If you liked the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED concept but wished that you could get the display minus the PC hardware inside, look no further. Asus has announced the ZenScreen Fold OLED (MQ17QH), which gives you the same 17.3-inch form factor as a portable monitor.
You get the same 17.3-inch 2560 x 1920 resolution OLED panel, which, when closed, gives it a 12.5-inch form factor for easy transport. Given that the display needs to fold when stowed, it is covered with a shiny, flexible plastic coating. However, note that this is not a touch screen, so you can't use your finger or a stylus pen to navigate. The lack of stylus pen support isn't surprising, as when we reviewed the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, Asus told us to "avoid using stylus or sharp items to touch the display, as they might damage the display."
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
Asus claims that its Waterdrop hinge allows for a seamless "no-gap" display when unfolded. However, like all folding displays we've encountered -- smartphones, tablets, and laptops -- there is still a noticeable crease in the display. While it isn't objectionable, it is there, and it's magnified due to the glossy screen coating and overhead lightning. The ZenScreen Fold OLED covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color space and is VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certified.
The monitor weighs 1.17 kg and is just 9.7 mm thick. It also features a versatile kickstand that allows you to use the ZenScreen Fold OLED in landscape or portrait orientation. As you might expect from a portable monitor, you can connect to a laptop or desktop using a mini HDMI port or USB Type-C (DisplayPort Alt-Mode). I always prefer using the latter due to the single-cable versatility.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
Asus hasn't announced pricing or availability for the ZenScreen Fold OLED at this time. However, the fully tricked-out Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, complete with an Intel Core i7-1250U processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD costs $3,500. We can imagine that the ZenScreen Fold OLED minus the PC components could easily retail for over $1,000 and perhaps come close to (or surpass) $2,000.
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Brandon Hill is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware. He has written about PC and Mac tech since the late 1990s with bylines at AnandTech, DailyTech, and Hot Hardware. When he is not consuming copious amounts of tech news, he can be found enjoying the NC mountains or the beach with his wife and two sons.
