Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED

https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/Zenbook/Zenbook-17-Fold-OLED-UX9702/

by lnyan • 4 years ago

588 575 4 years ago

iasay24• 4 years ago

Expensive luxury land fill like all foldable displays currently are. This takes it to the extreme. I am not impressed. We should be building for sustainability at this stage of our existence and this is exactly the opposite of it.

Plus it runs the worst touch based operating system on the market.

ekianjo• 4 years ago

it comes with a keyboard.

iasay24• 4 years ago

I bought a keyboard for my iPad too. I'm not sure what your point is?

tigrezno• 4 years ago

I suspect that if Apple released this, this site would be cheering for it.

iasay24• 4 years ago

That's a terrible straw man. There is universal dislike for bad engineering. Butterfly keyboards and touch bar for example...

monkey_monkey2• 4 years ago

I suspect that says more about your own innate biases than it says about the users of this site.

suction14• 4 years ago

Only because Apple's track record so far is a lot better than Asus' or other OEMs in terms of not adding novelty or gadget-y features to their pro products.

varispeed7• 4 years ago

At least it would be more energy efficient...

thedrbrian• 4 years ago

Apple wouldn't release it though. They'd take one look at the massive crease in the middle of the screen and say "no".

blocked_again3• 4 years ago

Sustainability issues will never be fixed by companies building for sustainability.

Vast majority of the world population don't give a shit about sustainability.

Consumers always want to improve their life by spending as little money as possible.

This means companies are being pushed to build more efficient things.

For example Electric cars can travel much longer than traditional cars for the same cost of fuel.

More efficient means, less pollution.

Humans will fix sustainability issues automatically.

But it would never be by building products whose core service offering is sustainability.

piva002• 4 years ago

This means companies are being pushed to build more efficient things.

No, this means companies are being pushed to build the least expensive things, efficiency is just coincidental in some cases.

Humans will fix sustainability issues automatically.

That depends, if you mean "eventually" I can somewhat agree with the argument but that's just a wishful thinking thought exercise. Eventually sustainability issues will be fixed because if not everyone will eventually die from the lack of resources, doesn't mean that the fixes are timely or with the least suffering that we as a species could be capable of.

drcode13• 4 years ago

A device that allows me to get both a desktop-like experience as well as a notebook-like experience is more wasteful than having both a desktop and a laptop? (or a desktop dock with monitor and a laptop)

cr3ative• 4 years ago

I can't help but see folding screens as a limited-life product. Sure, laptops only last, usefully, about 6 years anyway, but it's such an obvious wear spot which would cripple the entire device.

Thanks, but no thanks.

scrollaway• 4 years ago

Isn’t the fold on current laptops a weak spot now? I’ve had laptops die to that.

I get it’s tempting to say this will be worse but, will it? I don’t think it’s fair to say this immediately…

iasay24• 4 years ago

Only if you buy bottom end crap and beat it around. Lenovo / Apple hinges are pretty good.

Foldable displays have several million times more parts being folded...

Tepix3• 4 years ago

It's advertised as being stress tested with 30,000 folds. That should last quite a bit longer than 6 years for most people.

iasay24• 4 years ago

That figure doesn't make sense other than from a marketing perspective. It is missing all the important engineering questions...

How many did they test?

What's the standard deviation?

What does the bell curve look like?

What are the test conditions?

What happens when you put this in the hands of an average user who does not conform to the test conditions?

bizzleDawg• 4 years ago

When I read about the 30,000 cycles, I can't help but picture a mechanism which performs a "perfect" opening/closing cycle with equal force distribution.

How many cycles would that translate to when being opened/closed on the go by pulling on a corner? Or being used by a toddler?

adrianN• 4 years ago

I've had a couple of laptops where the mechanical hinges became wonky after a couple of years. Intuitively they should be a lot sturdier than a folding screen, but perhaps intuition is misleading.

chrismorgan• 4 years ago

Micro-USB plugs are supposed to be designed for a minimum rated lifetime of 10,000 cycles of insertion and removal. My experience has not had one last even 2,000 cycles before becoming unreliable, even for cables that have always been used in ideal circumstances (gently plugged in, resting on a table). As for ones where the device gets used while plugged in, moved around, occasional lateral forces on the plug, well, they’re generally just about completely useless before 2,000 cycles.

USB-C plugs are supposed to be 10,000 cycles too. The A–to–C cable that came with my PinePhone was dead at the C plug end within four months of daily usage with occasional somewhat-stronger-than-ideal-but-not-all-that-excessive forces being applied. A couple of other cables haven’t had issues so far.

When they say 30,000 here, I’d be surprised to get 3,000 before significant problems are apparent, and wouldn’t be surprised if I failed to get 300. I like the idea and want it to work, but don’t expect it to just yet. I wish they’d focus their effort on having two separate screens with a small gap between them rather than trying to straddle the hinge, because that would be somewhere between almost as good and slightly better, and much more likely to be reliable.

This is still early tech. Early generations of mechanically-difficult things are generally terrible. I can speak to the unreliability of the Surface Book hinge: I had four units (19 months with moderate issues by the end (mild battery pillowage, screen yellowing, several split keycaps) that led to warranty replacement; 8 months then battery 2 spontaneously died; roughly DOA; two years before battery 1 died and it was out of warranty and after only a little more use it’s now pretty much a brick, can’t even stay powered on and significant pillowage on both batteries), and their base/clipboard, base/power and clipboard/power connections (which were basically the same interface) always became not completely reliable well within a year, though they weren’t particularly troublesome until maybe fifteen or eighteen months. I do acknowledge that I used this hardware fairly hard, but it was consistently well under a thousand cycles before at least minor issues in the connection were apparent, and these OLED hinges are probably even more demanding.

sz4kerto3• 4 years ago

Early adopters (both on the user and the production side) are very much required to get to something usable eventually.

shimonabi2• 4 years ago

Form over functionality.

eterps3• 4 years ago

AFAIK there is absolutely no innovation with software defined keyboards, they statically mimic a physical keyboard. I would expect well defined open APIs so that applications tailor the keyboard for optimal contextualized use for that app. The only thing that came close is Apple's touchbar but even that one is quite static and not very liberating in practice. Of course the downside of adaptive software keyboards is that you have a slightly different keyboard layout per application, so mostly a feature for experienced and professional users.

jmiskovic• 4 years ago

Adaptive keyboards are actually more oriented towards beginners than advanced users. They optimize for feature discoverability (and coolness factor).

Physical keyboard is current optimum for text entry precisely because it is not adaptable, and that enables you to adapt to it. Without muscle memory you are much, much slower. When an advanced user wants to refresh page, they can instantly recall Ctrl+R combo and just press it, without glancing down and coordinating between hand and eye to tap the icon, and then verifying the tap was registered. With adaptable keyboards the advanced users lose all their edge.

That said, swiping is really nice way to enter English text on touchscreens. I still hate switching to numbers and special characters, or entering non-dictionary words, but it works unexpectedly good. I agree with you that more innovation is needed.

eterps3• 4 years ago

they can instantly recall Ctrl+R combo and just press it, without glancing down and coordinating between hand and eye to tap the icon

Interesting example, I can imagine something like an Ctrl+R combo to be a bit cumbersome on a software keyboard, would need to test it to be sure though.

xSxY3fj5gVCmvWE• 4 years ago

Touch keyboards don't sound very liberating. I think experienced/professional users will be an especially bad fit for this. Imagine having to constantly look down at the keyboard to see what contextual options are available. It's like getting a new keyboard and having to get used to a different layout, except it's forever. Say goodbye to your flow state, hope you haven't gotten used to it.

That said, this laptop seems to include a physical keyboard, so maybe it's not that bad. I hope manufacturers keep experimenting with computer form factors, but preferably sane, human-centric ones.

eterps3• 4 years ago

Say goodbye to your flow state

I see what you mean here, but am not so sure about that to be honest. We just haven't seen much innovation here IMO. It could specifically optimize for flow, somewhat reminiscent of Github Copilot and the suggestions in phone keyboards.

For example I am wondering how a keyboard could adapt in a spreadsheet application if you focus on a non-empty cell. Depending on what's already there, there might be a predictable set of options on what is likely to be done next. (without limiting free form either).

I don't have good examples, because I simply don't know what could be done. But I am convinced that something that statically mimics a physical keyboard can be improved upon.

WithinReason• 4 years ago

This seems like it would be such a basic idea, e.g. holding down crtl would show you button combinations on each key that use ctrl.

ilaksh• 4 years ago

I think eventually (5-10 years?) most "laptops" may be using on-screen keyboards. Especially if there is somewhat decent haptic feedback.

It just makes so much more sense from a manufacturing standpoint for one thing. Makes it much simpler and you don't need to create separate keyboard layouts for different languages.

Also, younger generations are quite comfortable using on-screen keyboards on their phones.

But what will really make it take off is contextual and customizable user interfaces that sit next to the virtual letter and symbol keys. Which of course there could be many more symbols or emojis available in subkeyboards or for different contexts.

clintonwoo• 4 years ago

I have some doubts about this, since I feel like using a screen as a keyboard is more prone to joint based injury or wear and tear like posture or RSI related problems. So at least I don't think it would be the main keyboard type.

twobitshifter2• 4 years ago

there was the keyboard with led screens being each key. That kept it physical but made things adaptive for applications.

prmoustache2• 4 years ago

I want to see high-res pictures of that device after 2, 5 and 10 simulated years of use.

nreilly• 4 years ago

I expect days/weeks is probably enough to see the wear you’re looking for.

tluyben2• 4 years ago

How does the 17 inch screen stand up? There are no pictures of it standing from the back. Maybe I overlooked it?

shimonabi2• 4 years ago

It has a small picture-frame-like stand. You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us7rKu5SgUI

Tepix3• 4 years ago

At 1:51 there seems to be "visual residue" from the unfolding. I wonder how long it takes to disappear.

