Among the roster of Asus‘s new laptops, PC hardware and peripherals announced today, one device raised eyebrows in particular: the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED laptop.
As its name implies, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED…folds. The laptop’s OLED display measures 17.3 inches when fully extended in tablet mode. It boasts a 2.5K resolution, a brightness of 500 nits and covers 100 per cent of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. When folded, each half sports a 1920×1280 resolution and a 12.5-inch viewing area, with one half working as a touchscreen keyboard. To make the best use of the large screen in tablet mode, Asus also allows the user to arrange and pin multiple windows via the Asus ScreenXpert and Mode Switcher apps.
Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED specifications
| Device | Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-1250U |
| Memory | 16GB LPDDR5 |
| Graphics | Integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics |
| Storage | 1TB PCIe 4 SSD |
| Display | Unfolded: 17.3-inch, OLED, 2560 x 1920, 4:3, 500 nits, 100 per cent DCI-P3, touchscreen
Folded (half): 12.5-inch, 1920 x 1280 |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1x audio jack |
| Battery | 75Whr |
| Weight | 1.65 kg (3.64lbs) |
| Security | TPM 2.0
IR camera for Windows Hello |
| Operating system | Windows 11 Pro |
| Pricing and availability | Available mid-2022, pricing not yet available |
For those who prefer a physical keyboard, Asus recommends its ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard and touchpad accessory. Of course, any Bluetooth-enabled keyboard and trackpad combo would work, but only the ErgoSense keyboard fits perfectly on the folded screen.
Within the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, we also get a glimpse of a 12th gen Intel U-series mobile processor. The device comes with an Intel Core i7-1250U processor with 12MB cache, 10 cores (two P-core and eight E-cores), and a clock speed of up to 4.7GHz. Being a U-series processor, the Core i7-1250U likely has a 15W TDP rating.
Complementing the processor is 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and 1TB of PCIe SSD storage. There appears to only be a single hardware configuration on the product page, and there is not an option for dedicated graphics. The laptop has two Thunderbolt 4 ports with power delivery support and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack.
Not only is the device co-engineered with Intel to meet the Intel Evo laptop specifications, but it has also passed MIL-STD 810H tests. This means that it meets Intel’s standards for responsiveness and battery life while also being able to withstand minor scrapes and bumps.
Other features include an IR camera to support Windows Hello sign-in and human presence detection.
The Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED will be available for purchase towards the middle of 2022. There’s currently no official pricing.