OnePlus’s Open: A Book-Like Foldable for the Long-Term Security of a Galaxy, Galaxy, and Other Smartphones
At least in the US, where I reside, OnePlus plays third fiddle to both of the other two giants in the broader community ofANDROID. Both Samsung and Google also make very good foldables. If you’re willing to spend upwards of $1,700 on a phone, this is the book-like foldable to buy.
There’s a catch. The Pixel and Galaxy foldables may be heavier and creasier, but they come with IPX8 ratings, meaning they can withstand full immersion in water. That is not the case with the Open. It is splashproof with an IPX4 rating. On top of that, long-term durability is a concern with any folding phone. The technology is still relatively new, and it’s hard to say exactly how well they’ll hold up in the long run. Samsung and Google foldables have certainly experienced their share of problems, even with full water resistance. If it fell into a puddle or toilet bowl, it could be an unfortunate end.
The green variant Open that I tested weighs 245g, and the black version is 239g. They’re both a bit lighter than the incumbents: the Z Fold 5 is 253g, and the Pixel Fold weighs 283g. The foldable phone feels almost like a normal phone when it is closed. The cover screen is larger than the Z Fold 5’s, and it is easier to hold for a long time because of the lighter weight.
The Google Pixel 8 Launch Launch Event: Open Canvas on a Foldable Device with Multitasking Features and an Ultra-Low Power Pencil
OxygenOS 13 is the operating system for the device and it is based on the same operating system as the Open, with some improvements made to it to work better on the larger screen. There’s a taskbar at the bottom of the screen to offer quick access to files as well as favorite and recent apps and the ability to multitask by running multiple apps side by side.
OnePlus’s solution to the problems some apps can have when you try to run them in the weirder aspect ratios of foldables is a feature it calls Open Canvas. This lets you tile each of your apps on the screen in a way that attempts to keep them at a usable aspect ratio at the expense of losing some visibility, rather than resizing and stretching them at the risk of creating glitches.
The phone has a dual-core processor with 512 gigabyte of onboard storage and 16 gigabyte of RAM. The battery can be fast-charged from up to 67W.
The Open has a main 48-megapixel camera and a smaller two-thirds of it’s depth in the rear of its body. If you like 4K 60 frames, it will do 4K 30 frames, or if you don’t, it will only do 4K 60 frames. The rear cameras are joined by a pair of selfie cameras powered by 20- and 32-megapixel sensors and which sit within a pair of hole-punch notches.
There I was in the second row at the Google Pixel 8 launch event. The keynote was about to start, with other journalists pulling out laptops and typing away, I whipped out the new folding phone from the Chinese company who makes good mid-pricedAndroid devices.
When I’m at live events, I usually have my laptop in front of me to take notes and use the desk to chat with my team members. But with the OnePlus Open and its snazzy multitasking features, I was able to see three apps at the same time on the large 7.82-inch screen—Slack and Chrome sat next to each other, and I placed X along the bottom. I was able to post a stream of tweets (Xs?) containing photos pretty easily while moving back to the other apps to respond to my colleagues in Slack and grab URLs from Chrome.
A Comparative Study of the OnePlus Open and Later Generations Foldables (OnePlus Open Review: A Surprisingly Good First Attempt)
Since its inception, the first four generations of the GALAXY FOLD have been refining the experience, but the fifth is largely the same size and shape. I think that, in my opinion, there is a better folding phone experience if you look at the fresher designs that are entering the market this year.
In the first few days of using the phone, I often forgot I could crack it open and make use of the much larger internal display. In reality, with booklike foldables, you’re going to have to use the exterior screen most of the time to use the larger display that is displayed when you want to watch a video or play a game. An exterior screen that feels like the screen of a normal phone is exactly what we want.
The only hardware gripe I have is with the massive camera module on the back. My hands are big, and my index finger frequently sits over the bump. That doesn’t feel good, and I smudge the camera glass a lot. This might not be an issue if you have smaller paws. At least the whole thing looks gorgeous, especially in the Emerald Dusk color.
Source: OnePlus Open Review: A Surprisingly Good First Attempt
The OnePlus Open: Right Size, Wrong Price: A plus-open-review-foldable-batteries-screen-camera-price
As you first start turning the OnePlus Open over in your hands, it feels like the company spared no expense in its construction. The multi-position Alert Slider was brought back, which makes it easier to switch between silent, vibrate, and ring.
But the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google Pixel Fold are each just $100 more and are IP rated for full-immersion water resistance. They also include wireless charging, which OnePlus continues to treat as an optional feature on high-end phones.
The Open has a camera that is more of a mountain. There is a raised circle that sits over a third of the back panel and has a subtle Hasselblad H for style. OnePlus is making a lot of noise about its design, which is meant to catch the light like a CD, and there’s a gap between the lenses and cover glass that’s supposed to remind you of the face on a luxury watch. It commands attention, but it’s best use is to prop the phone up on my fingers when I’m using it one-handed.
On the inside, the display measures 7.82 inches, with a 2440 x 2268 resolution. It’s an LTPO panel, too, with variable refresh rates from 120Hz all the way down to 1Hz, and OnePlus claims the screen can hit a peak brightness of 2,800 nits in high brightness mode. Most flagship phones top out around 2,000 nits, so that is incredibly bright.
I can’t tell you if it went all the way up to the top of that range, but it did keep the screen readable even on a bright day. It was longer in brightness than the other phones which tend to diminish after a few minutes, to prevent overheating.
Source: OnePlus Open review: right size, wrong price
The OnePlus Open is a Nearly Foldable Battery-Battery-Camera-Price I: Preliminary Tests
I’ve never found the crease on either of those devices to be bothersome since they mostly disappear when you’re looking at them straight on anyway. There are people who don’t like the crease, which is why the open is proof of a nearly creaseless foldable.
