lose low-end naturally from air leakage, so ROG included Phantom Bass, a perceptual processing mode that restores the sense of low-frequency weight without sealing the canal.

The connectivity is where the gaming identity becomes explicit. Bluetooth 6 handles general pairing, but the included USB-C 2.4GHz dongle, running ROG’s SpeedNova technology, delivers latency 6 times lower than Bluetooth mode. That difference is meaningful in competitive play where audio sync affects reaction timing. The dongle also supports one-way passthrough charging, keeping a phone powered while the low-latency connection stays active.

Communication gets its own dedicated hardware: four MEMS microphones arranged for beamforming pickup, with AI noise cancellation suppressing ambient sound in real time. ROG’s testing, conducted by PAL Acoustic Technology, a Microsoft-certified third-party lab, puts the MOS-LQO voice quality score at 4.1, clearing the Microsoft Teams certification threshold of 3.9. For earbuds worn during commutes or at the gym, that score carries practical weight.

Battery life is rated at 16 hours per charge in Bluetooth mode, with the charging case adding 48 hours more, bringing the combined total to 64 hours. A 15-minute charge delivers 3 hours of playback. Physical buttons handle on-device control rather than touch surfaces, which stay reliable in sweaty or wet conditions. EQ profiles, button mappings, and lighting are all adjustable through Gear Link, a browser-based tool that needs no software installation.

The ROG Cetra Open Wireless is priced at $229.99 and available through the ASUS eStore, Amazon, Micro Center, and Newegg. For gaming earbuds that pull off the unusual trick of staying useful to a competitive mobile gamer and to someone who simply cannot afford to be sonically sealed off from their surroundings, it makes a harder argument against itself than the open-ear format usually does.

The post ASUS ROG’s First Open-Ear Earbuds: Hear the Game and the Room first appeared on Yanko Design.

ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Kojima Productions Edition Review: Designed, Not Branded

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PROS:


  • CNC machined artwork creates depth that printed graphics can't replicate

  • Carbon fiber and aluminum deliver genuine material contrast

  • Decennium Gold colorway builds a collaboration-specific design language

  • Thermal architecture integrates visibly into the surface composition

  • Multiple configurations give collectors several compositionally distinct angles

  • Shinkawa's design vocabulary translates to hardware without dilution

CONS:


  • Static chassis can't capture the kinetic energy of Shinkawa's illustrations

  • Tablet weight limits comfortable handheld use beyond fifteen minutes

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

Most limited editions wear an artist's name. The Z13 KJP wears an artist's hand.
award-icon

When the artist holds the pen, the object changes at a structural level. ASUS calls the ROG Flow Z13 Kojima Productions Edition a collaboration with Yoji Shinkawa, but the result reflects authorship rather than endorsement. Shinkawa drew the design elements directly. The angular chassis cutouts reference Ludens’ armor, the same character he originally created as Kojima Productions’ icon. The Decennium Gold colorway exists because Shinkawa chose it. The carbon fiber integration, the custom keycap typography, the vent laser etching: these trace back to his visual direction, not ASUS’s interpretation of it. The geometry, materials, and graphic hierarchy don’t feel applied to an existing chassis. They feel drawn into it.

Shinkawa himself described the process as designing a gadget that “belongs to Ludens” and integrating that into the PC design. That framing tells you where creative authority sat. The artist didn’t adapt to the hardware. The hardware adapted to the artist.

Kojima Productions as Design House

Calling Kojima Productions a game studio accounts for what the company ships, not what it builds. The studio’s visual identity, shaped primarily by Shinkawa since its founding, represents one of the most distinctive aesthetic vocabularies in entertainment. Shinkawa’s style blends bold brushwork with intricate mechanical detail: fluid motion rendered with precision, emotion conveyed through futurism. The characters, vehicles, and environments of Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding share a visual language that’s immediately identifiable: heavy contrast, dynamic composition, mechanical forms that feel organic.

Ludens, the company’s mascot, embodies this philosophy. Designed as a collaboration between Kojima and Shinkawa, Ludens wears an “extravehicular creative activity” suit: part knight armor, part astronaut gear. The character represents “those who play” (Homo Ludens), and the visual design merges protective functionality with exploratory optimism.

The motto: “From Sapiens to Ludens.” The Z13 KJP’s tagline: “For Ludens Who Dare,” combining Kojima Productions’ philosophy with ROG’s established “For Those Who Dare.” Even the marketing language operates as a design decision.

The Chassis as Canvas

The CNC-milled aluminum chassis does something unusual for limited edition hardware: it uses premium manufacturing as the design medium rather than premium materials as decoration.

Angular cutouts carved into the aluminum reference Ludens’ armor plating. These aren’t applied graphics or printed textures. They’re machined into the body with tolerances you can feel with a fingernail. The cutting angles create shadow lines that shift with viewing angle, adding depth that flat surfaces can’t achieve.

The Decennium Gold colorway breaks from gaming hardware convention. ROG products typically live in blacks, dark greys, and aggressive reds. Shinkawa chose a palette that references neither typical gaming aesthetics nor typical Kojima aesthetics. It’s a new color vocabulary specific to this collaboration, one that reads as industrial warmth rather than decorative accent.

Vent laser etching creates a subtle pattern across thermal exhaust areas that reads differently depending on lighting. At a glance, it’s texture. Up close, it’s deliberate patterning that maintains the Ludens visual motif even on functional surfaces.

Surface Detail as System

The rear panel artwork is layered in three visual weights, each serving a distinct compositional role. Fine parallel lines establish a base grid across the aluminum while medium thickness strokes intersect at angles that echo Ludens armor plating. Deep black ventilation apertures anchor the composition as functional shadow fields. Some lines are laser etched while others are machined recesses, and the vents aren’t hidden beneath the artwork but integrated into it.

This is where the detail level becomes clear. The vent field doesn’t interrupt the art but completes it, with perforations radiating in controlled clusters. Horizontal exhaust lines align with printed striations, while thicker strokes deliberately break alignment to preserve composition. It reads less like decoration and more like a technical schematic of something operational.

Micro typography reinforces the illusion. “Ensure lock is tight” sits near the kickstand mechanism. “Do not touch lens surface” frames the rear camera. “Li polymer battery pack here” is printed as if this were an exposed prototype rather than a sealed device. The language mimics field equipment labeling. It creates narrative without becoming parody.

What elevates the rear panel from decoration to design system is physical depth. The CNC bevels catch and redirect light differently depending on the angle of incidence, so the composition’s visual weight shifts throughout the day without any element disappearing. Under diffuse lighting, flat artwork would lose definition. Machined geometry holds contrast even when the room goes dim.

Carbon Fiber as Material Language

The carbon fiber elements operate as material contrast rather than structural marketing.

The weave is visible and directional. Under angled light it shifts between matte absorption and subtle reflection, creating tonal variation that the aluminum can’t replicate. This is real carbon fiber, not printed simulation. It introduces organic texture into an otherwise machined surface vocabulary.

Placed adjacent to CNC milled aluminum, the fiber changes how the entire rear panel reads. Woven composite beside bead blasted metal creates tension between engineered precision and tactile irregularity. That pairing echoes Shinkawa’s broader design instincts. Mechanical forms feel inhabited rather than sterile. Armor suggests use rather than abstraction.

Thermal Architecture Shapes the Exterior

The Z13 KJP’s tablet form forces its cooling system to live within a flat plane rather than a hinged clamshell cavity.

ASUS integrates larger fans and a wider vapor chamber because the device lacks a traditional hinge exhaust path. An airflow channel under the display helps reduce touchscreen surface temperatures. These engineering decisions directly influence vent placement and rear panel geometry.

The diagonal vent cluster embedded in the carbon fiber panel isn’t arbitrary styling. It exists where airflow demands it. The long horizontal vent array on the aluminum side stretches across a composition already defined by linear etching. Function determines location. Design determines how it’s expressed.

The Z13 KJP treats cooling infrastructure as compositional material. The vents, channels, and exhaust geometry participate in the rear panel’s visual rhythm rather than interrupting it, which is why the thermal sections don’t read as engineering compromises from any distance.

Form Factor as Design Statement

The detachable keyboard format makes the Z13 KJP a design outlier among limited edition laptops.

Most collector hardware comes in clamshell form. You see it closed or open. The Z13 KJP presents differently depending on configuration. As a tablet, it’s a slate with the Ludens-inspired chassis as the primary visual element. With the keyboard attached, custom KJP keycaps and typography add detail at interaction distance. On a kickstand at an angle, it shows the chassis rear and carbon fiber panel simultaneously.

