Asus unveils Zenbook 17 Fold, worlds first foldable laptop

There are foldable phones, but imagine a foldable laptop. Stop imagining, because this is exactly what Asus announced during a live streamed event, the groundbreaking Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, the world’s first 17.3-inch foldable OLED laptop.

Asus has unveiled the newest expansion in the expert series lineup of laptops at IFA 2022.

Asus says Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is a response to users’ desires to achieve the ideal balance between mobility and productivity in their modern 24/7 lifestyles.

“ASUS engineers and designers worked seamlessly to create a device that delivers effortless efficiency with a modern minimalist design.

“It eliminates the need to compromise when working in different environments — in the office, at home, while traveling or when relaxing — by elegantly incorporating two screen sizes and multiple usage modes into one highly portable device,” Asus said.

The foldable laptop offers users two sizes of OLED display in one device: a large 4:3 17.3-inch 2.5K touchscreen that folds in the middle to create two seamless 3:2 12.5-inch 1920 by 1280 displays.

When folded fully closed along 180° hinge — tested to withstand over 30 000 open-and-close cycles — it’s an ultra-compact and portable 12.5-inch device smaller than a sheet of photocopier paper.

Multiple versatile usage modes — Desktop, Laptop (with Bluetooth keyboard), Laptop (with virtual keyboard), Tablet, Reader and Extended — are enabled by the folding design in conjunction with the full-size ASUS ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard and touchpad.

Despite its versatility and large screen size, the device weighs just 1.5 kg without the keyboard, or 1.8 kg with it.

For immersive entertainment, the foldable OLED touchscreen — which has a 0.2 ms response time and a 60 Hz refresh rate — is accompanied by a powerful quad-speaker Harman Kardon-certified Dolby Atmos sound system.

Zenbook 17 Fold OLED includes several smart AI-powered features, including user-presence detection using an HD IR camera; an integrated colour sensor for automatic adjustment of screen brightness and colour temperature; and a 5 MP AI webcam with ASUS 3D Noise Reduction (3DNR) technology for clearer video calls.

The laptop features the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1250U processor, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16 GB RAM and a fast 1 TB PCIe SSD.

For connecting to peripherals there are two convenient USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, which support fast charging of the long-lasting 75Wh battery, and connections to external displays.

The new ASUS ErgoSense keyboard and touchpad ensures comfortable, accurate typing, with a desktop-grade 19.05mm key pitch and a long 1.4 mm travel on the dished mechanical keys.

Asus says the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED has been tested to meet the ultra-demanding MIL-STD-810H US military standard for reliability and durability.

“The precision-engineered 180° hinge is also torture-tested, undergoing over 30 000 open-and-close cycles to ensure maximum reliability for total peace of mind. To put this in context, if a user opens and closes the laptop six times per day, this represents a lifespan of over nine years.”

Availability and Pricing

The Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED will retail for R69 999 in South Africa and will be available from Incredible Connection and online via the ASUS online store.

 Local availability is expected in early Q4, but this is subject to change.

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