It's hard to believe that it has been more than four years since Samsung started selling foldable phones. It's even harder to believe that in all this time, Samsung hasn't really seen any true competition in the foldable space. It's not that other manufacturers haven't tried their hand in the foldable market, but it has mostly been Chinese manufacturers, who don't have the kind of global reach that is enjoyed by Samsung.
The first true competitor to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold lineup came earlier this year in the form of the Pixel Fold. Google's reach and sales numbers don't exactly light the sky on fire, either, but it doesn't have to deal with the kind of reputation issues that are associated with Chinese smartphone makers.
And now, in a few hours, another challenger will rise: OnePlus' foldable debut is set to take place later today at 7:30 PM IST/7 AM PT/4 PM CET. The device is called OnePlus Open, and while its initial launch is focused on the Indian market, it will be launching in other markets, including those in Europe, as well. But more importantly, if the rumors are true (and they usually are), the OnePlus Open will have a spec sheet that puts both the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Pixel Fold to shame in a lot of aspects.
OnePlus foldable will have some impressive specs
The OnePlus Open will allegedly have a 6.3-inch AMOLED cover display and a 7.82-inch foldable AMOLED screen, both supporting a 120Hz refresh rate and 2,800 nits of peak brightness. Those displays will be powered by the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that was exclusive to Samsung flagships for a major part of 2023, and the chip is said to be paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.
The OnePlus Open apparently has a triple rear camera setup with 48MP main, 48MP ultra-wide, and 64MP 3x telephoto cameras, and 20MP and 32MP front-facing cameras on the inner and outer screen 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 only 5.8 mm in thickness when it's open (no pun intended), though it seems OnePlus hasn't been able to get the design certified for water resistance as powerful as Samsung's foldables or the Pixel Fold. Instead of an IPX8 certification like Samsung's foldables, the Open is said to feature IPX4 water resistance, which means it's only protected against splashes and won't be able to survive being immersed in water.
It's possible the OnePlus Open will not be able to match up to the software experience that Samsung's foldables provide. It also isn't expected to feature stylus support, but its biggest obstacle might be the price tag. Rumored to be priced at $1,699 in the US, just $100 less than the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the OnePlus foldable may not see the same kind of enthusiasm that its non-folding slab phones can generate.
In fact, OnePlus' popularity has gone down in recent years as its flagship smartphones are not nearly as aggressively priced as they were in the first few years of the company's existence, so the OnePlus Open could have an uphill battle when it comes to getting enough customers to actually spend all that money to buy one.
We guess we will have to wait and see. Even if it doesn't sell too well, the OnePlus Open, along with the Pixel Fold, could drive Samsung into making the Galaxy Z Fold lineup more exciting and fix some of the shortcomings, such as the width of the cover display, the camera hardware and capabilities, and battery capacity.
