This year, Asus will launch a 17-inch foldable OLED laptop

Each year, it appears that more firms are experimenting with foldable screen gadgets. In the PC world, the results have been… mixed. However, Asus is known for doing unusual things, particularly with screens. It was just a matter of time before the firm tried its hand at one of these, and now we’re getting our first look at the first iteration. The Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, a 17.3-inch laptop with a foldable OLED screen, has arrived. A clamshell Zenbook 14 OLED is also coming later this year for those looking for a more traditional option.

Apart from the fact that it looks incredibly great, the main advantage of a foldable smartphone is that it makes a larger screen simpler to fit into purses and bags. A 17-inch tablet, no matter how tiny and light it is, may be difficult for many individuals to carry around. You can also use a foldable like this in a variety of ways, including unfolding it and using it as a standard tablet, propping it up with a kickstand, or folding it sideways at a 90-degree angle and using it as a miniature clamshell.

It was one of the things you liked about Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold, which was their attempt at something similar. You appreciated being able to switch between settings depending on what you was doing and where you was standing. Because of its small screen, that gadget proved difficult to operate in clamshell form (it was only a 13.3-incher to begin with). The Zenbook 17 Fold, in theory, should fix that issue: When unfurled, it measures 4:3 17.3 inches by 3:2 12.3 inches by 3:2 12.3 inches by 3:2 12.3 inches by 3:2 12.3 inches by 3:2 12.3 inches by 3:2 12.3 inches by 3:2 12.3 inches by 3:2 12.3 inches by 3:2 That also frees up space for a larger keyboard — my second major gripe with the X1 Fold was its inconveniently small keyboard. (The Zenbook Fold’s comes with the tablet and has a travel of 1.4mm.)

The Zenbook is equipped with Intel Core i7 U-Series CPUs from the 12th generation, as well as up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. It comes with Asus’ “ScreenXpert 2” software (which is also available on the company’s previous dual-screen devices) to let you split and arrange the screen’s contents more simply.

Battery life is often an issue with tiny, high-resolution gadgets (the Fold has a resolution of 2560 x 1920). All those pixels eat up battery life, and a smaller gadget has less space for a huge brick. The X1 Fold was only around for a short time. The Zenbook 17 does, however, include a 75Wh battery (which is quite huge for a device that’s less than half an inch thick and larger than many 13-inch thin and light laptops). Of course, Asus hasn’t given a battery life estimate, but that’s a good metric.

The Zenbook 17 Fold OLED will be released in Q2 2022 at an undetermined price.

This week, Asus unveiled a few additional OLED Zenbooks, including the Zenbook 14 OLED. This is an old-fashioned clamshell 14-inch laptop that might be used for business or education on a daily basis. It comes in a variety of hues, including Aqua Celadon, Ponder Blue, and Jade Black (depending on the processor you choose), and has a lid inspired by “traditional Japanese craftsmanship.”

This Zenbook offers a generous 16:10, 2.8K, 90Hz display (a refresh rate that is becoming more prevalent on OLED laptops but is still uncommon). It’s available with an Intel Core i7 P-series processor or an AMD Ryzen 5000 processor. The audio has been verified by Harmon Kardon, and Asus claims it will meet the requirements of Intel’s Evo programme (which bodes good for battery life in particular).

The Zenbook 14 OLED’s price has yet to be confirmed, however it will be available in Q2 of 2022.