This multiplicity matters for display-oriented owners because each configuration foregrounds different design decisions, from the macro geometry of the rear panel to the micro detailing of keycap typography. Most limited edition hardware offers a single hero surface. The Z13 KJP offers several, and they’re compositionally distinct.

At 1.25 kilograms as a tablet and 1.72 kilograms with the keyboard attached, the Z13 KJP balances density with portability. Inside the 300.28 by 204.5 millimeter footprint at 14.56 to 14.99 millimeters thick sits an AMD Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 processor paired with Radeon 8060S graphics up to 80 watts, 128GB of LPDDR5X 8000 quad channel memory, and a 70Wh battery supporting 100 watt USB C charging with a 50 percent charge in 30 minutes claim.

Ports and Edge Composition

Edge design is where themed hardware often collapses into generic product. The Z13 KJP maintains consistency.

HDMI 2.1 FRL sits alongside dual USB4 ports supporting DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery 3.0. A USB A 3.2 Gen 2 port anchors legacy connectivity. The microSD UHS II slot hides beneath the kickstand, an industrial design decision that preserves side silhouette integrity. Even the Command Center button is placed without disrupting the visual rhythm of the edge.

The port cutouts are clean and deliberate, preserving the angular language established on the rear panel rather than fracturing it. Negative space between each cutout prevents the edge from reading as a fragmented utility strip. Black rubberized edge guards introduce a darker boundary layer that frames the Decennium Gold aluminum, visually grounding the device while protecting high contact surfaces.

On a device this compact at 300.28 by 204.5 millimeters and under 15 millimeters thick, edge discipline determines whether the hardware reads as composed or cluttered. The Z13 KJP maintains its visual argument all the way to the perimeter.

Display as Primary Surface

As a tablet first device, the display isn’t a spec line but the dominant interaction surface and the largest uninterrupted plane on the hardware. Everything else on the Z13 KJP supports or counterbalances what happens on this 13.4 inches of glass.

The ROG Nebula Display runs at 2560 by 1600 resolution across a 16:10 WQXGA panel, 180Hz with 3ms response time and 500 nits of brightness, covering 100 percent of the DCI P3 color space. Gorilla Glass DXC provides the protective layer, which ASUS positions as glare resistant. In a tablet configuration where the screen faces ambient light directly, glare resistance becomes a design-critical material choice rather than a spec sheet footnote.

The glass side operates as deliberate counterweight to the rear panel’s visual density. Where the aluminum layers machined geometry, etched lines, carbon fiber, and micro typography into a complex composition, the display presents smooth, unbroken optical neutrality. That restraint is functional. The front surface stays quiet so it doesn’t compete with whatever content the owner puts on screen.

Ergonomically, the 16:10 aspect ratio provides vertical space for document work and browsing without forcing a width that compromises single-handed grip. When held as a tablet, the device balances expressive density on one side with functional clarity on the other, each surface serving a role the opposite can’t.

The Unboxing as Ritual

Limited edition hardware typically includes printed documentation and perhaps a numbered certificate. The Z13 KJP bundle creates a curated experience.

The carrying case uses the same Decennium Gold design language as the laptop. A flight tag bears ROG × KJP dual branding. A sticker sheet includes “For Ludens Who Dare” and branded designs that extend the aesthetic to wherever the owner applies them.

The centerpiece is the thank-you card. Front: Yoji Shinkawa’s original early sketches of the Z13 KJP, developmental drawings that preceded the final product. Back: personal messages from Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa with their signatures.

For a collector, this card may become the most valued item in the box. Original Shinkawa sketches of any kind command significant prices. Printed reproductions on a thank-you card aren’t originals, but they’re the closest most people will get to Shinkawa’s developmental process for this specific product.

The peripheral ecosystem extends the language: ROG Delta II-KJP headset, ROG Keris II Origin-KJP mouse, ROG Scabbard II XXL-KJP mousepad. All three bear Shinkawa-illustrated design elements. Sold separately, they allow the aesthetic to extend from the laptop to the entire workspace.

Living With the Design

Design analysis happens at arm’s length. Living with hardware happens at fingertip distance, and the Z13 KJP reveals different priorities depending on which distance you’re evaluating from.

The Decennium Gold finish reads as muted industrial alloy rather than jewelry. Under warm lighting it deepens slightly without turning brassy, and under cooler overhead light it holds its tone without washing out. That tonal stability means the device doesn’t shift personality depending on where you set it down. It looks the same on a coffee shop table as it does on a studio desk, which is rarer than it should be for hardware at this price point.

Fingerprints are the inevitable test. The bead blasted aluminum shows contact marks under direct light, particularly on the flatter surfaces between CNC channels. The machined geometry helps break up the visual uniformity that makes prints obvious on polished metal: shadow lines and textured transitions camouflage minor contact marks rather than highlighting them. The carbon fiber panel resists prints more effectively because the woven texture absorbs oils differently than the metal. Over a work session, the aluminum side shows use while the carbon fiber side stays visually cleaner.

At 1.25 kilograms in tablet mode, the Z13 KJP is honest about what it is. Extended handheld use past ten or fifteen minutes reminds you that there’s an AMD Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 and 128GB of memory packed inside a 14.56 millimeter chassis. The angular cutouts on the rear don’t create sharp pressure points against the palm because the CNC beveling rounds the internal edges enough to prevent digging. But the density concentrates in a footprint compact enough that you feel the weight per square centimeter more than you would on a larger device. The carbon fiber section provides a subtle grip advantage over the aluminum, with the woven texture catching skin differently at reading angles where hold confidence matters.

The CNC channels and etched line work invite a question most design pieces avoid: does precision age well? The machined recesses are shallow enough that casual dust isn’t immediately visible, but deep enough that compressed air works more effectively than a cloth for thorough cleaning. The vent apertures, which serve as compositional anchors from a design perspective, become maintenance zones from a use perspective. The rubberized edge guards show no visible wear patterns at high contact points, and their slightly softer surface provides meaningful grip improvement along the edges where you naturally hold the device when repositioning.

The kickstand deploys with firm, deliberate resistance that holds angles confidently. The hinge mechanism doesn’t feel fragile or provisional. When the device sits on its stand with the rear panel facing outward, the visual density of the artwork becomes ambient rather than demanding. You stop reading individual design decisions and start seeing a unified surface that happens to be more interesting than anything else on your desk.

Where the Translation Lands

What the hardware can’t fully capture is the kinetic energy of Shinkawa’s original illustrations. His drawings imply velocity and force through brushstroke dynamism, qualities that a static consumer electronics chassis isn’t built to reproduce. The etched line work creates layered visual complexity, but complexity isn’t motion. The silhouette doesn’t shift with posture. The energy remains implied rather than kinetic, frozen into surface detail rather than expressed through form.

Where the translation succeeds is in its commitment to depth. The design vocabulary lives inside the hardware’s structure rather than on its surface, which is why scrutiny rewards rather than punishes. Move closer and the layering intensifies. Change the lighting and the composition shifts weight without losing coherence. That durability under inspection is rare for any consumer electronics product, let alone one bearing an artist’s name.

A design theme needs its best angle and its ideal lighting. The Z13 KJP doesn’t have a weak configuration or a viewing distance where the intent falls apart, because the intent is embedded in the object itself. Whether the price premium over the standard Z13 is justified depends on how you value that kind of manufacturing commitment. But as a precedent for what artist collaborations in hardware can actually achieve, nothing in the laptop category has come this close to letting the original vision survive production intact. Pre-order starts today at ASUS Store.

The post ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Kojima Productions Edition Review: Designed, Not Branded first appeared on Yanko Design.

Your Personal Free Netflix and other Top 5 Tech you Absolutely Need in 2026

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Last year I put together a list of products everyone absolutely needed to own in 2025. It included basic stuff, AirTags, GaN chargers, and even some slightly complex gadgets like NAS devices to help you cut the cord on cloud storage subscriptions. This year’s list expands on the same philosophy from last year – make life easier, cheaper, and faster. Here are 5 pieces of tech you need to consider owning in 2026, they’re on the bleeding edge of tech now, but I assume will become mainstream in a decade. However, if you want to stay ahead of the curve, consider adopting them now!

The list is short but sweet – it includes AI recorders/notetakers, translator buds that do a way better job than the AirPods, personal AQI monitors, travel routers that make connecting to dubious airport and hotel WiFi networks much easier, and finally (my grand pick for 2026) a personal media server that helps you actually own movies instead of paying Netflix or Hulu or Paramount a monthly fee that they seem to increase every year without batting an eyelid.

