OnePlus Open is the only foldable phone that does not compromise

The OnePlus Open is an outstanding book-style foldable that aims to compete directly with industry heavyweights Samsung. OnePlus and its parent company, Oppo, collaborated on foldable hardware to create the phone. However, assuming that this is merely a dupe of the Oppo Find N3 is incorrect. The OnePlus-inspired cover display and the alert slider are still prominent features.

The OnePlus Open is the only large foldable phone that does not feel compromised. It looks and feels like a standard phone, and the camera is the finest on any foldable. You can get foldable with more functionality from a Galaxy, but the OnePlus Open offers sleek, competent multitasking and a terrific folding experience, which is all you need. There are certain flaws – the performance and battery life should be improved – but the Open outperforms the competition, and the greatest thing is that it is far less expensive.

Price when reviewed: $1,699.99 | Check price at Amazon

OnePlus Open KEY FEATURES

The OnePlus Open’s Flexion teardrop-shaped hinge provides a nearly crease-free foldable experience, with only a small shift in touch when you run your finger across it. This tablet foldable is the only one worth considering because of its excellent design choices. It feels like a regular phone when closed, unlike the Galaxy and Pixel Folds. Brilliant screens all around, brighter than virtually any other phone available, and with a practically imperceptible wrinkle – for real. Elegant software keeps out of the way and accomplishes its job well. It may lack a lot of functions, but most users don’t use them. The greatest cameras on any foldable phone, comparable to the top camera phones. The iPhone 15 Pro Max cannot be beaten in every category, but it does win a few. Solid performance to power the two screens, but gaming was not as spectacular, since it couldn’t compete with the base-model iPhone 15.

It has a good battery life and charges quickly, but it could need a little more juice to last all day, every day, and some people may be disappointed that it does not offer wireless charging. The OnePlus Open offers better photos than any other foldable we’ve seen, but the Galaxy S23 Ultra has more versatile shooters and the iPhone 15 provides a more easier photographic experience. While the OnePlus Open works well with a OnePlus Pad, Samsung and Apple have greater cross-device functionality for sharing and more, like the ability to transfer a mouse cursor directly from your Galaxy tablet to your Galaxy phone screen.

ONE PLUS OPEN UNBOXING

The OnePlus Open comes in a distinctive red paper box, which is rather substantial. And it’s packed with stuff! Naturally, you get the phone. While we received the Black variant, it’s worth noting that the EU and probably other regions will only receive the Green model.

The packaging contains a SuperVOOC charger rated at 67W for Europe and 80W for all other regions. Despite this variance, OnePlus told us that charging will not exceed 67W regardless of whatever adapter you receive in the package, thus charging times will be consistent throughout the world. It also includes an 8A USB-A-to-C cable painted in OnePlus’ trademark red hue.

OnePlus also includes a plastic cover for both halfs of the phone. The back has a similar hue with a leather-like finish, so you won’t lose the luxury look if you use it.

Finally, a thin protective layer has been put on the Open’s cover screen. It works well as a scratch shield, but it is also a major smudge magnet on top of the already extremely durable new Ceramic Guard screen glass, so we promptly removed the protector.

CAMERA

• Excellent cameras outperformed all other foldable phones.
• Not as excellent as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but close.
• The image quality is fine, however, the camera software needs guidance.

OnePlus has taken camera performance extremely seriously with the OnePlus Open, sporting not one, but three unique lenses engineered exclusively for foldable to ensure the greatest possible performance – an ambition that has been substantially met.

The primary 48MP camera is, obviously, the center of attention. It has all of the premium camera features you’d expect, including OIS, an excellent f/1.69 aperture, and innovative pixel-stacking technology that allows the sensor to catch more light and detail without the need for a big 1-inch sensor, and the results reflect this.

Images recorded with the primary 48MP camera are a treat, with outstanding brightness, clear clarity even when zooming in on specific portions of an image, and remarkably realistic colors that aren’t excessively vivid like other competitors. Even in extremely bright regions in HDR images, there is a noticeable absence of overexposure, with the sensor managing to adapt and balance things out effectively without giving the image an over-processed look.

That’s also true in low-light situations, where the OnePlus Open performs admirably. Shots I shot during a wet, dark walk down a London street revealed fine detail, balanced lighting, and a plethora of colors that rival candy bar counterparts. It’s not the absolute greatest on the market, but it shines in the foldable category.

