Asus Zenscreen Duo OLED MQ149CD Review: An Excellent but Pricey Dual-Screen Monitor
Asus Zenscreen Duo OLED MQ149CD
Benefits
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Superb design
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Beautiful OLED screens
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Can work with just one cable
Disadvantages
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Dear
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Many settings require auxiliary power
Asus has moved into the dual-screen portable monitor plate with the Asus ZenScreen Duo OLED MQ149CD and it’s a solid success. Combining two lovely screens in a surprisingly compact and lightweight design, the Duo has a lot to offer. And at $599, it should. While the build quality is much higher than the competition, it may be overkill if you’re just looking for 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 finish of a decent metal two-in-one laptop, and not particularly heavy at that. It only weighs 2.3 pounds, giving it an advantage over several other dual-screen monitors I’ve tested. For comparison, the Acer PD163Q weighs 3.1 pounds and the Minisforum MDSA156 weighs 3.26 pounds.
A flexible design gives you two screens to use however you want.
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Flexibility is at the forefront of the design. Not only does the hinge allow the screens to rotate almost 360 degrees, but the kickstand also allows a variety of angles for the bottom screen. A tripod mount on the back lets you elevate the displays, or you can instead place both displays in a side-by-side orientation.
The on-screen display allows you to quickly switch between different screen layouts. You can treat each display as an independent monitor in extended mode (two displays, one connection) or independent mode (two displays, two connections). You can run them as a single, larger monitor 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 monitor or expand them into one long screen.
Vibrant visuals and high contrast OLED
Both screens are great. This is an equal pair of 14 inches, 1920 x 1200 OLED panels that deliver infinite contrast and superb 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, enabling vibrant visuals. Color accuracy is decent, with displays at full brightness measuring a maximum dE1976 of 2.05 and an average of 1.14.
Impressively, the ZenScreen Duo can work with a single USB-C connection, even in modes that treat both displays as independent monitors, but not with HDR. The power provided by a single USB-C connection, however, is not enough for maximum brightness on both screens. And since the screens are glossy, you may want that extra brightness in certain situations.
The hinge allows the screens to flip almost 360 degrees.
By default, the monitor operates in Eco mode with the brightness set to 65%. With this setting, the displays achieve 167.2 nits in my measurements (explained below). At 100% brightness, the displays can manage 379.2 nits. When the monitors’ HDR capabilities are enabled, they can display a peak of 600 nits with a 10% window, providing respectable highlights for video content and gaming.
While the ZenScreen Duo may be good for creators, it’s not as brilliant as it could be for gamers. It only has a 60Hz refresh rate, which is somewhat offset by the OLED’s fast pixel response.
It’s worth it, but it’s not for everyone
I would wholeheartedly recommend this dual-screen monitor, but it’s more than some people will need. If you need a second screen for word processing or data entry, or if you only need one screen, you don’t need to pay for this setup. And despite its impressive specs, its refresh rate isn’t fast enough for gamers. Make sure it suits you before buying it.
Asus Zenscreen Duo OLED MQ149CD
| Price | $599 |
|---|---|
| Size (diagonal) | 14 inches (x2) |
| Panel and backlight | OLED |
| Flat or curved | Flat |
| Resolution and pixel density | 1920 x 1200, 161 ppi (each) |
| Aspect ratio | 4:10 p.m. |
| Maximum range | 100% DCI-P3 |
| Brightness (nites, peak/typical) | 400/500 |
| HDR | HDR10 |
| Adaptive synchronization | No |
| Maximum vertical refresh rate | 60Hz |
| Gray to gray response time | 1ms |
| Relationships | 3x USB-C (2x DisplayPort, 1x Power Delivery), 1x Mini HDMI |
| Audio | n / A |
| VESA mountable | No (optional tripod mount) |
| Panel warranty | 3 years warranty service with free cross shipping |
How we test monitors
Measures for Asus ZenScreen Duo OLED MQ149CD were taken with a Spyder X2 Ultra colorimeter using DataColor’s Spyder X2 software for SDR. Results of color accuracy measurements are reported in Delta E 1976 using Datacolor’s 48-color patch test.
On the most basic models we can only test brightness, contrast and color gamut. With higher performance displays, we can also test user-selectable modes for gaming or critical color usage, uniformity, and more. We can also perform tests to check how white point accuracy varies depending on brightness. We also use Blur Busters’ motion testing to evaluate motion artifacts (such as ghosting) or refresh rate issues that can affect games.
Keep in mind that individual results can and often do differ from the manufacturer’s reported results for a variety of reasons.
