CES 2022: Asus launches 17-inch folding OLED laptop and space-themed Zenbook
Asus has launched its Zenbook 17 Fold OLED UX9702 at CES on Wednesday, a device with a 17.3-inch 2560x1920 display when fully unfolded, or a pair of 12.5-inch 1920x1280 displays when held like a book, or a single 1920x1280 resolution display when its accompanying Bluetooth keyboard is placed on the bottom half of the screen.
The UX9702 is able to handle at least 30,000 folding cycles, according to Asus. Under the display, the foldable has Alder Lake U-series silicon with Iris Xe graphics, a pair of Thunderbolt ports, 5MP camera, and a 75Wh battery.
Without its Bluetooth keyboard, the device weighs 1.6kg, and is 8.7mm thick when unfolded. The Intel Evo-compliant Zenbook will be available in the middle of the year.
Asus also decided to create the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition UX5401 because it's been 25 years since one of its P6300 laptops spent 600 days on Mir without failing. The device has a 3.5-inch OLED screen on its lid that is capable of showing one of a space-themed animation, time and battery, custom text, and Asus called a "personal identity tag".
Internally it can have an Alder Lake Core i9 H-series processor, and has a 14-inch 16:10 ratio and 2880x1800 resolution OLED display. Asus said the accessories box that arrives in the laptop's packaging can double as a 23-degree laptop stand.
For its regular Zenbook 14 OLED UX3402, Asus is similarly offering a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display, Alder Lake Core i7 P-series chip with Xe graphics, a 75Wh battery. It weighs 1.4kg, is 17mm thick, has a Numberpad 2.0 as a trackpad, and a fingerprint reader on the power button.
Port-wise, it has 2 thunderbolt ports, a microSD card reader and HDMI port on one side, and only a USB-A port on the other.
In the business-focused category, Asus unveiled the 14-inch ExpertBook B5 that comes in two models, the traditional B5402C and the B5402F flip format. Packing an 11th generation Intel Core i7 chip, the device weighs 1.24kg, has two Thunderbolt, and one each of RJ45, HDMI, and USB-A 3.2 ports on one side, and one USB-A port, a power and fingerprint button, audio jack, and microSD reader on the other.
The B5402F also has a stylus that can be housed and charged within the device.