Darmody• 4 years ago

I love the innovation but I don't see me buying something like this. I'd use it like a standard laptop and I think most people would do the same.

And then you have all the possible screen problems. We've seen it happening with phones and I wouldn't like paying a considerable sum of money for something that will break easily if I look at it the wrong way.

Gives us connectivity, good screen, power and autonomy. Leave the weird designs, they remind me of the mobile phone era before the iPhone.

TekMol3• 4 years ago

Fold or not, what I want for a laptop is:

A tablet with a matte screen.

That can run Linux.

So I can put it on a stand and a keyboard in front of it.

That would be the ultimate travel setup! Working in cafes without having to look down all the time.

Does something like this exist?

nixcraft• 4 years ago

Older Asus fold had many issues with Linux. In most cases, you can get headless mode working but forget about GUI. A better solution would be trying out System76, HPDevOne or Dell XPS dev edition for Linux desktop.

sjamaan• 4 years ago

The Purism Librem 14 isn't half bad either. Currently using it. Love the build quality of the case, matte screen and kill switches. Quality of the built-in speakers is not that great. Keyboard is acceptable. The trackpad is nice and big.

pjmlp• 4 years ago

Most likely only if packaged in ChromeOS or Android workloads, which isn't what you're asking for, but is what OEMs care about after the netbooks market vanished.

Dave3of5• 4 years ago

If you don't mind selling your soul to the devil, dell have a range that support linux.

A newer brand that will run linux is the framework laptop that's my personal recommendation.

As for the matte screen you can buy films for both of those that will make the screen matte. Here is the ones for the framework:

https://viascreens.com/screen-protectors/framework/

You should note that mat screens generally sacrifice contrast and colour saturation.

I suspect you won't be happy with any of this though as most hn commenters are extremely picky about these sorts of things.

spaceman_2020• 4 years ago

Just get a Thinkpad. They have all the features you want. They're not going to be as thing and light, but their keyboards are better than anything out there. The touchpad is iffy, but if you're using Linux (I use it too), your touchpad experience is going to be subpar anyway.

falcor842• 4 years ago

My 2 cents: get a model with a touchpoint - once you get used to it, it's amazing how efficient it is to quickly switch between mouse and keyboard.

bogwog2• 4 years ago

I used to love Thinkpads until I started using laptops with displays that aren't dog shit.

I can adapt to a bad keyboard, lack of trackpoint and bad touchpad, but a bad screen will always bother me.

TekMol3• 4 years ago

This is a misunderstaning. A Thinkpad does not let me take off the keyboard.

That's why I want a tablet and a keyboard.

So I can put the tablet on a stand and the keyboard in front of it.

leephillips• 4 years ago

I use the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 this way (other models run Linux well, also). However, the screen is not matte.

nailer2• 4 years ago

Yes same here!

*Everyone is making this manually*. I carry around a music stand, a keyboard and mouse. My laptop has a keyboard I never use.

GIVE US A PORTABLE SCREEN PC THAT RAISES TO EYE LEVEL AND TAKE OUR MONEY.

weberer3• 4 years ago

The PineTab, but its been sold out for quite a while.

bluGill• 4 years ago

Should be back in stock "soon"... Though I'm keeping an eye on the pipenote instead now - more powerful CPU. Instead of LCD it is epaper which as pros and cons for this use.

nvr219• 4 years ago

Dell XPS with Linux is great

nivenkos• 4 years ago

How would you use Linux when using it as a tablet though?

driverdan• 4 years ago

I have a Surface Pro 7 and it's great for this. It doesn't have a matte screen but does the rest of it well. I'm running PopOS on it and switch between the included keyboard and an external keyboard with it on a tablet arm.

emehrkay• 4 years ago

https://en.jingos.com/jingpad-a1/ maybe. I doubt the screen is matte

silon42• 4 years ago

Give me a proper mechanical full-size-keys keyboard laptop instead (TKL please).

rgoulter• 4 years ago

My solution when traveling was to rest the keyboard on a bit of acrylic over the keyboard. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZRltWhpA6x/ (I didn't like the idea of resting an external keyboard on the laptop's keyboard directly).

tdiff• 4 years ago

The next greatest innovation would be a self-cleaning display.

k__• 4 years ago

That's the first time I see foldable displays put to good use.

Nice!

april_224• 4 years ago

Lenovo also had a similar laptop released a year ago. This one is still really cool though!

bluescrn2• 4 years ago

How many folds before it's e-waste?

I'm guessing that even the battery will outlive early-generation folding screens.

Tepix3• 4 years ago

30,000 alledgedly

bluescrn2• 4 years ago

30k folds with forces applied optimally by a test rig, no clumsy humans involved?

jfoster2• 4 years ago

Looks fancy. Is this what the market wants?

I don't particularly like Apple, but I use a Macbook Pro. I've been keeping an eye out for a non-Apple alternative to a Macbook, but nothing seems to come close in terms of hardware. I don't mean technical specs. I mean a beautiful screen, reasonable dimensions & weight, a really good touchpad, great battery life, etc.

A big foldable screen looks cool, but doesn't feel at all pragmatic. Could someone please compete with Apple?

iasay24• 4 years ago

The reason that there is no non-Apple alternatives to the MacBook Pro is because everyone is too focused on blue sky innovation rather than actually doing the best job of stuff that already exists.

Quality is the feature that apple sell. I don't think anyone else gets near them.

saiya-jin• 4 years ago

Selective quality. There were most-expensive-on-the-market-yet-worst-quality fraying cables that my 1$ usb cables from aliexpress could run circles around long after those were discarded (or not, my mother-in-law still carries one around, I guess to remind everyone how crappy engineering looks like). Bending phones (was it 6?). Also some nefarious moves like slowing down older phones.

Every manufacturer has these blops. Yet very few (more like none) have such fanatical crowd of followers who uncritically accept everything and keep peddling the same 'apple is quality, above others, better than google on privacy' and similar wishful thinking/lies. They just have better PR department is all I see, the rest is just another HW/SW company who charge premium.

Its nothing new, other businesses figured this long ago. You can have a normal decent handbag, or have louis vuitton / hermes one. It will cost you 10x (or 100x) more. Its often hand-made quality. Many women love them. Most guys are looking on this in same way we would look on... mentally underdeveloped. Yet the market exists and its booming. And nobody is arguing Hermes doesn't bring higher quality than regular brand.

Coming back to your claims, apple rarely truly innovates these days and technologically its behind most manufacturers (low res cameras producing pleasing but over-processed pics that have colors far from reality, battery charging on level of basic 2016 phones, screen is OK but definitely not top of the market, bluetooth implementation is beyond pathetic for such a manufacturer, literally everybody on the market has it better). They take over others ideas that work and improve them. Which is fine but not the stellar behavior I would expect from 3TN company having 1 centerpiece product.

asdajksah21233• 4 years ago

Apple's built up an incredible lead right now (in quality and specs), but as the son of a of a macbook from a few years ago, the idea that Apple sells "quality" is mistaken, with the most obvious example being the butterfly keyboard, which would make your device unusable if you happened to say the wrong combination of words at the wrong time.

But generally Apple has a history of laptops that have design defects, which Apple does not acknowledge either for years after they stop selling the laptop, and/or are forced to by a lawsuit (which will usually complete years after they stop selling the laptop), at which point most people won't even be aware that Apple has instituted a replacement program and/or discarded their brick for parts on eBay.

pookha• 4 years ago

I took my quality Macbook to a dogbark. My quality macbooks' fancy screen broke because of a thin layer of dust at said dogpark. Opening up my quality macbook was like difussing a bomb. I learned from that experience and won't ever buy another Macbook again for as long as I live. the Macbook replacement has made several trips to a dogpark. I did have a good experience at the mac store though. Dude was honest about the situation and could relate to my pain and rage.

KptMarchewa4• 4 years ago

Which is funny because while current 14' and 16' MBPs are very ahead of competition, previous generation was dogshit in terms of quality, and had a lot of this "blue sky innovation" that decreased usability - like the touch bar.

rsynnott• 4 years ago

because everyone is too focused on blue sky innovation rather than actually doing the best job of stuff that already exists.

Including, for a while, Apple. How quickly people have forgotten the touchbar!

sovnade6• 4 years ago

There's plenty of good laptops out there not made by apple. Dell XPS 13 is excellent, asus has several zenbook models that are on par, etc. They don't get much media coverage because the standards we expect from laptops are so high now that we take it for granted (0.75" thick or less, all day battery, insanely high pixel density (enough to require scaling), fast enough cpu/memory for any day to day task, great screen brightness, 512gb-2tb+ nvme ssds, generic charger ports (usb-c), etc. You can get all of that for under $1k from several makers now.

jillesvangurp• 4 years ago

I don't know what other manufacturers are focusing on, but it sure looks unimpressive. I just received my shiny new macbook pro 14 inch. I spent the last few months using a Linux laptop. Overall a good experience and it works. But I'm glad to be back on a mac.

Quality and performance are where Apple just shines. Most PC manufacturer's seem to mainly compete on how bad of a screen & touchpad combination they can find. There are some truly awful things on the market of manufacturers that just stopped even trying a long time ago. Touchpads are universally awful in the laptop market, with the exception of Apple. I found this out by connecting my magic touchpad 2 to my Linux laptop. Works great! As good as with a mac. The software support in Linux is fine. Precise, responsive, smooth, just like it should be. It's the hardware that is the problem. Even brands that are supposedly premium keep opting for these cheep plastic touchpads with poor sensitivity, awkward button mechanics, etc. Apple nailed this decades ago. On this front they have no competition.

