A trend started earlier and in 2023 it continued to grow strong. This is the trend towards foldable smartphones. Flip phones returned to India. Motorola and Oppo made their revamped flip phones official. The bigger foldable phones saw their tech improving. They now come with enhanced hinges, improved cameras, and overall better performance. Yet, of all the foldable phones one truly stood out in 2023, and this was the OnePlus Open.

Before the OnePlus Open arrived, I did not consider a foldable phone a viable replacement for a regular high-end phone. Instead, I considered them niche products, great in their novelty and wow factor but not entirely practical. The OnePlus managed to — at least for me — change this perception.

In 2023, I reviewed several foldable phones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. The one that ticked all the boxes for me, however, was the OnePlus Open. This is not a hyperbole. I have my reasons.

See, foldable phones are fascinating but they also have their own sets of pros and cons. One thing that often bothers me with most foldable phones is the time it takes to unfold them especially when you’re in a hurry. OnePlus saw this problem and tackled it head-on by giving the Open a front display that works just like a regular phone. That’s a game-changer.

Best cover screen on a foldable phone?

What makes the Open stand out is how OnePlus has put in a lot of effort to make it a true flagship phone with a foldable screen. It’s not just about having a large screen with hinges that open and close. It’s also about having a wide and top-notch cover screen, a fantastic Hasselblad-powered camera system, and a big battery, all packed into a body that’s almost as slim as a regular smartphone and weighs about the same.

Comparing it to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, which I used extensively before getting my hands on the OnePlus Open, the first thing I noticed was its lighter weight. It’s as light as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, weighing just 240g! Plus, its design is incredibly thin — only 11.7mm when folded and a mere 5.8mm when unfolded.

The 6.3-inch cover screen is a game-changer. It’s roomy enough to use as the main display without needing to unfold the device constantly. Unlike other foldable phones, typing on this cover screen feels comfortable and easy.

Works like a regular phone

The reason why I rate the OnePlus Open so high is because of its combination of design, performance, displays, camera and hardware that make it a complete phone. As in, the Open works like a regular high-end phone, which is not the case with other foldable phones that come with a lot of compromises. And on top of that, the Open offers the flexibility of a foldable screen. The other foldable phones, in contrast, rely more on the novelty factor.

Let’s take them one by one.

Design of the OnePlus Open is, all things considered, great and sets new benchmarks for the thinness of a foldable phone. The combination of its lightness, slim design, large cover screen, graphite metal finish, and vegan leather makes it not only the best-looking foldable phone but also one of the smartest and well-designed phones overall. Moreover, the phone isn’t just a fragile beauty, it’s splash-proof too. Now, it’s not for diving into water, but an IPX4 rating means it can handle light rain or splashes without a problem.

Similar is the case with displays, which are among the best in the business. The external or cover screen rocks a 6.3-inch display with a super-smooth 120Hz refresh rate and a dazzling peak brightness of 2600 nits. Even under direct sunlight, the cover screen remains easy to read and use.

Most foldable phones often prioritise the larger, inner display, treating the cover screen as an afterthought. Not the OnePlus Open. They’ve given both displays top-notch treatment. I played Asphalt 9 on both screens, and the experience was equally smooth, thanks to that 120Hz refresh rate. The colors on the cover screen are vivid, and watching Netflix was a joy.

Crease has been an issue with foldable phones, and here too the Open shows the way. It’s practically invisible! Even if you run your fingers across the screen, you won’t feel it much. Samsung did a good job with the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but the OnePlus Open takes it a step further. The lack of a noticeable crease makes a huge difference in everyday use.

When unfolded, the 7.82-inch AMOLED display is a sight to behold. While reviewing the phone earlier, I watched a movie on it during a flight to Mumbai, and it felt like having a mini-tablet with top-notch picture quality.

Another reason why the Open feels like a complete phone is its hardware and camera system, both of which are top notch. On these two aspects, until now we have seen that phone companies are kind of skimping. But that’s not the case in the Open. This phone gets the best of what is available as far as its core hardware is concerned.

The Open comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Using it, I found it smoothâ€æ switching between apps, gaming, or binge-watching shows, I didn’t encounter any hiccups. It even stays cool while running gaming, though using the camera for prolonged duration does make it a little warm under the hood.

The camera system in the Open is among the best you can get. The phone has a 48MP main camera, a 64MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, a 48MP ultra-wide camera, a 32MP selfie camera on the cover screen, and a 20MP selfie camera on the inner display.

In daylight, the OnePlus Open’s camera shines. It captures photos with natural colours. The 64MP telephoto lens produces stunning results. While reviewing the phone, we used it in pristine vistas of Andamans and the versatility of the phone’s three cameras — along with their varying level of zoom — impressed us. You can check the image samples in our full review of the OnePlus Open. Although one area where the cameras in the phone could have been better is in low light, particularly its telephoto camera.

New benchmark for foldable phones

I think going forward we will see improved and better foldable phones in the market, and this would be a result of the OnePlus Open. Until now, the companies have relied on selling their foldable phones as a novelty, as a gadget with which you can impress your friends at a party by folding and unfolding its screen. While that trick is nice, the foldable phones in general have been inferior to other high-end phones when it comes to performance, hardware, design and cameras.

The OpenPlus, however, changed this. First and foremost it is a high-end phone, matching or surpassing its peers. And it uses a design that makes it barely larger or heavier than other top-end phones. The fact that at the same time it also offers a large screen that unfolds to give users tablet-like experience is a cherry on the cake. And that makes the Open not just the best foldable phone of 2023 but also one of the best phones launched this year.