Dual-screen laptops sparked a lot of excitement a couple of years ago, with innovative models from companies like Asus and Lenovo. But after the initial surge of interest, these devices largely faded into the background. However, it looks like Asus is planning a major comeback with its next-generation dual-screen laptop, as suggested by a recent retailer leak.
The Asus UX8406CA, which appeared on the UAE-based store Gear-up.me, seems to be a revamped version of the Zenbook Duo. The design will reportedly feature two 14-inch OLED touchscreens, placed in the familiar dual-screen arrangement that the Zenbook Duo pioneered. You’ll be able to use the laptop in traditional mode with a touchscreen keyboard or position it with an integrated kickstand to stack the screens either vertically or horizontally. As expected, additional accessories like the wireless keyboard, trackpad, and stylus will be sold separately.
The standout feature of this laptop is its processor: the Intel Core Ultra 9 U9-285H. This chip, part of Intel’s Arrow Lake-H series, has yet to be officially released, although Intel plans to debut its 200H family of processors in early 2025. According to the leak, the processor is listed with 24 cores, but it’s unclear whether these are split between performance (P) and efficiency (E) cores. There’s also a chance the retailer incorrectly labeled the chip as U9-285H when it may actually be the U-285HX.
As for other specs, the laptop will feature 32GB of RAM, a magnesium alloy body, and a weight of approximately 3.6 pounds, which is similar to the Zenbook Duo. The laptop will also include an SSD and Intel Arc integrated graphics, but further details on these components are still scarce.
What really catches the eye, however, is the price: the leaked listing shows the device at 1,421.90 Bahraini Dinars, which is about $3,781 USD. This is over double the price of the current Zenbook Duo. However, international prices often differ significantly from US prices due to factors like import taxes and supply chain issues, so this listing should be taken with a grain of salt.
While the price may seem steep, if this is indeed the next iteration of the Zenbook Duo, the final price in the US market could be closer to $2,000 for a model with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Keep an eye out for an official reveal, which is likely to happen during CES in early January 2025.