Asus had already announced new gear under its Republic of Gamers brand at CES 2021 – now it’s the turn of the ZenBooks to get a new lease of life.

But it’s not the ultraportables this time – instead the larger dual-screen ZenBook Duo devices have upgrades.

The Asus ZenBook Duo UX482 and UX582 are the result, 14 and 15.6-inch versions featuring current 11th generation Intel Core processors

In the Duo 14 (UX482), this means up to Core i7 processors with Intel Iris X graphics or Nvidia GeForce MX450 graphics.

The Pro Duo 15 (UX582) as the bigger model is called, has a 4K OLED display and ups the ante to Core i9 plus Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3070 graphics. 

Plus, this time, the ZenBook Duo lineup has a clever trick up its sleeve for the all-important second screen above the keyboard. 

The new ZenBook Duo features what Asus is calling  Active Aerodynamic System Plus (AAS Plus) with a new hinge design that lifts the secondary 12.6 or 14-inch display called ScreenPad Plus by up to 7 or 9.5 degrees, and the laptop itself off of the desk.

The existing ZenBook Duo hinge already raised the device as a whole, but not the secondary display. 

Asus ZenBook Duo revamp raises the second screen so it's easier to see photo 2

Asus says this feature increases airflow by up to 49 percent and, naturally, improves the viewing angles of the ScreenPad Plus. A side effect is that the gap between both displays is reduced, improving the experience. 

The lack of Thunderbolt 3 in the previous generation did leap out from the spec sheet, but this has now been rectified – and then some – with the addition of a Thunderbolt 4 port.

There's also a performance mode that can boost the CPU power from 15 to 28W for improved power plus a new Control Panel app on the second screen for commonly used functions in pro-level apps like Adobe Premiere, Photoshop and Lightroom.