What you need to know
- OnePlus announced that a OnePlus Open 2 would not arrive this year.
- The company’s reasoning behind this was that it will be recalibrating its foldable strategy and will carefully consider timing to release the next edition of the device.
- Since OPPO and OnePlus share research and hardware teams, it sounds a lot like they’re putting in all the resources in making OPPO’s Find N5 the next best foldable.
OnePlus is leaving the foldables scene, at least for this year. In a community blog post on their foldable strategy, Vale G, a OnePlus product manager, said the company is ‘recalibrating their foldable strategy’ and confirmed that it will be holding off on launching a OnePlus Open 2.
The company’s first foldable, the OnePlus Open, debuted in 2023 and continues to be one of the best foldables on the market today. This explains the enthusiasm around the next edition of this foldable. But it looks like fans will have to wait.
“At OnePlus, our core strength and passion lie in setting new benchmarks and challenging the status quo across all product categories. With that in mind, we’ve carefully considered the timing and our next steps in foldable devices, and we have made the decision not to release a foldable this year,” the community post explained.
OnePlus and OPPO are sister companies, and the two share combined hardware and research teams, as well as a common software codebase. It looks like the focus is now fully on launching the world’s thinnest foldable, the OPPO Find N5, in the next couple of weeks. That said, OpenPlus doesn’t fully rule out the possibility of launching Open 2 in the future.
“While this may come as a surprise, we believe this is the right approach for us at this time. That said, our decision to pause on foldable for this generation does not signify a departure from the category,” the community post added.
The company also adds that nothing changes for the current OnePlus Open users as they will continue to receive all “the software updates security patches, and the exceptional after-sales service you’ve come to expect from us.”
While we don’t know for sure what made the company take this stance, it looks like the software advancements that were supposed to debut in the Open 2 will now be seen in OPPO’s Find N5. Not only will it be the thinnest foldable yet, but the device is said to demonstrate advancements in foldable technology, “including the use of cutting-edge new materials and more sophisticated engineering.”
It remains to be seen if the move was right for OnePlus as it takes a step back this year.