ASUS presents folding Windows tablet with 17.3″ OLED screen – Computer – News

ASUS has developed a foldable Windows PC in collaboration with Intel and BOE. The ZenBook 17 Fold OLED looks a lot like a prototype that Intel showed two years ago. When unfolded, the device has a 17.3″ screen with 4:3 ratio.

The resolution of the OLED screen is 2560×1920 pixels and the panel comes from the Chinese manufacturer BOE. According to ASUS, the device can be used in a variety of ways. For example as a laptop, by folding up half of the screen and using the bottom half as a virtual keyboard. The workspace then corresponds to a 12.5″ screen with a 3:2 ratio and a resolution of 1920×1280 pixels.

ASUS also includes a physical keyboard that is just as wide as the tablet. This accessory can be placed on the bottom half of the screen and has magnets so that it stays in place. The connection is via bluetooth. The keys have 1.4mm travel and 0.2mm deep dimples. Inside the tablet is a twelfth generation Intel U-series processor. The maximum is the Core i7-1250U, combined with 16GB of ram. The device has a 75Wh battery and a weight of 1.6kg. In combination with the keyboard, that is about 2 kg.

The screen edge contains a webcam with a 5-megapixel sensor and the tablet also has a color sensor to adjust the color reproduction and the brightness of the screen to the ambient light. In addition, there is an infrared camera in the tablet, which can be used for logging in with Windows Hello.

When unfolded, the device is 8.7 mm thick and when closed it is 17.4 mm. ASUS says the hinge has been tested to open and close 30,000 times. ASUS did not provide extensive technical details about the construction of the hinge and the fold in the announcement.

The ZenBook 17 Fold is very similar to Intels Horseshoe Bend concept, which Intel showed two years ago as a prototype at the CES fair. Intel already indicated at the time that it would not release this device itself, but that other manufacturers could do this. ASUS was also possibly involved in that concept at the time and the same screen was used.

Intel Horseshoe Bend prototype shown two years ago at CES 2020

Foldable Windows tablets are not new. at CES 2020, Dell also showed concepts of such devices and Lenovo introduced its ThinkPad X1 Fold with 13.3″ screen, which has actually appeared on the market. That device was released in March last year for about 3300 euros and is currently in the Pricewatch for about 2400 euros.

ASUS is demonstrating the ZenBook 17 Fold OLED at CES and says the device will hit the market around May. It is not yet known whether the tablet will also be released in the Netherlands and Belgium. The manufacturer has not yet announced a suggested retail price.

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