Along with the primary sensor, there is a particularly powerful periscope lens, which has a wider zoom range and higher resolution (as well as a bigger 1/2-inch sensor) than the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 5.

Another unique lens, the 64MP snapper, has 3x optical and 6x lossless in-sensor zoom, yet even when pushed to its maximum, the phone produces some excellent photos. The higher the magnification, the more digital artifacts you’ll notice, with photographs at 120x scarcely discernible, however, it let me get some spectacular shots of a squirrel sitting on my garden fence at roughly 18x.

Even at the regular 3x and 6x magnifications, the clarity is excellent, allowing me to shoot some close-up Zoolander-style postures from my (very attractive) cat Alan. Minor details, such as individual hair strands, are visible, as is the intricacy surrounding the eyes. I normally avoid telephoto lenses since they reduce overall light and quality, but that doesn’t appear to be the case here.

The 48MP ultrawide lens completes the trio of back lenses, and it is remarkably identical to the primary lens in terms of overall detail, light, and color calibration. It’s wonderful for scenic images, group selfies, and creative photos, but with a smaller sensor and narrower aperture than the primary sensor, it becomes less competent as light levels drop.

Expect strong selfie performance from the two front-facing cameras – 32MP on the external, 20MP on the internal – with both being ideal for a quick selfie and video calls, though the phone’s foldable design means you can also use the trio of rear lenses to take a selfie using the cover display when unfolded.

Video performance is likewise impressive, with a maximum resolution of 4K@60fps, and additional features include Dolby Vision Video (a first for OnePlus) and a Pro Mode that allows for LUT recording, both of which are ideal for professional-level filming. My only major criticism is that the OIS, although noticeable, isn’t as powerful as what you’d get on an iPhone or even some other Androids, resulting in a noticeable bob as I walked.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

• 5.5mm thick when unfurled
• 245g is a rather heavyweight
• The 6.3-inch cover display is bigger than the iPhone 15’s
• The 7.82-inch inner display is half an inch smaller than the iPad mini
• Both panels are very bright, with a customizable refresh rate of 120Hz

The OnePlus Open does not completely reimagine what a book-style foldable should look like, with the same general design as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Honor Magic V2, but several design decisions enhance the form factor overall.

Like other 2023 foldables, the OnePlus Open folds fully flat with no discernible gap. You can place a piece of paper between the two parts of the phone and hold it up with the paper. The hinge is also sturdy, having enough strength to keep its position half-open while not being too difficult to open one-handed – though the latter takes some getting used to. It’s also rather thin. It’s not quite as thin as the Honor Magic V2’s 4.4mm, but at 5.8mm when unfurled, it’s significantly thinner than the 6.5mm Z Fold 5, bringing it close to typical candy bar territory. That is partially offset by the device’s bulk, which weighs a respectable 245g and, although lighter than other foldable options, is still heavier than your ordinary candybar flagship phone. There’s also the cover display size to consider. While most foldables have a somewhat weird cover display aspect ratio, the OnePlus Open is the closest to a conventional smartphone display I’ve seen thus far.

It measures 6.3 inches and has the same 20:9 aspect ratio as a standard phone, so there’s no apparent drawback to utilizing the cover display. It’s also possible that OnePlus had the biggest influence on the design process, as prior editions of Oppo’s Find N featured a squatter appearance similar to the Pixel Fold. When you flip the phone over, you’ll see a prominent circular camera hump that occupies a significant portion of the back. Rather than finding it flashy, I prefer the XL-style casing, which adds to the foldable’s unique appearance rather than detracting from it. I also like how the LED flash rests outside of the camera bump, in the top-left corner. It doesn’t make logic, but I enjoy the style. And, being a OnePlus product, the OnePlus Open has the trademark alert slider on the upper-right to swiftly switch between loud, vibration, and quiet modes.

It’s not a total triumph, however, with the OnePlus Open’s IPX4 water resistance certification falling far below the Z Fold 5’s IPX8, but OnePlus is sure it’ll withstand a rainy day – as I discovered when caught in a heavy downpour. The sole improvement in device safety is the inclusion of Ceramic Guard protection on the cover display, which the firm says is 20% tougher than Gorilla Glass Victus. It’s also not the most ecologically friendly phone, with OnePlus making no specific promises about utilizing recycled parts in the foldable, and the packaging, while upscale, contains materials that cannot be recycled.

