The foldable phone market has really heated up in 2024. Samsung and Motorola have released new versions of their foldable, refining hinge designs and addressing durability concerns.
Meanwhile, Chinese brands like Vivo, Honor, and Xiaomi are pushing the boundaries by creating slimmer, more portable foldables without sacrificing flagship features. However, two major players, OnePlus and its parent company Oppo, are notably absent from the foldable frenzy this year.
Oppo entered the foldable market in 2021 with the Find N, a book-style device similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series. In 2022, they launched their first flip phone, the Find N2 Flip, and the original Find N successor, the Find N2. Both models were updated in 2023 as the Find N3 Flip and Find N3, respectively.
OnePlus Open
OnePlus, leveraging its relationship with Oppo, launched the global version of the Find N3 as the OnePlus Open in 2023, marking its official entry into the foldable market.
As essentially the third iteration of Oppo’s foldable, the OnePlus Open received praise for its strong hardware and refined software experience. However, there has been no official announcement about a successor—the OnePlus Open 2—or any new foldable plans from Oppo for 2024.
Unless you’ve been closely following tech news, it’s unlikely that a OnePlus Open 2 or Oppo Find N5 will launch in 2024. Here’s what we know about the matter so far.
Why the OnePlus Open 2 and Oppo Find N5 Will Not Be Released in 2024
The rumor about the Find N5 not launching this year started with a leak in February. This was later corroborated by another leak in May from the usually reliable tipster Digital Chat Station. Since the OnePlus Open 2 is expected to be a rebranded version of the Find N5 for the global market, this means there will be no new entry in OnePlus’s foldable lineup for 2024 either. That is not to imply that Oppo or OnePlus are parting ways from the foldable scene; rather rumors suggest the brands will launch their new foldable in 2025.
Although details are scarce about the reasons behind the delay, the Chinese tech giants are likely focusing on making significant upgrades to their upcoming foldable. These improvements could include a lighter, more refined hinge mechanism, and a thinner overall design.
The foldable market is still in its early stages, with manufacturers continually refining designs and addressing challenges like durability and user experience.
The Honor Magic V3, for instance, has set a high bar for slimness and performance. It is the world’s slimmest foldable, yet have all the top-of-the-line features you would expect from a flagship phone — including a 5,150mAh battery that supports 66W wired and 50W wireless charging.
Given this fierce competition, a delay from OnePlus and Oppo could be a strategic decision to avoid rushing a product that might struggle to compete in the market.
Regarding the expected launch, rumors from China suggest that the Oppo Find N5 will debut in Q1 2025 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset. Consequently, the global release of the OnePlus Open 2 is likely to follow in the second quarter of 2025, as it typically takes 2 to 3 months for a Chinese product to launch internationally.
Find N5 Flip Delayed or Canceled?
It’s not just the book-style foldable that’s facing delays from Oppo. The Find N5 Flip, which was expected to be the successor to the Find N3 Flip, has also experienced a delay. In fact, some reports suggest that Oppo might have canceled the Find N5 Flip altogether.
While there isn’t strong evidence to confirm this, the research firm TrendForce reports that alongside Oppo, Vivo also has no plans to release a flip phone in 2024. Vivo has already launched its foldables for the year—the X Fold 3 and X Fold 3 Pro—without mentioning any flip models.
According to the firm, the high cost of clamshell vertical foldable phones is impacting the profitability of these Chinese brands. Oppo Find N3 Flip was the best-selling clamshell foldable in China in 2023, but the financial pressures might lead the company to reconsider its flip phone offerings.
This is similar to how Apple discontinued the iPhone Mini series in favor of the Plus line with the iPhone 14. Oppo’s flip phone could face a similar fate if profitability concerns persist.
New OnePlus Open Apex Edition
While there’s been no official word from OnePlus or Oppo about a new foldable, OnePlus did launch a new version of the OnePlus Open, called the Apex Edition, earlier this week.
It shares the same internal specs as the original Open but features a premium vegan leather back cover in a gorgeous Crimson Red color. The alert slider has also been accented in red to complement the new design.
Beyond aesthetics, the Apex Edition introduces a “VIP Mode” which can be activated via the alert slider. When enabled, this mode disables the camera and microphone, restricts app tracking, and shows a special splash screen along with a customized always-on display to ensure you’re aware that VIP Mode is active.
I’m not sure if this level of protection is necessary on a consumer device, but OnePlus included it anyway to make the Apex Edition stand out from its regular sibling.
The new design and features come at a price of Rs 149,999 in India. It’s available in a sole 16GB RAM and 1TB storage variant. If you’re wondering, the regular OnePlus Open with a 16GB/512GB configuration costs Rs 139,999 in India.
Latest Foldable Alternatives
If you’re looking to try out a new foldable in 2024 with the latest hardware, there are some solid options available. While the global market isn’t as crowded as the Chinese one—since brands like Vivo and Xiaomi have yet to release their foldables globally—there are still exciting choices.
Honor is set to launch the Magic V3 globally soon, so that’s one to watch. Samsung offers the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and Google is gearing up to release the Pixel 9 Pro Fold at their event next week. These are great alternatives if you’re interested in a book-style foldable. If you prefer something more pocketable, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Motorola’s Razr 2024 are worth considering.