That, the screen, and the stellar performance of the M1 is making the difference right now. I connected an external drive with x-plane on it a few days ago to see how far I could push it. Turns out, I can max out all the sliders and it runs at about 30-40fps at the normal screen resolution. That's with lots of add ons, some of which are really demanding and using the rosetta emulator. Very impressive. For work, this thing runs circles around my Linux laptop. Build speeds are about 2-3x.

pelagicAustral• 4 years ago

Looks very niche to me as well. But I can already see it might well be the most ideal laptop for presentations, given you could preview slides on one half and keep keynotes on the ‘keyboard’ half.... I can see myself enjoying using something like this for such purpose.

suction14• 4 years ago

In East Asia, novelty or "cuteness" of a product, i.e. the look of things, is mostly what counts. That's how East Asian makers try to stay ahead of the competition, because actual innovation that goes beyond the surface (no pun intended) is hard and not actually encouraged in societies with a confucian view of the workplace.

user_named4• 4 years ago

Source?

MontyCarloHall• 4 years ago

actual innovation … is not actually encouraged in societies with a confucian view of the workplace.

How does this follow? If the implication is that collectivist societies frown upon excelling relative to one’s peers (which is not true, BTW), then wouldn’t the exact same logic apply to novelty or cuteness?

No, this is the result of corporate bean counters thinking they should maximize short term profit with a splashy product, rather than maximize long term profit with high quality and reliability, which take more time for the market to recognize.

jacquesm4• 4 years ago

I think this is too shallow a dismissal of innovation in an area so large that it spans 35% of the globe, and there are quite literally numerous existence proofs that it isn't correct.

The idea that all innovation happens in the United States and Europe is fairly ridiculous, innovation happens on all levels of product development, both deep in the guts of products as well further up as well as sometimes entirely new classes of products.

nemothekid• 4 years ago

In East Asia, novelty or "cuteness" of a product, i.e. the look of things, is mostly what counts.

I find it hard to believe that this is an exclusively an east asian thing. Apple spent a decade chasing thinness over all else.

mnahkies• 4 years ago

I've been very happy with my Dell XPS 15 - 5 years old and still going strong albeit with reduced battery performance. Great Linux support and a nice screen.

Will probably upgrade in the next year or two primarily because replacing the battery and increasing the ram is pricey enough that I may as well buy a new machine.

jfoster2• 4 years ago

Looks pretty good actually. Especially considering the Linux support. Might be my next one.

jlkuester7• 4 years ago

+1 for the XPS line! I have one that is probably ~5 years old. Just replaced the battery on it with no hassle (got a reasonably priced OEM replacement from NewEgg). The build quality on these things is excellent, and the specs are not bad either!

weberer3• 4 years ago

The New XPS line doesn't support real sleep mode. It is a huge pain starting work after the weekend and most of your battery is already gone. I'd avoid them until they get this fixed.

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS/XPS-15-9510-fails-to-slee...

therealunreal• 4 years ago

The Surface Book has a great screen, at 13.5" it's perfect and not too heavy, good touchpad and great battery life.

Now, I'm not sure I'd recommend it for other reasons and I haven't tried the latest gen, but it sure fits your requirements.

madoublet• 4 years ago

I think most people (not devs/designers) view a laptop as something that costs around $750. That is why Windows still has a huge marketshare. Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, Microsoft all have laptops that have solid build quality, OLED screens, touchscreens, etc. at $1,500-2,200 price range but no one buys those. If you are in that price range, you are probably in one of those niche industries (design, development, graphics) and you are probably buying an Apple.

april_224• 4 years ago

Also I think MacOS is still much better than Windows in terms of design and usability

varispeed7• 4 years ago

I disagree. Buying Dell and Samsung laptop in that price range I'd say it is an overpriced rubbish if you compare to current Apple produce. There is really no comparison when it comes to build quality and performance.

nicolaslem• 4 years ago

$1,500-2,200 price range but no one buys those.

Individuals may not but companies buy (or lease) truckloads of them.

hackerfromthefu• 4 years ago

That view is so myopic - loads of people buy high end non-apple laptops. I would anecdotally guess many many more than apple overall. Just seems you're lacking in awareness of it. Probably a particular social bubble you are in, combined with myopia to the rest of the world.

nottorp6• 4 years ago

I mean a beautiful screen, reasonable dimensions & weight, a really good touchpad, great battery life, etc.

The competition on the other side is on specs. It's hard to stick hardware with bigger numbers in a thin case. Look at Intel's NUCs vs the Mac Mini... they come with a power brick larger than the computer to win in specs, while Apple has an elegant built in PSU.

And... a working touchpad that can actually replace a mouse for 95% of use cases? How are you going to market that?

You want the largest numbers, you have to go with the others. If you can stomach windows. You want a less annoying experience, Apple unfortunately has about zero competition there. Which is bad even for Apple users because then you get masterpieces like the butterfly keyboard...

trebbble2• 4 years ago

great battery life, etc.

The "great battery life" is part hardware, but largely software. See also: iOS devices with "worse" specs and smaller batteries that perform way better than "better" Android counterparts, while also having longer battery life. Some of it's hardware voodoo, but a lot of it's iOS and MacOS and various pieces of Apple software (notably Safari and Mobile Safari) being very respectful of system resources and protective of the battery.

It's a bit like how you used to be able to put BeOS on a Windows or Linux desktop and it'd feel like all the hardware was 4x higher clock / bigger memory size than it had been.

sudosysgen7• 4 years ago

There are plenty of non-Apple alternatives to the MBP. Plenty of laptops with a 6800U or 6800H. None of them have better trackpads, but plenty have nice ones and significantly better keyboards. And some have OLED or 240Hz screens which I'd say are better than the ones in the MacBook Pro. Any laptop with that processor and a reasonable 65Wh+ battery is going to have great battery life.

Some even have great graphics cards, or touchscreens with pen support, or mechanical keyboards, etc... ASUS even makes a few laptops in this category (some of them are branded as gaming laptops but really do everything you want).

The issue with PC laptops isn't that there is no competition for the MBP. It's just that it's very confusing and that there are literally hundreds of options and only 5-6 models that will do what you want.

There are a lot of

CRConrad4• 4 years ago

I don't particularly like Apple, but I use a Macbook Pro. I've been keeping an eye out for a non-Apple alternative to a Macbook, but nothing seems to come close in terms of hardware.

I used a MacBook Pro for work a few years ago, 2014-18, and really liked the hardware.

Never got the vaunted "It's So Intuitive!" UI hype, though. And from OS "upgrade" experience -- felt more like downgrades, with the ever more limited configurability -- during that time and from everything I've heard since about the constantly shrinking "walled garden" of their ecosystem, I've pretty much come to detest their software side.

Soo... Give Asahi Linux a couple years more to mature, and if in that time they release a fanless (M2, M3?) laptop with a larger (16-17", or, heck, why not even more?) screen, I might be really tempted.

byteflip2• 4 years ago

I’m unlikely to buy a foldable laptop, but a foldable monitor while traveling sounds kinda nice. I’m working from a hotel right now, so I can easily imagine it. Folding flat would offer protection from scratches in a bag/backpack and take less space. Would be hard pressed to fit a 17” portable monitor in my bag, but if it folds in half that’s more tenable!

darkteflon11• 4 years ago

Slightly incidental, but after years of working out of hotel rooms, I’ve found that a 15.6” 4K portable display placed on a small tripod (Arca-Swiss mount) sitting directly above the main display of my 14” Macbook has been the perfect travel setup. It’s a dual-display setup, portable (similar area to the computer itself), similar desktop area and font resolution to the native panel, and prevents you from craning your neck.

tokamak-teapot• 4 years ago

Mind sharing which one you have please? I’d like to drop one in my laptop bag sometimes.

rattray2• 4 years ago

How do you attach an arca-swiss mount to a monitor?

alexitosrv2• 4 years ago

I agree. This has been my setup as of lately https://imgur.com/a/1CjpS8G

. Portable 4k screen (the glare in the photo is not really visible in front).

. Custom mount for the laptop and a

. Wireless thinkpad keyboard with a trackpoint (which I love).

The cabling management has improved now, but this setup gives plenty of screen real estate, both displays are touch, and in comparison with a tablet where the applications context is lost the majority of time, here I can be more productive and is a joy to work with it.

twobitshifter2• 4 years ago

apple sidecar gives you this if you buy the ipad.

alistairSH• 4 years ago

Not nearly 17", but I've found my iPad Pro makes a reasonable second monitor when traveling. It isn't really large enough to want to do work on it - I keep those windows on the main laptop monitor - but it works as a place to drop email/Slack/misc other things.

Terretta4• 4 years ago

I advocate this as well. It’s superior in almost all ways to the portable screens of which I’ve tried many, and you also have an iPad, ideally with cellular chip. :-) On many short trips you can leave the actual laptop at home.

CivBase2• 4 years ago

Even with smaller portable monitors, I'd feel a lot more comfortable having one in my backpack if the screen wasn't exposed.

Rebelgecko• 4 years ago

FWIW, when I used the Asus portable monitors they came with a folio case that covered the screen when it was in a big and was used to stand the display up at different angles

bpye• 4 years ago

Agreed, that’s what makes this kind of interesting personally. I tend to prefer smaller devices for travel, being able to get both that and more screen real estate would be pretty cool.

nomel• 4 years ago

I think XR will end up being a viable, portable, alternative before folding screens become widely available.

wslh• 4 years ago

Nice system but it is ironic that nowadays many people are moving to Apple Silicon just for the battery. Beyond the better specs like touch screens, cameras resolution, etc.

Going back in time I just now recognize and remember that one key aspect of the Palm original devices was battery duration comparing to previous experience (e.g. Newton) in innovations.

varispeed7• 4 years ago

For me the battery was the least of concern - I am used to having my laptop plugged at all times. Any laptop I had wouldn't last more than an hour on battery after few months of use.

