Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED hands-on: There’s real potential here

Folding-screen laptops weren’t one thing I believed I could possibly be excited for, however after seeing Asus’ new Zenbook 17 Fold OLED at IFA, I’m starting to alter my thoughts. Considerably implausibly, Asus made a useful, sensible even, 17-inch pill that folds in half and turns into a conveyable 12-inch laptop computer. It’s eye-wateringly costly, however after 4 generations of dear Galaxy Folds, would you anticipate anything?

The unimaginable shape-shifting Zenbook

The Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is an honest piece of equipment as a laptop computer, however its large folding display screen units it other than virtually every little thing else on the market. The only exception is the Lenovo X1 Fold, first introduced in 2019, which incorporates a related, if smaller type issue.

Asus’ tackle the idea is much like Lenovo’s: a big foldable show that bends down the center, an adjustable kickstand for when you have to prop it up, and a slim magnetic keyboard for textual content entry and navigation.

In pill mode, when the display screen is totally unfolded, the Zenbook 17 Fold supplies an unlimited 17.3-inch touchscreen to play and work on. It’s a pleasant and vibrant OLED panel, with nice distinction ratios and sufficient pixels to make every little thing look crisp. Whereas there are many different 17-inch laptops on the market, you simply can’t get this measurement within the roomy, productivity-enhancing 4:3 format.

Additionally learn: The most effective foldable telephones you will get in 2022

There’s a crease operating down the center that’s simply noticeable whenever you have a look at it from a aspect, however it largely disappears whenever you view it from the entrance. Your eyes naturally give attention to the image on the display screen, fairly than the delicate distortion from the crease. It’s loads like wanting on the Fold 4, Flip 4, or any of the opposite foldable telephones on the market – the crease merely isn’t an issue.

Sadly, Asus didn’t make the bounce to ultrathin glass, like Samsung did for its foldables. The Zenbook 17 Fold OLED’s cowl layer is manufactured from shiny plastic, which feels much less premium and sturdy than glass. It additionally picks up fingerprints like there’s no tomorrow, which tends to be an issue when you have to repeatedly fold and unfold the display screen.

Whereas you should use the Zenbook 17 Fold as a pill, it’s extra fulfilling to deal with it as a conveyable monitor (or an All-in-One PC). Simply open the kickstand, prop it on a desk, and use the keyboard and/or touchscreen to work together with the display screen such as you would with a desktop laptop.

Asus mentioned the hinge contained in the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is rated for 30,000 open-and-close cycles. Primarily based on the producer’s calculations, that ought to guarantee sturdiness for a minimum of 5 years of common use. Firm representatives did warn that customers ought to deal with the system with care – that is no rugged machine you’ll be able to abuse with out repercussion. It’s not simply the hinge it’s important to fear about both – as we’ve seen with different foldables previously, particles can get lodged beneath the versatile display screen. On account of its sheer measurement, Asus’ foldable laptop computer appears particularly vulnerable to this vulnerability.

Fold down the display screen and also you’ve obtained your self a compact 12.5-inch laptop computer. You may place the bundled wi-fi keyboard on high of the decrease half of the display screen. The system detects it and adapts the UI to solely use the higher half of the show. On this mode, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED behaves like a standard small laptop computer. Alternatively, you should use the system in touchscreen mode. The content material simply “flows” from the vertical half of the display screen to the horizontal half. You may deliver up a digital keyboard to kind, or you’ll be able to scroll by paperwork and internet pages throughout the 2 halves of the display screen. Personally, I discovered this mode clunky, although I can’t deny the usefulness of with the ability to match extra content material on the display screen.

It’s a disgrace that the Zenbook 17 Fold isn’t stylus suitable, because the plastic display screen isn’t robust sufficient to face up to a pointy stylus tip.

Additionally learn: The most effective laptops you should buy in 2022

Design and development: largely good

For such a versatile system (pun meant), it was vital for Asus to get the design and the ergonomics proper. It’s a little bit of combined bag, in my expertise. The Zenbook 17 E-book feels elegant and reassuringly strong within the hand, particularly when it’s folded up and closed. It appears to be like loads like a pleasant leather-bound organizer; I may see an govt whip it out throughout a boardroom assembly. It’s chunky and fairly hefty, at round 1.5kg, however not excessively so, contemplating the 17-inch display screen it homes.

Whereas the construct and design are typically on level, I did spot some flaws. For one, it’s not straightforward to shortly open and unfold the entire contraption. Or a minimum of it wasn’t apparent and intuitive for me, within the temporary time I spent with the system. The kickstand on the again doesn’t encourage confidence both. It’s small and flimsy-looking – it can do the job when utilizing the display screen on a desktop or different flat floor, however it received’t be very steady in a lap or in your sofa.

The Bluetooth keyboard is generously sized or a minimum of as large as you’ll be able to anticipate from a 12-inch type issue. It attaches magnetically to the underside of the pill, however you too can use it as a standalone keyboard. It does endure from a slight flexing problem whenever you place it on high of the decrease half of the display screen.

Total, Asus has performed job bringing the Zenbook 17 Fold up as a ready-to-market shopper product. Simply bear in mind this can be a first-generation, second-of-its-kind system. It’s removed from excellent, similar to Samsung’s authentic Galaxy Fold was flawed in its first iteration.

Dear potential

Trying past its shape-shifting talents, the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is a reliable laptop computer, if not a stellar one. You get an Intel Core i7-1250U CPU, Intel Iris Xe built-in graphics, 1TB of storage, and 16GB of RAM. The efficiency is satisfactory for a content material consumption laptop computer or workplace laptop, however this isn’t an amazing alternative for gaming or video modifying. Battery life is surprisingly strong contemplating the scale of the display screen and the restricted area inside, at about 10 hours. The port choice is meagre – you get two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a headphone jack.

The Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is an expensive piece of apparatus, beginning at $3,500 within the US and €4,000 in Europe. That’s the large worth you’ll must pay to be on the folding fringe of computing, however is it price it? Not likely, a minimum of not for most individuals. I’m pretty positive that Asus doesn’t care about that although, because the Zenbook 17 Fold isn’t a mass-market product. It’s different issues although: a street opener, a imaginative and prescient demonstrator, an announcement of curiosity, and a shot throughout the bow in the direction of the competitors.

The brief time I spent with the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED has satisfied me this type issue has immense potential. Whereas the product itself makes just a few too many sacrifices, particularly for the large worth it instructions, Asus’s foldable laptop computer is undeniably cool. The power to develop a tiny laptop computer into a fantastic large display screen is compelling. All Asus must do now’s refine the thought over just a few generations and produce the worth right down to earth.