The OnePlus Open’s two screens are stunning, and they are both as excellent as the flagship phone or tablet they will replace in your collection. The cover display is 6.3 inches and has LTPO 3.0 technology, which can slow down to 10Hz for a low-power, always-on mode. The interior display is a massive 7.82-inch screen that is about the same size as an iPad Mini (2021). It can slow down to 1 Hz, and both panels can refresh at 120 Hz.

Just like it did with the OnePlus Pad, the business continues to seek the best screens for its products, with greater brightness levels that outperform competitors.

The Pixel Fold can attain a maximum brightness of 1,450 nits when the sun shines directly on it. In contrast, the OnePlus Open can easily achieve the same brightness in everyday use, peaking at a stunning 2,800 nits. Even Google’s stunningly brilliant new Pixel 8 Pro can only reach 2,400 nits.

In terms of screen space, the OnePlus Open offers far more than the Pixel Fold or Galaxy Z Fold 5. The competition phones may offer a 7.6-inch screen, which does not appear to be much smaller, but this is a diagonal dimension, which tells us nothing meaningful about screen size.

The Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 5 genuinely have around 28.4 square inches of screen real estate inside. The OnePlus Open measures 30.4 square inches. That is two square inches extra, not merely 0.22 inches along the diagonal. Does that seem like a lot? Not really; the other phones already seemed huge. When combined with the considerably superior exterior display, the extra space on the OnePlus Open’s internal screen seems like a great bonus.

The OnePlus Open’s exterior display is the most noticeable improvement, even though the diagonal dimension is deceiving. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a 6.2-inch exterior display, but it’s tall and thin, and it’s not enjoyable to use. Is the OnePlus Open truly much bigger, given its 6.31-inch external display? Oh, it is much bigger.

The iPhone 15 display provides approximately 14.15 inches of screen area in square inches. The OnePlus Open’s exterior display is considerably larger, at 14.9 square inches. What about the Galaxy Z Fold 5? That’s about two square inches less than the OnePlus and more than an inch less than the iPhone 15. Unless you unfold the Galaxy, Samsung’s most costly phone provides less exterior screen space than Apple’s base model iPhone.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

• Snapdragon 8 Generation 2
• 16GB LPDDRX5 RAM
• Top-notch performance

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip powers the OnePlus Open, marking it the final big phone to launch this year with Qualcomm’s finest Snapdragon. There’s some balance to that since the OnePlus 11 was the first phone to ship with this processor, even before the Galaxy S23 series earlier this year. OnePlus has used the same Snapdragon throughout the year.

Of course, its performance will not last long, as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon summit is approaching, with a new processor predicted. The OnePlus Open is undoubtedly speedy, but it isn’t the fastest phone available, and better phones are on the way.

The interface functioned well, including transitions between the internal and exterior displays. Whether I was switching displays while using an app to get a better look or changing viewfinders on the camera to snap a better picture, transferring views on the OnePlus Open was always seamless.

When I tried playing the most visually intense games, the phone stumbled a little compared to the best-performing Android phones on the market, such as the Galaxy S23 Ultra. I never lost due to poor performance, but I did have occasional jumps and starts, particularly during load screens. I have no problems, however it is reasonable to anticipate more.

The iPhone 15 provides higher performance since Apple’s processors are substantially more powerful than the current Snapdragon generation. That means that the iPad mini, which has an older A15 Bionic CPU, is as quick as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. If you’re considering purchasing the OnePlus Open to replace an iPhone and an iPad mini, you’ll receive greater performance from Apple devices.

Regardless of performance, I preferred the OnePlus Open over any other phone I had on hand for gaming. Playing on the large internal display is enjoyable and provides an extra layer of immersion to mobile games. The most visually intensive games, such as Genshin Impact, ran smoothly on the OnePlus Open, and the bigger display made it simpler to maneuver my character and see the little writing on the screen.

Buy it if...

• Outstanding design and construction, with IPX4 splash protection.
• Excellent foldable OLED with 120Hz brightness, color accuracy, and Dolby Vision.
• Excellent cover OLED, 120Hz, brilliant, color-accurate, Dolby Vision.
• Battery life is good, and it charges quickly.
• The Dolby Atmos three-speaker system works wonderfully.
• Flagship-level performance and solid stability.
• The rear cameras produce amazing picture and video quality.
• Excellent shots and selfies with the back cameras.
• Multitasking is made easy with this feature-rich program.

Don't buy it if…

• No HFR gaming.
• The cover selfie causes fuzzy photographs.
• The telecamera should fire more frequently at night.
• It is difficult to obtain a suitable stylus.
• No wireless charging.

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