Dual screen laptop proposes a unique design to solve the laptop monitor problem

Posted on 04/06/2024 by JC Torres

In exchange for portability and mobility, laptops give up some power and flexibility, especially when it comes to things you can connect to. Sure, you can still connect plenty of peripherals, but you’re limited not only by the amount of ports available but also by the space you have around your laptop. A dual monitor laptop, for example, is inconvenient and even impossible in some circumstances, so a few solutions have been designed to address that limitation, from portable monitors to laptops that are just two screens and nothing else. The latter has been billed as “dual laptops,” though their appearance and use are far from what most people expect from laptops. This “true dual screen laptop” wants to fix that problem with a design that is both intriguing but perhaps also questionable at the same time.

Designer: GPD

You can’t change a laptop’s screen after the fact, so you can only expand it with an external portable monitor that adds yet another thing to your bag. Dual-screen laptops like the ASUS ZenBook Duo and Lenovo Yoga Book 9i are actually more like two monitors with integrated computer hardware rather than like a laptop with two screens. One of the biggest problems is requiring the use of a Bluetooth keyboard in ways that are unfamiliar to most laptop users.

The GPD DUO’s solution is to combine all these parts into a single whole, delivering a completely traditional laptop experience when needed and a dual-screen or even tablet when wanted. It does this by actually having two folds, one with a traditional laptop hinge that can fold open up to 135 degrees, and another for the second monitor that can fully swing 360 degrees. This second screen is permanently attached to the top of the first, creating a vertically stacked dual-screen setup when unfolded. But unlike ASUS’s and Lenovo’s designs, the keyboard is still attached to the primary screen and functions as expected.

This rather unconventional design means that, if you don’t want or can’t use a tall dual-screen setup, you can simply fold back the second screen and use the GPD DUO as a regular laptop. That said, the second screen in that position could actually still be used to present content to people in front of the user, sort of like the “tent mode” of some 360-degree laptops. And when you close the laptop down in this configuration, you get a tablet that you can draw on.

While the design of the GPD DUO sounds reasonable, it does raise a few concerns, especially in terms of the weight and bulk of the laptop. Although GPD claims that the 13.3-inch laptop is only the size of an A4 paper when folded, it hasn’t yet revealed the thickness or weight of the device. The design also forces the dual screen orientation to only be vertical, and you have no other option on how to use or position the screens. It does seem that the GPD DUO trades one feature for another, so it remains to be seen how this design will resonate with laptop users.

The post Dual screen laptop proposes a unique design to solve the laptop monitor problem first appeared on Yanko Design.

Dual-screen laptop clone puts a tempting price tag on poor design

Posted on 11/12/2023 by JC Torres

Foldable smartphones are starting to become more mainstream, so it’s not that surprising that even laptops are slowly starting to follow suit. These computers with large foldable screens are admittedly a harder sell, but it’s not the only “foldable” design available for laptops. There was a point in time when it seemed more feasible, not to mention more practical, to have a dual-screen laptop than a single foldable screen. But while those do exist, they tend to carry a pretty hefty price tag for what can be considered new and experimental technologies. An affordable option like this dual-screen laptop that seemingly popped up out of nowhere would normally be a welcome arrival, except for the fact that it fails to deliver the benefits of having two screens instead of one.

Designer: SZBOX

A dual-screen foldable device isn’t exactly that new and smartphones with this design came out way before there were foldable phones. Those designs were a bit awkward, though, especially considering a phone or tablet is often considered to have a single, unified screen. A laptop with two screens, on the other hand, seems to be a bit more useful. You still have a whole screen if you need it but can span the content across two screens if you want to. It’s like having a second screen permanently attached to the laptop, except that that second screen can function as your keyboard or drawing canvas as well.

In theory, this design should be more practical and less expensive to make since there are no experimental or expensive components like flexible displays and specially designed hinges. In practice, however, they’re still just as expensive as foldable laptops because of production and market dynamics. The SZBOX DS135D dual-screen laptop from a lesser-known Chinese brand is trying to impress buyers with its $699 starting price. The only problem is that the specs, design, and configuration of this device will prove to be more trouble than it’s worth.

The Intel N100 processor is an underwhelming piece of silicon, even when paired with 16GB of RAM. Since it’s running Windows 11 on two, large 13.5-inch touch screens, it will have to take on more work than it should normally be capable of. And while you can use one of the screens as the virtual keyboard for the laptop, experience has proven time and again that people will only use that as a final resort. Most will prefer a Bluetooth keyboard in this situation, and that price tag doesn’t include one. Neither does it include the stylus it advertises to be such a helpful tool, leaving buyers trying to figure out which pens are compatible in the first place.

The design of this dual-screen laptop also differs from others in that it doesn’t seem to fold beyond 180 degrees. In other words, you can’t fold it backward and use it like a tablet, let alone in a tent mode for sharing content with others around you. The SZBOX DS135D functions pretty much like a laptop with a second screen permanently attached, and that is also how it’s advertised to be used. While it could still potentially do more than a regular laptop, its mediocre hardware might not be up to the task anyway. Making a product more affordable is definitely commendable, but not if it results in a crippled and unpleasant experience.

The post Dual-screen laptop clone puts a tempting price tag on poor design first appeared on Yanko Design.

