The OnePlus Open aims to take Samsung's foldable crown with amazing specs

OnePlus Open design and display

Foldable smartphones nowadays struggle to tackle one big disadvantage directly inherited by the form factor - bulk. Most of the early foldable phones were big and heavy, and OnePlus has made a very conscious effort to make the OnePlus Open as thin and lightweight as possible without compromising durability.

This has been achieved with several cutting-edge technologies, such as the carbon fiber display support structure and the patented Flexion Hinge, which consists of just 69 parts to save weight and space. OnePlus has even redesigned the alert slider to be slimmer and lighter, and all of the above allows the OnePlus Open to boast a 5.8mm body when unfolded. The weight of the phone is just 239 grams.

The OnePlus Open has an inward folding design, which means it comes with two displays: one cover screen and one flexible inner display. The cover screen size is 6.31", with an aspect ratio of 20:09. With a peak brightness of 2800 nits and a refresh rate of 120 Hz, it has the potential to skyrocket the OnePlus Open to the top charts when it comes to brightness.

The large 7.82” main display also comes with a 120Hz refresh rate, 2K resolution and a three-layer protection system: Ultra-Thin Glass that sits directly above the flexible panel, a layer of TPU, and an anti-reflect screen protector on top to reduce everyday wear and tear.

OnePlus Open Camera System

Another impressive string of specs lies in the camera description. The OnePlus Open comes with a rear camera system that includes three lenses: a 48MP Sony LYTIA-T808 "Pixel Stacked" primary camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), a 64MP periscope telephoto lens featuring 3x optical, 6x in-sensor lossless zoom and OIS, and a 48MP ultra-wide-angle camera with AutoFocus.

The main sensor uses the same dual-layer transistor pixel technology that debuted with the Xperia 1 Mark V. It's a 1/1.43" sensor with a 1.12μm pixel size. OnePlus says that this sensor is on par with Sony's 1-inch IMX989, but we have to verify this claim with some tests.

OnePlus Open Performance and Software

In the hardware department, the OnePlus Open is a complete show-off with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, 16GB of fast LPDDR5X RAM, and 512GB of UFS 4.0 onboard storage. There's not much to be said here; these are top-tier specs worthy of any flagship, whether foldable or more conventional.

The software onboard is OxygenOS 13.2 with Open Canvas UI to make the most of the large inner screen. This UI comes with resizable and stretchable multi-windows, a desktop-like taskbar, and compatibility with popular apps such as Gmail, OneNote, Google Message, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, and more.

OnePlus Open Battery and Charging

OnePlus has been at the forefront of smartphone fast charging with its SuperVOOC technology. The OnePlus Open features a relatively large 4,805mAh battery, and it supports wired fast charging with up to 67W of power. OnePlus claims that with the bundled charger, you can charge the phone from 1 to 100% in just 42 minutes. Stay tuned for our review, where we'll put those claims to the test.

OnePlus Open Price and Availability

The price of the OnePlus Open starts at $1,699.99. This might seem like a lot for a OnePlus foldable, but there's a very interesting campaign OnePlus is launching. If you return any phone in any condition, you will receive a minimum of $200 off the aforementioned price. Given that we all have old phones lying around, it's a pretty much guaranteed discount, bringing the price down to $1,499.99.

The OnePlus Open will go on sale in the U.S. and Canada through OnePlus.com, Amazon and Best Buy starting on October 26, with pre-orders beginning on October 19.