The new OnePlus Open is powered by the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, and comes with an inward folding design. It houses a 7.8-inch main, and a 6.3-inch cover display with 120Hz refresh rate. It has a powerful triple camera setup, and support for 80W wired charging.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the latest foldable flagship in the lineup. It’s equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, a powerful triple rear camera, a large 6.2-inch cover and 7.6-inch main display, and a large battery that can last all day on a single charge.
It’s the year 2023, and there are several foldable smartphones on the market. From Google’s own Pixel Fold to Samsung’s ever-reliable Galaxy Z Fold series, the foldable smartphone market is filled with plenty of options. OnePlus has joined the competition with its debut foldable phone, the OnePlus Open. In this article, we’ll compare the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the OnePlus Open to help you decide which foldable phone is the right choice for you.
OnePlus Open vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: Specifications
Price and Availability
The OnePlus Open has been priced at $1,699 (EUR 1,799 / INR 1,39,999) and will be available for purchase starting October 26, 2023. The foldable is currently available for pre-order with OnePlus offering exciting discounts and offers. Currently, if you trade-in your old smartphone, you can grab the OnePlus Open for up to $1,200 off.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 was announced back in July 2023 and is available for purchase from Samsung, most online retailers, and mobile service providers. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 starts at $1,799 for the 256GB model and goes up to $2,009 for the 1TB variant. There are also special deals on Amazon, where you can get the 512GB model for around $1,600, which is less than the regular price of the 256GB model.
Design and Build
Source: Pocketnow / Jaime Rivera
Starting with the design, you’ll notice that both Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and OnePlus Open feature a similar book-like form factor with a traditional smartphone-like cover display that unfolds into a bigger tablet-like device. However, there are important differences that set them apart.
One noticeable distinction is in the cover display. The OnePlus Open has a wider cover screen with a rounder, shorter body. Its cover screen looks more like a typical smartphone, while the Z Fold 5 has a narrower cover screen. On the back, the OnePlus Open has a big camera module with three sensors and a Hasselblad logo, along with a flash in the top-left corner.
The Z Fold 5 features a similar look to the Z Fold 4 with a more toned-down camera module on the back. One new feature that the OnePlus Open has is the Alert Slider on the side, allowing users to switch between Ring, Vibrate, and Silent modes easily.
Source: Pocketnow
In terms of size, the OnePlus Open is slimmer than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. When closed, the Z Fold 5 measures 0.53 inches (13.5mm), making it somewhat bulky, while the OnePlus Open is only 11.7mm. There’s also a slight weight difference, with the OnePlus Open weighing 239g (Voyager Black variant) and the Samsung Galaxy weighing 253g. OnePlus has worked on the hinge of the OnePlus Open to make it lighter while maintaining its strength.
However, Samsung takes the lead in terms of durability. The Samsung foldable boasts IPX8 water resistance, while the OnePlus Open lacks an official IP rating. Additionally, the Z Fold 5 offers better protection with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on top, as compared to Ceramic Guard on the OnePlus Open.
As for color options, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers a wider range of colors with a total of five options — Icy Blue, Phantom Black, Cream and two Samsung.com exclusive Gray and Blue colors. On the other hand, the OnePlus Open comes in two colors: Emerald Dusk with a matte glass finish and Voyager Black, which has a leather-like texture.
Display
Source: Pocketnow / Jaime Rivera
Let’s talk about the displays, starting with the cover screens. The OnePlus Open features a wide 6.31-inch 2K LTPO3 OLED cover display with 1116 x 2484-pixel resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It’s got a high pixel density of 431 PPI and can reach an impressive peak brightness of 2,800 nits. This outer screen also supports Dolby Vision for top-notch video quality and feels just like a regular smartphone display, making it very user-friendly.
Unfolding the OnePlus Open reveals a big 7.82-inch inner display with a resolution of 2268 x 2440 pixels, also utilizing LTPO3 technology. It’s capable of a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and has the same peak brightness of 2800 nits as the outer display. What’s worth noting is that the crease — the faint line you might see when folding the device — is less noticeable on the OnePlus Open compared to the Z Fold 5. This is thanks to a new hinge mechanism that OnePlus has used.
