- Aug. 31st 2022 6:37 am PT

The Asus Zenbook 17 Fold is perhaps the most interesting thing to happen in laptop design since the original MacBook Air, back in 2008. It’s a 13-inch laptop which quickly converts into a 17-inch desktop.

Apple sufficiently mollified me when it launched a 16-inch MacBook Pro that I stopped my endless wishing for the return of the 17-inch one – but the new Zenbook shows the intriguing possibility of getting the best of both worlds …

Apple’s 17-inch MacBook Pro was my Mac of choice for many years. So much so that when its discontinuation was clear, I immediately bought the last model and twice upgraded it to extend its working life as much as possible.

I loved the screen size, and was willing to put up with what was undeniably a hefty size and weight.

Its discontinuation was no surprise. It was always a niche machine, and at the time Apple made its switch to Retina displays, it would have become even more expensive.

These days, I’m happy with my 16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro. My large screen needs are today satisfied with a 49-inch monitor in my office, and a triple-screen setup when working away from home. But I’m still fascinated by the approach Asus has taken here.

Folding OLED screens first entered the market as smartphones, with the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Motorola Razr early examples.

But it was only a matter of time before we saw folding screens come to the laptop market, and Asus is first to announce one in the form of the Zenbook 17 Fold. This is effectively a 13-inch laptop which opens up to a 17-inch desktop.

Here’s what the company has to say about it:

Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is a response to users’ desires to achieve the ideal balance between mobility and productivity in their modern 24/7 lifestyles.

ASUS engineers and designers worked seamlessly to create a device that delivers effortless efficiency with a modern minimalist design. It eliminates the need to compromise when working in different environments — in the office, at home, while traveling or when relaxing — by elegantly incorporating two screen sizes and multiple usage modes into one highly portable device.

This groundbreaking Intel Evo-certified foldable laptop offers users two sizes of OLED display in one device: a large 4:3 17.3-inch 2.5K touchscreen that folds in the middle to create two seamless 3:2 12.5-inch 1920 by 1280 displays. When folded fully closed along the precision-engineered 180° hinge — which is tested to withstand over 30,000 open-and-close cycles — it’s an ultra-compact and portable 12.5-inch device that’s smaller than a sheet of photocopier paper.

Multiple versatile usage modes — Desktop, Laptop (with Bluetooth® keyboard), Laptop (with virtual keyboard), Tablet, Reader and Extended — are enabled by the folding design in conjunction with the full-size ASUS ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard and touchpad, and each screen can additionally be split into multiple windows and the contents arranged, using the intelligent window-management feature in the ASUS ScreenXpert 3 and exclusive Mode Switcher apps. Despite its versatility and large screen size, the device weighs just 1.5 kg without the keyboard, or 1.8 kg with it […]

This stunning Dolby Vision-certified display has a 100% DCI-P3 gamut and is also PANTONE Validated for color accuracy […]

The new ASUS ErgoSense keyboard and touchpad ensures comfortable, accurate typing, with a desktop-grade 19.05 mm key pitch and a long 1.4 mm travel on the dished mechanical keys.

As you might guess, it’s not cheap, with a starting price of $3,500, and it won’t go on sale until sometime in the final quarter of the year. But The Verge got to try one out, and says that while the machine is not without issues, it really does work.

When I wanted a big-ass screen, I unfolded the thing, knocked out the built-in kickstand, plonked it on my desk, and used the Bluetooth keyboard on the surface in front of it. When I wanted to use it on my couch or bed, I flipped the screen vertical, folded it into a laptop shape, flattened the kickstand, and snapped the keyboard over the bottom half. That may sound like a whole thing and a half, but I promise it’s very quick. (And once the keyboard is on, Windows automatically compresses to the top screen.)

This kind of form factor could satisfy a lot of needs. Sure, it’s never going to be as slim and light as today’s MacBooks, but you are getting a 13-inch and 17-inch laptop in one – complete with mechanical keyboard.

You’re also getting something else I’ve asked for: a really large iPad! Without the keyboard, it’s a big-ass tablet. (Of course, whether Apple would let it run macOS in laptop mode and iPadOS in tablet mode is a whole other question!)

What do you think of the idea? Pointless gimmick, or genuinely useful innovation? Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.

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Apple's premium laptop comes in 13- and 16-inch screen sizes. Each model includes 2-4 USB-C ports for charging, accessories, and data transfer. Higher-end models also include the Touch Bar.

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!

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