The selling point for me was silent operation and performance. For instance, my XPS 15 will wake up fans even after entering the BIOS and just opening a browser tab with a heavier website would make them fans spin like airplane blades. It's so annoying that I dread everytime I have to work on it. Yes, I would clean the fans regularly etc.

Working on a Mac M1 is a pure bliss. It feels next level in every aspect and the battery life is outstanding. The fact that I can run the laptop in low power mode and it is still much more performant than my XPS is mindblowing.

galogon• 4 years ago

Apple Silicon killed Windows laptops. Why go back to loud fans and so much worse battery life?

quickthrower22• 4 years ago

Loud fans? Not heard one of those for years on a Windows laptop.

Lio2• 4 years ago

I'd be really excited if they offer this as part of their ZenScreen portable monitor range.

They seem to be currently mostly 1080p but a folding 17" or larger HiDPI screen for an existing laptop would be brilliant.

I generally like smaller laptops like the MacBook Air or XPS 13. I could see me using a tri-fold ZenScreen in hotel room and then just the laptop on a plane/train tray table.

https://www.asus.com/Displays-Desktops/Monitors/ZenScreen/

ddalex5• 4 years ago

I've been pitching for a while hinged screens, like double laptop screen that unfolds a second same-size screen above the first. The fold seems like a nice touch, if this would come as a separate portable monitor I'd buy it in a pinch.

Terretta4• 4 years ago

smaller laptops like the Macbook Air

iPad Pro 12.9” as external second hidpi/retina monitor for Macbook is remarkable in three modes

- USB-C to USB-C for all day powered zero latency extended desktop

- WiFi for cable free extended desktop

- keyboard mouse sharing (by pushing your Macbook cursor against the side of your laptop screen by the iPad, till it “pops” onto the iPad) for seamlessly running Macbook apps and iPad apps side by side using your main keyboard/mouse, able to not just cut and paste but drag and drop (!!!) between the two devices and OSes.

And then just the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard (and its trackpad) on the plane/train tray table (hinge design sets the screen in from the hinge, allowing use in shallower depths like the tray tables).

breakfastduck3• 4 years ago

Also considerably more expensive than a monitor.

user_7832• 4 years ago

How do you do the usb c to usb c zero latency setup?

Kaibeezy3• 4 years ago

No pricing yet. Guesses out there from $1599 to £2000 to $3999.

drcode13• 4 years ago

It's already available for preorder in France at 3999 Euros

I'm guesstimating $2999 in the US

suction14• 4 years ago

As with most Asia-led "novelty" features on electronic devices, this looks like a "because we can" feature rather than a "because it's useful" feature.

Ekaros• 4 years ago

Actually seems pretty interesting one. Still, I guess the price is outside reasonable range like other foldable products at this point.

fstephany• 4 years ago

It's listed at 3700€ on Coolblue (online shop in The Netherlands).

https://www.coolblue.nl/en/product/905010/asus-zenbook-17-fo...

Hippocrates• 4 years ago

It blows my mind that companies have the resources to sink into "innovations" like this that are just so far out that they are sure to fail. The mere sight of this stresses me out with how fragile it looks, and how clumsy it would be to use

quickthrower22• 4 years ago

How did that foldable phone craze a few years ago go? Are they still around?

rowanG0775• 4 years ago

Ya they are still around. Getting steadily less expensive.

asdajksah21233• 4 years ago

Not just around, but growing rapidly.

https://omdia.tech.informa.com/pr/2022-mar/omdia-foldable-sm...

user_named4• 4 years ago

It's still going. I remember I t ied one in person, felt like a layer of tape on top of two displays.

muro• 4 years ago

They are around and actually very good. I got a flip 3 for my wife and I wish I got one myself, too. While not bad, the camera could be better - I like the pixel camera more.

asdajksah21233• 4 years ago

Why does it look any more fragile than an iPad, for example?

o_m• 4 years ago

An iPad have no moving mechanical parts, and are in an aluminum body that doesn't flex.

jsheard2• 4 years ago

We haven't solved the "bendable glass" problem yet, so foldable displays are made of soft plastic which is extremely easy to damage compared to the toughened glass you're accustomed to. You can put a permanent dent in them with your fingernail if you're not careful.

anony999• 4 years ago

The innovations in this area are incremental so you won't get the best out of it now. Investment into bending oled already went into smartphones so migrating it to laptops doest require signifiant capital. I would take this over a new set of "emoji innovation" and new OS skin/theme anytime.

I must confess that I like bending/folding screens and "rolling screens" even more (i.e. for TVs). I would fold my iphone if I could(assuming that the screen would not get worse) and I would love to double the screensize of my macbook air or shink it into an ipad.

deltathreetwo• 4 years ago

The iphone was at one point in time the same innovation as this and at that time there were plenty of people like you calling it an "obvious" failure.

At the time people were talking about how hard and clumsy it was to type on and getting your finger grease all over the screen of the phone.

nottorp6• 4 years ago

No. If companies didn't sink resources into "innovations" like this you'd still travel around on faster horses.

Let them burn some budget on crazy ideas, some will stick.

varispeed7• 4 years ago

I really didn't want to do this, but I bit the bullet and bought M1 MacBook Pro. Oh, having previously worked on XPS 15, this laptop is like next level in terms of pretty much everything. I feel like manufacturers putting Intel or (to an extent) AMD processor in any laptop just waste their time. Sure there will be people who will buy it (who don't know about M1/M2), but it's like buying a legacy technology for premium price. So while the folding screen looks impressive, I can't help but think it is just an expensive gimmick. Rather than churning very much the same laptops year on year I wish manufacturers spent some time on designing a new CPU if Intel and AMD can't keep up or trying to license the CPU tech from Apple.

viraptor3• 4 years ago

You're comparing an (I'm guessing) few years old xps that needed replacing, to a last year's premium quality/pricing laptop. I know Intel is still behind on efficiency, but you should try a 12th gen with p/e cores before you write the whole thing off as legacy.

Also I'm not sure apple wants to license anything - they're doing quite well keeping the design to themselves.

varispeed7• 4 years ago

I had a couple of generations of XPS and I am not convinced it will be much different. I watched a few comparison videos on YT and there was no contest. Laptop would have to be constantly plugged to achieve similar performance to M1 and the fans... the fans is a deal breaker for me. Intel is far far behind now, even with the 12th gen.

hu3• 4 years ago

Problem with Apple computers is their software. Hardware is great though.

Until it can run Linux smoothly it will be undesirable for me.

j3th9n• 4 years ago

rowanG0775• 4 years ago

Honestly I don't get the hate. I would love this form factor. I used a Surface Pro for years and loved it. This looks to be superiour in every way.

preisschild• 4 years ago

I'd just wish for an arm64 laptop that isn't made by Apple.

Software development is getting more and more relevant on arm, and using native tools is way better than cross-compiling.

OLED is pretty cool though.

candiddevmike• 4 years ago

Pinebook Pro meets your criteria but I think you'd find it too slow. So you want an arm64 laptop that's also fast and with a decent amount of memory.

I wonder if we're at the point yet where I can use my phone with a foldable screen and keyboard as a workstation.

piaste• 4 years ago

Didn't Samsung use to sell a docking station for phones? Whatever happened to it?

With so much applications moving to the web (eg. gitpod), even an Android phone would make for a suitable desktop.

vips7L2• 4 years ago

Lenovo just launched the Thinkpad X13s with an ARM CPU. My only issue with it is that it's fanless: https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpadx/th...

jeroenhd• 4 years ago

Sadly, Qualcom's performance is still laughable compared to Apple's M1. You can get a Macbook air for around the same price that runs twice as fast (and probably has better speakers). If you intend to run Windows, you'll also run into slower x64 applications more often than with a Mac.

I'm really not sure what the advantage would be for picking a Qualcom processor over getting an i3 or lower end AMD APU.

Someone really needs to step up ARM processor design because no matter how much I detest Apple's business practices, I can't deny that their ARM chip is far superior to the rest of the market.

weberer3• 4 years ago

Like half the Chromebooks out there have ARM processors.

ccbccccbbcccbb5• 4 years ago

Planned obsolescence presented as a feature.

ccbccccbbcccbb5• 4 years ago

Downvoters must have some skin in the game)

Dislike it or not, no material will endure getting bent 180° at a radius this small many times a day without developing some sort of visible artifacts, let alone with the layer of light-emitting components embedded in it.

jacquesm4• 4 years ago

The responses to this are more interesting than the device itself. It's innovative, it's done by a brand that has a reasonable reputation for reliability and for standing behind their products and it may well fit a niche.

Innovation is always going to be risky, and Asus stands to lose some of their credibility if the device does not hold up over time. So I'll be more than happy to let them do their thing.

As for sustainability: all electronics that contain rechargeable batteries are in principle not sustainable and we all have one or more of those devices. Let the person who has never used a portable battery powered device cast the phirst phone.

croes4• 4 years ago

Is it really an innovation? If I look at foldable S smartphones then this is like a bigger version with an external keyboard.

luismedel• 4 years ago

Why not? Was the iPad an innovation or a bigger iPhone/iPod touch?

jacquesm4• 4 years ago

Is there a similar device on the market right now?

A 'bigger version' by two orders of magnitude surface wise certainly seems innovative to me, I'm not aware of another company risking their reputation on something like this at present but I'll be happy to be corrected.

There was an intel proof-of-concept but I'm not aware of anything that was actually available to the public.

Keep in mind that what looks trivial to you ('just a bigger version') may require an enormous amount of engineering to make it reliable enough for mass consumption.

lwhi2• 4 years ago

Was a tablet innovative?

Just a bigger smartphone ..?

wink2• 4 years ago

There are several failure modes for innovation.

