OnePlus could be the next big Android brand with a foldable smartphone. Leaks circulating from Chinese patent offices indicate that the company may be laying the groundwork to offer an alternative to US users.
A trademark listing obtained through the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) shows the company—Shenzhen Oneplus Technology—filing two patent applications for “OnePlus V Flip” and “OnePlus V Fold,” respectively. Well, you’d be right in thinking that they sound exactly like Samsung’s compatible versions of each device. They probably fold the same, too.
I accessed the copyright through the link provided by 9 on 5 Google, which has a screenshot of the list on its site. A Twitter user Mukul Sharma At first I saw the names of smartphones. A pre-Elon verified account notes that an internal audit of at least one of the said folders has begun at OnePlus headquarters.
Rumors of OnePlus foldables are not new. They’ve been making the rounds since last summer, especially after OnePlus founder Pete Lau in a tweet looking for a way to hang. At the time it was not clear whether it was a OnePlus device or a smartphone from its parent company, Oppo.
Oppo has a foldable smartphone making its rounds overseas. The Find N2 was launched in December, and it’s reviewing very well in some markets. It’s shorter than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, which it takes, and has a slightly different feature. CNET it’s somewhat squarish compared to the relative rectangle of the Z Fold 4. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Oppo try to do the same under the OnePlus moniker since it’s an established brand in North America.
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OnePlus also has the added benefit of being known as an affordable flagship brand. It managed to keep the OnePlus 10 Pro and 10T under the $900 mark, eventually bringing the 10 Pro down to under $600 for the same specs included in the Samsung Galaxy s22 devices.
Flip phones will likely remain affordable until they become the norm. Samsung’s current collection of folders it is very expensiveeven the cheapest wrap comes in at $1,000. It would be a great addition to the current foldable smartphone portfolio to have something more affordable compared to Samsung’s Flip and Fold. That said, don’t expect too much of a discount. Find N2 starts with $1,512 for 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is about $300 less than the Z Fold 4.
No word on whether any of this is official yet. OnePlus foldable smartphones are still just a rumor. But it’s exciting to think of a time when folding smartphones won’t cost as much as a mid-range laptop. Some old options like restarted Motorola Razr they are already on the upswing sale, but even that is still priced at $1,500.
