A first foldable from OnePlus is on the way, the company confirmed this morning. While they provided almost no details about that launch or the device itself, they did say to expect it “soon.” How soon? At least one insider says around mid-October.
During a converstaion today at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 to talk about their 10-year anniversary, OnePlus confirmed that they have created a new device that is “set to redefine the concept of foldable smartphones” through “flagship-level experiences in a compact foldable form factor.” This is some sort of representation of the “brand’s openness to all possibilities.” And that’s cute, since the device is rumored to be called the OnePlus Open.
That is all OnePlus said about the device, so again, “soon” isn’t being very specific. Are we talking about a launch within days or weeks or months or early next year? According to leaker Max Jambor, the launch could happen on October 19, so about a month away and only a couple of weeks after Google shows off the Pixel 8 series.
For those who haven’t been following this story, it’s actually a long one. We first saw purported renders of OnePlus’ foldable in June, then thought to be the “OnePlus V Fold.” As we approached what was expected to be a launch window in the summer, the rumored name changed to “OnePlus Open” and shiny new renders showed off a wildly different device. Then additional rumors of a display change accompanied the new renders and a supposed delay that has essentially pushed us until today.
So yeah, OnePlus is making a foldable that will launch “soon,” and we hope there are no further delays.