New ARM-based chipset on a laptop? There are benchmarks and apparently we trust that they don't just melt after 1000h of use. (and sometime you can replace a laptop cpu)

Smartwatch? Cool new thing, doesn't really cost an arm and a leg, might try that - maybe the battery can be replaced.

A screen - the one thing that you had to carry very careful (crt), be careful not to scratch while wiping off dust, or not letting your waterbottle press against too heavily in your bag... and now you're folding it?

This is one of the few times you can call me a pure Luddite, I am terrified of this and the idea that it could break like 2 months after warranty ends. Or inside warranty and they just tell me to gtfo because I handled it wrong. Yes, maybe I am overly careful here, but my personal laptops are from 2016 and 2013 and both got some amount of abuse... I like long-lasting hardware...

jacquesm4• 4 years ago

Well, wait and see. Early adopters get to claim the cool factor and the rest of us can pick it up if and when it survives. But it's an interesting development and I do hope that it works out for them once they start fielding them in larger numbers, a recall of these devices in quantity would not come cheap.

geraldwhen4• 4 years ago

God help your soul if you need to deal with an ASUS hardware RMA. They are easily the worst PC hardware manufacturer of all, and they sell clearly damaged and broken parts as "refurb."

They are terrible.

iasay24• 4 years ago

LOL I read the first comment about Asus and quality and expected to read this. Can confirm. Absolutely the worst company on the planet.

londons_explore2• 4 years ago

I really wish they'd design the case of the product to be fully removable easily (ie. 30 seconds with the right tool). Then a 'refurb' can consist of switching your case onto new innards.

Since this form of 'refurb' would be so cheap to operate, all warranty claims could be handled this way no questions asked.

Send the old innards back to the factory to run the full factory test suite, and if they pass then great, and if they fail have them stripped for parts.

fuckmeyes• 4 years ago

They are shit in RMA but as is every other company, most service centres are outsourced. I remember I just need a droid to remove the cmos battery from my zenbook to fix some weird power on race condition that prevented the whole thing from switching on - I didn’t have the silly screwdrivers - yet they wanted to rma it for two weeks - had to literally scream down the shop unrefined - losing face - until they relented albeit with sir it won’t work but calm down you idiot we’ll try, of course it worked and I was back in a taxi 20mins later with working zenbook and my data. Still better than Acer but still shit. This was bangkok

varispeed7• 4 years ago

Watch NorthridgeFix channel. Asus laptops are very much regulars -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjGvLOW6Qec

Algent• 4 years ago

Also had terrible experience with that last year, brand new X570 constantly crashing after a year, found a capacitor leaking they kept the card for two week and sent it back without any change and with the shipping sticker directly on the box.

Had to throw the card away (out of spite, I had my own machine constantly crash for months before finding the cause) and buy a new one and X570 is not cheap at all. I'll do everything I can to never buy an Asus again for a long time, this include work where I can weight on this.

Since then two friends with a Asus MB (one same as me the other an intel one from 3y ago) went dead too due massive amount of capacitors leak, made me think they have a big problem that isn't talked about very much.

WillAdams• 4 years ago

And the underlying engineering is unreliable for some models --- which is a shame --- I'm still sad that my Asus Note 8 w/ Wacom stylus quit working (just after I'd kitted it out w/ every accessory I needed), and I regret not picking up their b/w LCD unit.

citizenpaul4• 4 years ago

IDK if ASUS has been doing it longer than others. However I find that this is common practice now days for most companies. I exchanged some sony headphones the other week and the ones I got back literally had dirt smeared in them, like some construction worker or mechanic had them and returned them.

I had some issues with a corsair power supply a couple years ago I had to do 5 returns before they finally sent me one in a box that was not already opened.

Apple does this as matter of practice. You go in they will give you an "new" phone that is in some weird box that is not the retail box. Those are returned phones.

rozap• 4 years ago

That wasn't my experience. In college a roommate spilled a pint of beer on my ZenBook. They replaced the keyboard for me even though I was clear that it was an accident and not a product failure.

I've bought zenbooks ever since then, and they've been great.

andrewmunsell• 4 years ago

Unfortunately, I have to agree.

I went from having ASUS graphics cards and motherboards, to swearing off from buying ASUS products ever again. For me, they refused to repair or replace a brand new motherboard with a defective PCI-e slot because of some tiny cosmetic scratch somewhere else on the motherboard, claiming the "damage" voided the warranty. Magnuson-Moss anyone?

ASUS has even been warned by the FTC for violating the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, so really I should not be surprised: https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/foia_requests/War...

caycep2• 4 years ago

If not Asus, then who?

Asrock - have not had a motherboard go bad...but looking at their website, I'd be wary of trying to get an RMA

Gigabyte/MSI all have their own share of complaints....

eVGA? they have stateside support but sometimes the specs aren't as good as Asrock's.

PNY?

drewzero1• 4 years ago

I replaced a broken display on a friend's ASUS laptop several years ago (which she had bought a few years before that at my recommendation) and found that one of the display hinge screws went right through the wifi antenna cable. "Oh yeah," she said when I pointed it out. "The wifi reception's never been very good." I put in a replacement antenna and cable from a parts laptop I had around and it worked much better.

That was the moment I realized that most consumer hardware is crap (even well-respected brands), and it can be difficult and expensive to try to find something that's not. I no longer recommend any specific brands to people.

bedast7• 4 years ago

Late last year going into early this year I had to deal with ASUS RMA with my ROG Flow X13 and the dock. The dock started failing. They wanted both the laptop and the dock sent in, so I sent both in. It took a while, but they got it taken care of.

The only problem I ran into is apparently FedEx treated the return as a soccer ball. The sturdy packaging was very damaged, and I'm surprised the damage to the laptop and dock weren't worse than a cracked frame, bent hinge, and cracked dock frame.

ASUS handled redoing the RMA without charging me anything. My assumption is they used the FedEx insurance.

They always re-image the device. When I got it back the second time, they forgot to remove their repair image and I had to re-image it myself. No biggie, I'm fine with that.

Perhaps what helped me is I've worked with technology for a couple of decades, including doing technical support and front line support for several years at the start of my career. I used my troubleshooting skills before even contacting ASUS and gave them all of my findings. The person I was talking to didn't bother with trying any further troubleshooting and just requested the RMA.

So, while I get that talking to any system builder's tech support and RMA can be a pain, I had a positive experience with ASUS RMA.

I have a friend with a recent Alienware laptop that had issues on day 1. Dell technician did a house call, basically destroyed his laptop, and left. Another friend has sworn off Dell because after several RMAs of his laptop, the warranty eventually expired and it still failed again. I don't know many people who have had to go through RMAs of other companies. But I get the impression that, outside of business support, all of them are garbage. However, ASUS did me right.

nekoashide• 4 years ago

I take exception to you casting them as having a reasonable reputation for reliability. In my experience it's a gamble for reliability, if you lose expect poor support, long repair times, and if it's out of warranty the repairs are always more than the cost of the device.

bedast7• 4 years ago

You gamble when buying any product. No one has a 100% success rate. In my personal experience over a decade of using Asus products, I've not seen a 100% success rate, but my only one failure was recently and they took care of me.

Dell might send a technician to you, but that doesn't mean the quality is any better. Friend of mine fairly recently had his Alienware laptop "repaired" which ended with Dell completely replacing it because the technician effectively destroyed his new laptop. Ordered, received it months later, was defective out of the box, technician destroyed it, had to wait even more months for a replacement, tried to send him an inferior replacement in the process.

None of them are without faults. But I've had a lot of success with Asus.

nrki• 4 years ago

My Asus Android tablet, abandoned without a single Android OS update, begs to differ.

vxNsr• 4 years ago

it's done by a brand that has a reasonable reputation for reliability and for standing behind their products

This is simply not true. Asus like acer is a brand I tell people to avoid when shopping for a new laptop. They have a horrible reputation on QA and as others have mentioned their support is dead last in actually getting things done.

bedast7• 4 years ago

Can you show a metric that shows their support is dead last? Or are you going off of emotional experiences and anecdotes of others?

I've owned multiple Zenbooks over the years and they've been fine. I've helped friends choose Zenbooks as well and they were happy with them. The one time I went with a non-Zenbook for an upgrade (Lenovo Yoga) I regretted it.

Been using Asus products for over a decade. Only ever had 1 failure and they handled it fine. I have a 24" LCD monitor from 2009 that's been relegated to being a small dumb TV with a smart box on it to provide TV functions, so longevity seems fine.

I'd place Corsair far below Asus, to be honest.

mentos• 4 years ago

Currently I have 2 PCs under my desk and 2 monitors that I use for work. I've fantasized about trying to travel and work but lugging a laptop and a portable monitor around seem too cumbersome. I'd love to experiment with two of these that could fold inside of each other (like 2 hands clasping) and set them up on a desk in an airbnb and remote desktop into my 2 home PCs from each.

But most likely the idea of trying to travel/vacation and work at the same time is a bad one. Should probably just take advantage of economies of scale and do all my working at once and then all my traveling at once.

Pxtl2• 4 years ago

I used to be a fan of Asus devices but their quality has gone down over time, and it wasn't that high to begin with. At this point the only product of theirs I stand behind is their routers, and that's only because the quality standard of the router industry is even worse.

opan5• 4 years ago

Funny you mention their routers, I specifically avoid ASUS routers as they usually use Broadcom chips, which means horrible software support and no chance of OpenWRT working well. I look up individual models and can't recommend any whole brand, but the Netgear R6220 is pretty good, and I think there are a couple other Netgear routers with good support. TP-Link has some as well, like the Archer C7.

martijn_himself3• 4 years ago

I don't really get the appeal of folding screens, but then I didn't get the appeal of iPads when it was announced.

One thing I would love is an iPhone / iPad that docks and dual boots into macOS powering a monitor- surely that should be technically possible by now.

sumedh5• 4 years ago

but then I didn't get the appeal of iPads when announced.

