ASUS is one of those companies that aren’t shy about experimenting with form factors and design. The ROG Flow X13 becomes the first 2-in-1 Ultrabook aimed at gamers, followed by the Flow Z13, a powerful Windows gaming tablet that emulates the Microsoft Surface Pro. Now we have the ZenBook 17 Fold OLED, which is a large Windows tablet with a screen that folds right in the middle. It also comes with an ultra-slim Bluetooth keyboard, allowing you to use it in laptop mode or prop it up like a desktop. Looks attractive, right?
However, ZenBook 17 Fold OLED is not a mass market product, but just a proof of concept. This raises the question, does it make sense to spend so much money on a first generation product? Let’s find out.
Design and build
In My First Impressions, I mentioned how the design was inspired by Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold. Yes, the ZenBook 17 Fold OLED isn’t the first foldable hybrid laptop. Lenovo released not one, but two iterations of the X1 Fold. ZenBook 17 Fold OLED actually does what it should. I had no issues with the hinge mechanism while folded, the separate kickstand provides enough support for the tablet to stand upright, and the keyboard even slaps up fairly well with magnets. Thanks to its collapsible form factor, you have multiple ways to use this machine. Apart from laptop mode, you can use it in desktop mode, tablet mode, reader mode, and extended mode. It even comes with a folio case that allows you to carry it around securely.
ASUS has also used premium materials such as aluminum-magnesium alloy, faux leather, and frosted glass that add premium aesthetic value. The device is also certified for military-grade MIL-STD 810H durability, so it can withstand shock, temperature extremes, vibration, moisture, and more. While I think it can certainly take a few hits, I don’t think it can survive in extreme environments. In addition, the hinge has been tested for durability and is said to last at least 30,000 cycles.
Folding it closed makes it quite chunky, and while I appreciate the faux leather for the paper-like feel, it felt out of place when compared to an ultraportable laptop. It has a total weight of 1.8kg (300g for the keyboard) and a thickness of 1.25 inches in clamshell mode. The thickness takes some getting used to, especially in laptop mode. But it’s really hard to ignore that you always have a large 17.3-inch screen at your disposal. This certainly makes it very compact when compared to traditional 17 inch laptops.
Now it’s basically just a tablet, so I/O is very limited. You get two USB-C-based Thunderbolt 4 ports that support display output and power delivery, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. ASUS bundles a USB Type C to Type A adapter in the box, so it can come in handy. You’ll also find the power button, volume rocker, air vents on top and some perforated cuts for the quad-speaker system, which delivers surprisingly good sound. It’s not as good as the iPad Pro, but it’s pretty close.
According to ASUS, the ZenBook 17 Fold OLED is not user serviceable, so you can’t access the internals. It’s worth noting that the only replaceable/upgradable component is the M.2-based NVMe SSD.
Show
The screen is the interface and on paper, it looks pretty good. With a resolution of 2560 x 1920 pixels (at full open), the panel promises to reach up to 500 nits brightness for HDR content, and around 350 nits for general use. It also supports Dolby Vision, covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and has Display HDR True Black 500 certification, PANTONE validation, and a blue light filter for eye protection.
The flexible OLED or F-OLED is manufactured by BOE and features a thin glossy plastic layer on top for protection. Disturbingly, it easily picks up fingerprints, smudges, and dust while also being fully reflective. It also means you can’t use a stylus even though it’s touchscreen and somewhat responsive too. The bezels are noticeably thick but no one can criticize them too much as they are needed to protect the flexible nature of the OLED panel. Since it’s a large 17-inch tablet, the edges also ensure that you get a good grip and also acts as a platform for the Bluetooth keyboard when using the device in laptop mode. The top frame also houses a 5-megapixel webcam that supports 1080p video and infrared for Windows Hello face recognition.
Brightness levels are fine for general indoor use, but I wasn’t really impressed when using it outdoors. The overall colors on the OLED panel look really good and even the contrast looks pleasing especially when watching Dolby Vision content. There are also a large number of display optimization settings available in the MyASUS app and I highly recommend making adjustments to them. Apart from changing the color profile, you can enable or disable the eye protection filter, change the white balance, and much more. ASUS has also taken measures to protect the OLED screen from burn-in issues to increase the lifespan of the panel. The crease in the middle is prominent, but I didn’t find it distracting when the screen was lit up.
