The GPD Duo is a one-of-a-kind gaming laptop computer that additionally manages to be nice for productiveness. It sports activities two stacked 13-inch OLED screens, choices for enormous quantities of reminiscence and storage, and a cutting-edge AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 processor to make it an impressive choose for work and light-weight gaming…in the event you don’t thoughts its bulk. Even the highest display can be capable of double as a transportable monitor for different units. You’ll have to have a little bit of tech savvy to climb its studying curve, however it affords a surprisingly nice expertise.
GPD Duo – Design and Features
The GPD Duo challenges conference. At first look, it appears to be like like a laptop computer from a decade in the past with its almost one-inch thickness. There’s a superb cause for that bulk as a result of tucked beneath that fold is a second 13.3-inch OLED contact display. Similar to the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (which I reviewed final 12 months), these shows stack on high of each other, making a mixed vertical peak of round 17 inches. The backside display has a kickstand to assist hold issues inflexible, however the hinge is hard and does a superb job with this all by itself.
This by itself makes it a terrific selection for productiveness as a result of you may show totally different content material on every display simply as you’ll with a desktop PC. So, you may have a spreadsheet on the highest and a report on the underside, for instance. It’s almost as helpful for gaming in the identical means a two-monitor setup on desktop would in the event you wished to have a method information on the highest and the sport on the underside,, or swap that for Discord, chat, or perhaps a YouTube video or film.
The display can be capable of fold again totally in order that it may be used for displays. Folding the primary display down with this setup turns it right into a pill, full with 4,096 ranges of strain assist in the event you provide your personal stylus. Or, in the event you’d slightly have a single-screen expertise, you may press a hotkey to show the show off and fold it again and out of the best way.
To that finish, the system comes configurable to be something from an leisure machine to a full on workstation. GPD affords many alternative decisions for simply how a lot storage, reminiscence, and processing energy you require, and the system we acquired for evaluation featured the next specs:
- Display: Dual 13.3” OLED Touchscreens
- Display Details: 2,560 x 1,600, 500-nits, 60Hz
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370
- Graphics: Radeon 890M (Integrated)
- Memory: 64GB (7,500 MT/s)
- Storage: 1TB
- Connectivity: x1 USB4 (40Gbps), x1 USB Type-C (10Gbps), x2 USB Type-A (5Gbps), 1x Oculink, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SD 4.0 Card Reader (UHS-II, V90), 1x Audio Combo Jack, 1x Ethernet Port
- Networking: 2.5Gbps Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax, Dual band) 2 × 2 (MU-MIMO assist), Bluetooth 5.3
- Battery: 80Whr, PD 3.0 Fast Charging
- Expandability: Additional M.2 port for second SSD
- Dimensions: 11.69 x 8.25 x 0.94 inches
- Weight: 4.85 lbs
Depending in your wants (and the way a lot you wish to pay), you’ve got loads of choices to select from. The base mannequin, available at IndieGoGo right now, begins with a Ryzen 7 8840U, 32GB of reminiscence, and a 1TB NVMe SSD. This comes at an inexpensive asking worth of solely $1,380 and the processor may be upgraded to the brand new Ryzen AI HX 370 for $1,650 whole. Or, if you would like to go all out, you may choose up the very best tier mannequin at $1,860, which affords the HX 370, 64GB of reminiscence, and a 2TB NVMe SSD. The official site has even more options out there for pre-order with the very best tier configuration coming in at $2,730.95, providing 64GB of reminiscence and a whopping 8TB of NVMe storage. While the reminiscence is soldered on, there may be an empty M.2 slot so as to add a second NVMe SSD if you wish to broaden your storage down the road.
The system additionally contains a variety of connectivity choices properly in extra of most laptops. It contains one USB4 port able to a full 40 Gbps bandwidth for eGPUs, one USB Type-C (10 Gbps), two USB-A ports, one Oculink port on the highest show for video enter, a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port within the again for video output, a high-speed SD 4.0 card reader rated for UHS-II/V90 speeds, a full-size 2.5G ethernet jack, and an audio combo port for a gaming headset. It additionally helps Wi-Fi 6E (2 x 2) and Bluetooth 5.3 for wi-fi connectivity.
Needless to say, with these sorts of specs, the Duo is a really succesful machine for even fairly intensive duties like photograph enhancing, video enhancing, and digital artwork. Without a devoted GPU, it is going to be restricted for gaming to some extent, however maybe not as a lot as you’ll suppose. It options AMD’s newest Radeon 890M graphics processor, which is its most succesful built-in graphics chip to this point.
Think about it like an Asus ROG Ally with a bit additional juice pushing body charges in video games only a bit extra. The processors are very related between the 2, however the HX 370 gives a handful extra processing cores that may barely enhance in-game efficiency. With that in thoughts, you must nonetheless count on to play video games are modest resolutions and graphics settings. But on one 13.3-inch show, even a decision of 800p appears to be like surprisingly good. With the assist of options like AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) and AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF), 1200p must be properly inside attain for a lot of video games.
