OnePlus Open Challengers: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Tecno Phantom V Fold, More

After months of ruling the rumour mill, OnePlus has finally launched its first foldable. The Never Settling brand took the wraps off the OnePlus Open, its first foldable phone a few days ago. And in the best OnePlus tradition, the OnePlus Open blended classy and understated design with some top-of-the-line hardware. 

The Open comes with a 6.31-inch FHD+ LTPO3 Super Fluid AMOLED external ‘cover display’ with 120Hz refresh rate and opens up like a book to reveal a larger, tablet-like 7.82 inch LTPO3 Flexi-Fluid AMOLED display with 2268 x 2440 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.  Powering this dual-display show is the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, aided by a massive 16 GB of RAM, with 512 GB of storage on board. 

The OnePlus Open also comes with some serious camera muscle for a foldable. On the back, it comes with a 48-megapixel main sensor with OIS, a 64-megapixel telephoto sensor with OIS and 3x optical zoom, and a 48-megapixel ultrawide sensor, all designed in collaboration with the legendary Hasselblad. Each of the two displays has a selfie sensor — a 20-megapixel one on the cover display and a 32-megapixel one on the large internal display. 

A large 4,805mAh battery keeps the Open running, and this being a OnePlus, you get speedy 67W SuperVOOC wired charging, with a charger in the box. All of this is packed into a surprisingly sleek and relatively light (about 240 grams) and elegant frame, which also has the option of a vegan leather back, and comes with a sturdy, yet smooth hinge. The OnePlus Open runs on a variation of OxygenOS, OnePlus’ clean interface, on Android 13.

There is a premium price tag on all of this, though. The OnePlus Open comes for Rs 1,39,999, which puts it right out there in the super-premium crowd. And with that premium price tag comes premium-level competition. So if you are looking at investing in the OnePlus One, here are five other devices that you might like to consider before making it an Open and shut deal:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: The OG Foldable 

Price: Rs 1,54,999

Samsung is the brand that revived the whole foldable trend and is rightly considered the boss of foldables. So it is hardly surprising that its Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the biggest competition to any new flagship foldable phone. The phone-cum-tablet from Samsung comes with a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X cover display with 120Hz refresh rate and unfolds to reveal a bigger tablet-ish 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display with 120Hz refresh rate. 

This dynamic display duo is backed by the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage, which along with stereo speakers, makes the Galaxy Z Fold 5 not only an absolute powerhouse but also a multimedia delight. There are a total of five cameras that call the Galaxy Z Fold 5 home — a 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS, a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with 3X optical zoom and OIS and a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor, as well as two selfie sensors, one on the main display (10-megapixel) and another on the cover (4-megapixel). 

All of this runs on a 4,400mAh battery with support for 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse charging support. 

The phone comes with Android 13 out of the box topped with Samsung’s feature-rich OneUI, with the promise of two major OS updates (Samsung does have a great update record too). The phone also has IPX8 rating, making it dust and water-resistant. 

All of these make it one of the biggest headaches for the OnePlus Open. It is the OG foldable after all. 

iPhone 15 Pro Max: The Super-Premium Pro

Price: Rs 1,59,900 onwards

There will be howls of protest from the foldable followers at the inclusion of the biggest iPhone out there, but the stark fact is that the iPhone 15 Pro Max does loom large before anyone who is looking to spend a super premium amount on a phone.  It does not fold and is a classic candy bar, but if the main reason for your seeking the OnePlus Open is productivity, the iPhone 15 Pro Max packs in enough productivity muscle to challenge the OnePlus Open.

The phone comes with a 6.7-inch always-on OLED display with Apple’s Pro Motion technology with an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz, and a Dynamic Island on top for extra functionality. It runs on Apple’s most powerful smartphone chipset, the A17 Pro and can handle any smartphone task you may throw its way easily, be it video editing, or high-end gaming. 

iPhones have had a very good camera reputation and the 15 Pro Max takes this tradition forward. It comes with a triple camera set up with a 48-megapixel main sensor and two 12-megapixel sensors, one ultrawide and another telephoto with a massive 5X optical zoom. There is another 12-megapixel sensor on the front for selfies, video calls and Face ID. 