Keyboard and trackpad
ZenBook 17 Fold OLED comes with the unique ASUS ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard. It’s one of the thinnest Bluetooth keyboards I’ve seen at just 5.5mm thick. It comes with a built-in trackpad, a power switch, and a USB-C port for charging. Key travel is decent, as is any laptop keyboard, and the battery is said to last about a week. The keyboard can also connect to up to devices, so you can pair it with an additional device like a desktop or iPad. There are two pairs of built-in magnets that allow the keyboard to stick to the bottom of the tablet to transform into a regular laptop-style clamshell.
This all sounds impressive, but there are some issues that need to be addressed. First of all, the keys aren’t backlit, which is understandable given how thin the keyboard is. Basically, when using this device at night, you have to rely on the screen brightness. The magnets that help keep the keyboard in place on the edges are not strong enough which causes the keyboard to wobble when used in laptop mode.
This issue runs deeper as the small gap between the keyboard and screen (which is necessary) results in a mushy typing experience. Finally, the trackpad is defective. It doesn’t register left and right clicks properly and the cursor tends to jump every now and then. There are also latency issues, especially when waking the tablet from sleep. Although, I have to mention that all of these issues feel much less annoying when using the keyboard on a flat desk or table.
In short, it’s a great innovation but poorly executed.
performance and software
Let’s talk about the basic hardware. The tablet comes with a 12th Generation Intel Core i7-1250U processor that features two performance cores, eight efficient cores and an Iris Xe integrated GPU. There is 16GB of DDR5 RAM running at 5200MHz and 1TB of M.2 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD. For wireless connectivity, there is Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.0. This is the only configuration offered by ASUS in India.
The device offers a good performance suitable for daily productivity and media consumption. Unlike more powerful H-series processors, the Core i7-1250U is a lightweight chip with a rated base TDP of 9W that can boost up to 29W. This was pretty much spot on when I tested the device with some benchmarks. For heat, the CPU is cooled using a cold plate with dual copper tubes connected to a single cooling fan. CPU core temperatures peaked at 96°C in my testing, however, average temperatures hovered around 42-45°C. Apart from your daily workloads, the CPU is capable of handling light video and photo editing as well. There is no dedicated GPU, so gaming is a big no. I was barely getting 30fps in Apex Legends when, after a couple of fails, I could barely get it to work. It’s also worth noting that some apps will only run on the entire screen and will crash if you’re using them in half-screen laptop mode only. Some apps resized on their own while others required me to remove and then reconnect the Bluetooth keyboard.
Running Windows 11 out of the box, there aren’t a lot of apps pre-installed except for MyASUS. This is the primary control center where you can access many settings including Power, Performance, Sound, Display, Connectivity, Input Devices, Privacy, and Security. There is also a special tool called ScreenXpert that allows you to quickly stack up to three windows in either landscape or portrait mode. It also provides additional controls such as the ability to turn the camera and microphone on or off, switch between apps when using multiple monitors, and more.
battery life
The battery on the ZenBook 17 Fold OLED is rated at 75Wh and can be charged using a 65W charging module via USB-C. The large screen size results in quite a bit of power consumption, though I found the battery life to be above average. Using Power Efficient Mode and brightness dropped to around 60 percent, I got six and a half hours of use when using the full 17.3-inch screen. Playing a video in an SDR loop resulted in about four hours of battery life. Using just the top half (12.5″) in laptop mode, you can get close to 10 hours.
Rule
In terms of concept, the ZenBook 17 Fold OLED gets all the praise. One can enjoy content on the large 17.3 inch OLED screen and when you are short on space, just hit the keyboard to turn it into a portable laptop. You can even use it as a mini desktop or use the entire screen length in expanded mode. The OLED display is great (if not class-leading), has enough horsepower for everyday tasks, and looks and feels fairly premium.
However, you only realize some inconsistencies when you’ve been using the device for a few days. The glossy finish on the screen feels like a sore thumb, the Bluetooth keyboard needs a complete rework, and switching between modes doesn’t feel smooth. Then there is the price. At a price of Rs 330,000, this first-generation Windows hybrid can only do so much when it comes to basic performance. In my opinion, it may not be worth spending that much.
There’s no doubt that ASUS made an honest effort, but at the end of the day, the ZenBook 17 Fold OLED remains a proof of concept that could become a mass-market product in the years to come.
Editor’s rating: 3.5/5
Positives:
- 17.3 inch large screen
- The f-OLED panel is fairly bright
- Premium materials
- Great speakers
Negatives:
- The keyboard needs improvement
- very expensive
- Average performance