OnePlus Open review – Feature-packed foldable in a premium design

• OnePlus recently launched its first foldable smartphone, the OnePlus Open in India.
• The device has been priced at ₹1,39,999 and is available in a single variant.
• Here’s my review of the OnePlus Open that will help you decide whether to buy the device or not.

Samsung was the first smartphone maker to launch a foldable smartphone and has been dominating the foldable segment since then. Recently, OnePlus threw it's hat in the ring with the launch of its first foldable, the OnePlus Open to take on the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

The OnePlus Open is the most premium offering from the company in the country and is packed with features. It features a larger display when compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 5, while being lighter.

I have been using the OnePlus Open for a few weeks now, and here is my detailed review of the latest flagship offering from the Chinese smartphone maker.

OnePlus Open price and availability

The OnePlus Open is available in a single variant and has been priced at ₹1,39,999 in India. The device is available in two colour options – Voyager Black that comes in faux leather and Emerald Dusk that comes with a matte-textured glass.

The device is available from Amazon India, OnePlus Online Store, OnePlus retail stores, Reliance Digital and authorised retail partners across the country.

In the box

• OnePlus Open
• Power adapter
• USB Type-A to C cable
• Protection case
• SIM ejector
• Documentation

OnePlus Open specifications

OnePlus Open pros and cons

Pros

• Durable design with a premium feel
• Excellent displays
• Good battery backup and fast charging support

Cons

• Lacks wireless charging
• Only IPX4 rating

Design and display

OnePlus has always been sharp with design, especially when it comes to its premium smartphones. The OnePlus Open is no exception and looks and feels very premium. Having used the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the Open simply feels better in hand.


The hinge on the OnePlus Open is made using aerospace-grade materials, which the company claims makes it highly durable. The Open has reportedly been tested to last over 1 million folds.


The frame is built using cobalt molybdenum alloy and titanium alloy, which, the company claims, are stronger than stainless steel while being lighter. The foldable smartphone comes with a flat frame, which offers a matte finish that prevents fingerprint smudges.

It is thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 when folded and weighs 239 grams.


At the back, the OnePlus Open comes with a large circular camera module that houses the triple camera setup. For some reason, OnePlus decided to keep the LED flash outside.

Apart from this, the device features OnePlus branding at the back. The Voyager Black variant comes with a vegan leather back that feels good to hold and prevents fingerprint smudges.

It comes with a quad-speaker setup, with two speaker grilles each at the top and bottom, one each on each side of the display.


The device features two speaker grilles at the top, a microphone and an infrared sensor.


At the bottom, the device comes with two speaker grilles, a microphone and a USB Type-C port.


At the right side, the device comes with the company’s signature alert slider, the volume buttons and the power button that doubles up as a fingerprint sensor.

The OnePlus is rated IPX4 for splash resistance, which offers minimal water protection. OnePlus should have offered a better water resistance rating considering it is a premium smartphone.


Coming to the displays, the OnePlus Open features a large 7.82-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED display with a 1-120Hz refresh rate, 1440 Hz PWM dimming and Ultra-Thin Glass protection on the inside. On the outside, the device features a 6.31-inch 2K LTPO cover display with 10-120Hz refresh rate and ceramic guard protection. Both the displays offer 2800 nits peak brightness.


Both the displays are vibrant and are quite bright – you don’t have to worry about outdoor visibility. The crease on the OnePlus is well hidden and only becomes evident when you look at it from different angles.

Software and performance

The OnePlus Open runs on Android 13 out of the box with the company’s OxygenOS 13.2 on top. The smartphone comes with the company’s Open Canvas, which is aimed at enhancing multi-tasking ability on the device. The device will get four years of Android updates and five years of security updates.

The OxygenOS 13.2 on the OnePlus Open has been optimised for foldables and offers a ton of features that make multitasking easier. Some of the features offered on the device are similar to what it offers on its tablets.


The Open Canvas is the highlight feature of the device and allows you to multitask with ease, opening several applications at once and displaying them simultaneously. You can not just use apps in a split screen, you can also scroll between apps by using the Canvas feature, which enables the application to stay open even outside the screen.

Another feature on the device that makes multitasking a breeze is the taskbar, which is similar to what we see on a desktop. It sits at the bottom of the screen and shows recent files, recent apps and more.

Coming to performance, the OnePlus Open is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is a powerful offering from Qualcomm. The processor is coupled with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of USF 4.0 storage. As expected, the device is easily able to handle whatever you throw at it with ease.

I tried popular mobile games such as Battlegrounds Mobile India on the device, and not only did the game load very quickly, the performance was quite smooth, even at the highest graphics.

The phone offers good heat dissipation and is able to handle heavy multitasking and continuous gaming with ease.

The smartphone features a 4,805mAh battery and offers 67W fast charging support, which can fully charge the smartphone in around 45 minutes. While the OnePlus Open misses out on fast charging support, it offers a bigger battery than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and also supports faster charging.

Camera

Coming to the optics, the OnePlus Open features a triple camera setup at the back, consisting of a 48MP Sony LYT-T808 primary sensor with OIS, a 48MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 64MP telephoto lens with 6X optical zoom and up to 120X digital zoom. Like other recent OnePlus flagships, the Open also comes with Hasselblad support.


The OnePlus Open manages to capture great images and while it does not offer the best camera setup in the market, it offers a decent setup for a foldable.


The smartphone is capable of capturing excellent images with its rear camera. It is able to capture good images with minimal noise and great detail in daylight conditions. As it offers optical image stabilisation (OIS), you don’t have to worry about blurry images.


The telephoto lens on the OnePlus Open is also able to capture excellent images, offering 3x optical zoom, 6x in-sensor zoom and up to 120x digital zoom. While images captured with 120x zoom are not very clear, it is a good feature to have as it allows you to identify objects in the distance.


The images captured in low-light conditions turned out well, with some noise and decent colour reproduction.

The OnePlus Open is equipped with two selfie cameras – a 32MP selfie camera on the cover screen and a 20MP camera on the inner display. Both the smartphones are able to capture decent selfies. However, it is best to use the rear camera to capture selfies using the outer display. With this, you are able to use the triple camera setup with OIS for capturing images and videos.

Verdict

The OnePlus Open is a refined smartphone that allows you to enjoy the benefits of a large display, with a thinner and lighter design when compared to other options in the segment.

It is to be noted that while it is priced below the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the price tag of ₹1,39,999 is still significant. If you are looking for a foldable smartphone, the Open is clearly the best option in India. Do remember that the device misses out on things like wireless charging and a proper IP rating before you decide to buy the device.

SEE ALSO:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 review – The foldable segment’s bar raised

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