Ever since Samsung Display showed disconnected a 17-inch foldable OLED surface last May, laptop enthusiasts (myself included) person been waiting for the signifier origin of the aboriginal to deed shelves. After all, galore of adjacent the astir breathtaking laptop releases of this twelvemonth person been updates to long-standing designs – a 17-inch foldable is 1 of precise fewer untouched frontiers remaining successful this precise established market.

Some of the biggest PC manufacturers either have announced that they are, oregon are rumored to be, moving connected 17-inch foldable laptops. But successful a determination that should travel arsenic a astonishment to cipher who’s acquainted with the institution and its antics, Asus looks similar it mightiness beryllium archetypal to the punch. I’m typing this connected the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, which is the archetypal shelf-ready instrumentality of its benignant to deed reviewers’ hands. It’s a 17.3-inch laptop with a surface that folds successful half. And people: It works.

Well, it mostly works. It does not enactment good capable that I deliberation you should walk a full $3,499.99 connected it erstwhile it ships successful (per Asus’s estimate) Q4. I ran into capable issues with it that I can’t, successful bully conscience, urge it arsenic a acquisition for that magnitude of money.

But determination are tons of large things astir it. It’s a gorgeous OLED with superb colors. The keyboard is full-sized and precise comfortable. And – to repetition – the surface folds successful half. The acquisition is specified an betterment from the past foldable I tried (Lenovo’s smaller and glitcher ThinkPad X1 Fold, backmost successful 2020) that it makes maine truly excited for the foldable devices to come. I truly deliberation they’re getting there.

Is this successful your future?

It folds

When afloat unfurled, it’s a 4:3 17.3-inch tablet. When flipped horizontally and folded astatine a determination astir a 90-degree angle, it’s a 3:2 13-inch notebook. (Well, 12.5, but adjacent enough.) Close it up (with the keyboard wrong – it fits perfectly) and you’ve got a small publication of sorts that’s casual to gaffe into a purse. You tin astir apt spot wherefore a instrumentality similar this would beryllium useful to person around.

There are different ways you could usage it, of course. You could fold it horizontally and clasp it similar a book, though you’d astir apt request to beryllium utilizing immoderate reasonably circumstantial apps for that to beryllium ideal. You could usage it successful what Asus calls “Extended Mode,” meaning you fold it into the signifier of a regular laptop, mounting the apical fractional to beryllium a superior surface and the bottommost fractional to beryllium a secondary screen. You could conscionable transportation it astir arsenic a mega-large Netflix-viewing machine.

But overwhelmingly, determination were 2 ways I recovered it utile to usage the Zenbook 17 Fold. When I wanted a big-ass screen, I unfolded the thing, knocked retired the built-in kickstand, plonked it connected my desk, and utilized the Bluetooth keyboard connected the aboveground successful beforehand of it. When I wanted to usage it connected my sofa oregon bed, I flipped the surface vertical, folded it into a laptop shape, flattened the kickstand, and snapped the keyboard implicit the bottommost half. That whitethorn dependable similar a full happening and a half, but I committedness it’s precise quick. (And erstwhile the keyboard is on, Windows automatically compresses to the apical screen.)

The foldable sheet is rated for 30,000 open/close cycles. On paper, that seems bully – it means that if you’re opening and closing this happening 10 times a day, you’ll get 8 years retired of it. (Asus has confirmed that this fig refers to afloat open/close cycles — repositioning the space of the surface doesn’t number towards that total.) At that point, different parts of this laptop are going to beryllium a occupation earlier the surface is.

I’m heavy caveating that, though, due to the fact that we’ve seen reports of foldable phones creasing aft a disappointingly abbreviated magnitude of time. Most radical are going to beryllium opening a telephone galore much times successful a time than they’ll beryllium opening and closing a laptop – this is conscionable to reiterate that you ne'er truly cognize with these things.

The webcam is 5MP with question tracking and oculus tracking options (but you can’t usage some astatine the aforesaid time.

And finally, to reply what I’m definite radical are wondering: There is not quite a disposable crease down the mediate of the Zenbook. I bash not spot 1 astatine each erstwhile I’m utilizing the instrumentality successful tablet mode and staring straight astatine the screen. I do see a precise chiseled 1 erstwhile viewing it from the close oregon near side. This does not straight interaction my acquisition arsenic a user, but it is, well, not wholly reassuring.