1. AI Notetakers: Your Second Brain That Actually Shows Up

There is a very real advantage to having a dedicated AI notetaker that is not your phone. Phones are distraction machines; they are notifications, doomscrolling, unsolicited ads, and “sorry, I just need to reply to this Slack” all rolled into one. A device like Plaud Note, Comulytic, Mobvoi’s TicNote or a Notta‑powered recorder does one thing: it listens (and it remembers what it listens). You hit a physical button, drop it on the table, and forget about it. Later, the audio is cleaned up, transcribed, summarized, and tagged without you babysitting the process. That separation alone changes how you behave in meetings and interviews. You stop half‑typing notes while someone is talking and instead stay present, knowing you will get a clean transcript and a decent summary afterward.

The other big win is what happens after the recording. Tools like Plaud, Notta, and similar AI‑first platforms are not just dumping a raw audio file into your storage; they are turning it into something you can actually work with. Meetings become bullet‑point action lists, interviews turn into structured quotes you can drop into drafts, and keynotes morph into highlight reels and to‑do items. Compare that to your phone’s stock voice recorder, where everything is just “Recording 032.m4a” in a long, unlabeled list. No speaker separation, no smart search, no summaries, no automatic organization. Dedicated AI notetakers treat audio as input to a workflow, not a dead file. And once you have used one a few times for client calls or field interviews, going back to a generic phone app feels like going from a modern IDE back to Notepad.

2. Translator Earbuds: When You Actually Need To Talk To People

Apple adding Live Translation to AirPods is very on‑brand: take a niche idea, wrap it in a clean UI, and ship it as a feature most people will try once in a while. It is genuinely handy if you and the other person both live inside the Apple ecosystem, and you are somewhere with good connectivity. But at the end of the day, AirPods are music‑first earbuds that happen to do translation on the side. Brands like Vasco, Viaim, and Timekettle flips that completely. Timekettle products like the M3, WT2 Edge, and W4 are built as translation devices first, earbuds second. The hardware, the app, and the interaction modes are all tuned for one job: two‑way, face‑to‑face conversation that does not feel like you are dictating into Google Translate.

You see the difference the minute you try to use them in the real world. Timekettle lets both people wear an earbud and just talk, with the system handling two‑way interpretation in near real time. Even Vasco, which secured our award at CES 2025, offers incredible translation features with the added ability to clone your voice using AI. There are specific modes for sitting across a café table, walking side by side, or listening to an announcement, and you can preload offline language packs so you are not stranded the moment you lose data. That matters when you are in a noisy street market, on a factory floor, or in a client meeting where “sorry, can you repeat that for the app” gets old fast. AirPods’ live translation is clever, but it is still bolted onto a general‑purpose audio product, with limited languages and workflows that quietly assume ideal conditions. Dedicated translator earbuds are what you pack when you know you are going to be operating in another language for days at a stretch; AirPods translation is what you pull out when you are already there and hoping the feature is good enough.

3. Personal Air Monitors: The Little Box That Calls Out Bad Air

A personal air quality monitor is very different from the big purifier that sits in one corner of your living room. This is the pocketable version: a small, battery‑powered sensor that tracks things like CO₂, particulates, VOCs, temperature, and humidity, and comes with you everywhere. Think of the same mindset behind something like Goveelife or uHoo’s indoor monitors, but shrunk down into a device you can toss in a bag or park on your desk. The moment you start carrying one, patterns jump out. That “3 p.m. crash” in your home office often lines up perfectly with CO₂ quietly creeping past the point where your brain stops firing properly. The subway line that always gives you a headache is not just “crowded and stressful,” it is a mix of stale air and fine dust. Your favorite café might have great coffee and terrible ventilation, while the boring chain across the street quietly nails fresh air and lower CO₂.

Where this becomes essential is when you pair it with travel and health decisions. Instead of vaguely checking a city‑wide AQI number, you get hyper‑local readings: the actual air in your Airbnb bedroom, that underground bar, that coworking space with sealed windows. A personal monitor can be the thing that tells you “open a window now,” “today is an N95 day,” or “maybe do not work six hours straight in this meeting room.” It is not a glamorous gadget, but it quietly moves you from guessing to measuring. In a world of wildfire smoke, construction dust, packed trains, and increasingly sealed buildings, that shift feels very 2026: less “trust the vibes,” more “trust the numbers in your pocket.”

4. Travel Routers: Bring Your Own Internet, Not Just Your Own Laptop

TCL and Asus quietly made one of the most important travel gadgets last year: routers built to live in your bag instead of under your TV. On the surface they look like yet another little plastic box with antennas, but the use case is very different from the router you got from your ISP. These are “BYO infrastructure” for people who work, stream, and store their lives online. You plug them into sketchy hotel Ethernet or join them to the random café Wi‑Fi, and they spin up your own private, password‑protected network for your laptop, phone, handheld console, and whatever else you are carrying. Instead of each device logging into “Hotel_WiFi_3” separately and fighting through captive portals, everything just connects to your SSID, with your own password, your own settings, and your own rules.

The VPN side is where they really earn a place in a 2026 kit. A good travel router can automatically tunnel all your traffic through a VPN or back to your home network, so every device behind it inherits that protection without you installing clients and certificates on each one. That means you can sit on airport Wi‑Fi and still safely access your media server at home, your NAS, your work tools, or region‑locked services, all as if you were on your own couch. For digital nomads and frequent flyers, it also solves a bunch of annoying edge cases: game consoles and streaming sticks that hate captive portals, devices that do not support VPNs natively, hotel networks that limit the number of devices per room. The travel router becomes the one “client” the hotel sees, while you hang a whole personal LAN off the back of it. It is not a glamorous product, but once you have had a week where your entire setup rides on that one little box, it is hard to go back to trusting whatever router the hotel happened to bolt to the ceiling.

5. Personal Media Servers: Owning Your Movies In A World That Hates Ownership

The idea of “buying” a movie used to be straightforward. You paid for a DVD or Blu‑ray, you got a disc, and that disc was yours until it got scratched to death or you moved house and lost it. You could watch it a thousand times, lend it to a friend, rip it for convenience, whatever. The streaming era quietly rewrote that deal. You are not buying movies anymore, you are renting access. A title lives on Netflix or Max or whatever for a while, then licensing changes, mergers happen, some accountant decides to write it off, and suddenly your favorite film or show just does not exist in your catalog. You can chase it across services, stacking subscriptions like trading cards, but that gets expensive very fast, and you are still at the mercy of contracts you never see.

A personal media server is the underdog rebellion against that. If you already have a NAS, you are basically one weekend away from rolling your own “Netflix” with something like Plex, Jellyfin, or Emby sitting on top. The workflow is not rocket science: buy discs, rip them, store the files on your NAS, let the media server scrape metadata and artwork, and suddenly you have a slick, searchable library that shows up on your TV, laptop, phone, or tablet just like a streaming app. The difference is that nothing disappears because a studio changed its mind. You decide what lives there, how long it stays, what version you keep, and who gets access. You can share that library with parents or siblings across the country without running into “password sharing crackdown” nonsense, and you can watch your stuff in a cabin with terrible internet because it is all local. It is the same basic promise we had with physical media, just updated for a world where your screen is no longer tethered to a disc player.

Now, the awkward bit: yes, pirating content is illegal. That is the line, and it is worth stating clearly. At the same time, the industry has created a situation where it is technically legal to charge you repeatedly for non‑ownership, while making entire catalogs vanish, region‑locking films behind arbitrary borders, and punishing you for sharing an account with your own family. When a bidding war over something like Warner Bros Discovery means one or two mega‑streamers get even more control over what exists where and for how long, it is hard not to see why people fall back on “if buying is not owning, piracy is not stealing” as a coping mechanism. I am not here to tell you what to do with torrents, but I will say this: a personal media server built around content you actually own is one of the few sane, future‑proof ways to make sure the movies and shows you care about are still watchable ten years from now. In a landscape that keeps trending toward bigger monopolies and weaker ownership, that box in the corner of your house starts to look less like a nerd toy and more like self‑defense.

The post Your Personal Free Netflix and other Top 5 Tech you Absolutely Need in 2026 first appeared on Yanko Design.

Asus ProArt Mouse MD301 Takes Aim at Logitech’s Productivity Throne with Swappable Switches

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The productivity mouse market has been living in a single-player game for too long. Logitech’s MX Master has dominated professional desks from Silicon Valley to Singapore, becoming so ubiquitous that it’s practically the default recommendation in every buying guide. But monopolies create the perfect conditions for an underdog, and Asus has clearly been watching, waiting, and building something that aims to shatter the status quo.

