Although we’ve heard rumblings of a OnePlus foldable for the last few years and TechRadar landed the exclusive when the phone maker wanted to make its foldable plans official earlier this year, we’ve yet to cast eyes on their first folding phone – until now.
Courtesy of a collaboration between famed tipster OnLeaks and tech site Smartprix, the pair have published a series of renders of what is supposedly OnePlus’ debut foldable, thought to be called the ‘OnePlus Fold’ or the ‘OnePlus V Fold’.
Through OnePlus’ deep ties with sister company Oppo, it was assumed that the Oppo Find N2 would serve as the foundation of OnePlus’ first folding phone. However, if we’re to believe the renders seen here, OnePlus’ entry will sport a distinctly different and original design.
The renders above – apparently supplied to Smartprix by OnLeaks – are reportedly based on “a prototype unit in the testing stage, which typically closely resembles the final product.” This statement leaves the door open for both artistic interpretation and possible design changes on the final product, but we’ve little reason to believe the OnePlus Fold (or OnePlus V Fold) won’t look like this.
There are elements throughout the renders that reflect OnePlus’ current design language, for instance the circular camera bump on the back, reminiscent of the company’s current flagship – the OnePlus 11 – and its debut tablet, the OnePlus Pad.
The main camera arrangement looks to feature large, conventional primary and secondary sensors, alongside a periscopic telephoto zoom sensor and a very offset LED flash in the corner. It also bears the Hasselblad branding of the company’s recent flagship phones, suggesting its partnership with the company will continue, and that it will bring specialized tuning for the photographic experience.
Beyond that, there’s what appears to a faux leather back, a physical alert slider, a central front-facing camera on the outer display and an offset front-facing camera on the main folding display. We can also see a power button set into the side of the phone’s metal frame that looks as though it doubles as a fingerprint sensor; this is something OnLeaks pretty much confirmed in a tweet after posting the initial renders.
Lost and found
For those familiar with the Oppo’s current foldable portfolio (or at least those who’ve read our hands-on Oppo Find N2 review), it should be clear that – assuming these renders are accurate – OnePlus is forging its own path on its first folding phone.
The Find N2’s squat aspect ratio (like the Find N before it) is what sets it apart from taller, slimmer vertically-folding entries from the likes of Samsung and others, and OnePlus looks to be landing somewhere in between the likes of the N2 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4, based on the apparent proportions shown in these renders.
Beyond its form, the OnePlus Fold is thought to run on Qualcomm’s as-yet-unannounced Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 2 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, and is expected to have a 2K 120Hz LTPO AMOLED screen. Other rumored specs include a 50MP main camera, a 32MP front-facer and a 4,800mAh battery with 100W ‘SuperVOOC’ fast-charging.
These are all speculative specifications at this stage, of course, but if expectations hold true, the OnePlus Fold / OnePlus V Fold should be a contender for our best foldable phones list when it arrives, probably in the third quarter of this year.
