2026 will be a lot of things to a lot of people, but as TechRadar’s Staff Writer for all things mobile, for me it’s the year of the folding phone.
The events of the last 12 months have set the stage for a truly revolutionary year in the mobile industry’s most exciting market. Samsung led the way, as per; the Galaxy Z Fold 7 expectations for book-style folding phones by taking the best bits of Chinese foldable design to a wider market, while the Galaxy Z Trifold shot at the buzzer to capture headlines and headspace across the tech world.
But there’s one name I keep thinking of when it comes to folding phones – a name that hasn’t popped up in any credible rumors or leaks, and hasn’t released a foldable of its own in years.
The original OnePlus Open was (and is) an excellent folding phone that, at the time of its release in 2023, pushed ahead of the competition in terms of design, battery life, and display capabilities. It was, perhaps, the first widely available folding phone that didn’t feel like a compromise when used folded, as well as a beautifully built piece of kit (I could go on, but check out my full recap of daily driving the OnePlus Open for more).
OnePlus announced at the end of 2024 that the OnePlus Open 2 wouldn’t be released in 2025. In a stroke of bad luck, this turned out to be a phenomenal year for folding phone development, leaving the original OnePlus Open (which is still on sale from OnePlus directly) feeling even more outdated than you might expect.
However, I don’t think it’s too late for this Chinese challenger brand to hop back into the folding phone ring. In fact, I think 2026 could be the perfect moment for OnePlus to release the OnePlus Open 2.
Let me explain. While OnePlus has taken a back seat when it comes to folding phones, it’s not slowed down its phone development overall. Our OnePlus 15 review came in with a five-star rating – an extremely rare score for an extremely powerful phone, and in every aspect from battery life to hardware performance, the company’s latest flagship just oozes excellence.
With its current slab flagship impressing even more than usual and the original OnePlus Open offering a template for boundary-pushing design, I have quite a lot of faith in OnePlus to put together a great next-gen folding phone. There’s also the excellent Oppo Find N5 waiting in the wings as a possible source of inspiration; the two brands, both owned by BBK Electronics, share a lot of hardware, and the first-gen OnePlus Open was clearly based on the Oppo Find N3.
So, there’s a pathway to folding phone greatness for OnePlus. But should the company take it?
In my opinion, yes. Despite the folding phone calendar for 2026 already looking busy, I think it makes a lot of sense for OnePlus to step back in at this moment, and it all comes down to pricing.
With the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 grazing the $2,000 price point and the Galaxy Z Trifold likely to approach or even exceed $3,000, price is going to be at the front of a lot of folding phone buyers’ minds this year. Component prices are going up due to surging AI demand, so I wouldn’t rule out some kind of price hike for the rumored Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold either.
In keeping with pattern set by the Razr line of flip smartphones, I’d expect Motorola’s rumored book-style folding phone to undercut the big brands by some margin. However, like Honor and Oppo, the lower price point is somewhat offset by a lack of clout, and I for one have never been stunned by the build quality of Razr handsets, so my excitement for Motorola’s offering is a little limited.
In comparison, OnePlus has a reputation for both premium products and great value for money – a speculative OnePlus Open 2 priced at, say $1,699 / £1,699 / AU$2,449, and sporting the OnePlus 15’s design language with a thin frame, a large silicon-carbon battery, and a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset would pose a serious challenge to Samsung and Google.
And if Motorola joins the scene, prospective customers would be primed to consider new competitors and question Samsung’s dominance in the folding phone world. OnePlus can make the most of this while outclassing its competition on hardware power and value.
At any rate, I’ve got no doubt that the hypothetical OnePlus Open 2 would join our list of the best folding phones, where its predecessor still holds down the title of best bargain folding phone.
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jamie.richards@futurenet.com (Jamie Richards)
