Asus has stepped into the world of foldable devices by revealing the world’s first 17-inch OLED laptop that folds in half. Many consumer tech companies such as Samsung, Microsoft, and Xiaomi are now putting a lot of time and effort into developing smart devices with a flexible display, but only Samsung seems to have cracked the code so far with its lineup of foldable smartphones like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Previously, Lenovo launched the ThinkPad X1 Fold. The all-screen foldable laptop came with a 13.3-inch 2K display with a peak brightness of 300 nits. Under the hood, the device features an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and 512GB of storage, with the price of the ThinkPad X1 Fold starting at $2,499. However, the smaller display of the device makes it feel more like a foldable tablet than a laptop. More recently, Lenovo announced its new dual-screen ThinkBook Plus laptop.
The Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is an all-screen foldable laptop by Asus that provides a 12.5-inch screen (3:2 aspect ratio) when folded and a 17.3-inch 2.5K color-accurate screen (4:3 aspect ratio) when unfolded. In its unfolded state, the device is a large touch-enabled OLED display with a peak brightness of 500 nits and a 0.2 ms response time. The thin bezels, display quality, and foldable nature make the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED a gorgeous device. According to Asus, the device can be used in multiple modes, including tablet mode, book mode, laptop mode (with an on-screen keyboard), and computer mode. For those interested, the ZenFold 17 Fold OLED will be available to purchase in the second quarter of 2022. In addition to the foldable laptop, Asus also revealed the Asus ROG Flow Z13 tablet at this year’s CES event.
Zenbook 17 Fold Offers Decent Performance
Under the hood, the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is equipped with a 12th generation Intel Core i7-1250U processor, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD. For connectivity, the foldable laptop features two Thunderbolt 4 ports. Surprisingly, while other companies are removing the audio jack from their latest products, the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold features a 3.5mm audio jack. Asus is also providing the ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard and touchpad along with the device. Thanks to the high-quality display and quad-speaker system that supports Dolby Atmos, the Zenbook 17 Fold should provide an excellent multimedia experience.
As far as the durability of the product is concerned, Asus says that it has tested the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED’s hinge for 30,000 cycles. On average, if the laptop is folded and reopened ten times a day, the hinge should work fine for more than a few years. While the company has not announced the price, the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is a premium product, and that likely means it will come with a premium price tag as well.
Source: Asus
