Asus' ZenBook 17 Fold OLED is a jumbo foldable tablet and laptop

Asus is getting weird with screens in an entirely new way at CES 2022. The company is known for its line of Duo laptops with a variety of dual-screen setups, but with the ZenBook 17 Fold OLED the company is going all-in on screens — one screen.

The ZenBook Fold is a Dolby Vision compatible 4:3 17.3-inch OLED display that folds into a bit more conventional 3:2 12.5-inch (1,920 x 1,280) one. The new ZenBook supports touch inputs, and Asus plans to include a full-size keyboard and trackpad attachment (the Asus ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard) that can sit on the bottom part of the screen or be used separately as a wireless keyboard.

The entire setup is not unlike the “Horsehoe Bend” foldable concept Intel showed off at CES 2020, which ultimately resulted in the ThinkPad X1 Fold. Or if you want to feel extra sad, Microsoft’s all-but-cancelled Surface Neo.

Asus says the ZenBook 17 Fold OLED will qualify for Intel’s Evo branding, which lines up with the internals the company is promising for the device. The Zenbook 17 Fold will come with 12th Gen Intel Core i7 U-Series processors, use the chip manufacturer’s Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, have two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and support fast charging on its 75W battery (not a bad size to power a giant screen).

Asus hasn’t shared how much the device will ultimately cost — hopefully affordable enough for me to buy — but is targetting a Q2 2022 launch. The device will have to be put through its paces to see if it makes sense for day-to-day use, but Q2 can’t come soon enough. The more weird screens the better, I say.