The shows themselves are excellent and make up one of many key the explanation why you may select to select up the Duo as a substitute of merely including a transportable monitor to your present pocket book. The OLED panels are nice, providing 500 nits of peak brightness, 100% protection of sRGB and DCI-P3 shade spectrums, and a rated manufacturing facility calibration common of Delta E <1. With these specs, you may simply roll it into artistic manufacturing work.
Like the Minisforum V3, the Duo affords the flexibility to just accept video on its higher display via its built-in Oculink (USB Type-C) port. If you’re on the go and wish to join your Switch or Steam Deck for a much bigger, richer viewing expertise because of its OLED panel, it’s a single plug-in away.
There are just a few caveats in relation to the screens, nevertheless. In a slightly odd transfer, the brightness of every isn’t linked and must be managed independently. While this is smart if you’re utilizing the highest monitor for a second video enter, when utilizing it as a second show for the pocket book, you’ll want to regulate brightness utilizing a bodily button on the aspect. Like most laptops, there are shortcut keys to regulate brightness however they solely work with the principle display. The different nitpick is that the brightness of every drops off steeply with even a single step down from max brightness. It’s nonetheless usable however there’s an enormous drop in vibrancy in the event you’re not working at 100% brightness.
This dual-OLED design additionally implies that its battery life is very depending on the way you’ll really be utilizing the machine. The GPD Duo comes with a big 80Whr battery, however its {hardware} is able to chewing via that battery slightly shortly. With each shows at full brightness, it lasts round 5 and a half hours for productiveness and internet shopping, and in the event you disable the second display, that extends to round 10 hours most. It’ll final a bit shorter than two in the event you’re gaming on one of many screens.
Given that the twin screens are the largest cause to decide on this laptop computer, most customers will most likely hold each screens on and have to recharge throughout the day. This isn’t as cumbersome because it first appears because of its assist for PD quick charging. Plugged right into a wall outlet for about half-hour restores roughly half of the battery life from being totally lifeless, although in the event you select to plug it in earlier than that time, it’s not fairly as quick (according to how rechargeable batteries work usually).
Using the laptop computer all through the day is usually nice. The keyboard is on the compact aspect and makes use of chiclet keys with a shallow journey distance. I didn’t have any points with the keyboard and located its tactility to be a constructive for my accuracy when contact typing. The observe pad is small at solely 4 x 2.4 inches. And whereas it’s suited to the design of the deck, I do want it had been wider. I periodically discovered myself urgent down and questioning why it wasn’t clicking earlier than realizing that my thumbs weren’t even on the trackpad. It makes use of built-in buttons and helps the entire normal Windows gestures you will discover on different productiveness laptops, however the buttons are primarily accessible on the very backside so it takes a bit extra care to get correct presses.
On the proper aspect of the laptop computer, the ability button doubles as a fingerprint reader and works reliably. The webcam can be first rate and affords a formidable 2.5K (1600p) decision, which is a bounce in high quality in comparison with most built-in laptop computer webcams, however it’s not fairly as important as you may count on. Still, it is acceptably crisp and is ideal for digital conferences and courses. It handles low mild pretty properly with out a appreciable quantity of grain and manages to carry focus reliably.
The audio system get the job finished, however I wasn’t overly impressed. They get loads loud and can work for YouTube movies, video games, and streaming music casually, however they’ve some noticeable distortion at greater volumes. For the very best expertise, I might suggest a correct headset or a superb set of earbuds.
GPD Duo – Software
While many laptops include pre-installed software program, the GPD Duo goes the other way. It ships with the naked minimal of extra apps – I used to be stunned to seek out that fundamental Windows 11 add-ins, like Notepad and the calculator, needed to be downloaded from the Windows retailer. Others, such because the Edge browser and Wordpad, had been able to exit of the field. While I applaud stripping out bloatware, I don’t suppose anybody would have minded if the essential Windows apps had been current and accounted for.
Configuring the machine is finished via the Motion Assistant software program. This is a common software program that applies to all GPD units, together with handhelds, and assumes a reasonably deep understanding of how computer systems work and what dictates efficiency. There aren’t any set efficiency modes, simply seven totally different TDP settings that decide what number of watts are being fed to the processor. There are 4 preset fan modes that alter how briskly the fan will spin at sure temperatures. There’s additionally a GPU part that’s devoted to overclocking.
Clicking via the tabs, you’ll discover numerous choices associated to a gyroscope which isn’t current on the Duo, and the flexibility to tie key combos to system capabilities. There’s rather a lot you are able to do right here however it’s not precisely user-friendly and could also be overwhelming for individuals who could also be searching for a extra simple gadget for productiveness or content material creation.
Exactly none of its choices are defined. GPD assumes (maybe rightfully so given its present viewers), that you just’re going to enter the laptop computer with a little bit of technical know-how. If something ought to go mistaken, it’s attainable to reset the PC, however it’s price noting that it is attainable to trigger points in the event you simply begin altering settings with out correct information. Maxing out the TDP to 60 watts — which isn’t a preset possibility however is a key a part of GPD’s advertising and marketing and may be set manually — and forcing the followers too low will nearly actually trigger the system to throttle or shut down. Pushing the GPU too onerous by attempting to overclock with out figuring out what you’re doing can be a recipe for catastrophe.
