Tright here was a quick second when it appeared like essentially the most thrilling laptop computer developments—folding screens and a number of shows—had been hitting an insurmountable roadblock. Sure, numerous PC distributors confirmed off their variations of those gadgets, however that was earlier than Microsoft canceled Windows 10X and part shortages strangled the tech trade on a world scale.

Shortly earlier than the chaos ensued, Lenovo launched the ThinkPad X1 Fold, however provided that it was an offensively costly enterprise laptop computer with poor efficiency and middling battery life, it’s arduous to say whether or not it did extra good than hurt in convincing those that foldable PCs are the long run. I’m not saying I’m a believer, however I’m glad we get to seek out out.

And with that, Asus introduced at CES 2022 at present the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, a foldable pill the likes we haven’t seen earlier than. I say this as a result of, in contrast to the X1 Fold, this Zenbook has a large show, a mainstream processor, and the newest connectivity requirements. Before I dig into these particulars, let me spare you the suspense: Asus isn’t sharing pricing particulars however it does promise a Q2 launch. And no, we don’t have any battery life estimates, both.

Asus calls it a laptop computer however the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is finest described as a convertible pill that may fold in half to show into one thing much like a Moleskin pocket book. Spread open the Zenbook and also you’ll look down at a steady 17.3-inch, 2.5K (2560 x 1920) OLED touchscreen with a 3:2 facet ratio and a 2-millisecond response time.

When unfolded, the Zenbook 17 Fold measures 14.9 x 11.3 x 0.46 inches however folds to turn into a 12.5-inch machine with measurements of 11.3 x 7.45 x 1.25 inches. So sure, it’s thick in pocket book mode, however then, the general footprint is drastically diminished. And because it weighs simply 3.75 kilos (or 4.4 kilos with the keyboard), you shouldn’t have any issues carrying it round. That mentioned, holding this 17-inch pill in your hand to look at YouTube or stream a film would possibly require stretching beforehand and an ice tub afterward.

Where the X1 Fold’s display was too small to bend in half and use as two separate shows, the Zenbook 17’s huge panel folds within the center to create two 12.5-inch, 1920 x 1280 shows. This primarily places the pill into clamshell laptop computer mode, however the deck is changed with a display. You may use the on-screen keyboard, however since that’s a horrible expertise 100% of the time, Asus is bundling in a Bluetooth keyboard with a touchpad and a decent 1.4mm of key journey.

With the show bent at a 90-degree angle, you may both view one window that waterfalls all the way down to the underside half or cut up a number of home windows into quadrants. To make that course of simpler, Asus created a software program characteristic known as ScreenXpert 2 and added a Mode Switcher app that dynamically responds to the orientation of the panel.

Getting again to the {hardware}, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED runs on an unspecified Intel Core i7 U-series chip. Intel spent CES 2022 speaking concerning the high-power Twelfth-gen H-series processors, so we don’t know a lot concerning the low-power engines powering this pill besides that they’ll be out there in 15W and 9W variations.

They ought to, given these energy necessities, assist the Zenbook 17 Fold final for various hours on a cost. How lengthy precisely? We don’t know and Asus gained’t say, so we’ll have to run our personal checks to seek out out. The X1 Fold lasted for less than 7.5 hours and it had a a lot smaller 13.3-inch panel. If you may’t sense my concern: I’m fearful.

We additionally want to speak about sturdiness due to Samsung and its smartphone embarrassment. Asus didn’t go into almost as a lot depth to persuade us that the Zenbook 17 OLED’s “precision-engineered” hinge can stand up to years of opening and shutting, however we’ll do our greatest to check its energy as soon as we get one in every of these in for evaluation someday within the first half of this yr. We’ll additionally put a magnifying glass to the middle crease, although these vivid OLED pixels ought to distract us.

I don’t know if the Zenbook 17 OLED, or some other foldable pill (assuming extra arrive), will persuade me that they’re the “subsequent massive factor’ in cellular computing, however regardless, I’m keen to present this factor a attempt, if solely to carry a large OLED panel within the palm of my palms.