The Open is slightly less stiff than the alternatives. You need to open it to about 45 degrees to get it to stay open — anything less than that, and it snaps shut again. It flops all the way open on the other extreme after about 135 degrees.
I haven’t encountered any serious problems with my phone in the last week, and I haven’t been overly cautious with it. The phone stands up to a little rain just fine, and I haven’t seen any sign of dust intrusion causing problems with the display or hinge.
The measures include drainage holes in the hinge so that water can exit quickly. Some internal components include a dispersive water-resistant treatment, too. There’s a case included in the box, which is nice, but it’s a flimsy sort of frame for the front panel and cover for the back panel, so I wouldn’t trust it to provide any additional protection.
Source: OnePlus Open review: right size, wrong price
The OnePlus Open is Always-On: Fast Wireless Charging and Easy Multitasking in a Small Smartphone with a Full Day of Use
I was able to complete a full day of use, with the exception of 45 minutes of Pocket City 2, which drained the battery down to 38 percent by the end of the day. I spent my time with the Open’s always-on display enabled full time, which didn’t come with any serious battery life penalties.
Fast wired charging is still very much OnePlus’ deal, and the Open supports 67W charging with the included cable and charging brick — you’ll still get fast charging if you swap out the proprietary cable or brick, but you need both to reach the full 67W. You’ll get a full charge in well under an hour, which means you can skip the charging overnight and power up while you go about your morning routine, if you want.
The open is missing wireless charging on the spec sheet, that is a real disappointment. Virtually every other phone that costs more than $700 will include wireless charging in the Z Fold 5 and the Pixel Fold. Some people will be perfectly happy with fast wired charging, but a phone at this price really should include convenience features like wireless charging.
It isn’t quite as flexible as the four-app multitasking of the South Korean phone, but it is better than the split screen of the Pixel Fold. There’s a taskbar that you can display and hide easily, and it includes recent apps as well as a folder of recent documents. Floating windows allow you to position them anywhere on the screen, change size to your tastes, and limit them to a tab at the side of the screen so that you can easily fetch them again.
You can work around this in settings by dictating how each individual app should display on the main screen — in 16:9, 4:3, or full screen. Switching to 16:9 makes room for another app on the unoccupied portion of the screen without cutting off the first one. It is a little clunky, and I like the way the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a way to fit everything in one view.
Source: OnePlus Open review: right size, wrong price
The OnePlus Open Camera System: Hasselblad Color Science, Color Corrections, and Moving Subject Portraits and Artifacts in a Hockey Game
Maybe it’s because I just switched from a Pixel phone, but the thing I’m appreciating the most about the OnePlus Open’s camera system is its color rendering. There is a main camera with a 48 degree field of view, a fly 3x with optical image stabilization, and a 48 degree ultra wide camera.
It all comes with Hasselblad branding and, according to the two companies, Hasselblad’s influence on the camera’s color science. It is nice that it does not shy away from warm tones and handles lighting better than most phone cameras.
It’s a great camera system for static scenes, but I wish it handled moving subjects better. You end up with a lot of soft photos when you use slow shutter speeds in moderate and dim light. It is better to get a good shot of a moving subject.
Portrait cutouts are usually convincing with the occasional error. The 6x crop zoom mode is just fine if your subject isn’t moving but struggles with motion. I took some pictures from the stands at an NHL game, and it couldn’t manage a sharp shot of any of the players as they took the ice, even though they were illuminated with a bright white spotlight. One of my shots has artifacts where the system tried to piece together a moving subject from multiple frames but couldn’t quite get it right.
Source: OnePlus Open review: right size, wrong price
Oneplus-Open-Review-Foldable Battery Screen Camera Price for Video Calls: OnePlus Open Review: Right Size, Wrong Price
There are two cameras, a standard one on the front screen and a more advanced one on the inner display, that are primarily used for video calls. The camera is tucked into the corner of the display, which I much prefer over the under-display camera on the Z Fold 5. The only problem is you can lose track of where it is — helpfully, it’s illuminated by a flashing ring for a moment when you turn the camera on so you know where to look.
Video recording with the main camera tops out at 4K 30 / 60p, but you’ll need to drop down to 1080p to use the more robust stabilization mode, which does a good job of smoothing out jerky motion from walking. The front-facing camera on the cover screen records up to 4K video, but there’s a bit of a wobble whenever you move the camera slightly, like the electronic image stabilization is fighting back against the movement. If you use the rear camera with the phone and use the image preview on the cover screen, you can record a better video than with the main camera.
Source: OnePlus Open review: right size, wrong price
The Flip of the Galaxy: Getting $1,500 off OnePlus for $200 off the MSRP of an Old Galaxy Z Fold 5 at $1,700$?
You don’t have to be a card-carrying Red Cable Club member to appreciate the device’s shape, either. It splits the difference between the long and skinny Z Fold 5 and the wider Pixel Fold and comes up with something better than either. It feels more normal to use it when it is closed, because it is lighter. It is supported by good performance, high quality screens, and a nice camera system. But at $1,700? When the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is right there for $1,800? That is very difficult.
If you’re looking to cut down on the price tag, you can just trading in any old phone for a new one. — for a quick $200 discount. That’s not an introductory deal, either; the company says it will offer this discount throughout the life of the phone. That’s nice and all, but then why not just make the phone’s MSRP $1,500? As long as they can offer promotional pricing, it doesn’t matter if OnePlus’ competitors are shy about it. If you trade in an old phone for a new one, you will receive $300 off the cost of the Fold 5.
Every smart device has a set of terms and conditions that you must agree to before you can use it. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.