Double Your Productivity with this Vertically Stacked Dual 4K Monitor that’s Foldable and has Touch Input

Posted on 05/11/2023 by Sarang Sheth

Now THIS is a foldable display that I can agree with! Meet the DUOONE, a portable external monitor system that has not one, but TWO displays to connect to your desktop or laptop setup. Designed to be foldable just like a laptop, the DUOONE opens up into a vertically oriented double 4K display setup that matches your eye level, increases your productivity, and does so without the neck strain of side-by-side displays that always have you looking from left to right. DUOONE’s double 17.3-inch displays feature an adjustable hinge between them that let you orient your displays at a variety of angles (you can even have one display facing away from you for a ‘presentation mode’), with display continuity so that you can move files and folders from one monitor to another, and lossless frame rates that make the entire process seamless. Both displays accept touch inputs, have a color gamut that represents 1.06 billion different shades, and boast of 500-nits peak brightness, making them perfect for gaming, graphic design, video editing, coding, presentations, multitasking, and anything else you’d need a powerful, portable double-display setup for…

Designer: Sunny Cheung

Click Here to Buy Now: $699 ~~$1093~~ (36% off). Hurry, only 13/20 left!

The Future of Multitasking

Dual-screens are great in theory, but are notoriously complicated in practice. Sure, they expand your laptop’s horizons, but multiple monitors can be a hassle physically, aren’t usually portable, can cost a lot, and offer a less-than-desirable experience when it comes to connectivity and smoothness. Designed to be the future of portable multitasking, DUOONE gives you a dual-screen setup with no compromises. The two screens go up to 4K each, giving you an 8K setup that merely tethers to your laptop. Depending on the configuration, you’ve got a 144Hz refresh rate, 500 nits of brightness, and 1.06 billion color representation, but perhaps the icing on the cake is DUOONE’s seamless connectivity. A hardware-based connection (that doesn’t rely on driver software) seamlessly bridges your laptop with DUOONE’s screens, giving you a setup that you can use in a whole variety of ways.

A World of Possibilities

The DUOONE’s outwardly simple design makes it such a versatile little peripheral. For starters, it comes with a laptop-esque foldable design that you can easily shut and carry with you wherever you go. Use it beside your laptop screen, above your laptop screen, or instead of your laptop screen, the DUOONE lets you extend, mirror, or serve entirely as your device’s primary display. It works with desktops too, becoming a potent two-screen solution for anyone who agrees that one 15″ screen isn’t enough to unleash your full potential. Heck, you can use each of DUOONE’s displays with separate machines, running two devices on each of its screens in one unified solution.

Thunderbolt-accelerated Smoothness

No matter how you use your DUOONE, its creators promise a buttery smooth experience as the device relies on a thunderbolt-based hardware connection to sync both displays perfectly and allow a smooth transition between elements on each screen. No USB drivers, and no buggy, latency-filled experience. The One-Screen mode, as DUOONE’s makers call it, assures no lag, lossless picture quality, and uninterrupted frame rates between both displays.

Seamless One-Screen Mode

The hardware-based plug-and-play feature makes the DUOONE incredibly easy to set up and even allows it to be modular, allowing you to set up as many as 6 or even more screens together (you’d be absolutely bonkers to do so, but it is, in fact, possible). The One-Screen mode gives you a continuous display that runs from top to bottom, although you’ve got the option to configure each individual display however you see fit. You can use both displays as external monitors with the same machine, or have each display running different machines.

Versatile Screen Modes & Book Mode

The foldable design lets you either close the DUOONE shut, or open it nearly 300° and have it standing like one of those convertible laptops – a feature that’s brilliant for when you’re presenting to a client, or playing mano-a-mano against a friend with each of you having your own display. Prop the DUOONE on its side and you can use it like a massive vertical book too, for reading, coding, or for setting up at an exhibition center or kiosk based on your business requirements. A simple USB-C or HDMI port is all you need to connect to your DUOONE, and it works straight out of the box with no extra firmware or drivers required.

Choose What Matters To You

Depending on your need (and your budget), the DUOONE offers two resolution options – dual 2.5K and dual 4K. The dual 2.5K variant sports two 16″ screens oriented vertically with a 144Hz refresh rate, while the dual 4K model bumps up your screen size to 17.3″ for each display, giving you a cool 8K@60Hz screen with a 28-inch diagonal as a whole. The smaller 16″ model has a brightness of 400 nits but gives you the benefit of 10-bit color depth that displays 1.06 billion colors, while the larger peaks at 500 nits but reproduces a commendable 16.7 million colors. Both displays are 100% sRGB and DCI-P3, with lossless picture quality, hardware-based pairing, and a VESA mount at the back for attaching to stands or walls. They do, however, cater to different audiences.

The smaller screen has a higher refresh rate and better color reproduction, making it more suited for graphic work, while the bigger screen does give you more resolution, making it a good pick for general multitasking and a fair bit of gaming. Additionally, the touchscreen feature is entirely optional, letting you opt out of it if you specifically want a dual-display setup that doesn’t respond to accidentally being tapped, wiped, or touched. The touch-input feature, however, vastly improves the DUOONE’s overall capabilities, helping designers, artists, presenters, etc. benefit from being able to interact with digital elements as if they have their own foldable tablet PC with not one, but two crystal clear displays!

The DUOONE starts at $699 for the 16” 2.5K@144Hz variant, going to $767 if you want the touchscreen ability. The 17.3” 4K@60Hz version starts at $1350, giving you an unparalleled 8K dual-display setup for half the price while still being portable… and touch-sensitive! Pledge for the DUOONE using the link below and you’ll also get a free wireless mouse and keyboard with your portable monitor.