Are you ready for a foldable laptop?

Sure, foldable cell phones are becoming more common, but the same is not true in the laptop market. Sure, devices like the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold exist, but most foldable laptops (like Dell's Concept Ori) are just prototypes. Now, Asus is trying to move the market forward with its own foldable laptop, the Asus Zenbook 17. It certainly looks odd, but the device's multifunctionality should go beyond mere quirkiness.

Announced at CES 2022, the Asus Zenbook 17 is essentially a large 17.3" 2560 x 1920 OLED screen. Unfolded, the 17.3" screen has an aspect ratio of 4:3. When folded, the screen becomes a 3:2 12.3" clamshell with an on-screen touch keyboard on the bottom half. For those who don't like touchscreen keyboards, a spacious ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard is also included. This configuration makes the Zenbook 17 look and function like a traditional laptop; the Zenbook 17 weighs 3.75 pounds without the keyboard and 4.39 pounds with the keyboard.

The Zenbook 17 is powered by a 12th generation Intel Core i7 U-series processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. Onboard ScreenXpert 2 software helps control how the screen is split and arranges apps and folders. The laptop has Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and a 75Wh lithium polymer battery. Other features include a built-in 5-megapixel camera, a 3.5 audio combo jack, and one Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port that supports external displays.

Asus says the Zenbook 17 will be available in Q2 2022. No word yet on pricing, but it probably won't be cheap.

The Zenbook 17, like other folding devices, looks odd (I have mixed feelings, to say the least), but it also has an odd appeal.

The promise of a foldable laptop makes this one of the best laptops of CES 2022 so far, but the show is still on, and we'll keep you updated on the most important news from the show in our CES 2022 live blog!