All of this in a sleek design with a titanium frame that makes it lighter than its predecessors. But the highlight of the iPhone 15 Pro Max (and for all other iPhones)remains its powerful and secure eco-system along with clean, secure, and regularly updated software — the phone comes with iOS 17 out of the box and is expected to get at least five more years of updates. Throw in fantastic sound, decent battery life and dust and water resistance, and you can understand why this is perhaps the first phone that comes to most people’s minds when you say ‘productivity phone.’

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: The Old Fold Remains Gold 

Price: Rs 1,34,999

Yes, the OnePlus Open is already dealing with the least Fold, but its successor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a contender too. The phone may be a year old but still comes with a very strong spec sheet.  It comes with the same sized display as the Fold 5 —  a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 120Hz refresh rate on the outside, and a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 120Hz refresh rate on the inside. 

It runs on the slightly old but still very much flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip. And while it comes with Android 12 out of the box, Samsung’s excellent software update record means the device can be upgraded to Android 13 and is topped with Samsung’s OneUI. It also has the same camera numbers as the Z Fold 5 — 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS, a 10-megapixel telephoto with OIS, 3x optical zoom, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor. 

The cameras of the Z Fold 5 are comparatively more capable, but these are no pushovers even today. Much like the megapixels, the battery power remains the same too — 4,400mAh with support for 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse charging. 

All of this at a price that is much closer to the OnePlus Open. This fold is old, but certainly gold in terms of value for money. 

Tecno Phantom V Fold: Budget Foldable

Price: Rs 78,499

Want the fold phone experience on a budget without going for an older model? The Tecno Phantom V Fold is your best — and honestly, your only — option. While the Phantom V Fold, does not come with the sort of spec spectacularity that the other phones in this list have, it delivers a fair amount of fold-ness at a relatively lower price. The device brings the star element in spades, the displays — it has a 6.42-inch LTPO AMOLED cover display with 120Hz refresh rate cover display, and opens into a beautiful, big 7.85-inch LTPO AMOLED main display with 120Hz refresh rate. 

Some might not be too happy with the presence of MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ chipset on the device but it would be able to take on high-end tasks without any struggle. The triple camera set up on the back has some good numbers with two 50-megapixel sensors, one main and another telephoto with 2X optical zoom, backed by another 13-megapixel ultrawide sensor. The cover display has a 16-megapixel selfie camera while the main display houses a 32-megapixel one. 

The phone also has the largest battery on the list — a 5,000mAh battery with support for 45 W fast wired charging. The phone runs on Android 13 out of the box, but with Tecno’s own HiOS skin on top, which might be overwhelming for many. 

That said, its very competitive price tag makes the Tecno Phantom V Fold a worthy choice for those who want to get on the foldable trend with a new device, but do not wish to burn over a-lakh-rupee-sized hole in their pockets. 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: For The Android Productivity Cowd 

Price: Rs 1,24,999

If productivity and Android are two main criteria behind your investment in a new phone, you should also be looking at Android candybar royalty — the Samsung Galaxy S 23 Ultra. The phone might not turn into a tablet but is perhaps the ultimate Android productivity powerhouse. needs. 

The phone comes with a brilliant, big 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X always-on display with 120 Hz refresh rate, and is powered by the mighty Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor which can take on any chore without any hiccups. 

The cameras on the phone are awesome too — the main sensor is a whopping 200-megapixel one with OIS, backed by two 10-megapixel sensors, one periscope telephoto with 10x optical zoom and another with 3x optical zoom, while a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor takes care of capturing landscapes. 

It has an IP68 rating, runs on Android 13 out of the box, and comes with a 5,000mAH battery with 45W fast charging, 15W wireless charging and 4.5W wireless reverse charging support.  But the element that separates the Galaxy S23 Ultra from the basic smartphone is the support for the S Pen, the uber-unique stylus that comes with it, taking functionality to another level by letting you scribble, doodle and carry out other actions. 

Yes, it isn’t a foldable, but for productivity seekers, this may be, just may be, even better.