The Asus Zenbook 17 Fold is a laptop that folds up like a tablet, offering a unique and versatile computing experience. The device's ability to fold and unfold allows it to function as both a traditional laptop and a compact tablet. While some may view this feature as gimmicky, the Zenbook 17 Fold is actually quite practical and offers several distinct modes of use.
In Laptop Mode, the Zenbook 17 Fold can be used like a traditional laptop, with a virtual keyboard that provides ample typing space. However, if you prefer real buttons, the device comes equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, allowing users to attach their own external keyboard. This setup results in half the screen being covered by the keyboard, but it still offers excellent keys with plenty of key travel and a smooth typing experience.
For those who want to use the entire screen for work or presentations, the Zenbook 17 Fold also offers an "Extended Mode" where the keyboard is removed from view, leaving the full 1920 x 1280 display area available. Alternatively, users can switch to Tablet Mode, which allows for a sleek and portable device that can be easily carried around. If you're looking to get some reading done on the go, the Zenbook 17 Fold's Flex mode is also an excellent option, allowing you to prop up the device and hold it like a massive tablet.
However, not all modes are created equal. The "Reader Mode" is another option available, which may appeal to ebook enthusiasts. However, one significant drawback of this setup is that the device requires external support to stay upright, as it cannot rely on its own stability. This limitation can make it difficult to use in certain situations.
One aspect worth noting about the Zenbook 17 Fold is its performance. While not the most powerful device out there, it still offers impressive results in scenarios where single-core processors are the primary driver. According to browser benchmark tests like Speedometer 2 and Geekbench 5, the device excels in these areas due to its high-performance cores. However, PC Mark 10 tests reveal a weakness in low-TDP CPU usage, placing it in the middle of the pack.
Graphics performance is also an important consideration for gamers, but the integrated Intel XE graphics fall short. In 3D Mark's Knight Raid benchmark, the device struggles to deliver even average frame rates.
On the other hand, battery life is one area where the Zenbook 17 Fold truly shines. With a rating of 9.5 hours from Asus and over 12 hours in our own testing using PC Mark 10 and a 1080p video loop test, this device offers impressive flexibility for users on-the-go.
The starting price of $349 is also worth noting, especially when considering the unique features and versatility offered by the Zenbook 17 Fold. While not ideal for gamers, who will need to look elsewhere for a more powerful experience, professionals and creatives can find many ways to benefit from this device.
Overall, the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold is an innovative device that offers several distinct modes of use, making it an excellent choice for those who require portability and flexibility in their computing needs.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwelcome back it's Keith May for hot hardware and today we're going to take a look at what happens when you take one of the hottest Trends in Mobile phones and you apply it to a traditional laptop and we're talking about none other than the Asus Zenbook 17 fold this has to be one of the most Innovative moves in Mobile Computing we've seen in some time now Asus didn't just make it a foldable laptop they made it so much more now let's get into it and see what all the fuss is about and whether or not it's worth the asking price so what is the Asus Zenbook 17 fold well it's a Zen book it's 17 inches and it folds but not in the traditional way that a laptop normally does this exceptional device folds like a phone itself the screen itself is a foldable 2560 by 1920 OLED display that's stunning from edge to edge but Asus doesn't just let that be a gimmick if you will I mean it does fold and that's cool but what can you do with that well Asus thought of a quite a few different ways you could put this little system to use six different ways to be exact and we're going to show you all of them starting with the laptop mode with a virtual keyboard now this is neat because it's like a Windows 11 tablet that sits up like a normal laptop but the bottom of the screen is dedicated to a full virtual keyboard but if you're like me and you prefer real buttons then you can slap on the real Bluetooth keyboard and have access to a well laid out and full-size t-pitch keyboard with excellent keys that have a nice amount of key travel and a slight dish to the tops so that you feel the quality this results in half the screen being covered sure but it's still 1920 by 1280 12.5 inch laptop at this point and it'll still fold closed with the keyboard in place but let's say you want a keyboard and all of the screen well that's no problem either Asus calls this extended mode where you set the Zenbook 17 fold in laptop mode but have a keyboard off the screen and voila all of the screen has access and you still have a keyboard of course you could go with a normal tablet mode where it's just flat and you hold it like a massive tablet or Flex it a bit for a reader mode which could be good for ebooks if that's your jam but the best option for those on the go is the ability to take the tablet mode and set the keyboard under it and now you have a full-blown desktop the only complaint with this mode is you're going to have to prop the tablet up because it can't hold itself up in this orientation and I would say a kickstand would have been a cool idea but it was going to get clunky with the design so it kind of is what it is now that's all really cool if and super useful for a lot of professionals but what about performance well as we jump into that we need to cover the specifications real quick for what powers the Zenbook 17 fold the CPU of choice here is the Alder Lake power 12th gen Intel Core i7 1250u featuring 10 cores and 12 threads now two of those scores being performance cores with hyper threading while the other eight are efficiency cores and that's how we end up with that unique combination now Graphics are handled by the integrated Intel XE graphics and memory is solid at 16 gigabytes of lpddr5 and storage is a single one terabyte pcie 4.0 and vme drive now look in all reality this notebook is not going to blow anyone's socks off when it comes to Performance it performs well in scenarios where single core is the primary driver like in browser bench speedometer 2 where it sits at the top of the stack geekbench 5 even shows promising results due to it being more