The best foldable phones competition is definitely ramping up, with OnePlus promising to join the likes of Google and Motorola in challenging Samsung's dominance in this category. And we're getting our first good look at OnePlus' upcoming device thanks to leaked renders purporting to show off the OnePlus V Fold.
It's no secret OnePlus plans to put out a foldable device later this year — the company confirmed back in February that a foldable was on its way in the latter half of 2023. We have very little information on what the OnePlus V Fold will look like, other than the fact that it's likely to hit a lot of the same design notes as the Oppo Find N2, a folding handset made by Chinese phone maker Oppo. (Oppo and OnePlus are owned by the same parent company.)
Thanks to noted leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer, who tweets as @OnLeaks, we're getting a better sense of the OnePlus foldable's look, thanks to some fairly detailed renders. And the phone — which Hemmerstoffer says will either be called the OnePlus V Fold or just the OnePlus Fold — has a lot in common with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 from Samsung in terms of its look.
OK #FutureSquad... Here comes your closest and most comprehensive look at #OnePlus's first foldable device, which I assume will be unveiled as #OnePlusFold (likely) or #OnePlusVFold! You're welcome...😏On behalf of @Smartprix 👉🏻 https://t.co/GIBPk2PDLC pic.twitter.com/cYN3bLkqIKJune 20, 2023
Like Samsung's phone, OnePlus' upcoming release looks like it will fold open to reveal a larger screen inside. Hemmerstoffer's renders, which have been published in conjunction with Smartprix, show off a phone with a cover display that takes up the entire front and a triple camera array on the back that features the same circular look as the OnePlus 11.
You can see Hasselblad branding on the OnePlus V Fold camera array — and that's welcome news since the partnership with the Swedish lens specialist has helped OnePlus flagships compete with the best camera phones. The Smartprix report also claims that the phone will use a periscope-style lens, which should be a boost to its zooming capabilities to get you closer to a subject without losing detail.
Other cameras visible on the OnePlus V Fold renders include a selfie camera positioned at the center of the cover display on the outside of the phone. There's a selfie camera inside the phone as well, positioned in the left corner of the main display.
An alert slider has been a mainstay of OnePlus phones, and that's going to continue with the OnePlus V Fold, apparently. You can see the slider in the renders of the foldable. Smartprix also reports that the phone's power button will pull double-duty as a fingerprint sensor, and that there's a triple speaker system on the OnePlus V Fold.
Previous OnePlus V Fold rumors point to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset powering the phone, putting the foldable on a performance par with other top Android phones. We've heard that the rear camera array will feature a 50MP main shooter, 48MP ultrawide sensor and 32MP telephoto lens, with the outer and inner selfie cameras using 20MP and 32MP sensors, respectively. The OnePlus V Fold is tipped to feature a 4,805 mAh battery.
Earlier leaks have suggested an August launch for the OnePlus V Fold. Normally, that's when Samsung would roll out the latest versions of its foldable phones, but the phone maker has already confirmed that its next Unpacked event will be in July; we're expecting to see the Galaxy Z Fold 5 along with the Galaxy Z Flip 5 at that Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event.
When the OnePlus V Fold does arrive, it will join a pair of other new foldables that hope to steal some of Samsung's folding thunder. The Google Pixel Fold arrives this month with a Galaxy Z Fold-style layout of its own, while Motorola has shown off the Razr+, its latest attempt at a folding flip phone.
In other words, the OnePlus V Fold faces a crowded market for foldable phones when it arrives later this year. Based on the leaked renders of the phone, it seems like OnePlus is counting on the phone's striking look to help it stand out.
