Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED review: A possible future for foldable laptops

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Specs Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED

Design and features

Folding screen

Detachable keyboard and trackpad

Software

Iron productivity

Sound quality

Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED battery life

Total

Should I buy

Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED foldable screen laptop – video

First foldable tablet/laptop hybridLenovo released a display two years ago, but now it has a competitor - Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED. This is a huge device with a 17.3-inch screen that folds in half. On top of one of the halves, you can install a removable keyboard, getting a 12.5-inch laptop.

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Yes, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is expensive, but for nowThis is a unique device with different modes of operation. It's great for watching movies, typing, and multitasking, while the powerful hardware delivers fast performance. Will such a device replace conventional tablets and laptops in the future?

Read also: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold laptop review with foldable display

Specs Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED

Screen

17.3-inch FOLED, resolution 2560×1920 pixels,4:3 ratio, 60Hz refresh rate, 500 nits (peak), VESA Display HDR True Black 500 certified, Pantone Validated, 1.07 billion colors, 0.2ms response time

CPU

Intel Core i7-1250U 1.1GHz (12MB cache, up to 4.7GHz, 2P+8E cores)

Video card

Intel Iris Xe

RAM

16GB LPDDR5

Inner memory

1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 Performance SSD

Connectivity and connections

Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), dual band 2x2 + Bluetooth 5.2

operating system

Windows 11 Home, Windows 11 Pro

Webcam

5 MP IR

Sound

Smart Amp technology, built-in speaker and array microphone, support for Cortana and Alexa speech recognition

Ports and connectors

2x Thunderbolt 4 with display/power support, 3.5mm combo audio jack

Battery

Li-Ion, 75 Wh, 65 W charging via USB-C

Dimensions

37.85×28.76×0.87-1.29 cm

Weight

1.50 kg

Colors

The black

Price

250 thousand rubles

Design and features

The uniqueness of the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED lies in the design, although at first glance, this is not obvious.

When closed, it seems like it's normalsmall laptop or 2-in-1 device. However, when you open it, you immediately understand what the main feature of the device is. The laptop is a huge 17.3-inch display that folds down the middle.

As a result, you will have two screens with a diagonal of 12.5-inch, and on the lower one you can attach the included keyboard using magnets, and get a regular laptop.

This design allows the device to be used insix different modes, each with its own unique advantages. It's also a tablet, but with a huge 17.3-inch screen. It's great for multitasking, especially with the kickstand on the back.

The device weighs 1.5 kg, so it lasts longer in the handsIt is difficult to hold it for several minutes, but you can put it on the table thanks to the stand. If necessary, you can connect a keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth, and then the Zenbook 17 Fold will turn into something like a candy bar.

Unfortunately, the stand has only one fixedposition, and reliability is not the highest, you should not use the touch screen in this form. Fortunately, the screen folds in half, after which the device becomes more compact and portable.

In this form, the tablet can be held like a book,reading large amounts of text, although a lot of weight does not contribute much to this. Most often, you will use the device in laptop mode with a 12.5-inch display, and close the bottom half with a keyboard.

The most interesting thing is that in a closed form between the twohalf of the screen is left with space in which to store the keyboard. Of course, the durability of the hinge is also a concern, although Asus promises that it will withstand at least 30,000 openings. This is about five years if you open the device 10-15 times a day.

By the standards of a laptop, the case is not the thickest here.- only 8.7 mm when unfolded, although there are few connectors. There are only two USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 support and a 3.5mm combo headphone jack. I am glad that there is a USB-C to USB-A adapter in the kit.

The plastic bezels around the display are quite thick.They fit a 5 megapixel webcam, two microphones and a depth sensor for reliable face recognition. There is no fingerprint scanner here, so an alternative unlock option is to enter a password.

Folding screen

The key element of this type of laptop is the display, and the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED has a great display.

When open, the transformer is17.3" high quality OLED touch panel. This is one of the best screens among modern tablet laptops. Colors are rich and saturated, and detail is high thanks to a resolution of 2560x1920 pixels.

The accuracy of the shades is also striking:coverage of sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces is 100%, while AdobeRGB is 96%. Brightness rises to 500 nits, which is good enough for indoor use, though a higher value would be desirable outdoors. The bend in the middle is almost imperceptible and is visible only on a black background, it is not very distracting.

Same with touchpad interaction- the bend is felt a little with a finger, but does not interfere. When opened, the aspect ratio is 4:3, so when watching a video, thick black bars are visible on the sides.

When using the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED in laptop mode, the display becomes 12.5-inch with a resolution of 1920x1280 and the ratio is 3:2.

With such a big screen comes the temptationuse a stylus, but Asus does not recommend doing so, the display surface may be damaged. There is also a lack of a higher refresh rate - here it does not exceed 60 Hz. But, this is one of the first such laptops on the market, so you should not expect everything at once.

