- Kyle Chua
Asus Launches Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, a Laptop-Tablet Hybrid With a Foldable Touchscreen Panel
Asus has finally launched the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, introducing an entirely new form factor to its ever-growing lineup of laptops, after first teasing the device at CES earlier this year.
The laptop-tablet hybrid features a 17.3-inch touchscreen OLED panel with a 2560x1920 resolution and a 4:3 aspect ratio. And as you might have guessed from the device's name, the panel folds in the middle, splitting the larger display into two, which isn't all that different from modern foldable smartphones. You can, for instance, fold it at 120 degrees and use the bottom half of the panel as a virtual keyboard.
Alternatively, you can connect a physical keyboard and use the device as a traditional laptop, where the panel shrinks to 12.5-inches with a 1920x1280 resolution and a 3:2 aspect ratio.
You can also use it as a monitor of sorts while fully unfolded for a desktop-like experience, sliding the kickstand at the back to prop it up and connecting the brand's ErgoSense keyboard and touchpad via Bluetooth.
Asus touts that the Zenbook 17 Fold's unique design supports multiple versatile usage modes. This is what the brand said it set out to do in the first place. Asus touts that the Zenbook 17 Fold's unique design supports multiple versatile usage modes to combine the functions of multiple devices into a single compact device that's capable of meeting any need.
Under the hood, the hybrid device houses 12th Generation Intel Core i7 U-Series processors, Intel Iris Xe graphics, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. It also includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports, which support fast charging of the 75Whr battery pack, along with connectivity options for external displays. The device has about nine and a half hours of screen-on time.
The Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is expected to hit the market sometime in the fourth quarter of this year for a retail price of US$3,500, which is about S$4,900 when converted. Foldable displays are still a relatively new frontier for laptops, which perhaps explains why Asus is charging quite a premium for the device. Local release details and pricing have yet to be revealed.
Asus has launched the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, a 17.3-inch laptop-tablet hybrid with a touchscreen panel that folds in the middle.
The device can also work as a traditional laptop by magnetically connecting a physical keyboard, but this would reduce the panel to 12.5 inches.
The brand touts that the Zenbook 17 Fold's unique design supports multiple versatile usage modes.
It's expected to hit the market sometime in the fourth quarter of this year for a retail price of US$3,500.