3 Reasons Why I’m Excited About OnePlus’ First Foldable Phone

It’s already been a big year for foldable phones. Google finally released its first foldable phone called the Pixel Fold, Motorola made a splash with its Razr Plus and Samsung just launched the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5. But there’s another newcomer to the foldable phone race in 2023: OnePlus.

Back in February, OnePlus announced plans to release its first foldable phone in the second half of this year. While we haven’t heard any updates since then, it’s likely more news could come soon, since many tech companies tend to release new products in the late summer or early fall. 

OnePlus hasn’t yet revealed details about its foldable phone, but there are a few reasons why I’m looking forward to it. OnePlus has a reputation for making attractive devices with powerful hardware at a lower price than its rivals. And the more competition there is in the foldable phone market, the more options there are for consumers.

OnePlus is known for value

Samsung dominates the foldable phone space so far, with 62% of the market in the first half of 2022, according to Counterpoint Research. Samsung was among the first major phone-makers to release a foldable phone, back in 2019, so it’s had a head start compared with newcomers like Google. But more competition means more choice, which is why I’m looking forward to OnePlus’ entry into the market.

Whether OnePlus’ phone ends up being a hit or not, it could still push companies like Samsung and Motorola to further refine their designs, add more features or, most importantly, lower their prices. We often see this play out in other areas of the smartphone industry, especially when it comes to more-niche devices. Samsung, for example, brought premium features like a high refresh rate, a polished design and a big battery to its budget-oriented Galaxy A54 after Google’s similarly priced Pixel 6A was well-received last year. 

Having another foldable phone in production could also mean that the unique components required for these devices become more common. If that happens and the manufacturing is simplified, perhaps we’ll see foldable phones at more reasonable prices. 

OnePlus may offer a bigger screen than Samsung and Google