The OPEN OnePlus was well received in its launch in October 2023 (we described it as “the only folding phone that does not compromise” in our OnePlus Open review), so it was more than a bit disappointing to hear that a OnePlus Open 2 very ruminated will not hit the shelves soon.
In a statement published in the OnePlus Community Forum in February, OnePlus announced that “he had made the decision not to release a folding” in 2025, noting that Oppo, the OnePlus’s sister company, is now “taking leadership in the folding segment” with the Oppo Find N5 (which, incidentally, is not yet available out of China in China in writing time).
“This is not a step back, it is a recalibration,” OnePlus explained at that time, but what does that mean? We ask the company to prepare its reasoning during a recent sponsored visit to OnePlus HQ in Guangdong, China. Rudolf XU, Senior Marketing Manager of Products for OnePlus, had this to say:
“In the folding industry, the common challenge for each smartphone manufacturer is [working out] How to make the phone thinner, lighter and less visible fold, at the same time that, at the same time, it does not sacrifice other key specifications when you try to solve those challenges, “Xu told Techradar.
“In OnePlus, we want to bring the best possible experience [to the user]. If you look back at the Open Open, even until today, it still has very competitive specifications, sincerely. It is more a time situation. We are thinking about how we want to solve those [aforementioned] Challenges in a better way. That is why we decided not to launch a folding this year. “
OnePlus Open, even until today, still has very competitive specifications.
Rudolf xu, OnePlus
It is clear, then, that a desire to bring significant innovation (that is, not iterative) to the folding market is in the heart of OnePlus’s decision to delay its folding plans, but there are also economic factors at stake here.
Xu explained: “There is also a figure that I can share [that will help justify our decision]. If it verifies the latest counterpoint research, folding shipments increased 2.9% year after year in 2024, which was actually lower than expected. The folding market is increasing, sure, but it will still take time for folding to become the main current and really say, cross the abyss and become a product for most [of people]. “
In other words, the folding market is simply not yet large enough to make regular launch of economically viable products, at least for OnePlus.
Samsung continues to launch book style and Flip annually (the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 are the following on the agenda), but it is true that the South Korean giant has more resources at its disposal, not to mention a much larger user base.
The good news is that the OnePlus Open 2 is not just an impossible dream. OnePlus confirmed in his aforementioned statement that he does not completely withdraw from the folding market: “Our decision to stop in folding for this generation does not mean a deviation from the category,” the brand explained. And since we do not expect a new model in 2025, it is safe to assume that OnePlus Open 2, when it finally arrives, will not only be an oppapo rebadged n5 (although we are great fans of that particular device).
What do you think about OnePlus’s decision and the state of folding phones in 2025 in general? Let us know in the comments.
