Verdict
The Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is an extraordinary foldaway equipment , offering the advantages of both a clamshell laptop and giant 17 - column inch tablet . But with plenty of crude edges , including a lusterless barrage fire life , it ’s difficult to absolve spending so much money unless you ’re a wealthy tech enthusiast .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Foldable speech sound are the young red-hot issue of the technical school globe , allowing you to bend the screen to make your phone more pocketable . Not want to miss out on this new folding fad , Asus has launched a novel foldable laptop .
When folded monotonic , it resemble a huge 17 - column inch pad . But bend the sieve up at 90 - degree angle , and it will resemble a more conventional grapple laptop computer . Asus even bundle a Bluetooth keyboard that sits atop the bottom screen , so a passer - by would well acquire this is just an average laptop computer .
With such versatility , this is one of my favourite takes on the 2 - in-1 laptop pattern yet , proving more functional than a 360 - point hinge , and at a peachy scale than tablets with a detachable keyboard like theSurface Pro .
As impressive as the foldable engineering is , this laptop is n’t without its faults . Asus warn that the charge plate screen is susceptible to scratches , while the cost to make such a laptop computer is astronomically in high spirits – so much so that it ’s unmanageable to recommend to anyone who is n’t a technology partisan wealthy with hard cash .
But even those who ca n’t give the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED should take interest in this folding laptop , as if the price comes down in the future tense , I can see this form factor finally becoming a popular option .
Design
When fold matted , the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED looks like a massive 17 - inch tablet . In fact , it ’s so large and heavy ( at 1.5 kilogram ) that you likely wo n’t be capable to use it like a traditional tab for the immense majority of sentence .
I can still admit in two hands and see Netflix without causing my hand or arm to ache , but it ’s not an ideal experience compared to the likes of theiPad .
as luck would have it , the Zenbook 17 Fold is n’t just a pad of paper , as its standout feature film is the power to flex into a 90 - degree slant , take the manakin of a clamshell laptop . This is only the second mainstream laptop ( behind theLenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold ) to reach such a feat , so it has the wow divisor that can steal the gaze of an entire spot .
Like with any foldaway , the Zenbook 17 Fold suffers from ruckle . see the twist at an angle , and you ’ll see ugly crease gull powerful down the centre . as luck would have it , they ’re not seeable when viewing the screen straight on , but could become an issue if multiple people are attempting to watch a movie .
Placing the bundled Bluetooth keyboard onto the bottom half of the screen will make the Fold look like a generic laptop computer – and admittedly , not a great looking one due to the chunky ignominious bezel .
But what the Fold lacks in looks , it score up for with functionality . The equipment will instantly recognise that you ’ve activate laptop mode , and so will swop Windows 11 consequently so your app or web web browser windowpane is displayed in the top one-half of the screen . take the keyboard , and it will flick over to tablet mode just as quickly .
The downside of laptop mode is that you ’re left with a 12.5 - inch screenland , which is middling small . You in general only get budget - favorable laptops this tiny , such asMicrosoft ’s Surface Laptop Go 2 .
I in person preferred to fold out the laptop computer flat , and then prop it up with its rear kickstand . This way , I was capable to benefit from a huge 17 - inch screen and still keep on typewrite with the Bluetooth keyboard . But that ’s the point of the Fold , as it provides many unlike way to work , and you may flip between them seamlessly .
But there are nonaged issues with hold a Bluetooth keyboard or else of an integrated one . first , the keystrokes are n’t quite as inscrutable , lacking those firm , clicky presses that are so satisfying when type up an essay . You also have to be mindful of the battery life , as you need to shoot down up both devices severally which can be a faff .
The keyboard would occasionally disconnect from the gadget too , especially when waken the Fold . boot the keyboard would almost always figure out the issue , but it ’s still plaguey . That say , I still found the keyboard to be absolutely usable for typing up this review . The trackpad is still and responsive too , so I have no complaints in that department .
There are n’t a nifty number of embrasure on the Fold 17 . You get 2x USB - snow ( Thunderbolt 4 ) connexion , as well as a earpiece jack – that ’s it . Asus at least provides a USB - C to USB - A dongle in the corner , but that ’s not a commodious selection for those who want to use this gimmick on the go . compare to other laptops , especially at this cost , the porthole option is poor .
There ’s unspoiled news show on the webcam front , as Asus has include a 5MP sensing element . I was pleasantly surprised by the capture calibre , with burnished punchy colours and sharp item . It ’s one of the good webcams on a laptop I ’ve see in old age . It ’s integrated into the top bezel when the machine is in clamshell laptop computer mode . But if you ’re using it in pad of paper mode the sensor will instead be found on the left edge , which is a flyspeck act awkward .
You ’ll also find speakers on the twist ’s boundary , which are up to of loud and detailed audio . I was perfectly happy to use the Fold ’s speakers when watching motion picture , or even cool out to Spotify playlists .
And once you ’re finished using the machine , you may close up it up like a Word of God , even with the keyboard still in topographic point . This makes it easier to carry around than a standard lozenge , and can easily slip into a small-scale bag .
Screen
As its name implies , the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold organic light-emitting diode sport a 17 - column inch OLED screen , and it ’s a dish . Thanks to theOLEDtechnology , colours look vibrant and there ’s everlasting contrast here to ensure bright object tolerate out well from morose backcloth .
I really enjoyed propping up this gimmick into the 17 - inch tablet mood , and putting on an episode of Better Call Saul or Bob ’s Burgers . It feel like I ’m carrying around a mini OLED TV rather than a laptop . The 4:3 aspect ratio is a little ill at ease for watching movies though , as it often results in lumpy black bar sandwich the picture .
