OnePlus Open launch live blog — all the big news as it happens
Get ready for your first official look at the latest foldable phone
Good morning, and welcome to the OnePlus Open live blog!
There are still a few hours to go until the event begins in Mumbai, but we're taking one last look at everything we know so far to get ready. Starting with a phone from a completely different company.
The Oppo Find N2, a China-only foldable launched earlier this year, could give us a strong indication of what the OnePlus Open will be like to use. That's because OnePlus and Oppo are partner companies, and have shared all sorts of tech and components in the past, including OnePlus' famous fast charging systems. And the rumors we'll be getting into shortly sure do paint a picture of a phone resembling the Find N2.
Then again, we already know that the OnePlus Open won't be a carbon copy of the Oppo Find N2. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed that the device is a collaboration, and it means the OnePlus Open will also be available from Oppo at a later date — albeit with a slightly different name.
The idea was to leverage the expertise of both phone companies into creating a better foldable. From Oppo that was extensive experience in foldable hardware, and for OnePlus it was apparently the ability to create "a fast and smooth experience" while pushing the limits of the hardware itself.
We don't know when the Oppo-branded device will arrive, or what it will be called, but it probably won't be a very long wait.
About those leaked OnePlus Open specs: Here’s what we think we know heading into the big announcement later today.
- Inner display: 7.82-inch AMOLED (120Hz refresh rate; 2,800 nits max brightness)
- Outer display: 6.31-inch AMOLED (120Hz refresh rate; 2,800 nits max brightness)
- CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB
- Outer cameras: 48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 64MP telephoto (3x zoom)
- Front camera: 32MP (cover display); 20MP (interior display)
- Battery size: 4,805 mAh
- Charging speed: 80W
- Size: 6.03 x 5.63 x 0.23 inches / 153.4 x 143.1 x 5.8 mm
- Weight: 8.64 or 8.43 ounces / 245 or 239 grams
- Colors :Voyager Black, Emerald Dusk
It’s hard to talk to foldable phones without focusing on price. After all, these tend to be some of the most expensive phones out there, so we’re always interested to see if a newcomer can come along and undercut the existing devices on price.
We had hoped that would have happened with the Pixel Fold, but no dice — it debuted with the same $1,799 price tag as the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Now it’s the OnePlus Open’s chance to maybe drive prices down. And it just might do that — a leak that occurred when OnePlus first announced today’s event— claimed the Open would cost $100 less than the Z Fold 5.
If you’re trying to sort out whether the OnePlus Open launched already, it’s not just your imagination. We were expecting to see OnePlus’ new foldable a little bit earlier than today.
A rumor claimed an August 29 release date for the phone, which would have put the Open’s launch closer to the release of the Galaxy Z Fold 5. But allegedly, there were last-minute changes involving the display the phone wound up using. That led to a change in plans as to when the OnePlus Open would be ready — or so the rumor goes.
Some features about the OnePlus Open we know for certain heading into today’s announcement. Courtesy of OnePlus founder Pete Lau, we know that the phone maker has taken the hinge from Oppo’s foldables and redesigned it. Lau says the hinge is 37% smaller than the one on the Oppo Find N2, but that the new version will be both lighter and stronger.
To us, it sounds a lot like similar improvements Samsung made to the hinge on the Galaxy Z Fold 5. That not only allowed the phone to close flat, it also made the new model much lighter than its predecessors. And one of the issues with early foldable phones is that they’re really bulky to tote around.
Because they’re going to rock similar designs, it’s only natural that people are going to want to compare the OnePlus Open with the Galaxy Z Fold 5. (The latter is, as of this moment, our recommendation for the best foldable phone overall.) Ahead of the OnePlus Open’s launch, let’s look at how it can beat the Samsung foldable.
The OnePlus Open isn’t the only foldable phone joining the mix this week. Today, the Motorola Razr goes on sale — this is the scaled-back version of the Motorola Razr+ flip phone that sacrifices a few features like a larger exterior display in exchange for a much lower price tag. At $699, the Motorola Razr is now the cheapest foldable phone you can get.
Is it worth it? In our Motorola Razr review, we note that for people who don’t need a powerful processor or a big exterior screen, the lower price is too good to pass up.
It’s widely expected that the OnePlus Open will run on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. That’s the same silicon found in a lot of the best Android phones — including the OnePlus 11 flagship that came out earlier this year.
It stands to reason than, that if you want some idea of how the OnePlus Open will perform, you should consult the OnePlus 11 benchmarks. The TL;DR version — you’ll see performance that matches the top-performing Android phones (which, coincidentally, also feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2). The OnePlus 11 trails recent iPhones on speed, but it did outmuscle A16 Bionic-powered devices on some graphics tests.
Bottom line? The OnePlus Open should be a top-performer.
Here's your first look at the OnePlus Open (with the camera module visible :p)Crease is much better compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Also they are very comparing the camera with Galaxy S23 UltraThe phone comes with a color matched case within the box. pic.twitter.com/ttuvLzKCdaOctober 18, 2023
Leaker Yogesh Brar has already released several OnePlus Open leaks, but has today posted some real-life images of the phone.
As well as showing off the phone's basic shape, Brar explains that the crease in the main display is hard to spot, and that there's a color-matched case included with the phone for users who want a bit of extra protection. Not to mention an 80W charger, as you'd hope to see from a flagship OnePlus phone.
As we count down to the OnePlus Open event's official start time, we can't help but think about what the next OnePlus launch will be. And how it's likely to be the OnePlus 12.
This flagship non-foldable is expected to turn up in China just before the end of the year, and then go on sale early next year everywhere else. It should feature a very bright display, improved telephoto camera and OnePlus' usual speedy chipset and charging system, based on the rumors we've heard so far.
If you really can't wait to see what the OnePlus Open is like, then take a look at the Oppo Find N3, which launched earlier this morning at an event in China.
We won't go into detail on the specs, but chances are they are going to be basically the same as the Open's. Read at your own risk!
Richard Priday (TG's assistant phones editor) here as there's just moments to go before the OnePlus Open event. I'll be taking you through the whole show, and posting all the details as they appear here.
Also, here's a OnePlus 11 - a great phone that undercuts the competition on price. Let's hope the OnePlus Open does the same thing for the foldables category.