OnePlus’s Foray into the Foldable Market: The OnePlus Open Unveiled
Speculations about OnePlus entering the foldable smartphone market have been making the rounds for over a year. Given the growing consumer interest in foldable devices, it comes as no surprise that OnePlus aims to establish a presence in this competitive arena. Recent weeks have witnessed a surge in leaks and rumors surrounding the OnePlus Open, suggesting that its official launch is imminent. In fact, a leak from last month hinted that this book-style foldable could hit the market as early as this month. In anticipation of its impending release, OnePlus has collaborated with popular YouTuber Unbox Therapy to provide an exclusive first look at the OnePlus Open from certain angles.
The video presentation offers a glimpse of one of the OnePlus Open’s standout features – its gapless hinge. This unique hinge design ensures that the device can be folded completely flat, eliminating any gap between the folding panels. YouTuber Lewis Hilsenteger, in the video, asserts that it boasts the “tightest hinge” he has encountered on a folding smartphone. To demonstrate its robustness, Hilsenteger inserts a piece of paper between the folding display and even dangles the device from it, proving its stability and resilience.
Reportedly, this hinge is not only impressively tight but also exceptionally durable, potentially outlasting even the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 in terms of foldability.
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau sheds light on the engineering prowess behind the hinge, revealing that it employs 31 fewer components compared to the Oppo Find N2 and is about 37% smaller. This reduction in size contributes to an overall reduction in the device’s weight. The video also provides an up-close view of OnePlus’s iconic alert slider, a distinctive feature of their smartphones, which finds its place on the left edge of this upcoming foldable device.
With the exception of the camera module, the video showcases the OnePlus Open’s design in all its glory. Unlike some of its bulkier foldable competitors like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google Pixel Fold, OnePlus’s offering appears slim and notably practical for everyday use.
An interesting revelation from Pete Lau, communicated via email and corroborated in the video, is that the OnePlus Open and the Oppo Find N3 are, in fact, identical devices. Both OnePlus and Oppo have collaborated in the development of this foldable device, and they are set to launch it simultaneously. Furthermore, Lau quashes any rumors of OnePlus venturing into the flip-style foldable market.
While OnePlus has yet to announce an official release date, industry insiders anticipate the OnePlus Open’s debut on October 19. The device was also recently spotted in the wild, thanks to a marketing stunt by OnePlus, where it collaborated with Indian actress Anushka Sharma to “accidentally” showcase the phone.
Rumors and speculations suggest that the OnePlus Open will feature a 6.3-inch OLED cover screen and a 120Hz 7.8-inch internal foldable panel. Powering this innovative device will be Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, complemented by 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a robust 4,800mAh battery that supports 67W fast charging. With the right pricing strategy, the OnePlus Open has the potential to carve a niche for itself in the competitive foldable market, currently dominated by Samsung.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Genz Flash journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.