While the foldable laptop scene was mainly ignited by Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold, ASUS is officially challenging them by showcasing the new Zenbook 17 Fold OLED.
In order to make this thing intuitive and user-friendly, ASUS worked real close with Intel and Microsoft to create the world’s first 17.3-inch foldable OLED laptop with Intel Evo certification so it is ready for business and casual use alike (But I don’t see a casual user just blow 15k out of the water but I digress).
The main part of the device is none other than the 4:3 17.3-inch 2.5K touchscreen that can be folded to create two-sided 3:2 12.5-inch FHD partitions. Although only with a 60Hz refresh rate and 0.2ms response time, the visuals are maintained at the top-notch with 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, Dolby Vision, and is PANTONE Validated. Tested to withstand more than 30,000 cycles of folding and unfolding with no degradation, you may use this thing in any mode you want – Desktop, Laptop with virtual keyboard, Tablet, Reader, and Extended – and feel free to drag windows around and see the magic of auto-snapping at its finest.
Computing parts-wise, the chassis hosts an Intel Core i7-1250U with Iris Xe Graphics while the memory capacities are 16GB RAM and 1TB PCIe SSD. Users will be daisy-chaining peripherals and external devices with ease thanks to the two Thunderbolt 4 ports which can provide charging at 75W.
Notable features include a set of Harman Kardon speakers with Dolby Atmos support, a 5MP AI webcam with IR sensor and 3DNR technology for clear calls and Windows Hello authentication.
To make sure everything is getting refreshed along the way, the new ErgoSense keyboard will be offering a better typing experience with extra comfort because of the 19.05mm key pitch with 1.4mm key travel mimicking the specs of a typical mechanical switch, at the very least on paper. The trackpad is also part of the keyboard as well for easy access.
Price and Availability
Coming at a whopping price of RM14,999 (mainly due to the heavy tech tax on the foldable screen I guess), the ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED will enter the Malaysia market around Q4 2022.
