How durable is the OnePlus Open? More than you might think

(Image credit: Future)

If you’re going to spend almost $2,000 on a foldable smartphone, you’re going to hope it'll last. The last thing you need is for the screen to crack at the slightest gust of wind, or serious damage as the result of a tumble onto the sidewalk. That’s where durability tests come in, and on the dropping-block today is the OnePlus Open.

YouTuber Zack Nelson, aka JerryRigEverything, is known for putting phones through their paces — among other things. Recently he got his hands on the OnePlus Open, and put the foldable through his usual array of scratch, burn and ingress testing. Turns out, OnePlus’s most expensive phone scored pretty well.

The video notes that OnePlus can be a little bit hit or miss where durability is concerned. Which isn’t great when this sort of money is on the line. The JerryRigEverything test is supposed to simulate years of use, though, so it’s nice to hear that things are coming out (relatively) ok.

It’s noted that past OnePlus phones usually started receiving scratches with a Mohs level 6 pick, with deeper grooves at level 7. One the outside display, the OnePlus Open is no exception — despite the Ceramic Guard protection.

oneplus open jerryrigeverything durability test screenshots — (Image credit: JerryRigEverything)

Sadly the inner display started seeing scratches at level 2, and can suffer deeper grooves from something as simple as a human fingernail. It seems that, like other foldable phones, the inner plastic display is rather fragile.

The exterior metal is made from aluminum, with tougher and fancier materials like titanium living on the inside of the phone. Needless to say aluminum scratches very easily under a knife blade. The camera bump, which is compared to the size of a dinner plate, comes out quite well under scratch testing — as does the rear glass panel. The plastic flash module was not so lucky.

While testing the hinge’s “one million folds” rating would be next to impossible outside a lab, a bunch of dirt was thrown into the middle of the OnePlus Open to see what happened when you closed it. As it turned out, it didn’t look like any of it was getting into the hinge gears — which bodes well for long term functionality.

Under a lighter flame the exterior display lasted around 25 seconds before a white burn mark became visible. The interior screen started burning and going black within just five seconds.

The masterclass in the durability test was how the OnePlus open faired when attempting to bend it backwards. Turns out there is some give here, allowing the phone to bend in the wrong direction, lock in place and not break. JRE notes that the screen is stretched slightly, and it doesn’t close quite as well as before, but it didn’t break in half and it still works.

So if you want a foldable phone, there’s an increasing amount of evidence that the OnePlus Open may be the one to get. Not only is it the cheapest book-style foldable you can buy right now, its multitasking prowess and long-lasting battery are just two of the reasons why we consider it the best foldable phone. The added durability is just the icing on that cake, and means it should last you quite some time.

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Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.

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