OnePlus Open foldable phone: 8 cool features

At 1.17 cm when folded, the OnePlus Open is thinner than the Z Fold 5 and weighs around 240 gm.

It’s been almost a decade since the OnePlus One launched in India in early 2014. The brand has built a faithful legion of fans almost ever since. It was OnePlus that almost owned the term ‘flagship killer’ in the smartphone space. It built on the brand’s credo of smartphones that delivered on key features without a hefty price tag. The brand’s intuitive and clean UI has also been one of the key drivers of the brand’s popularity in India. The OnePlus Open marks a new beginning for the brand. It’s not just because it’s OnePlus’ first foldable, it’s also the brand’s priciest smartphone ever. A book-type foldable smartphone that takes on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 on the same battleground with a slightly lower price tag.

OnePlus has largely built its reputation on speed. The Open is no exception. At its heart is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor that’s backed by 16GB of RAM and a generous 512GB of internal storage.

At 1.17 cm (when folded), it’s thinner than the Z Fold 5 and weighs around 240 gm. It’s about the same weight as an iPhone 14 Pro Max. It’s the heft and form factor that’s been one of the main dealbreakers for foldables, OnePlus manages to slim things down a bit. The faux leather finish sets the Voyager Black colour variant apart.

Two immersive displays, along with the form factor, is among the biggest strengths of the OnePlus Open. Most brands have positioned the larger, tablet-style main display as the ‘hero display’. Typing or texting on the smaller cover display can sometimes be tedious. This is where OnePlus shakes things up. Both displays are equally immersive. You might need the larger display only for ‘tablet things’ like flipping through eBooks or gaming and of course binge watching.

Flexicon hinge: durability remains one of the key apprehensions for users considering a foldable. Here, OnePlus benefits from showing up at the (foldable) party late. OnePlus claims that its hinge is built around a single-spine architecture, allowing for more efficient integration between components and a sturdier structure compared to the three-part spine that’s used on most other foldables. It also helped OnePlus reduce the overall number of parts required to just 69 (vs the conventional 100+) components for the hinge, thereby impacting the form and heft of the device.

OnePlus claims that the hinge for Open is built around a single-spine architecture, allowing for more efficient integration between components and a sturdier structure compared to the three-part spine that’s used on most other foldables.

Lighting quick: OnePlus has largely built its reputation on speed. The Open is no exception. At its heart is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor that’s backed by 16GB of RAM and a generous 512GB of internal storage. You also get ultra-quick charging speeds – the in-box 67W charger powers the device (1 to 100 percent) in just over 40 minutes. There’s no wireless charging though; a puzzling omission for a flagship foldable.

Smart shooter: Foldables have not been in the same league as top-of-the-line cameras in conventional flagships. OnePlus aims to reset this perception with a versatile rear cam that also includes a 64MP telephoto lens. The OnePlus Open is the first folding smartphone to debut Sony’s new line of revolutionary image sensors in LYTIA T808 (LYT-T808),the 1/1.43-inch large sensor boast a 1.12μm pixel size. OnePlus plays up the Open’s ‘Dual-Layer Transistor Pixel’ technology, Pixel Stacked features a redesigned pixel architecture that boost light in-take and storage within a smaller physical footprint.

Hasselblad Portrait Mode: OnePlus’ partnership with Swedish camera major Hasselblad comes to the fore in Portrait Mode. This works equally well in low-light. You get almost DSLR-level depth-tracking, bokeh and flare effects captured by Hasselblad cameras fitted with XCD 30, 65 and 90V lenses.

Open Canvas: if there’s one reason why you should consider a foldable, it’s the convenience of multi-tasking and split windows. Open Canvas is OnePlus’ multi-tasking solution. You can view up to three app windows on the screen at any time, in both vertical or horizontal orientation. These split screen windows can be moved around and resized the way you want them to.

One for the fanboys and fangirls: if there’s one thing that OG OnePlus fans love, it’s the brand’s Alert Slider. OnePlus has tweaked the design for the all-new form factor. The alert slider has been reimagined to fit the phone’s 5.8mm compact folding body, thanks to multiple optimizations to the external design and internal structure.