Pocketnow / Adam Z. Lein
The Z Fold 5 sports a narrower 6.2-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 904 x 2316 pixels and support for 120Hz refresh rate. It’s a bit more compact compared to the OnePlus Open, which might take a little adjustment for first-time users, as it’s narrower than a standard smartphone display. Unfolding the Z Fold 5 reveals a slightly smaller 7.6-inch OLED display capable of HDR10+ playback and supporting a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.
One key difference between the inner displays of the Z Fold 5 and the OnePlus Open is the stylus input support. If you’re all about productivity and note-taking, the Fold 5 is the better choice since it supports S Pen. However, you’ll need to buy an S-Pen separately. There are plenty of cases available to make carrying the stylus convenient. On the other hand, the OnePlus Open does not support stylus input, so keep that in mind if it’s an essential feature for you.
Performance
Source: Pocketnow / Jaime Rivera
When it comes to performance, both OnePlus Open and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 go toe to toe with each other. Both smartphones are powered by the powerful and power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. In terms of RAM, the OnePlus Open offers up to 16GB RAM, while the Z Fold 5 offers 12GB memory. It’s worth noting that the OnePlus Open is available only in 512GB variant, while the Z Fold 5 comes in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage configurations.
Both foldables run on Android 13 with tons of software features for productivity. OnePlus is offering four OS upgrades and five years of security updates for the Open, matching Samsung’s offer for the Z Fold 5. In everyday use, you’re unlikely to notice a significant difference between the two, as they both boast capable internal hardware and software.
Camera
Source: Pocketnow / Jaime Rivera
Moving on to the cameras, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 sticks with the same triple-camera setup as its predecessor. This includes a 50MP primary camera with OIS and Dual Pixel AF, a 12MP ultra-wide with 123-degree FOV, and a 10MP telephoto offering 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom. For selfies, the cover screen features a 10MP f/2.2 sensor, while the inner foldable display features a discreet under-display 4MP camera.
The OnePlus Open also offers a triple-camera setup on the back consisting of a 48MP primary with OIS, a 48MP ultra-wide, and a 64MP telephoto sensor with OIS and 6x “lossless zoom”. For selfies, OnePlus Open offers a punch-hole 32MP (f/2.4) shooter on the cover display and a punch-hole 20MP (f/2.2) sensor on the inner foldable screen.
Pocketnow / Adam Z. Lein
We are currently in the process of testing the OnePlus Open, and our initial impressions are quite positive. The presence of Hasselblad branding has noticeably enhanced the camera experience on this foldable, bringing various filters and optimizations to deliver classic-looking photos. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 also offers a reliable camera setup, but for more detailed information, please stay tuned for our upcoming in-depth camera comparison between these two foldable devices.
Battery
Source: Pocketnow / Jaime Rivera
Now, let’s dive into the battery details. The OnePlus Open comes with a big 4,805 mAh battery that supports 67W USB-C charging. OnePlus claims the foldable can go from 0% to 100% in just 42 minutes. However, it’s important to note that the OnePlus Open does not support wireless charging.
We’re still in the middle of testing the battery life of the OnePlus Open, but with the combination of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and a larger battery compared to the Z Fold 5, which has a smaller 4,400 mAh battery, it is expected to provide better battery life. The Z Fold 5 features 25W USB-C charging, which is slower than the OnePlus Open. However, it compensates with the convenience of wireless charging.
OnePlus Open vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: Which foldable should you buy?
The OnePlus Open and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 are some of the best foldable on the market, but if you’re looking for a new foldable device that provides excellent cover and inner screens, a powerful chipset, a versatile camera setup, a larger battery, and faster charging, all at a more budget-friendly price, then the OnePlus Open is the ideal choice for you.
The new OnePlus Open is powered by the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, and comes with an inward folding design. It houses a 7.8-inch main, and a 6.3-inch cover display with 120Hz refresh rate. It has a powerful triple camera setup, and support for 80W wired charging.
On the other hand, if you want an ultimate productivity foldable, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the one for you, especially with its S Pen support. Samsung has been a leader in the foldable market for years, understands foldable software well, offers an equally powerful chipset, all along with the convenience of timely software updates.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the latest foldable flagship in the lineup. It’s equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, a powerful triple rear camera, a large 6.2-inch cover and 7.6-inch main display, and a large battery that can last all day on a single charge.