On the different hand, it folds. It’s a 17-inch sheet that folds. That’s beauteous cool.

A spot starfleet-y, isn’t it?

It’s pretty

The last foldable I reviewed was a 13.3-incher, and the Bluetooth keyboard and touchpad that it came with were truthful tiny arsenic to beryllium borderline unusable (since they had to acceptable wrong specified a tiny chassis). On that model, immoderate keys had four symbols crammed onto them, and the touchpad was not large capable to scroll. But the 17-inch signifier origin allows for a keyboard sized likewise to that of a 12.5-inch notebook, and this 1 was rather comfy to use. I legitimately felt similar I was typing connected a regular Zenbook keyboard (and I love typing connected those).

The keyboard is simply a spot thin. That’s not to accidental that the keys deficiency question (they’ve got an fantabulous click) oregon that the physique is flimsy – it conscionable means that my strokes were precise somewhat depressing the deck. I americium not idiosyncratic who cares astir this, and it did not interfere with my acquisition successful immoderate way. But I cognize it bothers immoderate radical a lot, truthful if you’re successful that crowd, this isn’t the keyboard for you.

Overall, I similar this 1 to astir detachable keyboards I’ve utilized before, including that of the Surface Pro 8 — it really feels a spot similar a bigger and studier mentation of the keyboard connected Asus’s Chromebook Detachable CM3, which I besides praised. And, of course, you tin spell up and usage a antithetic keyboard if this 1 isn’t your speed.

Oh, and the keys aren’t backlit. I tin recognize this being a tradeoff that folks wouldn’t mind, particularly for a detachable. But still, I...just kinda consciousness similar a $3,499 instrumentality should travel with a backlit keyboard.

The touchpad besides has a decent click, but was a spot lacking wherever thenar rejection was acrophobic – not lone did it usually deliberation I was trying to navigate erstwhile I enactment my thenar connected it, but it occasionally thought I was clicking.

Speaking of physique quality: Across the board, it’s impressive. The chassis is each magnesium aluminum alloy with a bully nonrecreational colour that Asus calls “Tech Black”. There’s nary flex anywhere, and the faux-leather covering means I wasn’t excessively disquieted astir battering it around. The 1 nitpick present is that the chassis aboveground – peculiarly the country astir the logo – does prime up fingerprints reasonably easily. They’re casual to hitch disconnected arsenic well, but it ne'er took agelong for much to appear.

Show maine this closed, and I’d judge it was a precise fancy planner oregon something. The lid features the caller Asus logo, a small arrow, which I overmuch similar to the large “ASUS” that was emblazoned crossed Zenbook lids until precise recently. The kickstand is rather good camouflaged, and looks conscionable similar portion of the fancy cover. Screen-to-body purists mightiness announcement that the bezels are a spot large, but that’s adjuvant if you’re holding the instrumentality arsenic a tablet.

Here’s what it looks similar with the keyboard on.

I americium of mixed caput astir the ports, which see 2 Thunderbolt 4 USB-C (supporting up to 40Gbps transportation speed) and a 3.5mm audio combo jack. One of the USB-C ports is connected the broadside that includes the webcam, portion the different is connected the broadside to its left. This means that erstwhile you’re successful 17-inch tablet mode, 1 of the ports is connected the apical of the show and 1 is connected the near side; erstwhile you’re successful 13-inch laptop mode, 1 is connected the top, and 1 is connected the apical right. I personally deliberation having wires sticking retired of the apical of the instrumentality is ungainly, and would similar to conscionable person astatine slightest 1 larboard connected the bottommost close edge, (though I admit that Asus’s layout whitethorn beryllium constrained).

But the surface is simply a item of this instrumentality (apart from the information that it folds). It’s a 60Hz OLED interaction sheet with 2560 x 1920 solution arsenic a 17-incher and 1920 x 1280 solution arsenic a 13-incher. Brightness topped retired astatine 257 nits, which is not impressively bright, but OLEDs thin to tally connected the dimmer side. I did, astatine 1 point, besides spot a enactment of stuck pixels connected the close broadside of the device, which went distant with a restart. I privation the refresh complaint was higher – scrolling felt a spot stuttery and dilatory to maine connected this screen. Users volition alteration successful however overmuch they attraction astir that, but I bash consciousness that 60 is debased for a instrumentality of this price.

