We're into the great wide Open

The first OnePlus foldable phone has finally arrived - can it take the fight to Samsung's mighty Galaxy Z Fold5? Well, it's certainly got the moves...

Foldable phones feel like they're coming of age: more robust, cheaper and without compromises on performance. OnePlus has entered the market with the Open... but it already feels familiar. That's because we went hands-on a year ago with the Oppo Find N2, a China-only foldable from OnePlus's parent company. And while the Open is closer to the newly announced Find N3, there is a lot that carries over from the N2.

This phone's key rivals are, predictably, Google's Pixel Fold and Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold5 both of which it undercuts on price at £1599.

The OnePlus Open is available in an emerald green finish in the E UK and EU, while the US gets a smart matt black option too. The two halves clasp together nicely and sit flush with one another; this phone has quite angular styling, but it feels nicely tactile in the hand- and there's no unsightly gap between the two sections. What some might consider unsightly is the trio of Hasselblad-enhanced cameras housed in a chunky roundel on the rear. It's an eye-catching arrangement, not least because of its sheer physical size.

But foldable phones really are getting lighter and thinner: the Open clocks in at 11.7mm thick folded, and 5.8mm when opened out. The weight isn't miles off of last year's iPhone E 14 Pro Max.

1 Open wide

The famed OnePlus alert slider comes to the Open, which is a welcome addition. OnePlus says its size has been increased for this phone, while its position has been adjusted for one-handed operation. It sits in a module that's smaller than on the OnePlus 11.

2 Open sesame 

The hinge is a key component of any foldable, and the difference between this patented Flexion design and early foldables is night and day: it opens smoothy and slaps shut nicely, and there's no judderiness at all. OnePlus says this hinge has 69 parts.