ASUS on Monday announced the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED — its first-ever 17.3-inch foldable screen — which can be used in several different modes, depending on the requirement of the user. It was developed in collaboration with Intel and BOE.

The company also claims that the folding screen, which is rated military-grade, has been tested about 30,000 times — twice more than the industry standard.

The specifications on the device look quite promising. It runs on an Intel Core i7 processor with 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage. The screen has an OLED display of 2.5K resolution when unfolded and drops to FHD when it is being used as a laptop with the Bluetooth keyboard that comes with the screen.

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Even in bright sunlight, the screen is very sharp and bright. The crease, which is a challenge for most first-generation foldables is barely visible on this one, owing to the design that uses two hinges that help create a seamless fold without any physical interruption.

To help avoid burn-in ASUS has also made sure that the pixels are never stationary for long periods of time, for example by having the pixels rotate every now and then, and even having an anti-burn screensaver. The display also comes with a one-year warranty and two years of extended warranty, which can take care of any issues that a user can face with the device.

The screen is also very lightweight for its size at just 1.5 kg and 1.8 kg with the keyboard.

The concept is interesting. It is not something that we have seen before and is pretty darn good for a first-generation. A challenge that we could see with this device is the lack of integration between the hardware and the software. For instance, Samsung and Google worked in sync for the Galaxy Z devices to have an optimised user interface. That is not the case with ASUS. Even though, the company has taken certain steps like changing orientations and splitting screens with its ScreenXpert, it still has a long way to go. Other than that, it is just a regular screen.

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If we believe that the “fold” is the future, then this is only a sneak peek into what is about to come; if not, then this is just another exciting experiment that the world of tech has blessed us with.

Pre-booking of the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED has started and it will go on sale on November 10 in the country. It retails for Rs 3,29,990 and pre-booking customers can also avail of discounts and offers, bringing the cost significantly down.

A full review to follow soon.

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