bursty style of work loads PC Mark 10 however starts to show the weakness of the low TDP CPU in action with it sitting in the middle of the pack now it's not a bad place to be but not what you would consider a high performer even though the Zenbook 17-fold packs in Intel XE Graphics it is far from a unit that you would want to be playing games on as shown in the 3D Mark Knight raid results however this isn't all bad this is a travel and business device above all and in those tests it excels no pun intended and battery life well Asus rates it at 9.5 hours but in our test where we normalize light output levels to 115 Lux and use the PC Mark 10 battery test where we were able to get over 12 hours while running the 1080p video Loop test so it's flexible literally speaking has great battery life and good day-to-day performance but terrible gaming performance so who is the Asus Zenbook 17 fold 4. it's not for the gamers so that crowd might as well not even consider it but if you're the kind of person on the go constantly want a computer that can be compact laptop or a good all-in-one size system when you get where you're going then there is some real appeal here especially if you can benefit from the spectacular OLED display now professionals and creatives can find many ways to get value out of this unit it's Unique and with a starting price of 34.99 it's not for the faint of wallet now I hope you enjoyed our review of the Asus Zenbook 17 fold and if you did enjoy it please leave a like on this video And subscribe to the channel and also make sure you drop by hothardware.com for even more news and reviewswelcome back it's Keith May for hot hardware and today we're going to take a look at what happens when you take one of the hottest Trends in Mobile phones and you apply it to a traditional laptop and we're talking about none other than the Asus Zenbook 17 fold this has to be one of the most Innovative moves in Mobile Computing we've seen in some time now Asus didn't just make it a foldable laptop they made it so much more now let's get into it and see what all the fuss is about and whether or not it's worth the asking price so what is the Asus Zenbook 17 fold well it's a Zen book it's 17 inches and it folds but not in the traditional way that a laptop normally does this exceptional device folds like a phone itself the screen itself is a foldable 2560 by 1920 OLED display that's stunning from edge to edge but Asus doesn't just let that be a gimmick if you will I mean it does fold and that's cool but what can you do with that well Asus thought of a quite a few different ways you could put this little system to use six different ways to be exact and we're going to show you all of them starting with the laptop mode with a virtual keyboard now this is neat because it's like a Windows 11 tablet that sits up like a normal laptop but the bottom of the screen is dedicated to a full virtual keyboard but if you're like me and you prefer real buttons then you can slap on the real Bluetooth keyboard and have access to a well laid out and full-size t-pitch keyboard with excellent keys that have a nice amount of key travel and a slight dish to the tops so that you feel the quality this results in half the screen being covered sure but it's still 1920 by 1280 12.5 inch laptop at this point and it'll still fold closed with the keyboard in place but let's say you want a keyboard and all of the screen well that's no problem either Asus calls this extended mode where you set the Zenbook 17 fold in laptop mode but have a keyboard off the screen and voila all of the screen has access and you still have a keyboard of course you could go with a normal tablet mode where it's just flat and you hold it like a massive tablet or Flex it a bit for a reader mode which could be good for ebooks if that's your jam but the best option for those on the go is the ability to take the tablet mode and set the keyboard under it and now you have a full-blown desktop the only complaint with this mode is you're going to have to prop the tablet up because it can't hold itself up in this orientation and I would say a kickstand would have been a cool idea but it was going to get clunky with the design so it kind of is what it is now that's all really cool if and super useful for a lot of professionals but what about performance well as we jump into that we need to cover the specifications real quick for what powers the Zenbook 17 fold the CPU of choice here is the Alder Lake power 12th gen Intel Core i7 1250u featuring 10 cores and 12 threads now two of those scores being performance cores with hyper threading while the other eight are efficiency cores and that's how we end up with that unique combination now Graphics are handled by the integrated Intel XE graphics and memory is solid at 16 gigabytes of lpddr5 and storage is a single one terabyte pcie 4.0 and vme drive now look in all reality this notebook is not going to blow anyone's socks off when it comes to Performance it performs well in scenarios where single core is the primary driver like in browser bench speedometer 2 where it sits at the top of the stack geekbench 5 even shows promising results due to it being more bursty style of work loads PC Mark 10 however starts to show the weakness of the low TDP CPU in action with it sitting in the middle of the pack now it's not a bad place to be but not what you would consider a high performer even though the Zenbook 17-fold packs in Intel XE Graphics it is far from a unit that you would want to be playing games on as shown in the 3D Mark Knight raid results however this isn't all bad this is a travel and business device above all and in those tests it excels no pun intended and battery life well Asus rates it at 9.5 hours but in our test where we normalize light output levels to 115 Lux and use the PC Mark 10 battery test where we were able to get over 12 hours while running the 1080p video Loop test so it's flexible literally speaking has great battery life and good day-to-day performance but terrible gaming performance so who is the Asus Zenbook 17 fold 4. it's not for the gamers so that crowd might as well not even consider it but if you're the kind of person on the go constantly want a computer that can be compact laptop or a good all-in-one size system when you get where you're going then there is some real appeal here especially if you can benefit from the spectacular OLED display now professionals and creatives can find many ways to get value out of this unit it's Unique and with a starting price of 34.99 it's not for the faint of wallet now I hope you enjoyed our review of the Asus Zenbook 17 fold and if you did enjoy it please leave a like on this video And subscribe to the channel and also make sure you drop by hothardware.com for even more news and reviews\n"
