Looks are almost everything to people when they are choosing a new phone to buy, which makes phone-makers pay extra attention to both the aesthetic and functional design of one of the only gadgets we carry all day every day.
And while Apple’s design strategy focuses on consistency rather than anything else (to make the iPhone as recognizable as possible), there’s no denying that, in the past few years, being somewhat bold and as different as possible has been the theme when it comes to Android phones (well, except the ones made by Samsung).From pop-up and under-display selfie cameras, to sliders, wild gaming phones, the Nothing Phone, whatever the LG Wing was, and all the way to the main topic of this story, which is folding phones, design is especially important for Android smartphones that need to stand out in a pool of alternatives.
Long story short, according to a number of leaks and rumors from very reliable sources, OnePlus’ first folding phone, allegedly called the OnePlus Open might now be days away from being officially announced. But what I’m here to talk about is the recent revision of the old leaked images of the phone, which shows almost a completely different design approach, which has me even more excited than before!
Apart from the Google Pixel Fold, the OnePlus Open is expected to be the first real competitor to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 both in the Asian and global markets (US, UK, Europe), which makes it clear why I’m looking at it as the biggest Galaxy Z Fold 5 challenger.
The OnePlus Open looks better than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold, and if you don’t agree… meet me in the comments.
OnePlus Open final design makes it look more practical than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold: OnePlus wants to strike the folding phone balance
Updated OnePlus Open renders make OnePlus’ first foldable phone appear more practical than both the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold.
Instead of the larger OnePlus foldable initially expected, we’re now looking at a relatively more compact folding phone that’s closer in size to the Google Pixel Fold rather than the new Honor Magic V2 or Xiaomi Mix Fold 3, and that’s a positive in my book.
The punch-hole selfie camera is still tucked away in the upper right corner of the inner display of the OnePlus Open, which is much better than the off-centre ones we see in phones like the Honor Magic V2. The alert slider is still in place, which is awesome to see (that’d make the OnePlus Open the first folding phone with an alert slider).
All in all, the revised OnePlus Open looks much cleaner compared to what we saw initially, but I really like the shorter, wider aspect ratio of the screens. The leaked OnePlus Open looks compact, but not small.
Both displays on the OnePlus Open to be larger and sharper than the ones in the Galaxy Z Fold 5
- The inner display of the OnePlus Open is reportedly a 7.8-inch panel, while the cover screen is a 6.3-inch unit with a wider 20:9 aspect ratio. That means the inner screen will have a density of 426ppi, while the outer one will reach 431ppi.
- In comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a 7.6-inch inner panel, and a 6.2-inch cover display with a super tall 23:9 aspect ratio, which gives Samsung’s tablet foldable the distinguished “remote control” look that most people who’ve used the phone seem to find too narrow.
- In theory, the OnePlus Open should sit somewhere between the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google Pixel Fold in terms of overall dimensions and feel in the hand, which seems ideal, considering that I find the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to be too tall and narrow, and Pixel Fold to be a bit too short and wide. OnePlus is clearly trying to strike the right balance, and it seems like it might work!
In terms of size, I’m getting “Oppo Find N2 Max” vibes from the leaked OnePlus Open design. While this certainly wouldn’t make the OnePlus Open as tiny as the Oppo Find N2, it does look like a scaled up version of Oppo’s compact foldable. Fun fact: The OnePlus Open is actually expected to double as the Oppo Find N3 in the Chinese market. That’s because OnePlus and Oppo are run by the same parent company, BBK.
The OnePlus Open looks much bolder, and intimidating than Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold but is this going to be everyone’s cup of tea?
The revised OnePlus Open renders (right) look even more promising than before!
As far as the camera island is concerned, we’re looking at what appears to be a much larger circular housing with a cleaner design aesthetic and only an “H” as opposed to the entire Hasselblad logo seen in the old renders.
It’s not exactly clear whether OnePlus has increased the size of the camera island to make the phone look more intimidating, or if it’s the apparent decrease in the phone’s size that simply makes the camera island look larger. Either way, I like the new camera island design that’s not shy to stick out.
The OnePlus Open is expected to pack two 48MP cameras (primary, ultra-wide), and a 64MP periscope zoom camera. All cameras are expected to use larger sensors and (obviously) higher resolution than competitors from Samsung and Google. Perhaps most notably, the 64MP periscope zoom would have the highest resolution on a folding phone.
To the second point (of thickness), the updated OnePlus Open renders make the phone look thicker than initially expected. Although this might be due to the angle of the new renders, where the side view of OnePlus’ foldable is more pronounced. We don’t know how thick the OnePlus Open is going to be as of now but it is expected to be thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which won’t be that shocking, considering Samsung’s tablet-style foldable is the thickest one on the market.
Apart from that, aesthetically, we’re looking at a faux leather back, which should make the phone lighter and help it deal with fingerprints, while also making it easier to grip. Looks aside, I’m a big fan of faux leather on the back of phones because it makes them less fragile compared to ones that use glass.
According to reliable tipster Max Jambor who seems to have a ton of info on the OnePlus Open, the foldable should come in two colors – Voyage Black and Emerald Eclipse. The black color is likely what we see on the leaked renders, while the “Emerald” suggests something similar to the OnePlus 11’s “Eternal green”, which makes sense as it’d make the lineup more consistent. OnePlus is clearly a fan of the green color, which we see in budget, mid-range, flagship (and soon foldable) phones by the company.
OnePlus Open: Making the best folding phone on the market starts with amazing design but is OnePlus’ first folding phone going to be at least as durable as the Galaxy Z Fold? And is it going to be cheaper?
Is the OnePlus Open going to be as reliable as it should?
Samsung itself has proven that you can’t make a good folding phone (Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 2) if it isn’t able to withstand normal use like the company’s latest Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 can. And while ingress protection (dust/water resistance) would be awesome to see on the OnePlus Open, I think making the phone durable overall is even more important.
The OnePlus open will be the company’s first folding phone, and as we see with the Google Pixel Fold, when it comes to foldables, first impressions really matter. The Pixel Fold has a plasticky inner screen, thick display borders, and a hinge that isn’t as high quality as the one found in the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which makes Google’s foldable feel less premium. What I’m saying is that OnePlus should learn from Google’s mistakes.
Anyway, the OnePlus Open is expected to debut in the end of August, or the beginning of September, and it might become what I think could be the main competitor to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 on the global market. Let’s also focus on getting the price right, OnePlus! You want to undercut Samsung and Google. How about $1,500? Wink, wink.
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Deepak Sen is a tech enthusiast who covers the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets. His articles provide readers with a glimpse into the ever-evolving world of technology.
