The OnePlus Open renewed my faith in folding phones. Here’s why

2 weeks ago 3

It’s never easy to recommend a foldable phone, especially when you consider the high asking price and the reports of hardware issues that keep eliciting long posts on Reddit. My personal experience also drives this reluctance, even though I’ve been using foldable phones consistently for half a decade now.

Early in 2023, the hinge on my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 gave up. The phone would no longer open fully. A few days after the problem first manifested, I noticed a glue-like material oozing from the hinge gap.

I don’t remember it ever taking a nasty drop or even leaving my protective case since the setup day. Of course, I was disillusioned, and as our investigation later uncovered, there is no shortage of Samsung foldable enthusiasts feeling a similar sting in their wallets.

Soon after the bad experience, I switched to a OnePlus Open — and it made me a folding phone believer once again.

Standing out strong, literally

Rear leather panel on the OnePlus Open Apex Edition.

My Digital Trends colleague, Tushar Mehta, wrote a deep dive on the OnePlus Open Apex Edition’s design philosophy, and I recommend that you check that out for a primer. In real life, this phone will arrest your attention, all thanks to that red vegan leather that offers a striking contrast to the metallic luster on the frame and hinge.

The foldable phone trend in the industry is saturated with brands using all varieties of steel and aluminum, with some claiming military-grade durability. OnePlus followed in Apple’s footsteps, but took some metallurgical liberties of its own.

Where Apple used a titanium alloy frame tinged with aluminum and vanadium, OnePlus took a different exotic route. The company has used titanium alloy and cobalt molybdenum alloy as the primary framework material. The company claims the former is lighter and sturdier compared to the various strains of stainless steel found on most other smartphones.

OnePlus paid special attention to the phone’s most fragile element — the hinge assembly. The cobalt molybdenum alloy, for example, is touted to be four times stronger than surgical-grade stainless steel and far stronger than what rival foldable phones can claim.

The hinge spine plate, on the other hand, is made of a liquid metal derivative of amorphous zirconium alloy. In addition to raw material strength, it is said to offer high scratch and wear resistance. In a nutshell, the OnePlus Open is one of the most bewitchingly alluring phones out there, foldable or otherwise.

I could make an exception for the pink Pixel 9, but only to honor my colleague, Christine Romero-Chan, who also drove the Pro model in the same shade. The in-hand feel is fittingly fantastic on the Apex Edition. OnePlus nailed what one would call the “normal” look and feel of a regular phone. The Pixel Fold was just too wide, while Samsung’s Galaxy Fold still flaunts its tall aspect ratio anomaly.

A sigh of relief

Closeup view of top corner on the OnePlus Open Apex Edition.

On a personal note, however, the reality has been more pleasing than mere brand rhetoric. The OnePlus Open has taken more bumps than I can remember. Nearly half a dozen times, the phone has even received a nice slap or kick as I tried to catch it after it slipped from the table, a pocket, or my grip.

There are scars across the phone’s frame, retelling my clumsy ways. But more importantly, they serve as a lived-in retelling of just how resilient the phone is.

Lower corner of the OnePlus Open Apex Edition.

Cracked rear shell, broken camera lens cover, and the usual aftermath, a shattered screen. The situation has improved over the years, but those are mostly reserved for flagship phones treated with the latest from Corning or AGC Dragontrail.

The status quo of foldables is still tightly lodged in the “handle with care” class. And no, there is no escape route from the expensive repair costs. OnePlus will charge a cool $510 to fix issues with the inner foldable panel, while Samsung will require $549 to fix its latest Galaxy Z Fold 6. Repairs are expensive, but thankfully, the OnePlus Open has held up remarkably well.

A good phone no matter how you use it

OnePlus Open Apex Edition Crimson Shadow red held in hand in front of the black variant.

The OnePlus Open is a very good phone, regardless of whether you keep your activities limited to the “normal” cover screen or make the most of its tablet-like inner foldable screen. As a journalist, nearly half my job entails reading reports and papers.

Ever since I started using foldable phones, I’ve almost entirely ditched the Kindle, or any other reader for that matter. The only scenario where I picked up another device — like the excellent Boox Palma – was because e-readers are far easier on the eyes.

Of course, watching videos is also a part of daily usage, but I am not particularly fond of pillarboxing, so there’s that. Binge-reading manga and comics? The OnePlus Open is perfect for it.

YouTube Shorts and Instagram running simultenously on OnePlus Open held in hands.

Another reason that the OnePlus Open has me hooked is the sheer joy of playing emulated games. Regardless of your taste in recreational digital content, the OLED screens (inside and outside) will serve you just fine. Hello, Dolby Vision support!

In fact, the Open Canvas system for running multiple apps side by side is still the best implementation of split-screen multitasking on a phone. Or a tablet. My colleague, Tushar, discovered his own niche utilitarian joy using the hands-free mode on the OnePlus Open.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powering the phone is still a mighty processor that can handle anything you would expect from a top-tier flagship phone. The phone’s triple-lens camera array is also quite powerful, and the results are good enough that I’ve never had second thoughts about picking it over the “Pro” iPhones.

