Now that the first notebook-style foldable phone released this year is available, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, it’s aiming to reclaim the top position in our best foldable phones guide. In order for it to do that, however, it’ll need to prove it’s better at capturing photos than the OnePlus Open.
In my OnePlus Open review, I mention how it’s one of the biggest surprises in the foldable space because of its robust features, ingenious multitasking, long battery life and excellent cameras. I was even more impressed by its telephoto camera when I compared it to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold last year, but its latest challenger is no slouch in that department either.
Samsung’s amplifying the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s package with brand-new Galaxy AI features that aren’t found in other phones, like the generative wizardry of Magic Sketch and Portrait Studio effects. But it needs more than these extra post-shooting features in order to make a lasting impression among the best camera phones out there.
When it comes to the specs, the Z Fold 6 is accompanied by a 50MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, 10MP outer selfie, and a 4MP inner selfie camera. In comparison, the OnePlus Open is packing a 48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 64MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, 20MP outer selfie, and a 32MP inner selfie cam. Needless to say, the specs heavily favor the OnePlus — but numbers don’t matter until its produced images are compared.
Just like my other shootouts, I compare the over 200 photos I’ve captured between the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and OnePlus Open on my computer to pixel peep everything to uncover the differences between them. Given how last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. OnePlus Open gave the win to Samsung’s foldable, it could turn out to be the same here. Let’s find out.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs OnePlus Open: daytime
The results couldn’t be any closer with these images of the carousel at Bryant Park. Both main cameras do a phenomenal job at capturing all the ornate details of the carousel, especially when I zoom into golden frames outlining the top. The only difference between them is how the Fold 6 exposes the shadowed areas of the shots better, while the OnePlus casts a better contrast throughout the shot. This one’s a tie.
Winner: tie
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs OnePlus Open: dynamic range
Diving deeper into the set of shots I captured to compare their dynamic range performance, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 consistently pulls in more detail in the shadows because of how it bumps up its exposure. Take a peek at the tree branches in all the photos above, which shows how the shadowed areas are better exposed. I also prefer how the Fold 6 handles the brighter sky in all the images.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs OnePlus Open: color reproduction
This one’s close because both foldable phones have a strong tendency to produce saturated colors. Although, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a smidge more aggressive at it. I can see it most in the first set of images of the brightly colored sign right behind the bike racks, which have deeper reds and orange tones. I know how over-saturated colors help to draw attention by giving images that pop, but I would say the slightly less saturated tones of the OnePlus Open are better here.
Winner: OnePlus Open
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs OnePlus Open: macro
Due to how it offers a dedicated macro mode, the OnePlus Open benefits from being able to get closer to subjects than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Well, it’s not to say that the Samsung can’t take a good closeup, which it does stunningly, but it can’t achieve the same level of closeness as the OnePlus Pen.
The flower in the first set of images represents how much closer I’m able to get with the OnePlus Open, while still maintaining sharp clarity of the petals and stem. When I punch in more to the shots, I can still see that there's better detail with the OnePlus.
Winner: OnePlus Open
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs OnePlus Open: outer screen selfie
Since there are several ways of shooting selfies with these foldable phones, I’m going to start with how their outer screen selfie cameras perform because they’re the most convenient to use. The OnePlus Open’s 20MP outer screen camera produces inconsistent results, often over-exposing the scene and details come out much softer. In contrast, the Fold 6’s 10MP outer screen selfie shooter cranks out crisper looking shots paired with better contrast.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs OnePlus Open: inner screen selfie
Moving onto their inner screen selfies cameras, they’re actually the worst option for selfies or video calls because of their much softer results. But if you absolutely need to use them, the OnePlus Open easily has the better pics. There’s a big disparity between them, which I suspect is due to how the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s selfie camera is positioned underneath the display — whereas the OnePlus Open has a dedicated cutout for it. The Fold 6 simply looks terrible by comparison due to the heavy artefacting elements it produces, which dials down the details in a tremendous way.
Winner: OnePlus Open
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs OnePlus Open: portrait
Since they can fold, I would recommend unfolding these phones to pair the rear cameras with their cover screens for the best results with portrait and selfie shots. I’ll say that they both do an excellent job at capturing portrait photos with their main cameras, especially at isolating subjects — all while applying that creamy out-of-focus effect to the background. Between, I favor the Z Fold 6 mainly because of how it better balances out the exposure throughout the scene and results in the better contrast.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs OnePlus Open: zoom
What makes these foldable phones better than flip-style phones like the Motorola Razr Plus 2024 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 is that they benefit from having dedicated telephoto cameras with longer zoom. On paper, it’s almost an even match with their 3x optical zoom lenses — so it basically comes down to how they process their images.
After looking through all of my photos at 3x, 10x, and 30x zoom levels, I can confidently say that the OnePlus Open is better at zooming. At 3x, the first set of shots look almost identical with the fine details in the sign, stop light, and surrounding building. However, as I switch to 10x zoom, I can already see how the OnePlus is retaining more of the textures in the W 41st Street sign. And at 30x zoom, these differences become more magnified as the OnePlus better captures those details.
Winner: OnePlus Open
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs OnePlus Open: panorama
When shooting panorama photos, you have the option to use either their main and ultrawide cameras — but the OnePlus has the extra option of using 3x zoom. I prefer the Z Fold 6 because it pulls in sharper details and is better at keeping lines straight when using the ultrawide. The pano of the New York Public Library exhibits more details, like the ornate archways of the building. Meanwhile, the OnePlus has trouble keeping lines smooth and straight when I switch to the ultrawide camera.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs OnePlus Open: low light
Quite simply, the Fold 6 is better at low light. In every single shot, the Z Fold 6’s images are brighter and more detailed. Just look at the first set of shots with the tree in my backyard. While the leaves and branches are nicely lit with the OnePlus Open, it struggles at illuminating the shadowy parts of my backyard — whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 6 makes it look crystal clear.
Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 6
Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs OnePlus Open: Verdict
Well this one turned out to be a close race to the bitter end, but it exposes again how Samsung’s once ironclad grasp in the foldable phone space has loosened over the years. While the Galaxy Z Fold 6 technically wins this photo shootout by winning more categories, the margin of victory is very narrow in each of them.
I now have higher expectations for the OnePlus Open’s successor given how things played out here. If it's this close, just imagine how OnePlus’ next foldable could go into overdrive with its camera performance.
