If you live in the US and have been holding out for a folding phone option other than Samsung, 2023 was your year. While it isn’t like Samsung’s fifth-gen foldables completely failed in their efforts — the devices are still some of thebest foldable phonesyou can buy — it kept on asteady path with little variation. This would have probably been okay had the likes of Google, Motorola, and OnePlus not joined (or rejoined, in the case of Motorola) the game.
I have been fortunate enough to have tried out all the new foldable phones available in the US for 2023, except for theSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. However, I have used the three prior generations, and honestly, the Z Fold 5 didn’t change significantly enough for me to justify that purchase. So, instead, I held out waiting for the OnePlus Open to make my decision: would I stick with my Galaxy Z Fold 4, possibly go with thePixel Fold, or potentially skip getting a book-style foldable at all in 2023? As you may have already guessed, I went with the OnePlus Open, and I could not be happier.
The door was left open
In no way, shape, or form do I feel that theOnePlus Openis perfect — no phone is 100 percent perfect. But when I compare my experience of using OnePlus' first folding phone (yes, I know it isn’t technically a first-gen product, thanks to its relationship with Oppo), it has the fewest compromises of any folding phone I have used to date. This came as a huge surprise, as just months ago, I had foolishly believed Google would be the folding phone to finally get it right when it released the Pixel Fold.
To be fair, in some ways, it did. Google Pixel phones have offered some of thebest smartphone camerassince the beginning, a trend it’s continued with thePixel 8 Pro. Combining that history with a more intriguing, wider form factor for the Pixel Fold had me ready to send my Z Fold 4 to Google. However, after testing andreviewing the device for XDA Developers, like many others, it was clear that the Pixel Fold was not a fully mature product. Although the cameras were up to Google’s usual standards, this rang true for both the hardware and software.
While the OnePlus Open isn’t perfect, when comparing it to the competition, it checks more boxes than the rest.
I don’t know if I would have traded my Samsung foldable for Google’s option in the end, but for me, it still represented an improvement over what Samsung was, and in many ways, still is offering. Don’t get me wrong. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is not a bad phone — in fact, it’s fine-to-good. And I’m sure that I’m desensitized to what Samsung is offering just because I’ve spent three generations with essentially the same phone with the same sort of compromises. Which, to that point, I’m not the only one who feels that the one-time innovator has settled a bit too much in the last few years.
While I’m glad that Samsung finally managed to remove the gap between the two halves of the phone when closed, that was really the only big change to the 2023 model over the 2024. Sure, it got a new processor and some minor upgrades in other areas. But the narrow aspect ratio for the exterior display combined with middle-of-the-road cameras for too long has led tocompetitors passing Samsung up in the foldable phone space.
OnePlus spent many years as the company that touted itself as the “flagship killer” and to “never settle.” For the most part, it succeeded in many ways. But as with most brands, it peaked and started to backslide around the launch of the OnePlus 8. It wasn’t until 2022’sOnePlus 10 Prothat we saw any sign of a resurgence in the company, and with theOnePlus 11, something resembling the brand we once loved started truly coming back. With the ship seemingly righted with the traditional smartphone, Samsung continuing on an unchanged path, and Google not 100 percent confident in its hardware, 2023 was the perfect time toopenup the product line.
Getting the normal smartphone stuff right in a foldable
So, what is it that makes me like the OnePlus Open so much? It’s not because I love the company’s flavor of Android in OxygenOS, and it isn’t because it’s the thinnest phone available, though both of those things are quite good compared to other choices in the US. At its core, the part of the OnePlus Open that keeps it in my pocket is how it nails the normal smartphone stuff and, at the same time, offers the added functionality of being a large format foldable.
When I say it nails the normal phone stuff, I’m talking about that outer screen. When closed, the phone physically feels like a regular slab phone. Aside from being a tad heavier and thicker than many other traditional smartphones, it has very much the same screen size and dimensions as its non-folding counterparts. This is a feature far more important than many might think. Some people have said things to me like, “Isn’t the point of getting a folding phone so that you can carry a big screen in your pocket?” To that, my answer is yes, and that’sexactlywhy I like it.
Aside from the power and software capabilities, I love the OnePlus Open is still a flagship phone when closed.
I have a 4x4 pickup, but that doesn’t mean that I go off-roading every time I drive it. Just as every time I use my phone, I don’t need a large display. When using my Galaxy Z Fold 4 and its narrow cover display, I felt more inclined to open it to the main display more often because it was too cramped. I don’t have that issue with my OnePlus Open. I love that when I want to do something quickly on the phone, I can do so with it closed and not sacrifice anything. But then open it up to enjoy more screen real estate when I want to.
Okay, so it feels like a regular phone when closed. But that isn’t all that special, as theTecno Phantom V Foldis very close to that function as well, albeit compromises other than the physical shape of the hardware. One of the areas that Samsung outshines Google was in software. Primarily in the area of multitasking and handling multiple apps at once. I feel that OnePlus has one-upped both of those brands.
OxygenOS has its quirks that I don’t particularly care for both on the OnePlus 11 and the Open, but those issues aren’t so severe that I feel it’s unusable. For the Open, it isthe multi-window featuresthat feel like I can truly take advantage of the larger display. Samsung has pretty great multi-window support, but instead of putting each app you launch beside the next one or making it a floating window, OnePlus offers the ability to have the apps open in full and just jump between each app without relaunching anything.
The area that surprised me the most with the OnePlus Open was the software, both in speed and flexibility.
It’s kind of difficult to explain quickly, so if you want a bit more info on how this works, be sure to check out my colleague Will Sattelberg’sreview of the OnePlus Open. But this is the area I had the most hesitation about when the OnePlus Open was being teased. As I said, Oxygen OS is okay, but I didn’t have anything to make me think that it would get the software experience so right for the large inner display.
Lastly, much like the software, I didn’t know what to expect from OnePlus and the cameras for the Open. There has been a long history of good-not-great cameras in the company’s phones, which was more acceptable when the prices of those phones were kept below the competition. But with a high-priced item like a folding phone, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was an area that suffered. I was wrong.
Now, I don’t think the OnePlus Open has the best cameras, but the optics are better than any other OnePlus phone yet and, in some ways, the best in any folding phone. The Pixel Fold could have an argument for that title, but the fact the two could be so close is a huge win for OnePlus. Rarely have I hesitated to use the cameras on my Open, unlike how I felt with the Z Fold 4. There are some areas where the camera system and the supporting software could be improved, but far more often than not, I’m perfectly happy with pictures taken with the foldable.
Checking the boxes
OnePlus has done a fantastic job with the hardware, software, and cameras with the Open. I didn’t even mention the fact that the phone has the smallest crease in the main display ofanyfolding phone available in the US, which is a big deal. Though there is still a crease, it is minimal and significantly smaller than its competition. With that aside, the Open is a fast phone that handles everything I have asked of it.
For some strange reason, I don’t feel the need to put a case on it — I for sure did on my Galaxy Z Fold 4 and most slab phones I use. But even though OnePlus includes a decent case in the box, the device feels solid in hand, and the faux leather option I chose adds to the grip, so I feel more confident holding it. The OnePlus Open is a winner on nearly all fronts and only makes me more excited to see not only how the company evolves in the space moving forward, but also how the competition responds in 2024.
OnePlus Open
OnePlus' first foldable packs an impressive specs sheet and boasts some equally remarkable features. The lightweight design, the super-bright cover and folding screens, the high-end internals, and the triple-camera setup make the OnePlus Open a great alternative to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold lineup.