Enter the ProArt Mouse MD301, unveiled at CES 2026 with a feature list that reads like a direct response to every MX Master owner who has ever wished for something different. Swappable switches give users hardware-level customization that Logitech has never offered. A lighter 99.7-gram body addresses the wrist fatigue that marathon work sessions can bring. The SmartShift wheel matches its rival stride for stride, while six programmable buttons and an 8,000 DPI sensor deliver the precision that creative professionals demand. Asus is making a serious play for the premium productivity space.

Designer: ASUS

Most productivity mice treat their switches as permanent components, which becomes a problem after millions of clicks degrade the tactile feedback. Asus built the MD301 with user-replaceable switches for both left and right buttons, allowing a choice between optical or mechanical micro switches. Optical switches typically last longer and actuate faster with no physical contact points to wear down. Mechanical switches provide the tactile bump that some workflows demand. The ability to mix both types means asymmetric configurations where left clicks feel different from right clicks, though whether anyone actually wants that remains unclear. A switch puller tool ships in the box, suggesting Asus expects this feature to see actual use rather than existing purely for marketing differentiation.

Logitech’s MagSpeed wheel technology gets directly challenged here under the SmartShift name, offering dual-mode scrolling between ratcheted line-by-line precision and momentum-based free-spin. This feature became non-negotiable for productivity mice after Logitech introduced it because working without it feels like regression. Navigating through 500-page documents or endless spreadsheets with standard scrolling wastes time that free-spin mode eliminates. Precision editing in Photoshop or Premiere needs the tactile feedback of ratcheted scrolling to land exactly on the right frame or layer. Asus recognized that competing without this capability would sink the MD301 before launch, so they matched it and focused innovation elsewhere.

Cutting weight to 99.7 grams puts the MD301 noticeably lighter than the MX Master 3S and most competitors in this category. Thirty grams might sound negligible until translated into thousands of mouse movements across a 32-inch display during marathon editing sessions. Repetitive strain injuries in creative professionals often start with seemingly minor factors that compound over weeks and months. Ergonomic shaping with wave-textured grip surfaces attempts to address comfort, though hand shapes vary enough that what works for one person irritates another. PTFE feet reduce surface friction during movement, which becomes apparent when switching between mice with and without them.

An 8,000 DPI sensor handles precision tracking across multiple surface types including glass, which used to be impossible for optical sensors but now qualifies as expected functionality. Polling rate hits 1,000 Hz through both wired USB and 2.4 GHz wireless modes, keeping cursor responsiveness high enough that latency becomes imperceptible during normal use. Bluetooth connectivity handles device switching across up to five devices, though Asus hasn’t published the polling rate for that protocol. Six programmable buttons accommodate workflow shortcuts across different software platforms, from Adobe Creative Suite to CAD applications to video editing tools.

Tri-mode connectivity covers wired USB, 2.4 GHz RF wireless via an 18.9mm dongle, and Bluetooth for multi-device setups. Switching between a desktop workstation, laptop, and tablet without physically swapping cables or dongles streamlines workflows that increasingly span multiple devices. The wireless dongle’s compact size means it can stay plugged into a laptop port without protruding awkwardly or risking damage during transport. A 190cm USB-C cable handles both wired connectivity and charging, eliminating the separate power adapter that some wireless mice still require.

Asus claims up to 180 days on a full charge, though that number assumes moderate daily usage rather than continuous 12-hour workdays. Fast charging provides three hours of heavy use from one minute of USB-C charging, or eight hours of lighter work. This becomes relevant when deadlines approach and charging got forgotten overnight. Long-term battery degradation over multiple charge cycles will determine whether the MD301 maintains this endurance after a year of daily use, but lithium-ion technology has improved enough that most modern wireless mice retain acceptable battery performance longer than their mechanical components last.

Pricing hasn’t been announced, which introduces uncertainty about how Asus positions this against the MX Master 4’s roughly $100 price point. Undercutting Logitech by $20 or $30 while delivering comparable features makes the MD301 an obvious recommendation. Matching or exceeding that price requires build quality and long-term reliability that Asus hasn’t yet proven in this product category. Swappable switches provide theoretical cost savings over replacing entire mice, but only if the base unit costs less than buying a new competitor model every few years. Launch window sits somewhere before mid-2026, giving Asus months to finalize production and distribution without committing to specific dates or regional availability.

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ROG Just Built the Gaming Headset Audiophiles Always Wanted

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Gaming headsets tend to lean bass-heavy and closed-back, with flashy branding and mics that sound good enough for Discord but not much else. Planar-magnetic hi-fi headphones sound incredible but usually lack microphones and look out of place next to RGB keyboards. Players who care about both soundstage and winning often juggle two pairs or compromise, because the two worlds rarely meet in one product without awkward concessions.

That is where ROG Kithara comes in. It is ROG’s first open-back planar-magnetic gaming headset, developed with HIFIMAN. The collaboration brings 100mm planar drivers into a headset that still has a proper boom mic, in-line controls, and all the plugs you need for PCs, consoles, DACs, and laptops. It treats games like they deserve hi-fi instead of just tolerating them as background noise.

Designer: ROG (ASUS)

The planar drivers deliver an 8Hz to 55kHz frequency response with very low distortion, which translates into deep, controlled bass and crisp treble without smearing. The open-back design creates a wider, more natural soundstage, so footsteps, reloads, and distant movement sit in believable positions instead of clustering in your head. It helps both immersion and tactical awareness without needing surround processing that usually just muddies everything.

Playing a competitive shooter, you can distinguish a teammate reloading behind you from an enemy stepping on metal two floors up. The fast transient response keeps those cues sharp, and the open-back architecture stops explosions from masking subtle sounds entirely. You react faster because you are not guessing where anything came from. You are actually hearing it placed in space the way the sound designer intended it.

The on-cable MEMS boom microphone covers the full 20Hz to 20kHz range with a high signal-to-noise ratio, so your voice sounds more natural than typical narrow-band gaming mics. Separate signal paths for audio and mic on the dual 3.5mm cable keep game sound from bleeding into chat, which your squad will quietly appreciate even if they never ask what headset you switched to or notice until the crosstalk disappears.

The balanced cable with swappable 4.4mm, 3.5mm, and 6.3mm plugs lets you move from a desktop DAC to a laptop or console without changing headsets. The included USB-C to dual 3.5mm adapter covers modern laptops and handhelds. With 16-ohm impedance, Kithara is easy to drive without a rack of gear just to get it loud enough for late-night sessions.

Of course, the metal frame, eight-level headband adjustment, and two sets of ear pads, leatherette with mesh for focused sound and velour for a softer feel, mean you can tune comfort and tonality. The open-back design leaks sound and is best in quiet rooms, but for players who want one headset that handles ranked matches, long story games, and critical music listening, Kithara feels like a rare crossover that actually respects both sides.

The post ROG Just Built the Gaming Headset Audiophiles Always Wanted first appeared on Yanko Design.

The best laptops you can buy in 2026, tested and reviewed

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Choosing the best laptop can be a bit of a challenge, especially when “good enough” now covers everything from entry-level Chromebooks for college students to premium machines built for serious multitasking and heavier creative work. Specs can blur together fast, but a few basics still matter, like processing power, battery life and whether you’re getting enough storage for the long haul. For many people, that means looking for something that lands in the sweet spot with modern ports, a solid display and at least a 512GB SSD so you’re not juggling external drives a month after you bring your new laptop home.

Out of all of the notebooks we've tested and reviewed recently, we consider Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air M4 to be the best laptop for most people, and this is still the case for our top picks to start off the new year. It's powerful enough to handle most tasks (even light video editing); it has a great screen and built-in speakers; and its battery could last over 18hours (depending on what you're doing, of course). The MacBook Air M4 is also one of the lightest and thinnest systems we've reviewed, and it's dead silent, thanks to a fanless design.

Of course, not everyone wants a MacBook, and there are excellent Windows laptops and Chromebooks out there, too. Windows systems offer a range of configurations, from budget to high-end UHD screens with stunning IPS panels that boast high nits for vivid brightness. Chromebooks, on the other hand, tend to be more affordable and are great for users who mostly work online. Whether you need a powerhouse for creative work, a compact system for note-taking, or a laptop that can handle family movie night, there’s something for everyone in today’s laptop market.

Depending on the type of laptop you’re looking to buy, there are some specs we think you should look for to get a machine that’s powerful enough for your needs and future-proof for the next couple of years (at least). Here's a cheat sheet for you to use when you're shopping.