The resolution come in at 2560 x 1920 , which will be discriminating enough for most people . you may of course get far better pixel density from 4 K display and the like , but I personally would n’t want to pay off even more for this gimmick , or impact the barrage fire life further .
I also used a colorimter to gather information on the quality of the screen . I recorded a soap light of 339 nits , which is perfectly fine albeit a little dimmer than some of the likewise price competition . Asus has add together in a cagey feature that automatically blur the screen luminousness when you ’re looking away from the screen . It ’s a impertinent elbow room to maximise barrage lifetime , but I could n’t find a way to deactivate it which is a little annoying .
Contrast is incredible thanks to the OLED panel , while the 99.8 % sRGB and 97 % DCI - P3 reporting mean it can present colour accurately enough for originative professional .
The Fold is a touch screen too , earmark you to use it like a pad of paper . It technically supports a stylus , although Asus is n’t promoting that as it ’s worry the pointy nib could potentially do scratches since the blind is so delicate .
Worried about the screenland snapping in half after too many flock ? Asus claims the flexible joint can comfortably hold up 30,000 cycles , although I have n’t had the time to test that .
Performance
Despite the extravagant intent and price , the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold organic light-emitting diode has a canonical processor execute the show : the Intel Core i7 - 1250U.
This U - Series Intel chip is n’t quite as powerful as its P - Series cousins , which mean laptops such as theDell XPS 13 Plus , LG Gram 16 ( 2022)and Acer Swift X all feature a rapid performance , despite being available for half the Mary Leontyne Price . If stop number is a antecedence , then the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is not for you .
It ’s utterly fine for solar day - to - day consumption though . When browsing the web , watching Netflix and flow multiple apps such as Spotify , I never notice any slowdown . You ’ll only notice performance issues when dole out with heavier workloads such as exposure / telecasting redaction , especially since the Fold lack a discrete GPU .
I have more headache in terms of software . Windows 11 is a full-grown upgrade on Windows 10 for touchscreen navigation , but it ’s still lagging behind Android and iPadOS . Windows menus are too low for prodding and swiping , especially if you want to shrink from with the background .
Asus has tried to improve this aspect via the ScreenXpert app , which can be opened by press the small picture on the side . ScreenXpert enables you to rapidly adjust the landscape style or even switch between all of the open apps . But it still does n’t make up for Windows ’ shortcoming .
The Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED camp a 1 TB SSD , which our bench mark tests show to have read and write speeds of 6,887MB / s and 5,069MB / s severally . Those are fantastic speeds , which should improve the functioning when booting up the machine or hatchway up an installed app .
Battery life
After reviewing countless laptop computer over the long time , I ’ve start up to observe several ruddy flags that generally result in poor battery life . The Asus Zenbook 17 Fold organic light-emitting diode has three of these red iris : an OLED filmdom , large showing with high resolve and a slender blueprint .
As a result , it was n’t a corking surprise to see the crimp achieve poor bombardment life results . When curl video on YouTube with 150 - nit sieve brightness , the folding laptop was only able to last 6 hour and 30 minutes in clamshell laptop way .
I also made sure to test the gadget in tablet mode , since experience the full screen active will predictably see the battery life drained even quicker . My premise turned out to be true , with the machine struggle to even shoot the six - 60 minutes mark .
That ’s a poor result whether you compare the crimp to either rival laptop computer or tablet . I can understand why that ’s the case , as fit a respectable battery inside a foldable gimmick is always go to be difficult , while the vast OLED blind will inevitably be a monolithic tycoon drain .
But that does n’t exchange the fact that it ’s difficult justifying over $ 3000/£3000 on a portable personal computer when it wo n’t even be capable to outlast the working day on a single charge . When using this gimmick , I constantly found myself throw to lodge up either the keyboard or Fold , which can be restrictive .
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Should you buy it?
The folding screen makes the Asus Zenbook 17 fold up OLED one of the most versatile 2 - in-1 laptops I ’ve ever tested . It can be used as either a traditional clamshell laptop computer , or even a 17 - inch OLED tablet which is handy for look on movies .
The biggest exit with the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold is that it ’s absurdly expensive . You wo n’t find good value for money here , and it is only really worthwhile if you ’re a tech enthusiast who ’s flush with cash .
Final Thoughts
The Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is a heavy example of why foldaway laptops can be a success . The various design allows for oodles of different use shell , furnish the fringe benefit of both a stocky radical - portable laptop computer and a large 17 - column inch OLED lozenge .
However , the astronomical price puts the Fold out of reach for the vast legal age of buyers . Laptops generally only be this much if they offer a professional or play - grade carrying out , but that ’s not the case here .
Asus has been forced to up the price to countervail the high production cost of the foldaway screen , but the added versatility that the Fold provides fails to excuse the price . You ’re arguably better off opting for aMacBook Air(£1249 ) and12.9 - inch iPad Pro(£999 ) as the combine cost would still undersell the £ 3299.99 Zenbook Fold .
But while the current Mary Leontyne Price means the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is only worthwhile for loaded tech fancier , it ’s still an exciting indicator of what ’s to come for folding laptops .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop we review go through a series of uniform checks designed to guess key thing including build quality , performance , screen lineament and battery life story .
These include formal synthetical benchmarks and written tests , plus a series of real - world checks , such as how well it runs democratic apps .
FAQs
A foldable laptop computer has a compromising screen , allow for you to bend it upward at a 90 - degree angle to take a grapple laptop sort .
Yes , it comes bundled with a Bluetooth keyboard .
