My 5 favorite OnePlus Open features after a year with the phone

In my years reviewing smartphones, I rarely felt the urge to go back to one phone again and again. No phone has tempted me as much as the OnePlus Open. I’ve used the phone since it came out last year, and I go back to it after reviewing another phone. The Open is an absolute stunner. I’ve seen people gawk at it, and many curious folks have approached me to enquire about the phone. Its software features that make full use of the tablet-esque inner display kept me hooked.

After spending a year with the OnePlus Open, I picked my favorite features that make the phone hard to give up.

5 I love its displays

Yes, both of them

I have just two words for you: flat screen.

Every other OnePlus phone has a curved display glass, but the Open was spared because of its foldable form factor, and I love it. Thin bezels surround the cover screen bezels, and the hinge barely protrudes, unlike the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which has a disproportionately bulkier hinge side. What I appreciate the most about the Open’s outer screen is that it’s usable on its own and doesn’t force you to use the inner, foldable display. Sounds counterintuitive for a foldable? Not for me.

Take the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, for example. Its slender front screen feels too cramped for regular use. Apps don’t scale properly and look squished from the sides, and the narrow display doesn’t make for a good viewfinder. All this drives you to unfold the phone for every little thing.

The OnePlus Open looks just like any other non-folding Android flagship. You might forget you’re using a handset that unfolds into a mini tablet. That larger display is a bonus I use when I need a bigger view, like when watching a YouTube video or reading a book on Kindle (the squarish aspect ratio is perfect for reading).

One aspect often ignored but holds value is the consistency between the two displays. Constantly switching between the two screens would’ve been jarring if their color reproduction, brightness, and general visibility weren’t uniform. OnePlus did a great job of ensuring the two displays look and feel the same, something a pedant like me would surely notice and value.

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4 All those little software touches

OxygenOS has quite a few of them

OxygenOS has seen both its good and bad days over the years. Still, its array of software trinkets sprinkled across the OS has remained constant. They aren’t always in your face to overwhelm you, but they are there when you need them. We’ve raved about the excellent multitasking toolset under Open Canvas, which I still think every other company should copy, but I’m talking about other stuff.

For instance, I rely on the Smart Sidebar, which you can pull out from the upper-right edge of any screen. It contains several utility tools that open in a small overlay window. I customized it to have tools like a calculator and my expense manager, which are always available and don’t take up space on the home screen anymore. The sidebar can act as a clipboard for your files, allowing easy dragging and dropping between apps.

Another feature I wish other phones had is OnePlus’ auto data SIM switching. When my primary data SIM doesn’t get good internet reception, the phone temporarily switches to the other SIM. This is handy, especially when I’m driving through an area with bad reception and can’t stop the car to switch the data SIM manually. It’s so simple and ingenious that features like this put the “smart” in smartphone.

3 The Open is a tough phone, for real

It isn’t a delicate piece of tech that you must protect

If I may use an analogy. The OnePlus Open is the Kung Fu Panda that may look chubby but is actually a tough Dragon Warrior in disguise.

The Open is a foldable phone. I thought it would be fragile. But over time, it proved to be far from delicate. When we reviewed it last year, our reviewer’s unit accidentally slid from the table to land on a hard floor. You’d think the inner display would break, but the phone survived the fall with only a dent in the aluminum frame as an indelible mark of its bravery.

I dropped my OnePlus Open a couple of times. It once slipped out of my trousers’ shallow side pocket while sitting. The result? There is a minor dent in one corner with no functional issues.

This isn’t to nudge you to drop-test your phone, but it should give you peace of mind that your phone can survive a random fall or two. Putting it inside a cover keeps it safe from scuffs and dents. I use the Open with a case and screen protector. Aside from the usual signs of wear and tear, it has fared well.

2 It takes some mean portraits

Flagship cameras for a flagship phone

I was pleased that OnePlus didn’t skimp on the Open’s camera system. It came with the company’s best cameras, which were later borrowed by the OnePlus 12. It stands out among other foldables, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 or the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, that typically house slightly lower-end cameras than their non-folding counterparts due to space constraints.

While I don’t claim that the Open has the best cameras on any phone (there are better camera phones), it’s a delight to use. The best part is the telephoto lens. With Hasselblad tuning, the cameras produce natural colors. With 3x optical zoom, the phone takes stunning portrait shots. The bokeh is always on point, something the newest Pixels still struggle with, and it works equally well with non-human subjects.

The background magic that the OnePlus’ camera processing algorithm performs is almost always spot on. The photos come out ready to go on Instagram. My family and friends often approach me to take their portraits with the Open. That’s the kind of star the OnePlus Open is and makes you feel like.

1 How could I ever live without fast charging?

It’s a game changer on a foldable phone

Fast charging spoiled me. I became used to my phones going from 10% to 100% in around half an hour. My battery anxiety is now gone because I know my phone takes only a few minutes to top up. Still, I didn’t expect fast charging to be available on a foldable phone due to limitations around heat dissipation, but we still got it.

The Open cannot match the OnePlus 12’s speed, but 45 to 50 minutes for a full charge is miles ahead of most slab phones, taking close to 2 hours with slower adapters. It is now painful to use a phone that takes a 30W charger. That’s because it makes me plan my day around getting home with enough battery to charge it since overnight charging is the only viable option with such a slow charging rate.

I’ve never had to think about this when using the Open (or any other fast-charging phone). I put it on charge for a few minutes while I stuff my backpack and put on my shoes. I know the battery will go past the 50% mark before I pick it up. I wish OnePlus would bring faster wired and wireless charging options to its follow-up.

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I am looking forward to the OnePlus Open 2

Since the OnePlus Open came out in October last year, the company is overdue for the OnePlus Open 2. Rumor has it that OnePlus’ next foldable will see the light of day in 2025. However, given how much the Open has grown on me, I don’t mind waiting a little longer. OnePlus can take all the time it needs to perfect the sequel. The first-gen model laid a strong foundation. So, OnePlus could tweak a few things, polish some of the Open’s shortcomings, and throw in some new features to make the Open 2 a real winner.

OnePlus Open

OnePlus’ first foldable packs an impressive specs sheet and boasts some equally remarkable features. The lightweight design, the super-bright cover and folding screens, the high-end internals, and the triple-camera setup make the OnePlus Open a great alternative to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold lineup.