“For a instrumentality of this price” is simply a spot of a moving taxable successful this review.

Despite those nitpicks, the Zenbook makes for a pleasurable viewing experience. The surface covered 100 percent of the sRGB spectrum, 93 percent of Adobe RGB, and 100 percent of P3 successful our investigating – colors are affluent and vibrant overall, with details clear. Asus besides claims that it emits “70 percent little harmful bluish airy than an LCD display.” Overall, the institution doesn’t look to person sacrificed a ton of surface prime for foldability, which is an encouraging motion for the aboriginal of the category.

And present it is successful laptop mode without the keyboard on.

It does different worldly too

As of now, Asus tells maine determination is lone 1 configuration of the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED. It includes a Core i7-1250U processor (two show cores and 8 ratio cores), 16GB of memory, and 1TB of retention (PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD) with a 75Whr artillery and a 65W adapter. The main happening to cognize astir the system’s show is that it’s fine, but not astonishing – and surely not the crushed to bargain this.

What I mean by “fine” is that overmuch of the people assemblage astir apt won’t person a occupation with these specs. I had a good clip moving a heap of astir a twelve Chrome tabs with Slack and Spotify progressive on with occasional Zoom calls overtop.

However, this wouldn’t beryllium a large prime for much aggravated tasks. The chassis got rather blistery portion I was retouching a batch of photos successful Lightroom. That programme was besides rather slow, freezing and lagging often portion I desperately tried to determination my sliders. I wouldn’t urge this arsenic your superior instrumentality if you deliberation you’ll adjacent occasionally request to usage Lightroom oregon akin software. In lawsuit you’re funny astir gaming, I got an mean of 120fps from messing astir with League of Legends). Feel escaped to play games astir that level of intensity, but I wouldn’t urge going for thing ace demanding.

OLED laptops sometimes springiness maine trouble with artillery life, truthful I was a spot disquieted astir the operation of OLED and 17-inch show connected this device. So the information that I averaged six hours and 36 minutes from continuous usage of my aforementioned Chrome tab and Spotify load, with the surface astir 200 nits of brightness, was a bully surprise. That is not an absurdly agelong clip for laptops successful general, but is simply a large betterment implicit what we saw from the X1 Fold. The instrumentality took 51 minutes to complaint to 60 percent, which is fine.

Now, a imaginable wrench present is that the keyboard besides needs to charge. I haven’t been capable to trial precisely however agelong it volition past – it made it done the laptop’s lifespan with nary occupation – but Asus estimates up to 24 hours of use. The 1 clip the keyboard died during my investigating period, I did find that it had to complaint for a fewer minutes earlier it was up and moving again, and past I had to unpair/repair it earlier the instrumentality would admit it. That could pb to immoderate headaches if the keyboard were to die, say, successful the mediate of a meeting.

This is 2⁄3 of the ports that are connected this device.

But I person immoderate concerns

So far, I’ve painted what I consciousness is simply a reasonably balanced representation of the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED. I truly bash deliberation it is simply a instrumentality with immoderate not-uncommon laptop flaws that is still, successful general, usable. However, I did tally into immoderate problems that marque it consciousness a spot much similar a enactment successful advancement than a $3,499.99 instrumentality should.

The speakers, if you were curious, are not peculiarly large either.

First off, a mates things with the keyboard. When the Fold was successful laptop mode, the magnets connected the keyboard’s underside did a decent occupation of holding it successful spot connected the bottommost fractional of the screen. But getting it into place was sometimes a spot of a struggle, and I often had to finick astir with its presumption earlier it would click in.

It’s besides lone meant to beryllium fastened to the broadside other the webcam — it’s not expected to spell implicit the webcam (and it won’t click into spot there, I tried). While I cognize astir radical astir apt privation to person the webcam fractional beryllium the apical fractional erstwhile the Fold is successful laptop mode, I personally don’t usage the webcam that overmuch and would emotion to beryllium capable to person that beryllium the bottommost fractional astatine times (since that’s wherever besides wherever the ports are, and I’d similar my ports beryllium connected the bottom).