Detachable keyboard and trackpad

To fully work with the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, you need to connect the included keyboard.

The keyboard is connected via Bluetoothmeans almost any other wireless keyboard is compatible. However, only the Asus model can conveniently attach to the underside of the display with magnets when the device is used half-folded.

In this position Zenbook 17 Fold OLEDis a compact laptop, and the keyboard is held securely in place thanks to its magnetic attachment. The keys are responsive with 1.4mm of travel providing a more comfortable typing experience.

The size of the buttons is large, although they are close to each other, but there is no other solution here.

At the top there was a place for a set of functionalkeys that allow you to adjust the volume and brightness, turn on Bluetooth and launch the MyAsus app. But the backlight is not enough here, so typing in the dark is not so convenient. A fingerprint scanner would also be nice as a way to quickly unlock it.

Under the spacebar you will find a small trackpad. Supports all Windows 11 gestures and impresses with the speed of responsiveness. But, when working for a long time, it is better to connect a Bluetooth mouse.

Software

Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED versions are available for sale with both Windows 11 Home and 11 Pro operating systems.

Windows 11 is superior in many waysWindows 10, however, you still need a keyboard, mouse or trackpad to work comfortably. Some interface elements are too small for finger taps, and it is inconvenient to work without a mouse.

Asus decided not to add a bunch of pre-installed programs to the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED.

There are only two of them here! MyAsus serves as a place for settings, tools, and device support. And ScreenXpert is responsible for the convenient arrangement of windows on the screen, in any mode of operation.

Iron productivity

In terms of internals, there is only one Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED build available for sale.

Processor is Intel Corei7-1250U - The letter U means that the chipset is designed for light and compact devices. Processor performance is slightly worse than its counterparts from the P and H series, but the speed is fast enough even for all everyday tasks.

Iris Xe and 16 GB integrated graphics hereRAM, so the model is quite suitable for multitasking, graphics processing and some games. True, without a discrete graphics card, the frame rate in games will not be high, although the device is not intended for them.

The Zenbook 17 Fold OLED has a 1TB SSD, which is enough for most users.

In the GeekBench 5 performance testthe transformer from Asus scores 7347 points in multi-core mode. And PCMark 10 gives 5288 points. These are not bad figures, here a laptop with a folding screen is not inferior to many 2-in-1 models.

Sound quality

The speakers are another reason the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold is perfect for content viewing.

There are four stereo speakers on the sides, the keyboard does not cover them, so the sound remains loud and rich.

All emitters are configured together withHarman/Kardon and support Dolby Atmos technology. The bass is also impressive, especially for such a thin device. The only problem is that at maximum volume, the detail deteriorates a little.

Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED battery life

Considering the diagonal of the display, Asus had to install a large battery with a capacity of 75 Wh in the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED.

Therefore, there are no problems with autonomy of work here.One laptop battery charge is enough for 9-10 hours of use. Of course, in games and when working in demanding applications, energy will be consumed faster, but this is not surprising. If you reduce the display brightness to 100-150 nits, you can even count on 15-16 hours of video viewing.

In addition, Windows 11 has a power-saving mode that increases battery life by an hour or two.

We get an adapter with the device.65W when charging via USB-C. About 40% of the energy is restored in half an hour, and the entire process of replenishing the battery from 0 to 100% takes an hour and a half.

Total

The Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is a new and exciting take on what tablets and laptops might look like in the future.

This unique device with 17.3-inchOLED display that folds in half to transform into a 12.5" laptop. Of course, the main advantage of the model is the excellent OLED display, although the 4:3 aspect ratio is not very suitable for watching videos.

Although the internal components are powerful enough toany everyday tasks, a discrete graphics card is not enough. In general, it is not yet clear whether such devices will become popular in the future, but Asus' first attempt was definitely a success.

Should I buy

The Zenbook 17 Fold OLED from Asus is a very expensive device, so it can only be recommended to those who are looking for an innovative laptop-tablet hybrid and are willing to spend any money on it.

Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED foldable screen laptop – video

Alexander Shaman Alexander has been writing foralmost two decades. Initially, he collected technology news for local media. His love of science fiction awakened a huge thirst for knowledge. Trying to understand how it works and if it could work better, he becomes so carried away, as if he is immersed in a trance. For this, among colleagues in TehnObzor, he received the nickname - Shaman. Unique Asus laptop with folding screen Design and ergonomics 95/100 Display and multimedia 95/100 Keyboard and input devices 90/100 Connectors and ports 80/100 Performance 90/100 Communications and connectivity 85/100 Battery life 90/100 Total 89.3 Asus Zenbook The 17 Fold OLED is more of an expensive proof of concept than a laptop you'll want to buy. This is a step forward in design that we hope will lead to further development. Advantages and disadvantagesFoldable OLED displaySix different modes of operationComfortable and detachable keyboardGood battery lifeGreat speakersHigh price Few connectorsLarge and heavy