OnePlus has unveiled a preliminary version of the OnePlus Open in an exclusive interview, showcasing the company’s redesigned foldable hinge construction and its seamless “gapless” design.
The OnePlus Open is positioned as OnePlus’ debut foldable smartphone, marking its foray into this category under its flagship brand. While the company has previous experience with foldables in its Oppo lineup, particularly with the Oppo Find N and N2, this represents a significant step for OnePlus. During an in-depth interview, Unbox Therapy was granted access to an early model of the OnePlus Open. To protect sensitive information, including the camera and other physical features, the device was carefully concealed with strategically placed paper.
In the interview, Pete Lau, OnePlus CEO, delves into the specifics of the upcoming device and its features. Pete reveals that OnePlus holds more than 600 patents related to various aspects of the hinge mechanism, underscoring the complexity of developing foldable phones. The OnePlus Open will incorporate a seamless design similar to the Oppo Find N2 but with a notable reduction of 31 components.
The video showcases the gapless design by having Lew, from Unbox Therapy, close the OnePlus Open with a piece of paper inside. According to Pete Lau, this design feature is enabled by strong magnets positioned along the outer edges of the inner display.
Interestingly, the OnePlus Open featured in the video appears taller than the most recent renders by @OnLeaks. These renders had suggested that the OnePlus Open would be a direct successor to the Oppo Find N2, which is exclusive to the Chinese market. Surprisingly, the phone’s design aligns more with @OnLeaks’ earlier renders, which the leaker later disavowed. As a result, the OnePlus Open’s design appears closer to that of the Galaxy Z Fold5 than the Pixel Fold, resembling the form factor of a Moleskine notebook.
OnePlus Open Fold Everything We Know so far
A Collab Between OPPO & OnePlus
Additionally, OnePlus has teamed up with Unbox Therapy to showcase certain aspects of its inaugural foldable smartphone. While the interview does not explicitly mention the hinge, it does confirm the presence of a large cover display and a mute switch. The global launch of the OnePlus Open is anticipated to take place on October 19th.
This device serves as a substitute for the highly anticipated OPPO Find N3 and has been the subject of rumors, with expectations of a launch later this month in the price range of $1,000 to $1,300.
In an exclusive interview conducted by Unbox Therapy, Pete Lau, the Founder of OnePlus and Senior Vice President of OPPO, offered an early glimpse of the upcoming OnePlus Open, which marks OnePlus’ first foray into the foldable device market. In response, Lau stated: “This folding phone is a collaborative effort between the OPPO and OnePlus teams, as we aim to harness synergy and combine the strengths of both teams, given their substantial expertise.
The approach to introducing this folding phone will vary by region, as we believe it is currently the best offering in its category. The OPPO team has accumulated significant experience in foldable design and camera technologies, while OnePlus is renowned for its fast and seamless user experience, lightweight design, and top-tier hardware performance. Consequently, we made the decision to leverage the best qualities of both teams to create this folding phone and will employ distinct go-to-market strategies in different regions to make this device accessible to a wider audience.”