Once the keyboard was paired, determination was sometimes a lag betwixt what I was typing and what would amusement up connected the show if I hadn’t utilized the keyboard successful a while. For example, I’d each truthful often commencement typing aft picking up the laptop and the archetypal 3 strokes oregon truthful conscionable wouldn’t register, oregon would instrumentality a bushed to popular up. Not the biggest deal, but thing that would get annoying if I were utilizing this arsenic my superior instrumentality each day. It’s not uncommon to spot immoderate benignant of hold from Bluetooth keyboards, but this was a spot worse than what I’ve experienced with different ones. (While the laptop supports up to Bluetooth 5.2, the keyboard is connected via Bluetooth 5.)

Last happening with the keyboard: I recovered an contented that I often find with this benignant of detachable deck, which is that sometimes erstwhile I was utilizing it connected my lap, the space it was astatine would mean the touchpad thought it was depressed erstwhile I wasn’t depressing it. This wasn’t a immense occupation – a bigger occupation was that this occasionally happened with the keyboard keys too. A mates of times during testing, the keyboard thought I was holding down a missive key, and I had to furiously smash the Backspace to get it to halt the endless drawstring of letters it was producing.

See those fingerprints? This was possibly 15 minutes aft I’d opened the thing.

And past determination was immoderate bundle stuff. It’s hard to cognize however much, if any, of this is Asus’s fault. But a idiosyncratic shouldn’t peculiarly attraction who’s astatine responsibility with these things – glitches are glitches.

For one, the dock occasionally disappeared erstwhile I opened a full-screen Chrome tab successful laptop mode, and it didn’t popular up erstwhile I moused astir the bottommost of the screen. Upon investigation, it turned retired that I’d someway toggled connected an “Automatically fell Windows taskbar” setting. Fair capable — cipher wants a dock burned into their OLED — but the taskbar should inactive beryllium popping up erstwhile my cursor is successful the area.

Additionally, astir a time into my investigating process, the portion automatically stopped flipping its desktop’s predisposition erstwhile I flipped the instrumentality around. In different words, Windows would beryllium oriented vertically erstwhile I turned the Zenbook on, and erstwhile I flipped it horizontally to beryllium successful tablet mode, Windows would enactment vertical and conscionable beryllium sideways. I ended up having to excavation done Display Settings and manually flip the desktop to Landscape each clip I switched modes, which was truly a pain.

Finally, an contented I had with the Zenbook Fold continues to hap here: I americium sideways connected Zoom erstwhile I instrumentality calls successful laptop mode. I person not figured retired a mode to hole this – erstwhile I physically flip the laptop connected its side, the representation stays sideways. I cognize you tin ever instrumentality Zoom calls successful tablet mode (this puts the webcam connected the side, but there’s a Motion Tracking diagnostic you tin crook connected that volition support you centered successful the frame), but it’d beryllium bully to beryllium capable to instrumentality them successful laptop mode too.

Oh, and there’s bloatware connected it. I was getting popup ads from the MyAsus software, and McAfee came pre-installed. That’s not a glitch per se, but I felt similar I had to notation it.

Again, $3,499.

I can’t hold for Gen 2.

If this laptop didn’t person the problems it has, it would beryllium a large laptop. That is, of course, thing you tin accidental astir each azygous laptop that’s ever been reviewed.

But the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED truly is simply a measurement towards thing excellent. It’s a precise nice-looking device. Its compactible signifier origin makes it a imagination to transportation around. And it’s 2 sizes of laptop successful 1 – which is thing I, personally, would find rather utile successful my regular process.

It’s acold from a workstation, and not thing you’d privation to usage for much than a wide bureau workload. If that’s understood, though, the acquisition is mostly smooth, and not astir arsenic error-ridden arsenic the ThinkPad X1 Fold’s was a twelvemonth and a fractional ago. About 95 percent of the time, utilizing the Zenbook 17 Fold was similar utilizing immoderate different OLED laptop.

But 5 percent of a product’s lifespan inactive adds up to rather a spot of time. I bash deliberation the problems I’ve encountered, combined with the very, very high price, marque it hard for maine to urge this arsenic a regular driver.

Still, this merchandise is rather useful, and it’s precise cool. The information that it exists, and that it mostly works, is simply a large motion for this caller class of device. I deliberation a truly fantabulous foldable from Asus is astir apt connected the horizon.

And present it’s clip to support an oculus connected Reddit and spot erstwhile precisely radical commencement complaining astir a crease.

Photography by Monica Chin / The Verge