Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Reviews

Hands on with ASUS’ Taichi 21 and Taichi 31 dual-screen hybrid Ultrabooks

Jennifer Bergen
By

Check out our full review of the Asus Taichi 21 hybrid Ultrabook/tablet.

We heard about ASUS’ Taichi back at Computex in June and we’ve patiently waited for the last six months for the unique convertible to be released. The company showed off its final version at CES in both the 11.6-inch (Taichi 21) and 13-inch versions (Taichi 31). The Taichi, which is both an Ultrabook and a tablet, was definitely worth a closer look, so we got some hands-on time with both models.

Related Videos

At first glance, the Taichi looks like a normal laptop. You’ve got your full-size QWERTY keyboard (backlit) and your track pad. But it’s more than a standard Ultrabook. When you close the Taichi, it becomes a tablet – no flipping, twisting, or turning required. Different from any other convertible we’ve seen, the Taichi has a two-sided LED-backlit IPS display. 

Related

Closing the Ultrabook transforms it into a 10-finger multitouch tablet with stylus support. But the rear display isn’t just for tablet-mode. The Taichi actually has four viewing modes: Notebook, tablet, mirror, and dual-screen.  To switch between different screen modes, users have to use the built-in app, which has a dedicated button on the top row of the  keyboard.

You can use the display on the back of the notebook to mirror what you’re seeing in the front, which is convenient for meetings and collaborations. The two screens are actually independent of each other, which means you can have one set of content on one screen, and something entirely different on the other. 

We thought it was a little strange that the screen facing the user didn’t have touch capability. We found ourselves trying to touch the screen more than once because that’s nearly expected with a Windows 8 operating system. It’s also disappointing that you aren’t able to use the touchscreen with the physical keyboard, since to fully use the touchscreen, you need to close the laptop.

The Ultrabook is powered by either Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 or Core i7 processors. It also includes 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD storage. As for ports, it features one mini VGA port, two USB 3.0 ports, a micro HDMI port, and your standard audio jacks. The 11-inch Taichi has up to five hours of battery life. 

Weighing a little less than three pounds, the Taichi is 3-millimeters thick at its thinnest point. We found both models easy to handle. Though we only had a few minutes of time fondling the Ultrabook, we didn’t notice many fingerprints or smudges on the touchscreen. 

The Taichi 21 will be available for sale in about two weeks, and the 31 will be available in three. Pricing is still not confirmed. We’re excited to finally get some real time with the Taichi, so stay tuned for a full review.  

Editors' Recommendations

Usually $1,828, this HP laptop is down to $719 right now
A HP ProBook 445 G8 at a side angle displaying Windows 11.

HP always has great laptop deals. The star of the show this week is the ProBook 445 G8 Notebook. HP just discounted it from $1,828 to $719. That's a bonkers $1,109 discount. HP laptop deals are usually good, but this one is a step above. It probably won't still around too long, so grab it before HP cuts it off.

Why you should buy the HP ProBook 445 G8 Notebook
The HP ProBook 445 G8 Notebook is designed to tempt anyone who's been eyeing up the best laptops but is in need of something more specialist in nature. It has an AMD Ryzen 5 5600U processor along with 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage. Alongside that is a 14-inch full HD display. So far, so regular, right? Where things differ is a bit more subtle than the average laptop seeker might expect. The HP ProBook 445 G8 is protected by HP Wolf Security. That means it has multi-layered security protection with a hardware-enforced, always-on, resilient defense system. From the BIOS to the browser, it protects your laptop more than standard security protections can achieve. That's because it's designed with business users in mind. There's automatic recovery from firmware attacks thanks to HP's self-healing BIOS with preconfigured enterprise-level PC protection keeping an eye on things for you. HP Sure Sense can spot never-before-seen attacks thanks to its deep learning AI. For IT management, the HP Manageability Integration Kit helps speed up image creation and management of hardware, BIOS, security and other features.

Read more
Apple Magic Mouse, Keyboard and Trackpad are discounted
Presentation window in Keynote on an iMac.

After buying a Mac or MacBook from Apple deals, you'll want to maximize your new purchase by pairing it with official Apple accessories. If you've got cash left to spare, you may want to take advantage of Amazon's offers for Apple's Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad. It's rare to see discounts for these devices, so act fast if you don't want to miss out -- we're not sure how much time you've got left.
Apple Magic Mouse -- $64, was $79

The Apple Magic Mouse, as you'd expect, is one of the best mice for Mac. It features a multi-touch surface that will let you swipe and scroll as if it were a trackpad, allowing it to work with MacOS' native gestures, but it's also compatible with an iPad. The Apple Magic Mouse comes with superb build quality with aluminum for its bottom shell and glass for its top surface, and it's very quick to pair with your Apple device through Bluetooth. It's powered by an internal battery that can last for about a month before it needs recharging, which you can do so through its included USB-C to Lightning cable.

Read more
Dell’s first Windows 11 ARM laptop is priced like a Chromebook
A woman using a Dell Inspiron 14 laptop.

Dell just launched a new Inspiron 14 laptop with a Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2, and it's priced like a Chromebook, costing only $500. The advantage of using a Qualcomm chip is the long battery life, and Dell claims the Inspiron 14 can last for 16 hours on a single charge.

The budget laptop includes a respectable 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage, which should be sufficient for productivity and browsing. A 14-inch antiglare screen has an LED backlight and offers 1080p resolution.

Read more