ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED Is A Bodacious And Bold Tablet PC That Folds

The world of foldable devices is getting larger, and we are not just talking about the number of devices that fold. ASUS has unveiled its Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, and it's a stunning, large format device.

ASUS is not the first company to develop a Windows based foldable PC device. Lenovo released its version back in 2020 with the ThinkPad X1 Fold that measured 13.3" across when unfolded. Samsung has been rumored to be working on their own Galaxy Book Fold 17, but so far it has not been confirmed. Not to be outdone, ASUS announced its Zenbook 17 Fold OLED and it's apparently the real deal.

The Zenbook 17 Fold OLED sports a rather large 17.3" Foldable OLED (FOLED) touchscreen that can fold down into an even more portable size of 12.5". ASUS touts that this makes it smaller than a sheet of photocopier paper for easier portability. The device will be offered with a 12th Gen Intel CPU Alder Lake up to an i7 U Series. It will include Wi-Fi 6E capability, and will support Bluetooth. The foldable will have a 5MP camera for taking video calls, and an HD infrared camera that will support Intel visual sensing controller and Windows Hello.

The OLED screen on the Zenbook will have a brilliant 2560x1920 resolution with HDR capability, and be powered by a 75 Wh battery. It will sport a 0.2 ms response time, 60Hz refresh rate, 1.07 billion colors, PANTONE validated for accurate colors, up to 500 nits of brightness, and an ultra-vivid 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. When the device is fully unfolded it will have a 4:3 aspect ratio, and when in laptop mode each 12.5" half of the display will deliver 3:2 pin-sharp images.

Adaptability of this impressive device is not only in its size, but the versatile modes that it offers as well. You will be able to fold the device into a traditional style laptop and use the available onscreen keyboard, or utilize the included ASUS ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard on the lower screen for easy web browsing. If you prefer the traditional desktop experience, you can simply unfold the device to its full 17.3" size, prop it up on your desk with the integrated kickstand and connect the Bluetooth keyboard. Not feeling any of those options? Well you can also open up the screen fully and just work with a very large tablet format. If you feel like reading a good book, you can utilize the book mode and your eyes and circadian rhythms will still be protected by the display's TUV Rheinland-certified low blue-light emissions. Still in need of another mode? How about using the full portrait display while the device is sitting on a desk in laptop mode...
When it comes to audio, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED offers a Harman Kardon-certified quad-speaker Dolby Atmos audio system. It will also incorporate a Smart Amp that is claimed to be 350% louder sound with zero distortion. The amplifier is equipped with a DSP chip that drive the twin speakers at the maximum volume possible while preventing long-term damage to the sensitive speaker voice coils.

If you are not wanting the neighbors hearing what you are listening to, you can take advantage of the audio jack on the side of the device. Along with the audio jack, you will find a Thunderbolt 4 port on each side, volume buttons and a power button. ASUS notes the device's hinge has been torture tested and is rated for 30,000 cycles. So, theoretically you should get plenty of folds and unfolds in before you wear it out.

As to the price tag, ASUS has not yet confirmed how much its foldable will cost. If the Lenovo foldable is any indication we can expect this to be a pricey device and ASUS notes its first foldable PC will be available in mid-2022.

The ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED seems impressive in design, function and portability. It's bigger and potentially better than Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Fold in a number of areas, but we're eager to get our hands on one to test and prove that out. The possibilities it presents should be alluring for a wide array of consumers and a wide variety of use cases. The land of foldables has certainly gotten a lot more intriguing.