  • At least M2 processor

  • At least 16GB of RAM

  • At least 256GB of SSD storage

  • The most recent generation processor available from Intel or AMD

  • At least 16GB of RAM

  • At least 256GB of SSD storage (512GB SSD is a safer baseline if you plan to keep lots of files locally)

  • Intel Core i processor

  • At least 8GB of RAM (4GB is the bare minimum for a basic Chromebook)

  • At least 128GB of storage, preferably a SSD

  • At least AMD Ryzen 9000 series or Intel 14th Gen Core CPU

  • At least 16GB of RAM (ideally 32GB if you can swing it)

  • At least 1TB of SSD storage

  • For GPU recommendations, check out our guide to buying the best GPU for your needs

  • The most recent generation processor available from Intel or AMD

  • At least 8GB of RAM

  • At least 256GB of SSD storage (consider a 512GB SSD if you can swing it)

Engadget has been reviewing laptops for two decades, and while the definition of what a portable PC is has changed considerably since, our obsession with testing their limits and serving up informative buying advice remains the same. Be it a hybrid tablet like Microsoft's Surface machines, a rotating 2-in-1 convertible like HP's Spectre x360s or a plain old clamshell notebook, our review process follows similar beats. How does it look and feel? How fast is it? Whether it’s a Windows device powered by an Intel Core i5 or higher, a MacBook or a Chromebook, we aim to answer the most important question: Is it actually worth your hard-earned cash? We also pay close attention to portability, webcam quality and display features, including IPS panels and nits of brightness, as they can make a big difference in daily use.

There's a good chance you've already committed to an operating system, but my advice is to be as flexible as possible. These days, most major software is compatible with both Macs and PCs. (Of course, it's another story if you've become dependent on an Apple-only app like Final Cut Pro.) Web-based apps, naturally, will work on any platform with an internet browser.

If you're an Apple-loyalist, there aren't many reasons to consider Windows laptops (unless you want a secondary gaming machine). But for Windows users, macOS is becoming more tempting every year. Apple's MacBooks, powered by its M-series Silicon chips, are among the fastest and most efficient laptops we've ever seen. They're incredibly well-built and have outstanding battery life to boot. MacOS itself is also an easy platform to learn, especially if you're used to iOS and iPadOS.

That brings up another point: iPhone users may want to consider Macs because of the seamless integration with Apple's other platforms. You can't respond to iMessage conversations easily or hop into FaceTime chats on Windows PCs, but doing so is simple on Macs. (Microsoft's Phone Link app lets you send iOS users individual texts, but not media or group chats.) Android users, meanwhile, may be better off with Windows, as Phone Link can make calls, synchronize all your texts and also access your phone's photos.

If cloud gaming is your priority, Windows laptops with NVIDIA’s GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming compatibility may offer more flexibility and decent performance, especially when paired with fast internet speeds. Chromebooks also make a compelling case here as an affordable, lightweight solution for casual cloud gaming sessions.

As for whether you’ll want a PC with a dedicated Copilot AI button on the keyboard, that depends on how often you see yourself using Microsoft’s generative tools. Given we’re only just seeing the first slate of AI PCs, it would be wiser to wait out the hype and see what improvements might come over time.

And what about ChromeOS? Chromebooks are a smart and (typically) inexpensive way to do things like web browsing and hopping on a few video chats, but for most, they're not the best choice as a primary computer. There aren't many apps or games that work offline, and they also don't work with powerful software suites like Adobe's (you can use the stripped-down Adobe Express and Photoshop online tools, though).

Chromebooks are great secondary machines to use alongside a more powerful Mac or PC, and they're popular in schools because they're cheap and easy for IT workers to manage. And if all you need is web browsing access, or a notebook for a kid, a Chromebook might be enough.

If, for some reason, you’re looking for a powerful ChromeOS system, there are also Chromebook Plus models to consider. These machines sport faster processors and more RAM than typical Google notebooks, and they can also tap into a few of the company’s online AI features, like AI image generation and photo processing.

You can expect to spend between $1,000 and $1,800 for a new laptop these days, depending on the configuration. If you're looking for more of a workhorse, that could cost you well over $2,000 for additional RAM, storage, as well as a beefier graphics card and CPU. But you can also find some good laptops under $1,000 if you're willing to overlook build quality (or buy a refurbished or previous generation machine, which we highly recommend). For entry-level systems, you’ll often have to decide whether you’d rather prioritize processing power or storage, especially if 512GB SSD upgrades bump the price. Systems with AMD chips tend to come in cheaper than their Intel counterparts, but the bulk of their cost will come down to other components like RAM and storage.

I’ve included our favorite affordable model in this best laptop buying guide, but we have a list of the best budget laptops that you can check out as well.

So how portable do you want your laptop to be? That's the ultimate question you need to ask when choosing between various screen sizes. 13-inch machines have become a solid starting point for most shoppers — it's enough real estate for the majority of tasks like emailing and writing, and it also helps keep machines relatively light (typically between two to three pounds). Thanks to manufacturing advancements, these dainty machines sometimes even come with larger screens (the smaller MacBook Air actually has a 13.6-inch display).

If you have trouble seeing fine text, we’d recommend going for a display larger than 13 inches. ASUS’s Zephyrus G14 is a solid 14-inch option for gamers, and we’re also seeing more productivity-focused machines aim for that size, like the Dell 14 Premium and MacBook Pro. While 14-inch notebooks are a bit heavier than 13-inch models, coming in between three to four pounds, their screens are noticeably roomier.

For artists, or anyone else who needs a large canvas, a 15-inch laptop may make the most sense. They typically weigh between 3.5 and 4.5 pounds, but that extra heft may be worth it to fit wider video editing timelines or Photoshop windows. And, as you'd expect, you'll also pay a bit more for a 15-inch notebook compared to smaller ones (the 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,199, while the smaller model goes for $999). PC makers are also replacing 15-inch systems with 16-inch versions, which will give you even more space to work.

If you're in the market for a business laptop, size and portability might be key considerations. A lightweight yet powerful system with a long battery life can make a world of difference if you travel frequently for work.

You can still find laptops with 17-inch or 18-inch screens, but those are typically gaming systems or souped-up workstations. They're not meant for mere computing mortals.

These days, most laptops ship with a few USB-C ports, which can handle both charging and speedy data transfers. Apple's MacBooks also include a separate connection for MagSafe power, and you'll find custom power connections on some PCs like Microsoft's Surface. Older USB Type-A connections are less common now, but they still pop up in systems like HP's Spectre x360 14, as well as many models from ASUS.

For gamers or creators who rely on discrete graphics, ensuring your laptop has the right ports for external monitors or GPUs is crucial. DisplayPort or HDMI connections can also ensure you’re ready for dual- or multi-screen setups for more immersive experiences. Similarly, if you want to save high-resolution files or install multiple games, you might need to consider additional hard drive space; external hard drives are pretty affordable, as long as you have a proper port to connect them.

If you're a fan of wired headphones, it's worth keeping a close eye on headphone jack availability. They usually include a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter, but that's a clunky solution, and it also takes up a USB port. Sure, most people use wireless earbuds and cans today, but it's still helpful to have a wired one around for when those devices run out of juice.

Most laptops today offer Wi-Fi 6 or 6E and Bluetooth 5.0 or later, which should mean faster and more stable connections if you have compatible routers and devices. While Wi-Fi 7 routers have started appearing, that spec hasn't made its way into laptops yet. As for cellular coverage, there are notebooks like the Surface Pro 9 and Samsung Galaxy Book models that offer integrated 5G. But from our testing, that feature may not be worth the cost of a separate data plan. Instead, you could tether to your smartphone or invest in a wireless hotspot that can keep multiple devices online.

A laptop's battery life depends on several factors: The power draw from the screen and other hardware, the optimizations used to avoid unnecessary power drain, and, of course, the size of the actual battery. One of our previous favorite systems, the Dell XPS 13, lasted 13 hours and 15 minutes in the PCMark 10 battery benchmark. In real-world testing, I was able to use it for a day and a half without needing a recharge. The MacBook Air 13-inch, meanwhile, more than 18 hours in our benchmark and kept running for more than two work days of my typical workflow. In general, you should expect a modern laptop to last at least eight hours.

If battery life is your absolute priority, I'd strongly suggest looking at Macs over Windows PCs. Apple's M-series chips are essentially mobile hardware, with all of the power efficiency you'd expect from something originally designed for phones. Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon chips could help Windows PCs compete with Apple’s astonishing battery life, but we’ve yet to see those in action. Chromebooks also typically get decent battery life (as long as you don’t overstuff them with power-draining tabs).