Let me guess you dont have kids.

ChuckNorris898• 4 years ago

Not parent and I don't have kids but if I did, there's no way I'm giving them an ipad.

They can have coloring books, crayons, Legos and building blocks, doll houses, physical plastic, wooden and plush toys, restricted access to PCs/consoles, but no portable smart devices with screens, online connection and spyware apps.

By kids I'm talking about pre-teens. They can get smart devices when they're teenagers.

martijn_himself3• 4 years ago

I do see the appeal now, just not when it was announced in 2010 (I think a lot of people didn't at the time).

ndiddy• 4 years ago

In early childhood, children's brains will rapidly adapt to their environment (https://academic.oup.com/pch/article/11/9/571/2648303?login=...), for example Aboriginal Australian children develop strong spatial cognition to survive in an environment with few landmarks (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/001002...). It'll be interesting to see what happens when the generation of children whose brains have adapted to oversaturated, constantly changing, narrative-free stimuli by being raised on YouTube Kids reaches adulthood.

alberth• 4 years ago

Anyone who works on a job site will love this (e.g. architects, electricians, plumbers, etc).

Much like on the other extremely, pilots absolutely love the tiny iPad Mini because it can easily fit in the cockpit (and even be mounted to the windshield).

pmontra• 4 years ago

For a laptop, it's a small machine with a large screen. For a desktop, don't know.

This is probably going to cost a lot and installing Linux would probably mean to forfeit all the screen modes except one (I don't expect much driver support - but maybe xrandr?) anyway I can see me buying something like that.

Too bad for the missing touchpad buttons (three of them, this is almost a deal breaker), wonderful not having a number pad, I didn't check if it can be upgraded (RAM, SSD) and which ports it has. My wishes: video, ethernet, 3.5 audio jack, at least two USB A 3.0, USB C would be ok, I bet there are adapters for old hardware.

resoluteteeth• 4 years ago

Using a touch screen as a keyboard when it's folded in laptop mode just looks painful.

If the technical issues could be ironed out, folding phones would seem to make a lot of sense theoretically since it would be great a device that's small in your pocket but has more screen real estate when you're using, but this device doesn't seem like it would be that pleasant to use even if it worked perfectly.

Sholmesy2• 4 years ago

Review from Dave2D 4 months ago, addresses the crease & hinge on a pre-production unit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFGhvYLbBRE

I think it seems like a cool idea, 17" at 4:3 ratio is alot of screen real estate, at a 12.5" 16:9 footprint.

Lot of negativity in this comment section, personally not something I'm that interested in, but I am interested in people experimenting with the form factor.

sneak• 4 years ago

It’s only 2560 by 1920.

sovnade6• 4 years ago

is that not enough for a 17"?

I don't have that many on my 27" desktop monitors and it's totally fine.

entropicdrifter2• 4 years ago

Raw resolution matters a lot less than PPI and contrast/color quality, IMO

elxr2• 4 years ago

That's completely fine.

Sholmesy2• 4 years ago

Sorry, I should have clarified what I meant.

I meant that 4:3 17" is substantially more than a 16:9 17" monitor.

4:3 vs 16:9 for the same diagonal (17") results in 12% more area. a 16" MBP is already large, and is only 16:10, so 17" 4:3 is comparable to like 18/19" of work space in 16:9/10 world.

me551ah• 4 years ago

Scaling settings matter a lot more than just resolution

wakeupcall• 4 years ago

I think the design is brilliant.

Nice 4:3 ratio. This essentially doubles as a full screen you can put anywhere with a keyboard always at hand. That's how I use my laptop 99.9% of the time.

The microsoft book is already better than a regular clamshell in my eyes for versatility, but If you ignore the price for a moment (which brings the book to ridicolous costs), IMHO this design beats a clamshell design in versatility a 1000 times over, and the detachable screen design as well.

csdvrx3• 4 years ago

I have a X1 Fold Tablet, and it's the best device I've ever owned

I like it so much that I spent time to make it work great under Windows 11: check https://csdvrx.github.io/

dm319• 4 years ago

Might be nice to use at 17" with a 60% mechanical keyboard.

layer8• 4 years ago

Just for comparison, this 17.3" 4:3 is the same height as 21.1" 16:9, and it has 185 DPI. If it was a bit larger and slightly higher DPI, I’d consider it as a main monitor for a desktop build. I’m still waiting for an OLED monitor in the 24-27" range with 200+ DPI.

remram• 4 years ago

I would buy a laptop with two separate screens that unfold. I need the extra space to show more windows, not bigger windows, so I wouldn't mind them being separate panels. With different sizes even.

edit: Maybe I should just buy a portable monitor.

skilled• 4 years ago

Now I am genuinely curious why I have the psychological impulse to immediately think to myself "disaster" whenever I see one of these folding screens. I guess I have Samsung to thank for that. And I doubt I am alone in this sentiment.

Good on Asus for making bold moves. I've got one of their laptops as my primary machine for the last couple of years and it has been as reliable as the best of them.

drcode13• 4 years ago

My samsung fold3 screen is as good as new one year later, surprisingly.

noobermin• 4 years ago

I think the only thing about foldable screens is eventually the crease does not iron out and is part of the screen permanently, meaning likely you'll have to live with the crease eventually.

I've seen many Samsung foldable screens that are display units at the store, that crease is pretty worn out after a few months to a year.

falcor842• 4 years ago

I'd be interested in official mean-time-to-crease stats. If it's indeed a year, I think it's still very worthwhile.

Also, would it be economic to replace the panel after it creases?

viraptor3• 4 years ago

Another interesting point is - does the smartphone experience translate to the laptops. We usually open the phone tens of times a day. The laptop screen will get much less movement.

pnut• 4 years ago

I find this potentially intriguing for my use case, which is 95% working from home in a fixed office arrangement.

Under those circumstances, if this can drive two external monitors, I could have the best of both worlds- a big third monitor for my primary work situation, but then it's the same device but mobile when I need to go into the office etc.

happyopossum7• 4 years ago

a big third monitor

In what sense is a 17" monitor "big"? It's barely any larger than a lot of regular laptop screens.

notacoward• 4 years ago

I would love something like this if it used a real hinge or a slide instead of a folding screen. Best of all IMO would be a three part screen (two hinges/slides) with a 1:2:1 ratio so that the line - which can be small with modern bezel-less design but still present - won't be in the middle. That makes it usable for games etc. as well as many tiled terminal/editor windows. Innovation is great and all, kudos to them for trying this, but validating the UX aspects separately from the base display technology seems worthwhile.

belter4• 4 years ago

I though OLED burn-in was still a real issue?

"How real is risk of OLED burn in?": https://www.reddit.com/r/4kTV/comments/r0l7cj/how_real_is_ri...

"Being an Early Adopter SUCKS - Trying to Fix Burn-in on my LG CX": https://youtu.be/hWrFEU_605g

ornornor• 4 years ago

I’ve had an OLED tv from Panasonic that I used quite extensively for the last 3 years and there is absolutely no burn in whatsoever on it.

I was worried about it when I got it but loved how black the backs are so I bought it anyway.

No regrets. I remember a renowned panels review site doing extensive tests on each and it basically took them two years of full brightness always on torture to have burnin on the tv stations markee and around the presenters face. They really overdid it and so I decided it’s not a realistic risk for my usage.

april_224• 4 years ago

Yes they have improved the panels so much the past couple of years. The blacks are just so amazing on OLEDs!

belter4• 4 years ago

Do you use it with a computer?

RektBoy• 4 years ago

Who TF needs this? And how much is the repair?

can16358p4• 4 years ago

But what is the software support for the folding screen? The hardware is cool and assuming it doesn't break in a few months, I see the lack of much software support as the biggesr adoption roadblocker.

I don't think just treating it as one big screen or two/three separate screens without any more context would be enough.

tootie• 4 years ago

I don't see why not. I don't think it folds to arbitrary configurations. It will just toggle between two different rectangles. Modern PCs handle plugging and unplugging external monitors no problem

can16358p4• 4 years ago

It's about the context.

Modern PCs have an external monitor in addition to the main one just to extend the area. This one, because of its placement especially in the semi-folded form, would unlikely to be used just like a normal display, because of their position and rotation relative to the user, that one sees in front of their eyes, so additional software measures would be needed to make use of that space efficiently to, say (making it up), keep app windows on the main area but move shortcuts, desktop items, widgets to the bottom area etc.

nicbou2• 4 years ago

Considering that Windows struggles to reliably support bog standard laptops, I wouldn't add another layer of potential bugs.

chadlavi• 4 years ago

Can't wait til everyone gets this foldable screen nonsense out of their system. It's all destined for a tech oddities display in a museum.

viraptor3• 4 years ago

I think there's a good user story for it. I'm normally working at home (folded, docked), in the car/train (small laptop), or in a room away from home (full size). I don't have experience with large foldables, but I'm theory this is a perfect form for me - and I love large screens (already carrying a 15.5) I'm also likely to keep it folded at home for weeks, so the hinge durability would be less of an issue.

londons_explore2• 4 years ago

I don't feel like I can really comment on this till I've tried it. It's too different from other devices.

canbus• 4 years ago

What problem do folding screens actually solve?

alt227• 4 years ago

Wanting a bigger screen but not having enough space to transport or store it.

ccbccccbbcccbb5• 4 years ago

The problem of service life being too long, which brings profits down.

drcode13• 4 years ago

desktop-like at home, notebook-like when at coffee shop

bluelightning2k• 4 years ago

This looks really cool. Imagine if Apple had released this.

Even the software stuff is genuinely very interesting: use a tablet and phone as external screens when I'm travelling? Smart background noise reduction? Yes please!

parski• 4 years ago

Oh my god. A 4:3 OLED panel? My dreams coming true!

chmod7752• 4 years ago

I found this sentence to be hilarious:

The color-accurate 2.5K slim-bezel NanoEdge Dolby Vision screen is also PANTONE® Validated with TÜV Rheinland-certified low blue-light levels.

