When I first got my hands on the OnePlus Open, I was instantly smitten by just about everything. Despite being its first ever foldable phone, the OnePlus Open redefined everything I expected from a foldable — including how to properly multitask. Rather than getting a proper successor this year, we’re getting treated to a different variant called the OnePlus Open Apex Edition.
I know many people, including myself, are eager for OnePlus’ next-generation foldable, but the Apex Edition seems like the perfect distraction in the meantime. It’s clearly not trying to lure away existing OnePlus Open owners, especially when it’s sporting nearly identical specs. Instead it’s a fresh new foldable that aims to steer people away from competing devices like the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, in addition to the rumored Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Considering how the OnePlus Open has fought off many rivals trying to take the title of best foldable phone since its release last fall, I think it’s impressive that it continues to reign supreme in our best foldable phones lost. I’ve got my hands on the OnePlus Open Apex Edition, so here’s everything new about it.
New colorway, more sophisticated look
In true makeover fashion, the OnePlus Open Apex Edition gets treated to a brand new Crimson Shadow colorway that highlights the vegan leather back cover of the phone. It’s certainly different from the smooth glass casing of the Emerald Dusk colorway of my OnePlus Open. As much as it adds a more sophisticated look, I’m happier that it makes the foldable much more grippy in the hand because of the textured feel of the vegan leather casing.
Now if you’re like me, and worried about the vegan leather fading over time, it comes with the same snap-on case that came with the original — but in the same Crimson Shadow color and vegan leather finish.
Apart from that, the design is identical to the standard OnePlus Open — including its 7.82-inch AMOLED and 6.31-inch AMOLED outer displays. They’re just as I remember them: super bright, iridescent colors, and exceptional viewing angles. It’s also worth pointing out that the crease down the middle of the inner display is still much more subtle than the one in the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
1TB of storage
When the OnePlus Open launched, I was astounded by the generous 512GB of storage that accompanied it. With the Apex Edition, however, OnePlus takes it a step further by giving it a whopping 1TB of storage space. That’s more than enough to handle the needs of the most demanding users, especially seeing as how the foldable has proven to be a champ at taking photos. In fact, it held its ground in my Galaxy Z Fold 6 versus OnePlus Open photo shootout.
There’s still 16GB of RAM paired with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip under the hood, which delivers buttery smooth responses going through the interface and running apps. While the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has since launched on devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 6, easily delivering much better benchmark scores, it didn’t really do much in terms of extending its battery life — so much so that it didn’t even come close to matching the OnePlus Open. Knowing that, it’ll be interesting to see how the Apex Edition turns out once it’s put through the same test.
Locked down privacy with VIP mode
I accidentally did something to the phone when I first set it up that somehow disabled its camera. The on-screen notification said that in order to run the camera, I had to turn off VIP mode. So, I went through the settings menu to sniff out where it was — only to realize that the alert slider on the phone controls it. When it’s placed in the top position, VIP mode turns on and disables the microphone and camera.
Now, you might be wondering what’s the purpose of this? Well, it’s actually more to help out with the phone’s privacy, in case you’re worried that it’s somehow listening or watching. By activating it, you’re effectively adding an extra layer of privacy that other phones don’t offer because the permissions are managed on a chip-level. Additionally, VIP mode prevents apps that can view or record chat information — but strangely enough, it doesn’t disable the GPS location of the device.
AI-powered photo editing tools
Since there are a number of phones now that offer AI-assisted photo editing tools, like the Pixel’s Magic Editor or Galaxy S24's Generative Edit, the OnePlus Open Apex Edition joins the crew with its own set of features. Its new AI Smart Cutout tool lets you easily create custom stickers and images from your photos by intelligently lassoing objects.
I can understand how some people may find this useful, but what’s missing is the generative AI powers I’ve seen in those other tools that can fill blank spots with the help of AI.
It costs more
With all the new changes, the OnePlus Open Apex Edition now commands a slightly higher $1,899 price, which is technically an increase over the $1,699 cost of the standard OnePlus Open. You could argue that the increased storage capacity justifies the higher cost, but I will say that it’s still a better value than its rivals because OnePlus continues to offer its $100 trade-in offer for any phone in any condition — effectively making it $1,799.
But what’s really interesting is that for a limited time, the 16GB RAM + 512GB ROM version of the standard OnePlus Open is being reduced to $1,399 from August 8 to 30, 2024. Pair that with the same trade-in offer, you can snatch it for $1,299 — which is an incredible deal for the best foldable phone around. If there’s just one thing I wish OnePlus could’ve added with the Apex Edition, it would be wireless charging. It looks like that one will have to wait for its proper successor.