A laptop's refresh rate refers to the amount of times its screen is cycled every second. Modern displays like IPS LCDs and OLEDs support 60Hz refresh rates at a minimum, but we're seeing more devices offering 120Hz, 240Hz and beyond. The higher the number, the faster the screen is refreshed, which ultimately leads to a smoother experience while mousing around or scrolling through web pages. (If you want to get a sense of what a slow refresh rate looks like, just grab an e-reader like the Kindle and try to flip between book pages.)

While high refresh rates used to be reserved for gaming laptops, nowadays we're seeing more mainstream machines like the Dell 14 Premium offer 120Hz (or variable rates that move between 60Hz and 120Hz).

If you’re buying a new laptop, you’ll want to make sure it’s powered by the latest CPUs so you’re not short on processing power a year from now. For Windows PCs, that includes Intel’s Core Ultra chips for thin-and-light machines or the 14th-gen HX chips for beefier systems. The Core Ultra series have NPUs for handling AI tasks, while the HX hardware does not – they’re based on Intel’s previous chip architecture, and they’re more focused on delivering raw horsepower. Intel's older 13th-gen and 12th-gen laptop chips also don't have NPUs, so keep that in mind if you're looking at used systems.

You'll also see AMD's Ryzen 8000 and 9000 chips in plenty of new systems like the ASUS Zephyrus G14 and Razer Blade 14. Those CPUs mainly target gaming laptops and high performance systems, while you'll still find AMD’s older Ryzen 7000 chips in ultraportables. AMD's main advantage is that its chips also include Radeon graphics, which are far more capable than Intel's Arc hardware (though those are getting better).

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus are also an option in Copilot+ PCs (more on those below). Since they’re based on mobile chip designs, they’re likely also more power efficient than AMD and Intel’s hardware. In the past, we’ve avoided recommending Snapdragon chips because they led to a slow and frustrating Windows experience. But Microsoft claims it’s rebuilt Windows 11 around Snapdragon’s Arm-based architecture, which should lead to far faster performance and better app compatibility.

As for Apple's laptops, you'll be choosing between the M4 Pro, M4 Max and M5, each of which is progressively more powerful.

On the graphics side of things, a GPU, or graphics processing unit, is the component that communicates directly with a laptop's display. Laptop CPUs all have some form of integrated GPU: Intel has either its standard graphics or beefier Arc hardware, while AMD's chips include fast Radeon mobile graphics. If you want to play demanding games at high speeds (measured in frames per second, or fps), or if you need some extra power for rendering video or 3D models, you can configure a laptop with a dedicated GPU like NVIDIA's RTX 40-series hardware or AMD's Radeon RX 7000. Just be sure to leave room in your budget if you want a powerful GPU, as they typically add $300 or more to the cost of a laptop.

Apple's M-series chips, meanwhile, have GPU cores that can perform as well as NVIDIA’s and AMD's lower-end dedicated GPUs. That's quite the accomplishment for systems like this (especially the MacBook Air and 14-inch MacBook Pro), and it's another reason we highly recommend Apple's notebooks.

Simply put, an AI PC is a computer equipped with a neural processing unit (NPU), which is designed to handle AI-related tasks. Much like how GPUs tackle heavy-duty gaming and rendering workloads, NPUs are designed to handle the complex math necessary for AI workloads. They’re also far more power efficient than CPUs or GPUs, which could lead to better battery performance in laptops. While many factors go into NPU performance, for the most part we measure their potential speed by TOPS (tera operations per second).

We were primed for AI PCs based on the chips Intel and AMD announced in 2023. Intel unveiled its "Core Ultra" CPUs in December, its first to include an NPU for AI work. AMD also announced its Ryzen 8040 AI mobile chips that month (and it couldn't help but say they were faster than Intel's new hardware). But in May, Microsoft announced its Copilot+ initiative, which is pushing major PC makers to deliver premium AI PCs with specifications including 16GB of RAM, 256GB SSDs and NPUs with at least 40 TOPS of AI performance.

Copilot+ is more than just a marketing term: Microsoft is also launching AI-powered features in Windows 11 that take advantage of powerful NPUs. That includes Recall, which can help you locate anything you’ve done on your PC (whenever it finally launches), as well as Cocreator in Paint, which can generate AI images based on text prompts and doodles.

If you buy an AI PC that isn’t Copilot+ certified, you’ll still be able to use some features like Windows Studio Effects, which can blur your background in video calls or keep you in frame. Developers like Adobe and Audacity are also building features into their apps that can take advantage of NPUs.

At the time of this post, Chromebook Plus notebooks can also access a few of Google’s online AI features, like image generation and photo processing.

The ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition is a great spiritual successor to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, offering the best that business laptops have to offer. That includes long battery life packed into a thin and light chassis. This is an optimal ultraportable business laptop.

While the price might give you some pause, we tested the lowest configuration, and found that the X9-14’s performance is excellent for casual business users. The only issue with quality is that the keyboard is lacking. It’s mushier than we’d like, which could get a bit tiresome throughout the day. You’ll still miss out on a USB Type-A port, so you may need to carry a Type-C hub with you.

Where the ThinkPad X9-14 will win you over is its bold OLED screen. Combo that with its well-rounded audio, and the ThinkPad X9-14 makes for an excellent multimedia device in and out of the workplace.

Aside from its lovely OLED screen, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED doesn't stand out from the crowded laptop field in any way. It just looks dull and boring, especially compared to the strikingly beautiful ASUS Zephyrus G14, which also came out this year. While you can probably find the Zenbook 14 for a decent price, I'd recommend holding out for something with a bit more personality (and with a less wobbly screen hinge).

The Razer Blade has almost everything you'd want in a 14-inch gaming notebook, but it's far pricier than the Zephyrus G14 on this list, and it doesn’t even have an SD card reader. It would be a solid competitor once its price falls a bit, and it's certainly a great option if you just have to have a jet-black laptop.

Framework gave its modularity magic to the Laptop 16, delivering a gaming notebook where almost every single component is user replaceable. But you'll have to pay a pretty penny to snag it with upgraded hardware, and its optional Radeon 7700S GPU was surprisingly slow.

The Alienware m16 r2 has been revamped with a slimmer case, but it’s otherwise a fairly typical gaming laptop. It’s a solid option for Alienware fans, but you’ll find better hardware and deals elsewhere.

The Zenbook Duo is a fascinating dual-screened notebook, and according to my colleague Sam Rutherford it’s the first of its kind that’s worth buying. But its unique hardware isn’t really meant for mainstream consumers, and Windows 11 still doesn’t support multi-screen setups well enough to make full use of the Zenbook Duo’s ample canvas.

Dell’s XPS 16 is big and beautiful, but it’s far too expensive compared to the competition. Plus, it uses a capacitive row of function keys that you basically can’t see under bright light and has too few ports for a machine of this size.

See Also:

It’s hard to come up with an average battery life for laptops, since that will ultimately depend on what you’re doing with them. An ultraportable like the MacBook Air that sips power can last around 20 hours in our battery benchmark, and around two full work days of real-world usage. But a gaming laptop may last only a few hours if you’re actively playing something while on battery. At this point, Macs are delivering far better battery life than PCs, thanks to Apple’s Silicon chips, but Microsoft claims Copilot+ systems with Qualcomm chips will also get over 20 hours of batter life.

The more RAM you have, the more things your computer can do simultaneously. For that reason, we recommend buying PCs and Macs with at least 16GB of RAM. That gives you enough memory to have several applications open at once, as well as web browsers filled with RAM-hogging tabs. Many PC games also require at least 16GB of RAM. While you could use a system with 8GB of RAM for basic tasks, you’ll quickly run into slowdowns and error messages as your apps stack up. Many laptops, especially ultraportables, don’t let you upgrade RAM, too – so you’ll have to buy an entirely new computer if you didn’t equip enough memory at the start.

If you’re a hardcore gamer, programmer or planning to render videos or 3D models, then you may want to go for 32GB of RAM or more. And if you just need a secondary laptop for lighter work – perhaps a no-frills system for writing – then you can probably get by with 8GB. Just be sure to keep those browser tabs in check.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to laptop storage. You’ll typically find configurations between 256GB and 1TB SSDs (solid state drives) on most laptops, and I’d recommend most people get at least 512GB. That’ll be enough space for large apps, music and video files without stressing your system too much. If you’re a media hoarder, or want to play a ton of games, then it’s definitely worth getting a 1TB SSD.

If you’ll mainly be streaming your shows and music, and would rather invest in RAM or other hardware, then 256GB of storage would be serviceable. I’d recommend staying away from any machine with 128GB of storage though. Most of that will be taken up by the operating system, and you’ll likely run into issues cramming in large apps after a few months.

