Every year, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas brings us all sorts of new laptop designs, and CES 2022 is no different. We already saw plenty of new computers coming out of the show, including a few novel ideas from Lenovo and Asus. The former came up with a dual-screen laptop this year, while the latter delivered a Surface-like gaming tablet. But Asus also has a brand new Zenbook device some people might find attractive, a 17-inch foldable laptop called Zenbook 17 Fold OLED.
Asus foldable laptop price and release date
The 17-inch Asus foldable laptop isn’t the industry’s first such device. It’s Lenovo that came up with the world’s first foldable laptop a few years ago, the ThinkPad X1 Fold. Unlike foldable phones, foldable laptop design is more challenging.
As you might see in these images, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED seems to be made of two halves. There doesn’t seem to be a hinge similar to what you’d expect from a foldable phone. Instead, the foldable laptop might feature a more traditional laptop hinge. It’s unclear from the announcement, however.
The foldable OLED screen seems to sit on a thin screen assembly that’s somewhat exposed on the edges in the middle of the screen, where the hinge would offer protection.
Also, the top image shows that the 17-inch foldable laptop folds away in such a manner to leave a wide gap between the two display sides. That’s where you’ll fit the built-in keyboard that ships with the foldable shipping.
We’re in the early days of foldable technology. That’s why durability concerns will always emerge when talking about devices like the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED. But there is an obvious appeal for such a notebook. The laptop offers a large 17-inch display to people who need as much real estate as possible. But the Asus foldable laptop folds away into a more compact device that might be easier to lug around.
Speaking of delivery, Asus did not mention a release date or a price. The 17-inch foldable laptop will be available in the second quarter of 2022, the company said.
Zenbook 17 Fold OLED specs
When it comes to specs, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED will deliver hardware on par with what you’ll expect from 2022 notebooks. The laptop is Intel Evo certified. That means it should support instant wake and offer great battery life with fast charging support. Also, it should be fast and responsive.
The Asus foldable laptop rocks the latest 12th-gen Intel Core i7 U-series processor and an Intel Iris X graphics card. The notebook packs a 75Wh battery and two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports. Asus did not provide a battery estimate for the device, however.
The foldable screen is the Asus laptop’s main attraction. Asus says that the OLED screen measures 17.3 inches. This gives you a large touchscreen HDR tablet when completely unfolded. The display features a 4:3 aspect ratio and 2.5K resolution in this mode.
Or you can place it on a desk with the help of a built-in stand. In this scenario, you’ll have to use the Asus ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard that comes with the laptop.
Finally, you can fold it in a clamshell mode. You end up with two 3:2 12.5-inch touchscreen displays with 1920 x 1080 resolution. The bottom part of the screen will act as a touch keyboard in this position.
The foldable laptop screen is Pantone-validated, Asus says. Moreover, the laptop display is TUV Rheinland-certified for eye care, and supports 100% DCI-P3 gamut.
Other Zenbook 17 Fold OLED features include an HD IR camera for Windows Hello functionality, a 5-megapixel webcam, quad-speaker Harman Kardon-certified speaker system, and Dolby Atmos support.