It's the second sentence on the page, prominently at the top. Do they expect the average consumer knows what any of that means?

There's more made up marketing BS there than English.

ballenf• 4 years ago

They're counting on their target market to feel superior to others by knowing (or pretending to know) and thus being more likely purchase.

These statements also give purchasers psychological cover for spending an exorbitant amount. This is not some overpriced pedestrian device.

ansgri4• 4 years ago

Unfortunately this proprietary marketing-speak BS makes it easy to sell to creative professionals and those who care about color, and does signal somewhat well-defined properties.

DolbyVision works well if you have the proprietary stack (it's the format newer iPhones shoot HDR videos in -- and even DaVinci Resolve didn't support it last I checked), and PANTONE does reasonably solve the important problem of color matching.

CRConrad4• 4 years ago

There's more made up marketing BS there than English.

Just because you don't know what TÜV Rheinland is doesn't make it "marketing BS". Imagine, shock horror, not everything in the world that's relevant to a lot of people has to be in English.

chmod7752• 4 years ago

I'm German. I'm still filing it under marketing BS. Sue me.

mandeepj• 4 years ago

Great idea! A lot of people still WFH, I guess its adoption would take some time to take off, if that was not case. Of course, it all depends if the product itself takes on the positive trajectory.

drcode13• 4 years ago

WFH people are exactly the people who need a desktop-like computer for 80% of the time, then a laptop for 20% of the time (when they have to swing by the office or want to work out of a coffee shop)

In other words, this device is the PERFECT device for WFH

Multicomp• 4 years ago

I've been wanting a Microsoft Courier since they first did that concept video - I'm getting one of these Asus ones even if it is very early days. This Asus has a better setup than the X1 fold, I've saved up the cash, I want one.

The current ultimate OneNote device!

jmartrican• 4 years ago

I'm a programmer that spends a lot of time programming on my laptop without an extra screen. I use 15" laptops exclusively because it has a decent balance between screen size and portability. But when coding (and a lot of coding is done over Zoom where folks with bigger screens are sharing their desktops) every little bit of real-estate counts. So the idea of having a 17" in a more portable form factor, and weight is very intriguing. Like its crazy to think a 17" laptop can be under 4 lbs (3.3 lbs to be exact).

samstave4• 4 years ago

I HIGHLY recommend you grab a couple of these: AOC USB Screens [0]. They are cheap, LIGHT, and great. I have two of them with my also 15" Omen laptop.[1] So I have a full size gaming/workstation machine, and TWO external screens, at 1920 while the machine is 2500 resolution... and ALL of this fits in my backpack. and is super light.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/AOC-I1659FWUX-USB-Powered-Portable-19...

[1] https://i.imgur.com/MJNWvif.jpg

(Also, I am designing a bracket using the VESA mount screws on the back of the screens to attach them to the small camera tripods I have which are also very light and fit in backpack - this way, I can mount one screen behind the laptop, and have that screen directly above my laptop screen, and then another to the side.)

Ayesh• 4 years ago

If it's pair programming or collaborative programming you are after, I'd suggest Code With Me on latest Jetbrains IDEs. The code is E2E encrypted over Jetbrains servers, or you can even self-host. Makes presentations, lessons a breeze too.

65• 4 years ago

Needless complexity, similar to folding phones no one found a use for. It makes for really great YouTube tech content but is mostly just a direct downgrade in everyday usability.

CivBase2• 4 years ago

As a replacement for my laptop, I hate this. But as an auxiliary tablet, this is much more interesting. If I had a good use case for a tablet, a folding one that runs Windows sounds much more appealing than a flat tablet running Android or iPadOS.

My biggest complaint is that I see no indication that this could accept a video input and double as a portable display. If it did that, I would start to consider something like this for myself even without an obvious use case for a tablet.

fleddr• 4 years ago

Admittedly, An interesting idea for the very mobile user.

As for mainstream usage, horrible in my view. A 12.5" laptop, who works on this? Ants? Even the "full fledged" desktop experience is 17". A size I considered too tiny for ergonomic work 2 decades ago. Windows in touch mode...meh.

Given that it's main value is in ultra mobile use, it's weird to flex all kinds of gimmicky features like audio. As if it's some kind of "creator" laptop, which it isn't.

It's typical of Asus, a showcase laptop throwing lots of stuff at the wall.

ge962• 4 years ago

This is something I'd always thought about eg. "why not have both halves be screens". Now here it is. Will be interesting how it's like typing on a piece of glass, we do it on a phone. I'll try it one day but that'll be when they're not $2K each or whatever price. Which I don't buy brand new laptops or $1K phones to begin with so nothing against this in particular.

Although I imagine buying something like this used is probably not a good idea. (wear tear)

gwbas1c• 4 years ago

Where do I buy it?

drcode13• 4 years ago

August 31st you'll be able to order online

bbertelsen• 4 years ago

For me personally, this is exactly what I want. On days where I have meetings. It's a tablet for note taking. On days where I'm studying, it's a PDF reader either in 12.5" mode or 17" mode depending on the symbols. On days where I'm coding I would probably pair this with a g915 tlk and a second 15" portable monitor. That's a very reasonable workstation in a bag and wouldn't be heavy at all. The flexibility to be different types of devices in just one laptop is excellent. Where do I buy it?

seltzered_• 4 years ago

I run a subreddit on ergonomic mobile computers ( https://reddit.com/r/ergomobilecomputers ) and find this intriguing.

Aside from concerns about the folding display, the keyboard is wireless and detachable unlike a Microsoft surface, so you can actually put the display on a stand and not worry about craning your neck down - all with the stock keyboard. In my setup I actually have the screen close up such that I no longer need to wear eyeglasses when at the computer anymore.

samstave4• 4 years ago

Ive used the foldable oled samsung phone a few times, and I REALLY like foldable OLEDs -- No idea how long they will hold up (how many folds between noticing the wear on the screen in that area, pixel failures (do OLEDs have pixels/failure of pixels?)

But what will be dope is seeing these in kiosk like control panels in series, like this https://i.imgur.com/4n0Rld8.jpg

I like these... I wonder if we can have an "Environmental Impact" Rating on consumer electronics these days.

gorgoiler• 4 years ago

This could be such an enormous game changing format. What an exciting time this is.

For me, the idea of being able to lift up the keyboard and reveal a second screen is just crazy exciting. Fluidity in format feels like the next great leap in mobile computing.

To that end, I wonder we haven’t yet seen devices without multiple detachable wireless screens? I would love to detach a screen off the back of my MacBook — when I had space to — and have an impromptu second display.

hyperpallium2• 4 years ago

Folding, glasses or projection seem the only ways to smaller yet bigger.

On a folding phone, I found the hinge is noticable on a blank screen - but not when watching a video. Not sure how it will go with a terminal, but if a window doesn't cross the hinge, would it matter?

taf22• 4 years ago

at least according to all the Asus laptop fixes from https://northridgefix.com/ - these are probably pretty unreliable laptops... like probably a capacitor will fail causing a short that prevents the laptop from charging after less than a year...

taf22• 4 years ago

here's a good example of an Asus laptop charging issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4_SzzorYn4

a-saleh2• 4 years ago

This looks very simmilar to the thinkpad one. And I can't seem to find the price?

drcode13• 4 years ago

It's sorta different in that the thinkpad one is portable even unfolded, but then becomes ultraportable when folded

This one is much bigger, making it completely unportable unfolded and only portable when folded.

a-saleh2• 4 years ago

Aha, the keyboard made me thing they are simmilar size, but you are of course right!

quickaskq• 4 years ago

This reminds me… what ever happened to Microsoft’s Surface Neo? This is a very similar idea, especially with the external keyboard

hombre_fatal2• 4 years ago

Folding tech for phones wasn't quite as interesting, just a small cherry on top of something we already accommodate. Fine.

But folding tech for 17" screens is amazing because of how massive those screens are. They are completely unwieldy in the normal unfolding form factor, unlikely to fit in your backpack.

happyopossum7• 4 years ago

They are completely unwieldy in the normal unfolding form factor, unlikely to fit in your backpack.

50k 16" MacBook users at my company would disagree with you...

hombre_fatal2• 4 years ago

I have a 16" MacBook too, but an extra inch of diagonal (and anything bigger than that) is surprisingly bigger and gets unwieldy fast.

I wouldn't be surprised if 16" is the biggest you can bring to market that hits enough trade-offs for people to buy it. Plenty of people think that's too big.

My point is it will be interesting to see if good folding tech, by changing the nature of these trade-offs, can open up the market for larger laptop screens.

michaelsalim• 4 years ago

This is really exciting. Being able to fold will make it so much easier to carry around. My dream is to have a 24 or even a 27 inch monitor that you can fit in an every day backpack.

I don't really care that it's also a laptop. Heck, I don't get why you would ever want a foldable phone. But foldable monitor at this size makes a lot of difference in packing.

At 17 inch, it's not the biggest difference since you can still fit that in a backpack. 24 inch? Good luck. But I'd imagine the size to increase over time. Surprised nobody is talking more about this.

risho2• 4 years ago

does this double as a monitor? i might have missed it but it didn't say anything about that.

dheera• 4 years ago

I wonder if it would have a crease in the middle over a long time. I've seen people with folding phones, they look cool at first but after 6 months they look like shit.

drcode13• 4 years ago

I don't get why you would ever want a foldable phone.