We recommend springing for extra built-in storage or investing in a portable SSD for backing up your most important files. It's also worth noting that Chromebooks tend to come with less built-in storage — 32GB, 64GB or 128GB — since ChromeOS encourages users to save their files in the cloud rather than on the device. In that case, 128GB is plenty.

You can expect to spend between $1,000 and $1,800 for a typical 13-inch laptop today. As I explained above, you'll pay more if you want to stuff in more RAM or better GPU hardware. But you can also find deals below $1,000 if you look for refurbished or older-generation models.

Simply put, macOS is the operating system in all of Apple's notebooks and desktops, while Windows powers the vast majority of PCs. You'll also find Chromebooks running Google's ChromeOS, but those are basically just web browsers running on top of Linux.

Debating the differences between Windows and Macs is something PC nerds have been doing since the '80s, so we won't be declaring a winner here. There are some small, negligible distinctions, like using a Command versus a Control key, how file explorers work and concerns about viruses and security. For the most part, those are minor issues or have become moot thanks to better built-in security.

But if you care more about playing the newest games, you'll want to have a Windows system. If you're more focused on creative apps, like Photoshop, Premiere and Final Cut Pro, then macOS may be a better fit (especially if you're running an iPhone).

There is no single "best" laptop brand, but judging from this guide alone, we're generally impressed by notebooks from Apple, Dell and ASUS. They all offer fast, reliable and sturdy machines. HP also makes some eye-catching devices if you want an option that’s the most aesthetic. Those four brands, along with Lenovo and Acer, dominate laptop sales worldwide. We'd avoid systems from any retail store brands, or companies that don't have a major presence in the US.

October 2025: Updated to add the latest MacBook Pro.

September 2025: Added a new "specs to look for" section.

August 2025: Updated our top picks to include the Dell 14 Premium.

May 2025: Updated to ensure top picks and details are still accurate.

March 2025: Updated to include the M4-powered MacBook Air.

November 2024: Updated to include the M4-powered MacBook Pros.

August 2024: Updated to include the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-laptops-120008636.html?src=rss

2026 ROG Zephyrus Duo, ASUS Zenbook DUO: Versatility You Can Use Today

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We have seen quite a number of laptops bearing mind-blowing flexible screens that fold or roll, and while they do help push the envelope of laptop design, they might be the future, but it is definitely not yet here. Foldables still scratch easily and are expensive, rollables are at a concept stage, and both rely on technology that is impressive in a demo booth but nerve-wracking when you actually need to get work done and cannot afford downtime or repair bills.

At CES 2026, ASUS and its gaming brand Republic of Gamers are offering two designs for people who need to get stuff done here and now. Although less spectacular than a screen that folds like paper, the ROG Zephyrus Duo 2026 (GX561) and the ASUS Zenbook DUO 2026 (UX8407) promise a more versatile and more reliable experience, using two rigid OLED panels, conventional hinges, and software layouts that treat dual screens as a workflow multiplier instead of a party trick.

Designer: ASUS

Dual Screens, Multiple Possibilities

With a foldable laptop, you get a large screen that folds down to the size of a normal laptop, or a laptop-sized screen that folds down to half its size. A rollable laptop, on the other hand, starts with a normal size and then expands for more real estate. They both try to offer more screen space with a manageable footprint, but it is still a single panel with a limited set of poses. You can fold it like a book or lay it flat, but you cannot flip one half around into a true tent or dual-monitor arrangement, and the panel itself stays soft and fragile under your fingertips.

The dual-screen design sported by the new Zephyrus Duo and Zenbook DUO uses two independent but connected screens, practically dual monitors connected by a hinge. They are conventional, rigid OLED panels, so none of the soft, scratch-prone flexible displays of foldables. It feels almost like a normal laptop, just one that has a second monitor permanently attached, hinged, and ready to be stood up, laid flat, or folded back into tent mode for sharing across a table.

More importantly, however, this design offers more versatility in terms of how you actually use the machine throughout the day. You can use only a single screen in laptop mode if space is a constraint or if you want to stay focused. You can flip the whole thing into tent mode to share your screen with someone sitting across from you. You can detach the keyboard entirely and stand both panels up as a tiny dual-screen desk, with the keyboard floating wherever your hands are most comfortable. ASUS brings this design to two different kinds of laptops, really just two sides of the same coin, offering the same core idea with the flexibility you can use today.

ROG Zephyrus Duo 2026 (GX561): Not Just a Gaming Laptop

This is not the first Zephyrus Duo, but the first one launched nearly six years ago was more of a one-and-a-half-screen laptop. There was a smaller touchscreen right above the keyboard that offered some space for tool palettes and chat windows, but it was still very much a secondary strip. This 2026 redesign, in contrast, is a bold new direction, going full dual-screen with two large OLED panels and a detachable keyboard like no other gaming laptop has dared to go.

It is a true gaming laptop, of course, and the specs show its pedigree. An Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, paired with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU pushing up to 135W TGP, backed by up to 64GB of LPDDR5X memory and up to 2TB of PCIe Gen5 SSD storage with easy swap access. The 90Wh battery supports fast charging, hitting 50% in 30 minutes.

The main display is ROG Nebula HDR, a 3K OLED panel running at 120Hz with 0.2 ms response time, HDR 1100 nits peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3 coverage, and ΔE below 1 color accuracy, protected by Corning Glass DXC. All of that is cooled by ROG’s Intelligent Cooling system, with liquid metal on the CPU, a vapor chamber, graphite sheets, and 0 dB Ambient Cooling mode for silent operation when you are not rendering or fragging.

At 6.28 lb and just 0.77 inches thin, it is heavy enough to remind you there is serious silicon inside, but still portable enough to live in a backpack. The machine includes Wi-Fi 7, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, and an SD card slot, plus a six-speaker system with two tweeters and four woofers running Dolby Atmos, so you can actually enjoy game audio without always reaching for headphones.

Where the ROG Zephyrus Duo 2026 really shines is in versatility. Because a laptop that can run AAA games can practically do anything as well, including content creation, programming, video editing, and 3D work. Designers and creatives will definitely love the freedom such a design offers, paired with powerful hardware that does not compromise just to fit two screens. You can keep After Effects timelines on one panel while the preview lives on the other, or split code and output, or run a game on the main screen with Discord and guides on the second, all without alt-tabbing or shrinking windows.

ASUS Zenbook DUO 2026 (UX8407): Dual-Screen Goes Lux

The ASUS Zenbook DUO 2026 shaves off some of the gaming hardware to offer a dual-screen laptop that is slimmer, lighter, and a little more stylish. It is no slouch, though, and carries plenty of muscle to handle any productivity task you might throw at it. That also includes content creation, with a bit of light gaming on the side when you want to unwind between meetings or deadlines and do not need RTX power for every session.

The Zenbook DUO 2026 runs a next-gen Intel Core Ultra processor with up to 50 TOPS NPU for AI workloads, paired with Intel Arc integrated graphics, up to 32GB of memory, and up to 2TB of SSD storage. It supports up to 45W TDP with a dual-fan thermal solution, keeping the machine stable during sustained loads without the heavy cooling overhead of a discrete GPU, which helps keep the chassis thin and light.

The main display is an ASUS Lumina Pro OLED with 1000 nits peak brightness, and both screens are treated with the same level of care, making them equally usable for productivity, media, and light creative work. What differentiates this next-gen dual-screen from its predecessor is the new hinge design that puts the screens closer together. With thinner bezels, they now sit just 8.28mm apart, a 70% reduction, and they almost look like a single continuous piece.

ASUS has adopted its Ceraluminum material for the Zenbook DUO 2026’s laptop lid, bottom case, and kickstand, making it not only look and feel more luxurious but also be a bit more resilient to accidents and daily wear. The Zenbook DUO weighs just 1.65kg and has a 5% smaller footprint than previous generations, which makes it easier to carry and fit on smaller desks or café tables.

It is packed with ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 connections, HDMI 2.1, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, and an audio jack, plus six speakers with two front-firing tweeters and four woofers for surprisingly rich audio from a thin chassis. The keyboard connects via magnetic pogo pins or Bluetooth, and the machine supports ASUS Pen 3.0, turning both screens into writable surfaces for notes, sketches, or annotations during video calls or brainstorming sessions.

Like the Zephyrus Duo, the Zenbook DUO 2026 can be used in multiple orientations. Laptop mode with the keyboard on top of the lower screen for traditional clamshell use. Desktop mode with both screens stacked or side-by-side, the detachable keyboard placed separately, and the built-in kickstand propping the whole thing up like a tiny dual-monitor workstation. Tent mode for presentations or sharing content across a table without needing an external display or awkward screen mirroring. The flexibility is the point, and it works without asking you to trust a flexible panel not to crease or scratch under normal use.

