IFA 2022 – Our first impressions with the Asus ZenBook 17 Fold Oled and its foldable screen

The new format of the ZenBook 17 Fold Oled allows multiple uses: held like a book, flat on a table like a tablet, standing facing you like a screen, or even like a classic laptop PC with a virtual or physical keyboard, since a Bluetooth keyboard accompanies the device.

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Undeniable wow effect

We were able to take control of the device for many minutes. And the least we can write is that the ZenBook 17 Fold Oled provides an undeniable wow effect when we surf a site and scroll through information from the curvature of the screen. After this moment, you have to project yourself to imagine how you would use it in real use. We can actually imagine holding it like a book and scrolling through the pages of an ebook, even if the kilogram and a half of the whole thing is quickly felt. The two uses that seem most relevant to us are in large screen mode, placed in front of you thanks to its crutch, and in classic laptop mode with the Bluetooth keyboard placed on the lower part of the folded screen.

Confusing clutter

Once folded in on itself, the size is surprising: the ZenBook 17 Fold Oled is thick, just over 3.5 cm. The screen sandwiches the keyboard. And if the user does not wish to embed the keyboard, the “folding” of the screen does not change, leaving a gap of approximately one centimeter between the two parts of the screen.

It is above all the density of the whole to which we are not accustomed. Although we have a laptop with a 17-inch screen in our hands, our brain can’t help but see the ZenBook 17 Fold Oled, once folded, like a 12.5-inch thick 3-inch laptop. .5 cm and weighing just over 1.8 kg. Confusing…

The keyboard snaps to the lower part of the screen when the ZenBook 17 Fold Oled is in laptop mode. It is equipped with a USB-C port to recharge its battery – in other words, we would prefer it to be recharged by induction when it is placed on the screen. Another pitfall, the laptop is not backlit; for a product at 4000 €, this is a saving which the manufacturer could have done without.

Regarding the transition to the different modes, if the resizing of the screen when the keyboard is placed on the lower part of the screen takes place almost instantaneously, the transition from portrait mode to landscape mode is still just as slow (between 1 and 2 sec). The fault probably lies with the sensors, but also with Windows, which ensures that the user has not made a false move before changing orientation.

To organize the windows on the Windows Desktop according to the chosen mode, Asus has removed Snaps from Windows 11 for software of its own. This is suddenly much less transparent since a floating icon wanders around the desktop, its use proving frustrating. You never really know which window will end up on the upper part or the lower part. Let’s hope Asus will refine its software before the ZenBook 17 Fold Oled is released.

The slab does not crease

For those worried about the durability of the foldable panel, the technology is similar to that used on smartphones with a plastic film that is particularly prone to reflections. Asus has also ensured the resistance of the panel manufactured by BOE and its hinge with multiple tests. 30,000 opening and closing cycles are thus certified – the manufacturer ensures, however, that its ZenBook 17 Fold Oled greatly exceeds this number of cycles.

For this first iteration of the folding ZenBook (the manufacturer hints that others will follow), a lot of compromises have been made. The magic present in the first minutes of the grip fades in effect little by little.