Foldable smartphones aren’t “new” at this point, but 2023 was easily the most impactful year yet for the form factor. Two devices in particular stand out amongst the new releases – the OnePlus Open and the Google Pixel Fold.
As the 9to5Google team recently took a look at our favorite smartphones of 2023, I noticed that we were pretty evenly split when it came to foldables. A few of us picked the OnePlus Open as the best foldable, while others picked the Pixel Fold, and I think that comes down to the fact that these two devices are polar opposites, despite mainly being two versions of the same core idea.
Both the Pixel Fold and OnePlus Open are book-style foldables, offering a “normal” outer display with an inner display that opens up to offer effectively a small Android tablet. While this form factor hasn’t been the most popular – flip-style devices are definitely the best sellers thus far – they’re also the form factor that seems to be the one that can vary most in terms of hardware, but the conversation about OnePlus Open and Pixel Fold boils down to more than that.
There are two things you have to get right with a foldable.
One is hardware. Both foldables from OnePlus and Google are trying new takes on the “book” form factor that Samsung first introduced. Google’s Pixel Fold has a short and wide inner display the shape of a passport which opens to a super-wide inner display, while the OnePlus Open has a pretty traditional outer display that opens to a big, almost-square inner display. They’re different routes to the same end goal, but OnePlus has a objectively better end product in regards to hardware.
A few years of Oppo’s experience in building killer foldables translates to a fantastic product in the Open. The hinge is fluid and strong. The display crease is hardly noticeable and the hardware as a whole is just darn near perfect. The Pixel Fold, meanwhile, feels wonderful when it’s closed, but Google’s foldable hardware doesn’t really measure up. The hinge is too tight and doesn’t always open up to 180-degrees, and the display crease gets pretty rough over time. The too-wide shape of the unfolded display is also just less comfortable to use.
But, OnePlus’ hardware prowess comes with the trade-off of using OxygenOS, which isn’t nearly as clean and easy to use as what comes on the Pixel Fold.
Google’s software isn’t necessarily full-featured, but the work the company has done to enhance Android over the past few years on bigger screens shines on the Fold. Everything is just intuitive and works how you expect it to work. Where OxygenOS can often randomly bury things or put them where you don’t expect, the Pixel experience somehow always seems to put the right things in the right spot. And big-screen improvements like splitting the notifications and lockscreen into panes, the same changes found in apps, really take advantage of the screen space. That’s not to say there’s nothing redeeming about OxygenOS. “Open Canvas” is a triumphant achievement in multitasking, and something that Google should absolutely pull into Android itself.
Review: OnePlus Open is the best foldable, as long as you can put up with OxygenOS
Review: Google Pixel Fold is better than it should be, but far from perfect
The short version of this whole thing is that the OnePlus Open is a great foldable because of its hardware, while the Pixel Fold is a great foldable because of its software. They’re both competent enough at the other to not make their weaker halves hold the whole thing back. But what about the Galaxy Z Fold 5?
It’s a perfectly fine foldable, but both of its key points – the hardware and the software – are holding it back. The hardware is good, but not nearly as good as the Open, and I’d argue even falling short of the Pixel. The software is fine, but it doesn’t have the intuitive nature of the Pixel, and the breadth of features don’t really have anything that rises to the peaks of Open Canvas on the OnePlus.
2023 was a big year for foldables because of these two devices, because they finally expanded the market in the States. 2024 is probably going to be an even better year, and I can’t wait to see how things are shaken up.
This Week’s Top Stories
Our CES 2024 coverage
As with every year, 2024’s start to the tech cycle has arrived with CES and there’s been plenty of news. If you haven’t had a chance to catch up, here’s a handy list of our coverage.
Google TV is coming to a ‘range’ of projectors from Xgimi and MediaTek this year
Matter arrives in Ecovacs X2 robot and stick vacuum combo, alongside robot lawn mower
Nvidia GeForce Now adding Day Pass for $4, ‘Cloud G-Sync,’ 1440p on Android
LG TVs are getting Chromecast built-in and Google Home support
TCL just announced seven new Android phones
Asus ROG Phone 8 and 8 Pro launch with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, brings ‘AniMe Vision’ LEDs
Nearby Share on Android and laptops is becoming ‘Quick Share’
Pixel Tablet getting Tap to Cast with UWB Pixel phones
Fast Pair rolling out to Chromecast with Google TV next month
Google TV is adding a faster way to switch to and from Bluetooth headphones
The Rabbit r1 is a wild AI companion that works with your favorite apps
Amazon Fire TV and smart displays get their own version of Chromecast with ‘Matter Casting’
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Hands-on: Lenovo’s Windows/Android hybrid laptop is a crazy idea turned into reality [Video]
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Amid the chaos that is CES, there have also been a lot of announcements about tech layoffs. Twitch, Discord, and Unity are just a few examples where major layoffs have been announced, and Google has also shed around a thousand roles. That includes in Pixel/Nest hardware, as 9to5Google first reported earlier this week per a statement from Google itself.
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