I like having what is essentially an iPad in my pocket at all times (insofar as an Android tablet is an iPad)

asdfags• 4 years ago

meme tech

lxe• 4 years ago

Why isn't resolution front and center? Oh it's because it's "Up to 2.5K (2560 by 1920)", so still stuck in 2007.

sovnade6• 4 years ago

2560x1920 for a 17" screen is perfectly fine. It's about on par with modern macbooks.

happyopossum7• 4 years ago

Err, a 16" MBP has a 3456x2234 screen. That's not on par.

risho2• 4 years ago

dude thinkpads were being sold with LESS THAN 1080p screens all the way up through the mid 2010's. to this very day 1080p displays make up MORE THAN 50 percent of the steam hardware survey. resolutions that are higher than 1440p on that survey make up less than 10 percent. you are so wrong that it isn't even funny.

bee_rider2• 4 years ago

Ah, I got one of their Flips around the beginning of the year, wish I'd waited as this looks really cool.

Wonder how the Linux support will be. The Flip has decent Linux hardware, as far as I can think of, every feature is working other than their useless numpad-on-trackpad thing (which I didn't even bother looking into).

crakhamster014• 4 years ago

Pretty cool tech, but from the Dave2D video, the crease + bulkiness is still bad enough to be a dealbreaker for me (and I imagine many others as well).

I find it interesting that companies like Asus, Samsung, etc. frequently put out these devices that feature emerging tech, but clearly aren't ready for primetime. You would never catch Apple releasing something like this since they have brand value to protect, but Asus seems to be fine risking that in order to claim the title of "first to market".

One day this tech will be ready for the masses, and I imagine that's when Apple will release something. Why are companies like Asus spending money on marketing that "warms up" the general audience to this tech, only to have Apple come eat their lunch a few years later?

samstave4• 4 years ago

"You would never catch Apple releasing something like this since they have brand value to protect"

Do you recall the original iphone lacked a bunch of really "duh" features at first. The main one being no copy+paste?

Sure, Apple has made mistakes...

No way to iron out the wrinkles in your foldable OLED screens until you get enough people to try them on first.

BoorishBears5• 4 years ago

You're being way too defensive here.

The iPhone was revolutionary, lacking some software features at launch was nothing that couldn't be fixed.

What the post above clearly means is releasing hardware that's still a few iterations from being "mainstream appealing"

If you actually follow the story of the iPhone, Apple could have released a bulkier more primitive version, but Steve Jobs refused because it wouldn't have mainstream appeal.

And Apple just seems to be more conservative in the feature wars in general. They held out the longest on OLEDs, they held out the longest on 120hz, etc. all until it was practically "boring" tech.

codethief• 4 years ago

Not sure I'd want to iron my foldable OLED screen just to get it straight again.

laumars6• 4 years ago

Rise tinted glasses much? Apple have had more than their fair share of bad tech. Such as fanless computers overheating, keyboards that break, monitor hinges that tear the monitor cable, and the first iPhone had fewer features than many of the “dumb” feature phones released years prior.

I say this as someone who owns a lot of Apple hardware too. So this isn’t some anti Apple bias

Moreover it’s pretty absurd to say that hugely popular products aren’t ready for the prime time. The fact they’re popular and sell well means they precisely were.

crakhamster014• 4 years ago

Haha yea maybe my glasses are a little tinted, but I think you're conflating two different points. Apple has released flawed products in the past, but they rarely (never?) include emerging tech that isn't polished enough for mainstream consumption. I say this as a former Android user who loved touting that "Android had that feature first", but it's hard to deny that features like mobile payments have just been executed better by Apple.

Also, since when are foldable OLEDs hugely popular?

upupandup2• 4 years ago

It's ridiculous how much of a premium people pay towards Apple.

colinmhayes• 4 years ago

Apple released that butterfly keyboard. The MacBook line was absolutely suffering for years until the redesign that came with m1

fezfight• 4 years ago

I love how these companies advertise Windows 11 Pro as a feature. As if anyone would be surprised or excited for what is effectively the status quo. It'd be like being surprised or excited that it was black.

Its just kinda funny. Now if it was certified to run OSX, Linux, Beos, or Temple OS, or something, now THAT would be a selling point.

some_bool• 4 years ago

My username says it all about this product

ngcc_hk2• 4 years ago

Great idea. Not cheap I assume.

Like msft the desktop display model. If it also helped in mac … then cost not an issue.

bradgranath• 4 years ago

Why do people want foldy screens so bad? I get that they fit in your pocket better, but reading or viewing images through the crease looks awful.

drcode13• 4 years ago

I want something akin to a desktop with a big screen at home, but which I can also bring to a coffee shop. I don't want to have to fiddle with ugly docks, usb monitors, etc. Those things are a PITA.

nicbou2• 4 years ago

Wouldn't it be better to just connect a normal laptop to a bigger screen?

nordsieck• 4 years ago

IMO, this isn't great.

It's competing with laptop + USB monitors that are optimized for portability. That setup is a little less elegant, but it's less expensive and it's composed of reliable components. And, you can easily use the stand-alone laptop in cramped quarters like on a bus/airplane.

The only real downside is, it's a little less compact compared to the Asus design.

arthurcolle• 4 years ago

How many truckloads of money is this?

drcode13• 4 years ago

I'm a superfan of this device and follow all the news

It'll be "only" $2999 in the US if we're lucky

symlinkk• 4 years ago

Why do you like this device so much?

Havoc• 4 years ago

Looks neat. I'm curious why its trending so high on hn though?

Out of the first 20ish comments a single one expresses a desire to get one

upupandup2• 4 years ago

I guess the same reason I haven't bought anything from Amazon in the past 4 month. Fatigue and what I have serves a purpose.

I can't be the only one who cut back on spending.

mmanfrin2• 4 years ago

Cool design, but absolutely never buying an Asus product again. Every single product I've bought from them (router, motherboard, monitor, etc) has broken, and their support system is an absolute nightmare.

franga20002• 4 years ago

In what situation would you need the manufacturer's support? Asus doesn't sell direct to consumer, so issues while still under warranty are handled by the store you bought it from.

ImPostingOnHN4• 4 years ago

the store is not an expert in the electronics inside the device, or the firmware that runs on it, so they're incapable of providing any meaningful support

WilTimSon• 4 years ago

Every single product I've bought from them (router, motherboard, monitor, etc) has broken

Has broken in what time frame? Because if it breaks within the first year or so, I'd understand it, but tech breaking/malfunctioning after the standard warranty time expires is pretty common in my experience. I've only ever bought one laptop from Asus but it served me well enough for 4 years, until the battery went haywire and ballooned to thrice its size.

lizardactivist2• 4 years ago

That seems very strange, in particular since you appear to suggest you bought so many of them. I mean, what are the odds?

I think you're simply using them wrong or handling them carelessly.

mmanfrin2• 4 years ago

You know literally nothing about me except that I've had a bad experience with a brand, so you come to the conclusion that I'm "simply using them wrong"?

Unbelievable.

A $400 Asus router I bought had a broken 2.4ghz band, was that 'using [it] wrong'? I had a motherboard fry itself, do you think I was in there 'mishandling' the motherboard? An Asus monitor I bought would periodically shut off and not turn on again unless you physically unplugged and plugged it back in, a faulty power circuit that I found many others having issue with.

Your comment is rude and gaslighting.

anigbrowl• 4 years ago

Intriguing. Also their marketing is good, and I say that as someone who hates advertising.

winrid• 4 years ago

Finally, I can feel like I'm in Westworld.

pantulis• 4 years ago

This should be great for reading sheet music!!

nsonha• 4 years ago

the hardware is pointless when it runs on windows, a crap OS, I'm still waiting patiently for linux on mobile, let alone foldable linux

honkycat• 4 years ago

I actually kinda love this form factor. my laptop is a glorified desktop/monitor and removing the keyboard is a good idea.

galaxyLogic• 4 years ago

Can I have two of these displays connected to a single "laptop" ?

gabrielhidasy• 4 years ago

That's almost what I wanted from Lenovo with the X1 Fold, I already have space to carry around a 14" notebook, I gain nothing on a device that's half the size, but twice the screen on the same space, that would be awesome.

drusepth• 4 years ago

I scrolled all the way through and couldn't find a price and/or a release date. Does anyone have the numbers?

I've been using a Lenovo Yoga Book (10" foldable running Android with virtual keyboard/wacom on second "screen") for years now that this would be the PERFECT upgrade for. Love the ratio, love the screen size, and love the screen versatility. Took me a few months to get used to typing on a screen, but it's kind of a non-factor now; being able to bring your own keyboard for an even bigger screen though.. that's a killer feature IMO -- as long as the crease isn't too noticable and the hinge actually lasts a long time.

olliej• 4 years ago

This seems much more useful than the plethora of folding phones from a year or so back. Like doubling the size of a phone's screen doesn't get it to a size that is more useful imo - I don't watch tv/video on my phone, so I realize the value may be different for others.

But being able to have 17" of real-estate without having a 17" rectangle seems like a big deal, and I can see the half size also being more useful.

I remain worried about creasing, etc but I think those are technical things that are going to be resolved eventually. Making a device that is useful when switching between two screen sizes is the product issue, and on face/marketing image this looks like a great concept to me.

fragmede2• 4 years ago

The device looks gorgeous, but what's with the promo pics on that page looking like I've broken the screen on it?

ajot• 4 years ago

What I wonder is: how a screen that's supposed to be put indistinctly "vertically" or "horizontally" refreshes the image?

I remember the Dragonbox Pyra having some trouble because the cellphone/portrait screens they could get didn't have a way to refresh normally when put in a handheld/landscape orientation, and the shim software they made to adapt for this caused a penalty in performance.

zbird• 4 years ago

"Fully opened, the 17.3-inch touchscreen is perfect for presenting your big ideas, or simply kicking back to relax on the web."

Relax on the web? Oh boy...

childintime• 4 years ago

It seems they missed the opportunity to store the keyboard inside the clam shell.

That location would even allow the keyboard to be angled, quite the improvement.

Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED

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