FIRST TEST ONEPLUS OPEN
The first OnePlus foldable phone has finally arrived – can it take the fight to Samsung’s mighty Galaxy Z Fold5? Well, it’s certainly got the moves…
£1599 /go.stuff.tv/Open
Foldable phones feel like they’re coming of age: more robust, cheaper and without compromises on performance.
OnePlus has entered the market with the Open… but it already feels familiar. That’s because we went hands-on a year ago with the Oppo Find N2, a China-only foldable from OnePlus’s parent company. And while the Open is closer to the newly announced Find N3, there is a lot that carries over from the N2.
This phone’s key rivals are, predictably, Google’s Pixel Fold and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold5… both of which it undercuts on price at £1599.
The OnePlus Open is available in an emerald green finish in the UK and EU, while the US gets a smart matt black option too. The two halves clasp together nicely and sit flush with one another; this phone has quite angular styling, but it feels nicely tactile in the hand – and there’s no unsightly gap between the two sections. What some might consider unsightly is the trio of Hasselblad-enhanced cameras housed in a chunky roundel on the rear. It’s an eye-catching arrangement, not least because of its sheer physical size.
But foldable phones really are getting lighter and thinner: the Open clocks in at 11.7mm thick folded, and 5.8mm when opened out. The weight isn’t miles off of last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max.
1 Open wide
The famed OnePlus alert slider comes to the Open, which is a welcome addition. OnePlus says its size has been increased for this phone, while its position has been adjusted for one-handed operation. It sits in a module that’s smaller than on the OnePlus 11.
2 Open sesame
The hinge is a key component of any foldable, and the difference between this patented Flexion design and early foldables is night and day: it opens smoothy and slaps shut nicely, and there’s no judderiness at all. OnePlus says this hinge has 69 parts.
3 Open space
The Open has 6.3in outer and 7.82in inner AMOLED displays, and both are capable of 120Hz refresh rates. On the main display, there is a crease. It doesn’t distract from what’s on there generally, but with the screen off it’s clearly visible.
4 Open source
The Open’s spec sheet is very impressive, including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – which means 5G as well as Wi-Fi 7 support out of the box. There’s also a large 16GB dollop of RAM, but there’s only one storage size available: an ample 512GB.
5 Open eyes
This phone’s camera capabilities are really good for a fol
