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Asus ZenScreen Duo OLED MQ149CD
Pros
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Great design
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OLED displays are good looking
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It can be run from a single cable
cons
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The price
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Many settings require additional power
Asus has stepped up to the plate with the dual-screen portable monitor Asus ZenScreen Duo OLED MQ149CD It is a strong blow. By combining two beautiful displays in a surprisingly compact and lightweight design, the Duo has a lot to offer. And at $599, it should. Although the build quality is a step above the competition, it may be overkill if you’re after something for productivity.
Beautiful and flexible design
The ZenScreen Duo OLED MQ149CD is one of the best-designed portable monitors I’ve tested. It has the fit and look of a decent metal two-in-one laptop, and not a particularly heavy one at that. It weighs just 2.3 pounds, which gives it an edge over many other dual monitors I’ve tested. In comparison, the Acer PD163Q It weighs 3.1 pounds and MDSA156 mini forum It is 3.26 pounds.
The flexible design gives you two displays to use any way you want.
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Flexibility is at the forefront of design. Not only does the hinge allow the screens to rotate around 360 degrees, but the kickstand allows for a variety of angles for the lower screen. A tripod stand on the back allows you to raise the monitors, or you can prop the two monitors side-by-side instead.
The on-screen display allows you to quickly switch between different screen settings. You can treat each display as an independent display in Extended mode (2 displays, 1 connection) or Standalone mode (2 displays, 2 connections). You can operate it as one larger screen in split mode (albeit with a gap in the middle) or have one or both displays duplicate your laptop’s screen in mirror mode.
Treat each screen as an independent screen or expand them into one long screen.
Vivid images and strong OLED contrast
Both displays are great. They’re two equal 14-inch pairs, 1920 x 1200 OLED Panels provide infinite contrast and stunning 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, allowing for vivid images. Color accuracy is good, with full brightness displays measuring at a maximum dE1976 of 2.05 and an average of 1.14.
Impressively, the ZenScreen Duo can operate using just a single USB-C connection, even in modes that treat the two displays as independent displays, but not with HDR. However, the power provided by a single USB-C connection is not enough to achieve maximum brightness on both displays. Since screens are glossy, you may need extra brightness in certain situations.
The hinge allows the screens to flip nearly 360 degrees.
By default, the display operates in Eco mode with the brightness set to 65%. With this setting, the displays reached 167.2 nits in my measurements (shown below). At 100% brightness, the displays can manage 379.2 nits. Turning on the displays’ HDR capabilities, they can display a peak of 600nits with a 10% window, providing respectable lighting for video and gaming content.
While ZenScreen Duo may be useful for creatives, it’s not as excellent as it could be for gamers. It has a refresh rate of just 60Hz, which is offset somewhat by the OLED’s fast pixel response.
Worth the money, but not for everyone
I highly recommend this dual monitor, but it’s more than some people need. If you need a second monitor for word processing or data entry, or you only need one monitor, you don’t need to pay for this setup. Despite its impressive specifications, its refresh rate is not fast enough for gamers. Make sure it’s right for you before you buy it.
Asus ZenScreen Duo OLED MQ149CD
| price | $599 |
|---|---|
| Size (diagonal) | 14 inch (x2) |
| Panel and backlight | OLED |
| Flat or curved | level |
| Resolution and pixel density | 1,920 x 1,200, 161 dpi (each) |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 |
| Maximum range | 100% DCI-P3 |
| Brightness (Nit, Peak/Typical) | 400/500 |
| Human development report | HDR10 |
| Adaptive sync | no |
| Maximum vertical refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Gray-to-gray response time | 1 ms |
| communication | 3x USB-C (2x DisplayPort, 1x Power), 1x Mini HDMI |
| My voice | unavailable |
| VESA mountable | No (tripod stand optional) |
| Painting warranty | 3-year warranty service with free shipping |
How we test screens
Measurements for Asus ZenScreen Duo OLED MQ149CD Captured with a Spyder X2 Ultra colorimeter using DataColor’s Spyder X2 software for SDR. Results of Delta E 1976 color accuracy measurements are reported using Datacolor’s 48-color correction test.
On the most basic models, we can only test brightness, contrast, and color gamut. With more capable monitors, we can also perform tests for user-selectable modes for gaming or critical use of color, uniformity, etc. We may also perform tests to check how the accuracy of white points varies with brightness. We also use Blur Busters’ motion tests to judge motion effects (such as ghosting) or refresh rate issues that can impact games.
Keep in mind that individual results can often differ from the results reported by the manufacturer for several reasons.