Trade-offs and Potential

Dual-screen laptops are not perfect, of course. You need to keep track of a separate keyboard you hope you will not lose, though that is also the case for some foldable laptops anyway, and the detachable keyboard is also what lets both the Zephyrus Duo and Zenbook DUO behave like tiny dual-monitor desks in tent or desktop modes. These machines are easily heavier than single-screen laptops with equivalent specs, and they will likely be priced firmly in premium territory, though still far below the stratospheric costs of early foldables.

There is also that unavoidable divider between the two screens, though ASUS has gotten it down to 8.28 mm on the Zenbook DUO, and at that point it starts to feel more like a subtle pause than a major interruption. The hinge is still visible, the gap is still there, but it is less about accepting compromise and more about acknowledging that two rigid, high-quality OLED panels with a small gap are more practical than one fragile foldable panel with no gap at all.

Despite those limitations, these designs offer a kind of versatility that neither conventional laptops nor foldable laptops can match. You get to decide how to use the laptop, unrestricted by a single panel or a prescribed set of folds. You can boost your productivity with two screens for timelines and tools, or save space with just one when you are working in a tight spot. You can stand them up for presentations, lay them flat for collaborative work, or use them as a traditional clamshell when muscle memory takes over.

Maybe someday, we will have foldable laptops that can bend both ways, support multiple modes, and will not easily scratch with a fingernail or develop a permanent crease after a few months of daily folding. But if you want to be productive and create content today, the ROG Zephyrus Duo 2026 and ASUS Zenbook DUO 2026 could very well be among the most productive and most versatile laptops of 2026, delivering the dual-screen promise without the fragility, the expense, or the anxiety that comes with carrying a piece of still-experimental tech into the real world.

The post 2026 ROG Zephyrus Duo, ASUS Zenbook DUO: Versatility You Can Use Today first appeared on Yanko Design.

ASUS and GoPro Built a 128GB Laptop for Video Editors at CES 2026

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Laptops have quietly become the default creative tool for a lot of people, but the basic clamshell has not changed much in years. Copilot+ PCs, high-TOPS NPUs, and OLED panels are all becoming more common, and ASUS is using CES 2026 to ask what happens when you stop treating AI and displays as afterthoughts and start designing around them.

The updated Zenbook DUO and the ProArt GoPro Edition PX13 are the clear headliners, one stretching the laptop into a dual-screen studio, the other turning a 13-inch 2-in-1 into a mobile editing bay. Around them, the ProArt PZ14, Zenbook S16/S14, and Zenbook A16/A14 fill in different roles, from tablet-first creation to ultra-light Copilot+ travel machines, all tied together by Ceraluminum shells and Lumina OLED displays.

Designer: ASUS

ASUS Zenbook DUO (2026)

Zenbook DUO is the laptop for people who always end up plugging into a second monitor. Both panels are ASUS Lumina Pro OLED, with peak brightness around 1,000 nits, 16:10 aspect ratio, and high refresh, stacked in a way that lets a main workspace live on the top screen while timelines, chat, or reference material sit on the lower one. The new hinge design reduces the gap between screens to about 8.28 mm, making the dual-screen layout feel like a single continuous surface.

The laptop runs up to a next-gen Intel Core Ultra processor with an NPU around 50 TOPS, up to 32 GB of memory, and up to 2 TB of SSD storage, plus a dual-fan thermal solution to keep a 45 W CPU happy. A detachable keyboard connects via magnetic pogo pins or Bluetooth, so you can push it forward and treat the DUO like a tiny dual-monitor rig. Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, USB-A, and an audio jack mean you avoid living out of a dongle pouch, while six speakers with Dolby Atmos and ASUS Pen 3.0 support make it feel like a proper creator machine that just happens to fit in a 1.65 kg backpack.

ProArt GoPro Edition PX13

The ProArt GoPro Edition PX13 is the machine for people who think in clips and timelines. It runs up to an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, with up to 128 GB of LPDDR5X onboard RAM and up to 1 TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. That is a lot of headroom for 4K footage, AI-assisted editing, and background renders, and it is explicitly pitched as a “Create Anywhere” device rather than a generic 2-in-1 that dabbles in creative work.

The 13.3-inch 3K HDR Lumina OLED display, with 100 % DCI-P3 and Pantone validation, gives editors and colorists a trustworthy canvas on the go. Ports include two USB 4.0 Type-C, one USB 3.2 Type-A, HDMI 2.1, a MicroSD slot with UHS II, and an audio jack, which means you can go dongle-free with cameras and drives. ASUS DialPad, StoryCube as an AI media hub, and a dedicated GoPro hotkey make it clear this is meant to sit in the middle of a creator’s workflow, bundled with 12 months of GoPro Premium+, six months of CapCut, and three months of Adobe Creative Cloud.

ProArt PZ14

ProArt PZ14 is the tablet-first counterpart, running on Snapdragon X2 Elite with 18 cores and up to 80 TOPS of NPU performance, paired with up to 32 GB of LPDDR5X and 1 TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. The 14-inch 3K 144 Hz Lumina Pro OLED display, with 100 % DCI-P3 and up to 1,000 nits, makes it a serious panel for drawing, grading, or reviewing work.

The 9 mm thickness, 0.79 kg weight, and IP52 water and dust resistance make it plausible to take the PZ14 out of the studio and onto a shoot. A Bluetooth keyboard, cover stand, ProArt mouse, and ASUS Pen 3.0 complete the kit, while dual super-linear speakers with Dolby Atmos, an 8 MP IR camera, and a 13 MP 4K rear camera round out the hardware. ProArt Creator Hub, StoryCube with GoPro integration, and MuseTree’s AI-assisted tools make it feel like a portable sketchbook and media station that can survive the field.

ASUS Zenbook S16 and S14

ASUS Zenbook S14

Zenbook S16 and S14 are the premium ultrabooks that bring Ceraluminum into everyday machines. The S14 runs next-gen Intel Core Ultra processors with up to 50 TOPS of NPU performance, while the S16 uses next-gen AMD Ryzen AI chips with similar NPU numbers. Both sit around 1.1 cm thick, with the S14 at about 1.2 kg and the S16 around 1.5 kg, making them thin enough to disappear into a bag.

ASUS Zenbook S16

Display options include 14-inch and 16-inch 3K OLED touch panels at 120 Hz, with peak brightness up to 1,100 nits and full DCI-P3 coverage. Four-speaker audio on the S14 and six-speaker audio on the S16, both with Dolby Atmos, plus Quiet Ambient Cooling and geometric grille vents, make them feel more like design objects than generic ultrabooks. Privacy features like Windows Passkey, Microsoft Pluton, and IR webcams, along with Copilot+ PC status, round out machines aimed at people who want a bit of flair with their AI.

ASUS Zenbook A16 and A14

ASUS Zenbook A14

Zenbook A16 and A14 are the ultra-light Copilot+ PCs that lean hardest into battery life. The A14 weighs under 1 kg, while the A16 comes in around 1.2 kg, both using Ceraluminum for the lid, keyboard frame, and bottom case. Both pack 70 Wh batteries, with ASUS claiming multi-day life and more than 28 hours of video playback on the A14, which matters when you are away from outlets for long stretches.

ASUS Zenbook A16

The A16 steps up to a 16-inch 3K 120 Hz OLED with peak brightness around 1,100 nits, powered by Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme running up to 5.0 GHz with a 192-bit bus and 228 GB/s of bandwidth. Lightweight dual-fan thermals, high-fidelity six-speaker audio, smudge-free keycaps, and Smart Gesture touchpads make both A-series machines feel like travel companions that just happen to be Copilot+ PCs with up to 80 TOPS of NPU performance, built for people who count grams and hours equally.

ASUS at CES 2026: AI Specs That Justify New Shapes

Zenbook DUO and ProArt PX13 GoPro Edition are the clear statements, one turning dual OLEDs into a portable studio, the other turning Ryzen AI and 128 GB of RAM into a mobile editing bay. Around them, ProArt PZ14, Zenbook S16/S14, and Zenbook A16/A14 show how Ceraluminum, Lumina OLED, and high-TOPS NPUs can be tuned for different days and different bags. For Yanko Design readers, the interesting part of ASUS’s CES 2026 story is not just the raw numbers, but how those numbers are being used to justify new shapes and new ways of working that feel like a genuine break from the last decade of laptop design, where every machine looked roughly the same, and only the stickers changed.

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