If rumors have been correct, then OnePlus will launch its first ever foldable smartphone, the Open, at some point this month. Today, the company is officially starting its teaser / hype-building campaign for the upcoming device, following the soft start from a few days ago when an Indian actress was spotted rocking the Open in the open.
So, what we have today is a video from Unbox Therapy, in which OnePlus boss Pete Lau makes an appearance in an interview of sorts. He talks up the device’s hinge design, on which OnePlus (or more likely, parent company Oppo) apparently holds 35 patents.
Unsurprisingly, the OnePlus Open will close without any hinge gap, as demonstrated in a test in which a sheet of paper was ‘trapped’ inside and then the phone was lifted by said sheet of paper, without it sliding off. This moment gives us a look at the hardware too, although there’s a huge chunk of what looks like cardboard on top of the gigantic camera bump, so we can’t see that.
The Open’s hinge has 31 less components than the Oppo Find N2’s, helping reduce its size (it’s 37% smaller) and weight. Lau says his company is “bringing the best phone to the race”, despite not entering said foldable race among the first. He promises a fast and smooth experience as we’re used to from other OnePlus devices. Oh, and the alert slider is in.
Lau says the device was joint-developed by OnePlus and Oppo teams, each bringing their unique expertise to the table. He also mentions that there will be multiple ‘go to market’ strategies, which makes us think this is a veiled confirmation of the fact that the same device will be marketed as OnePlus Open internationally and Oppo Find N3 in China, something that’s been rumored for months now.
Finally, if you’ve been rooting for a OnePlus flip phone, it’s not coming, at least not yet, because, in Lau’s view, the type of user who goes for a flip phone isn’t the type of user buys a OnePlus.