Price: £1,599 from fave.co/3sqA4Vo
We’ve had to wait a while for it, but the OnePlus Open stands out among foldables for a variety of reasons. The first is its name: rather than opting for the tried-and-tested ‘Fold’ branding, OnePlus wants the device to be ‘Open for Everything’, hinting at its versatility as phone-tablet hybrid. But the same can be said of parent company Oppo’s Find N3, which launched at the same time as the OnePlus Open with near-identical hardware and software. And then there’s the simple fact that it’s taken until 2023 for OnePlus to release a folding phone, making it one of the late comers to the party.
However, none of that matters if the OnePlus Open performs well in the real world. While that’s certainly the case, it isn’t quite the genre-defining device you might be hoping for.
DESIGN
If you’ve tried a book-style foldable before, the OnePlus Open will be familiar to you. Its design is in keeping with rivals such as the Galaxy Z Fold 5, with a regular phone-sized cover display (6.31-inch) that opens to reveal a small tablet (7.82-inch).
Like Samsung’s latest, the Open folds completely flat, meaning it looks great while open or closed. And while you will see and feel the crease on the inner screen, it doesn’t affect usability in any significant way.
But durability will always be the top priority on a folding phone. OnePlus claims the Open can last for over 1,000,000 open and close cycles, equivalent to more than 100 folds every day for over 10 years. Of course, I have no way of verifying that after a week of use, but the hinge certainly feels very tough and robust.
OnePlus has carried out a variety of other testing to verify durability, including exposure to 1m drops onto steel, a force of 25kg and significant bending. It survived all of these unscathed.
However, it’s
