For a $1,700 folding phone, the OnePlus Open has one big flaw

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

OnePlus has been doing a batch of cool worldly lately. Thee institution released its first tablet, nan OnePlus Pad, earlier this year, and it conscionable launched its first folding phone, nan OnePlus Open.

Though folding phones proceed to beryllium a mini niche successful nan wide smartphone market, they’ve been increasing successful fame recently. And location are a fewer reasons why 1 would want a foldable: a convenient larger surface erstwhile you request it and a mini surface erstwhile you don’t, easier multitasking, and more.

Plus, pinch a foldable, you tin bask hands-free viewing since it tin prop itself up without nan request for accessories. Which brings maine to a flaw I noticed pinch nan OnePlus Open and its caller “Flexion Hinge.” Compared to nan competition, it’s conscionable not unchangeable enough.

What is nan Flexion Hinge?

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

One of nan astir important parts of each folding telephone is nan hinge. After all, without it, it wouldn’t fold. It’s a necessity for this type of smartphone.

For nan OnePlus Open, OnePlus created nan Flexion Hinge. It’s built connected nan instauration of a single-spine architecture, which OnePlus claims allows it to person amended integration betwixt each of nan components wrong (there are astir 69 parts compared to nan 100-plus successful different foldables). Less parts besides intends little weight, which is why nan OnePlus Open is 1 of nan much lightweight foldables disposable astatine 239 grams.

OnePlus besides says that this makes nan hinge much “sturdy” compared to competitors, which typically usage a three-part spine. In my clip pinch nan OnePlus Open, I recovered nan Flexion Hinge does make it easier to unfastened up nan foldable afloat flat, which is thing that I struggled a spot pinch connected nan Google Pixel Fold. When you unfastened up a foldable, you want it to beryllium 180-degree flat, not 177-degrees (give aliases take). It’s a large advantage successful nan OnePlus Open’s favor.

Why this hinge is simply a double-edged sword

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

While opening a foldable afloat level is awesome and all, I did announcement thing other astir nan OnePlus Open Flexion Hinge that is simply a spot much annoying.

If you person it unfastened astatine an obtuse perspective (about 135 degrees aliases more), nan hinge is not patient capable to support it propped open. I had it unfastened this way, propped up connected blankets while I was sitting connected my furniture to watercourse immoderate Disney+ (part of my winding down routine), and nan hinge kept snapping into afloat unfastened mode instead. It was annoying, to opportunity nan least.

When you person nan OnePlus Open successful clamshell mode past a definite constituent (about 135 degrees), it really doesn’t return a batch of unit for it to conscionable popular unfastened flat. Compared to different devices for illustration nan Google Pixel Fold, nan OnePlus Open hinge conscionable feels looser, and not patient and unchangeable capable to enactment unfastened astatine a comfortable viewing angle.

An replacement action would beryllium to usage nan OnePlus Open successful shelter mode alternatively for viewing videos aliases referencing worldly while doing thing else, which would conscionable utilize nan screen screen. But if you wanted to utilize divided position pinch 3 apps while having it partially open, past you’ll person to fiddle astir pinch it aliases prevention yourself nan headache and conscionable usage it afloat unfastened instead.

OnePlus sewage (almost) everything right

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

For nan astir part, I person really enjoyed nan OnePlus Open. It’s a awesome foldable that offers a usable size screen display, an anti-glare soul surface that is beautiful, powerful performance, awesome cameras, and intuitive multitasking.

OnePlus surely made immoderate absorbing choices pinch nan Flexion Hinge design. I do for illustration really it makes it very easy to get nan instrumentality to unfastened flat, which is simply a flaw of nan Pixel Fold. But connected nan different hand, not being capable to person it propped unfastened past a definite constituent is not thing I’d expect connected a foldable that retails for $1,700. It doesn’t wholly ruin nan OnePlus Open experience, but it’s perfectly thing OnePlus should reside if and erstwhile we get a OnePlus Open 2.

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Christine Romero-Chan has been penning astir technology, specifically Apple, for complete a decade. She graduated from California…