It’s hard to believe it’s been more than four years since Samsung started selling foldable phones. It’s hard to believe that in all this time, Samsung hasn’t seen any real competition in the foldable space. It’s not that other manufacturers haven’t tried their hands in the foldable market, but most of them have been Chinese manufacturers, which don’t have the kind of global reach that Samsung does.
The first real competitor to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold range came earlier this year and it’s the Pixel Fold. Google’s reach and sales numbers aren’t exactly lighting up the sky either, but it has a global reach and also doesn’t suffer from the kind of reputation issues associated with Chinese smartphone makers.
And now, in just a few hours, another contender will emerge: the OnePlus foldable is scheduled to debut later today at 7:30 PM ET / 7 AM PT / 4 PM CET. The device is called the OnePlus Open, and while its initial launch is focused on the Indian market, it will be launched in other markets, including European ones as well. But more importantly, if the rumors are true (and they usually are), the OnePlus Open will feature a spec sheet that puts both the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Pixel Fold to shame in a lot of aspects.
The OnePlus foldable will have some great specifications
The OnePlus Open will allegedly feature a 6.3-inch AMOLED display and a 7.82-inch foldable AMOLED display, both of which support a 120Hz refresh rate and 2,800 nits of peak brightness. These displays will be powered by the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor that was exclusive to Samsung’s flagship devices for much of 2023, and the chip is said to be paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.
The OnePlus Open appears to have a triple rear camera setup with 48MP main cameras, 48MP ultra-wide cameras, 64MP 3x telephoto cameras, and 20MP and 32MP front cameras on the inner and outer display respectively. It will have a 4,805 mAh battery that can charge at 80W – the Galaxy Z Fold 5, on the other hand, has a 4,400 mAh battery and charges at a meager 25W.
The OnePlus Open is also expected to measure just 5.8mm thick when unfolded (no pun intended), though it appears OnePlus hasn’t been able to get the design certified for water resistance as strongly as Samsung’s foldable or Pixel Fold devices. Instead of an IPX8 certification like Samsung’s foldables, the Open is said to feature IPX4 water resistance, meaning it’s only protected against splashes and won’t be able to survive being submerged in water.
The OnePlus Open likely won’t be able to match the software experience offered by Samsung’s foldable devices. It’s also not expected to feature pen support, but its biggest hurdle may be the price. Rumored to be priced at $1,699 in the US, just $100 less than the Galaxy Z Fold 5, OnePlus’ foldable phone may not see the same kind of enthusiasm that its non-foldable tablets can generate.
In fact, OnePlus’ popularity has declined in recent years as the prices of its flagship smartphones are no longer as expensive as they were in the first few years of the company’s existence, so the OnePlus Open could face an uphill battle when it comes to getting enough customers to actually spend all that money. To buy one.
We guess we’ll have to wait and see. Even if it doesn’t sell well, the OnePlus Open, along with the Pixel Fold, could push Samsung to make the Galaxy Z Fold lineup more exciting and fix some of the shortcomings, such as the Cover Screen’s display, camera hardware and capabilities, and battery capacity.
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