Binge-reading manga and comics? The OnePlus Open is perfect for it.

There are many neat features to play with, but my favorite is the Hasselblad wizardry, which you can access in XPAN mode. It tries to replicate pictures in the 24x65mm format, a signature trait of the 1998 Hasselblad XPAN camera.

The black-and-white panoramic shots captured in the XPAN mode are totally worth the effort, and they inject some effortless artistic soul into any frame. Of course, not having to worry about the storage space running out on the Apex Edition is just the cherry on top.

What’s so special about the security?

Alert slider on the OnePlus Open Apex Edition.

The OnePlus Open continues the brand’s steady inroads into a tighter security experience for smartphone users. With OxygenOS 14 on the OnePlus Open, the company fortified security measures such as chip-level encryption, which is bundled together with another security measure within the Device Security Engine 3.0 package.

Earlier this year, OnePlus became the first Android smartphone maker to join the App Defense Alliance (ADA). The brainchild of Google, Meta, and Microsoft aims to protect Android phones from the scourge of malware through mobile applications and other emerging threats. At the moment, ADA operates under the Linux Foundation.

VIP mode enabled on the OnePlus Open Apex Edition.

The OnePlus Apex Edition, specifically, carries that momentum further, thanks to a special VIP mode that offers enhanced security and privacy. Broadly, it accomplishes a couple of things. First, it disables mic and camera access across the system. Second, it restricts ad-tracking by using hardware-level encryption.

The enhanced security measures come to life courtesy of a dedicated security chip and a shielded NFC chip, both of which have been certified by Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation, which provides an industry standard for computing security.

This may not mean anything to some people, but for anyone who takes their smartphone security seriously, it’s a really nice touch — and yet another feather in the OnePlus Open’s cap.

A few not-so-nice things

Either $1,700 (or $1,900 for the Apex Edition) is no small sum, and certainly not for a phone. For any sane mind hoping to give OnePlus that kind of dough, they better commit to using it for at least a few years. This phone has adequate hardware to stay competent, but for how long exactly?

Unfortunately, OnePlus only promises upgrades through Android 17 for the OnePlus Open. For reference, Android 15 is now in the public domain. Consumer sentiments suggest that users seek longer update cycles on their phones. Market research firm Counterpoint says consumers are now holding on to their phones for longer.

Camera module of the OnePlus Open Apex Edition.

For comparison, the Pixel 9 series will get OS for seven generations. Even the midrange OnePlus Nord 4 will eclipse the OnePlus Open in software updates. For OnePlus’ flagship foldable, and one that costs so much, longer software support would have been great to see.

Durability is next in line, which is even more pronounced in the case of foldable. The OnePlus foldable only offers IPX4-tier ingress protection, while Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 guarantees IP48-level dust and water shielding. I’ve used the OnePlus Open for a while now, and it hasn’t worried me with any kind of hardware factors, but accidents happen.

Then there is the omission of yet another crucial convenience — wireless charging. Now, I would take fast wired charging any day over wireless charging support. The OnePlus Open certainly scores an ace on that front, allowing 67-watt wired charging. In the retail box, you get an 80W charging brick, which is a convenient surprise.

OnePlus Open Apex Edition Crimson Shadow red one held in one hand.

But I must admit, the convenience of wireless charging has spoiled me, and there’s some practical rationale behind that, too. I only have access to so many ports on my work desk or the coffee shops I frequent. Plus, with each passing year, we are moving around with more accessories that need charging.

I have 3-in-1 wireless chargers in various shapes and sizes, but ultimately, they help me reduce the cable clutter and solve the port paucity problem. Almost every week, I have found myself placing the OnePlus Open on a wireless charging pad, only to realize that it was a vain effort.

The OnePlus Open is the real deal

Close up of the camera module on the OnePlus Open Apex Edition Crimson Shadow red.

Overall, the OnePlus Open has proved to be the most rewarding phone I’ve used in a while. It’s also the phone that has been my daily driver for the longest spell in my career. The Apex Edition just happens to the best execution, a real flex of form and functionality.

Once again, it isn’t exactly cheap, and neither is the standard version. But if you’ve ever wondered how well a foldable phone holds up in the long run, this is the one-year review to help guide your purchase decision.

The OnePlus Open has proved to be the most rewarding phone I’ve used in a while.

So, here are the key takeaways. The OnePlus Open is a fantastic foldable phone. If you’ve been on the fence regarding the durability aspect, this one survived a near-reckless in-hand journey.

I can’t say the same about many phones out there, and certainly not about foldable devices. I am not sure if the upcoming successor will be as good as the OnePlus Open, but if you are eyeing a Christmas treat for yourself, this one won’t disappoint you.

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