Sorry, Google! The incredible OnePlus Open makes the Pixel Fold look like a prototype

All in all, it might be easier to point out what the OnePlus Open doesn’t do better than the Pixel Fold. The Open is only IPX4 water-resistant, while the Pixel Fold’s rating goes up to IPX8. What this means is that the Open can take a splash, but the Pixel can be submerged into water without breaking. Hopefully. I wouldn’t try it.

The other obvious advantage of the Pixel Fold is that it supports wireless-charging. This is a bizarre omission on the OnePlus Open for which there’s no excuse, if you ask me. So, if you are someone who loves to charge wirelessly… there's that.

But this is pretty much where the Pixel Fold’s winning streak ends as far as I’m concerned. Displays, design, processing power, camera hardware, and battery are strongly swinging OnePlus’ way.

The OnePlus Open’s large display makes the Pixel Fold look like a prototype, and this a much bigger deal than you might think

Without a doubt, the biggest difference to notice between the OnePlus Open and Pixel Fold are the displays. But I’m not here to tell you the obvious. Yes, the OnePlus’ display sizes look more practical; yes, the Pixel Fold’s massive bezels are… massive; and yes, the OnePlus Open’s crease is pretty much invisible compared to the Pixe Fold’s.

While both the cover and inner display of the OnePlus Open are indeed brighter than those in the Pixel Fold, the larger inner screen has this anti-reflective coating that makes it a gazillion times easier to view outdoors, or under any direct light.

The Pixel Fold? Well, as you can see in the video above (courtesy of Ben Sin from XDA), the Pixel Fold’s inner screen looks like a glossy toy next to the Open’s. But it also feels like a toy. It’s soft to the touch, plasticky (since it lacks the thin glass layer of the Open), and it smudges incredibly easily, which makes it look “dirty” more or less at all times. Not to mention, being a plastic screen, it’s more difficult to clean.

For one, the OnePlus Open’s camera system is light years ahead of the Pixel Fold’s. Don’t get me wrong, the Pixel Fold still takes great photos thanks to Google’s expert image processing. However, the OnePlus Open is pretty much the first folding with a camera system that rivals “normal phones”.

For example, low-light photos taken with the zoom and ultra-wide cameras on the OnePlus Open aren’t just great but some of the best I’ve ever seen. The reason for this is that the sensors in the Open’s zoom and ultra-wide cameras are the same size as the primary camera sensor in the Pixel Fold. On the other hand, the Pixel uses some of the tiniest zoom and ultra-wide sensors, while the primary camera shooter is also behind the Open’s.

Speaking of zoom, OnePlus has worked some black magic into the 3x zoom snapper of the Open, which takes 10x zoom photos that rival those of not any phone but the Galaxy S23 Ultra - the only phone in the world with a dedicated 10x optical zoom camera.

How? I really don’t know. My educated guess would be through image interpolation, which combines data from the 3x zoom camera and 48MP primary camera + some upscaling.

OnePlus’ first folding phone is the biggest slap in Google’s face in a while, proving Google rushed the Pixel Fold

In the end, the OnePlus Open is effectively $500 cheaper (at launch) than the Pixel Fold if we match the two for storage (512GB). Considering OnePlus also gives you a fast charger and a wonderful case in the box, the difference in value is pretty big here.

Combined with the fact that the OnePlus Open is technically and practically superior to the Pixel Fold in almost every single way, it’s safe to say that the Open is a big slap in Google’s face, and ambitions in the area of foldables.

Both the OnePlus Open and Pixel Fold are the first folding phones from the two respective companies but one (clearly) has taken the time to make something I’d actually want to use over my “normal” phone (or at least give it a proper shot). Meanwhile, the Pixel Fold seems like one of the prototypes OnePlus made but was never proud of. Especially when you look at the inner screens (which, again - the only reason you buy a foldable).

But what does this mean for Google and the Pixel Fold? Well, it means that the Pixel Fold isn’t a foldable I want to use, or one I can recommend, given that the OnePlus Open exists (and is sold in the same markets). It also makes it very clear how desperate Google was to ship a folding phone for the purpose of (finally) entering the market, giving it the “Google sign of approval”. And that’s cool for a software company but not good enough for a phone-maker.