OnePlus Open Review: The Foldable That Doesn’t Make You Settle

With foldable smartphones, one has always got the sense of settling for something inferior to a regular smartphone instead of the advantages of a foldable screen. But the OnePlus Open stays true to the Chinese smartphone maker's "never settle" mantra. It is the first genuinely no-compromise foldable phone. It is an exceptional first salvo at foldables and shows us their true worth — in contrast to the opinions of its erstwhile co-founder Carl Pei, who believes foldable are a relic of the supply chain. So much so that this is the smartphone of the year, if not the gadget of the year.

Its comparison is not Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 or the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but it's more Apple Vision Pro, which hasn't launched yet. It takes the folding screen form factor from a science project it has been for the last three years to a mainstream product that will be sold at scale — and that too at a price lower than what Samsung is offering its products for. That truly is commendable.

With foldable, it all starts with the hinge mechanism that defines how the end product will look, and OnePlus has conjured a wondrous solution. Made out of titanium, zirconium and aluminium and the internal frame made of carbon fibre, the hinge has just 69 parts. This means folded, it's only 11.7mm thick and is a sliver lighter than an iPhone 14 Pro Max at 239 grams for the leather model I tested.

But the wondrous hinge is also so supple, which makes this the most satisfying phone to unfold. It feels as if one is caressing the back of a thoroughbred racehorse. And you can prop it up like a Nokia communicator from the 90s or even loosely open and close it. Oh, there is also almost no gap between the folded panels and the minutest crease on the internal screen. The only negative in the design is that there is only IPX4 water resistance, which is significantly lower than the one on the Galaxy Z Fold — meaning I can't recommend taking this phone to the pool or beach.

And these screens are sublime. The internal screen is a 7.8" 2k OLED panel with a triple-layer protection system, which makes it durable. The external screen is a very usable 6.3" OLED panel, which feels like a typical smartphone screen and not something like the remote control vibe of the outer screen of the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

It also gets a cover glass similar to the ceramic shield on the iPhone, which Oneplus claims is 20% more sturdier than Gorilla Glass Victus. In my testing, I had zero scratches on the OnePlus Open outer display, which is good news. The haptics on this phone are also world-class - absolutely supply.

But even if these screens didn't have all these bells and whistles, the fundamentals are best in class. OnePlus claims 2800 nits of brightness, which makes these screens the brightest on a smartphone. Yes, three reviews in a row, the title of the brightest smartphone screen in the world has been breached. Display technology is progressing rapidly, and kudos to OnePlus for providing the best one yet on the phone, statistically speaking. In real-life use, I still prefer the iPhone screen the most, followed by the Pixel and then the OnePlus — but this will be almost an indistinguishable difference for most people. This will be even less of an issue when watching content, as the quad speakers are outstanding.

The aspect ratio is also excellent, which makes both screens more accessible to use. The rear panel, which houses the enormous triple camera island, has a plush leather back that feels classy and sturdy. The emerald dusk one in glass is heavier, and I assume it will also be more fragile.

OnePlus has always lagged behind the likes of Samsung, Apple and Google in the camera department. But it may not be an exaggeration to say that OnePlus Open has the best cameras yet on a foldable phone. The cameras belong in the same league as the iPhone 15 series and the new Google Pixel smartphones—OnePlus partners with Hasselblad to tune the cameras and design the app with specific portrait mode lens selections. The Open is also the first phone in the world to use the Sony Lytia t808 dual-stacked transistor camera system. It is a 48-megapixel sensor, and while it may not have the natural depth of field of a 1" sensor, it comes surprisingly close. It delivers exceptional image quality across a broad spectrum of lighting scenarios.

I wouldn't be surprised if other OEMs can extract more performance from this camera. But when writing this review, I believe OnePlus still needs to issue a significant camera performance update. Oneplus is known for iteratively enhancing the camera system's performance, so that one can expect that. But then there is a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera, which takes more than usable landscape shots and an excellent 64-megapixel telephoto lens that does 3x optical zoom with portraits and 6x zoom without the portrait mode engaged.

OnePlus has a new action mode and pan mode, which takes brilliant video, and overall — choosing between the Open and Galaxy Z Fold 5 cameras is like chalk and cheese. OnePlus has Samsung's flagship beat and how. And it manages to do this even in the selfie department, as the 32-megapixel and 20-megapixel cameras are vastly better than the terrible in-display camera that Samsung has used on its foldable.

In typical OnePlus style, the Open is a more pleasant phone to use than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 — because Oxygen OS 13.4 has been tuned for the foldable form factor, providing the elegance of a ballerina. At the same time, you scroll through apps or multitask, having numerous apps open side by side or toggle between the internal or external screen. It also helps that OnePlus has put a lid on the bloatware.

In terms of pure horsepower — it is like selecting between a Ferrari and a McLaren. But the OnePlus Open IS the McLaren F1 of supercars. It is fast and elegant with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of storage. There is no Ferrari, even the Enzo, that rivalled the F1, and that's the Open in automotive terminology.

The fingerprint scanner is lightning fast and the infrared scanner is superb as it can map out all the functions of a device or appliance in a logical and easy to use manner. It’s easier than the actual remote!

Battery life is also excellent. Sure, if you use it a lot, which you will because it is such a nice phone, it will need a top-up during the day. But then the 80-watt Super VOOC charging can fulfil you in less than 40 minutes, considering there is a decently sized 4,805mAh battery. And yes, again, it is longer and faster than Samsung.

Samsung does provide wireless charging, but OnePlus likely dropped it for cost, weight and thickness — all valid reasons because that enables it to undercut Samsung on price and design — big reasons to love this phone.

Call and connectivity is also excellent. I tested the Open on both Airtel and Jio in Delhi NCR. This phone also supports Bluetooth 5.3 and wifi 6E and 7, which is very future-proof.

My only gripe is the water resistance, which should've been at least IPX8 on par with the Samsung, but as someone who needs to learn how to swim, that's not a deal breaker for me. For some, it could be a big issue.

So yes, I love this phone. For the first time, there is a foldable that I may consider over an iPhone Pro Max — it's because of the screen, design and cameras. That is why, for me, it is just not the phone of the year but the gadget of the year, and I don't see anything else on the horizon in the next two months that can usurp the OnePlus Open — it is that good.