What you need to know
- OnePlus CEO and co-founder Pete Lau teased a foldable phone.
- The OnePlus chief shared images of what appears to be the hinge mechanism of a foldable device.
- OnePlus Fold has been making the rounds since the OPPO Find N debuted last year.
While Samsung currently dominates the foldable smartphone race, other OEMs are playing catch-up. Xiaomi and Motorola both recently unveiled their own contenders, and OnePlus appears to be making inroads into the foldable segment.
Rumors of a OnePlus Fold began to circulate early last year, a few months after the OPPO Find N launched to take on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. There hasn’t been a single leak showing what the foldable phone looks like since these rumors first surfaced.
Now, OnePlus CEO and co-founder Pete Lau (opens in new tab) took to Twitter to share what appears to be the hinge mechanism of a foldable device.
Unfortunately, we’re left wondering what the device will really be called. But the tweet is a sort of further confirmation that a OnePlus foldable device is in the works. The existence of a OnePlus foldable is no longer a secret after OnePlus software lead Gary Chen confirmed last February that the company is entering the foldable race.
In April, a tipster claimed that OnePlus’ foldable handset would be based on the OPPO Find N. This isn’t entirely surprising given that OPPO and OnePlus have merged their R&D departments. It’s a safe bet that OnePlus’ contender for the best foldable phone will be a rehashed version of the Find N.
Hopefully, the OnePlus Fold will be available more widely than OPPO’s foldable device. According to our own Harish Jonnalagadda, the OnePlus foldable will be released in 2023, as the company is currently focused on fixing software issues and consolidating its position in the budget and mid-range segments.