There isn’t a lot you are able to do to trigger everlasting harm, fortunately. And in the event you’re conversant in handheld gaming PCs just like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally X, you must have already got sufficient information on TDP and its relationship to efficiency. If you’re a newcomer, although, you must take the time to be taught what every setting does earlier than making any modifications.
GPD Duo – Performance
The GPD Duo is sort of a formidable machine in relation to efficiency. The Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 is a really succesful processor and is a veritable powerhouse for productiveness and content material creation. It additionally has the very best built-in GPU that AMD affords (as of this writing) with Radeon 890M graphics. By adjusting TDP, decision, and in-game settings, and leveraging options like AMD’s FSR (upscaling akin to Nvidia DLSS) and Fluid Motion Frames body technology, it’s a surprisingly highly effective gaming laptop computer too — however with just a few caveats.
As you may see within the chart above, it affords a major benefit over the 8840U 5HS0U, which the Duo will also be configured with, and particularly in artificial benchmarks. When it involves in-game body charges we additionally see some uplift. Compared to our different pattern bearing an HX 370 and built-in graphics, it goes forwards and backwards however total averages barely sooner speeds.
GPD is finest recognized for its gaming handhelds and usually makes observe of the ability limits of its totally different units. In the hand held world the place most usually high out round 35 watts, it’s noteworthy that the corporate highlights that it’s capable of attain as excessive as 60 watts with its laptop computer. Even although there’s no set possibility for this within the software program, you may manually set the processor’s energy restrict to something as much as that quantity. More energy means extra efficiency, proper? Not fairly.
Against standard knowledge, maxing out the processor’s wattage really decreases gaming efficiency. In artificial benchmarks, like 3DMark Time Spy, the rating would drop wherever from 300 to 600 factors. In actual world video games, wherever from three to seven FPS will get left behind.
Dropping the wattage even to 50 watts prevents this from occurring however the uplift isn’t nice. As I famous in my evaluation of the Ayaneo Kun, there are large diminishing returns when going past 35 watts — which is greater than the very best preset (28W), so it’s nonetheless price turning the dial a bit greater than what GPD really provides you. For gaming, particularly on battery, 35 watts is a candy spot that provides a superb steadiness of efficiency and battery life. If you’re plugged right into a wall outlet, you may push all of it the best way to 50 to eek out an additional body or two, however the additional warmth and fan noise simply aren’t price it.
Instead, if all you’re after is the very best in-game efficiency, I like to recommend simply turning off the second display. It’s implausible for productiveness and multitasking, however retaining that display lively with different apps tended to drop my framerate by round 5 fps enjoying Baldur’s Gate 3 and Diablo 4.. If you’re utilizing it to watch chat or stream Netflix within the background, these additional few frames may not be price it, however it’s about the identical as what you’ll obtain by cranking the wattage all the best way to 60W and also you’ll lengthen your battery life within the course of.
Outside of gaming, the second display is simply wonderful. I like that it accepts video enter, so plugging in a separate gadget, say a Switch or Steam Desk, is lifeless easy. As a author, I additionally discovered that it was good to maintain analysis notes and benchmark figures in entrance of me with out having to Alt+Tab from my doc. The similar holds true for leisure, permitting you to stream on one display and browse on the opposite. It works precisely like a second display on a desktop PC, so you may lengthen your desktop or duplicate it. If you give displays, you may fold the highest display again to face your viewers and it mechanically rotates its orientation, so there’s much less so that you can fear about.
Using it as a pill can be attainable, although I discovered it much less handy because of its weight and thickness. I’m not an artist however it accepted stylus enter instantly and was as correct as different Windows tablets with stylus assist. It makes use of the usual contact driver that comes with Windows, which is okay for handwriting and fundamental drawing duties, however isn’t as fine-tuned as pen enter on a devoted artist’s software just like the Wacom Cintiq, so it gained’t perform as a substitute for that kind of content material creation.
Instead, it’s significantly better suited to different varieties of artistic work equivalent to photograph and video enhancing – the Adobe suite labored completely for me. With 64GB of RAM and the 12-core/24-thread HX 370 processor, there may be valuable little that the Duo can’t deal with. Even intensive duties like 3D modeling are inside attain in the event you’re prepared to attend a bit longer on rendering time versus a laptop computer with a devoted GPU. But even there, the Radeon 890M built-in graphics supply probably the greatest experiences presently out there with out leaping into the dearer world of high-performance GPUs.
I’ll say this, although: in the event you plan on utilizing each screens out in public, be ready for some consideration. It appears to be like unusual having this tall stack of screens in entrance of you and folks will ask you about it and are available for a better look.
Thankfully, the expertise is fairly good. The screens use a robust hinge that’s able to retaining them secure. You’ll want to regulate the highest display to seek out the right viewing angle and you’ll rely on a number of wobble after you let go, however as soon as they’re set, that wobble just about disappears and every thing stays firmly in place. Again, my solely want is that the brightness controls for the screens had been linked. Having the second monitor use a bodily brightness button and never observe the brightness of the principle display simply feels clunky.
