Folding Computers Are Here

Asus Zenbook 17 Fold Oled (UX9702)

- Zachary Chan

Let's preface this review by saying that this is the most unique PC experience I've had the pleasure of testing.

Specs-wise, the ZenBook 17 Fold sits pretty much in the mainstream productivity notebook category. My unit came with an Intel 12th-gen Core i7-1250U processor, 16GB DDR5 memory, Intel Iris Xe graphics and 1TB SSD. On one hand, it is a 12th-gen Alder Lake i7 processor, but on the other hand, it is a low-powered 9W U-series model. There are benefits to this of course. The ZenBook 17 Fold is whisper quiet, even though it has a fan inside for an active cooling system. Battery life is commendable for day to day use. ASUS claims up to 9.5 hours with its 75Wh battery. I have managed to get through a full 8-hour work day of emails, surfing the web, and (many) lazy YouTube videos in between before the low battery warning prompt came up.

Design-wise, the ZenBook 17 Fold is a notebook with a 17.3-inch foldable OLED display. Image quality is amazing. You’ve got a 2,560 x 1,920 pixel display with a nice 4:3 aspect ratio for productivity work, VESA Display HDR True Black 500 certified, with 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage and is Pantone validated.

The ZenBook 17 Fold on the other hand unfolds into an impressively large, but not unwieldy 17.3-inch tablet, and folds into a compact, yet very usable 12.5-inch notebook.