By Abhik Sengupta: OnePlus’s highly anticipated foldable smartphone, the OnePlus Fold, will soon become a reality. According to tipster Abhishek Yadav, the company is rumoured to launch its first folding device before August 19. While OnePlus has not officially confirmed the launch, it is clear that the upcoming OnePlus Fold will enter the market to compete with established players such as Samsung and Motorola, who have been in the foldable phone space for several years. Both Samsung and Motorola are also expected to unveil their next-generation folding phones under the Galaxy Z and Razr series, respectively, in India by next month. The pressing question remains: Is OnePlus ready for this challenge?
So far, there aren’t concrete details about the OnePlus Fold, though we can expect some features with certainty. Firstly, we can expect the folding smartphone to feature Hasselblad-tuned cameras similar to the OnePlus 11 5G and OnePlus 10 Pro 5G. Traditionally, OnePlus closely works with Qualcomm for its flagship smartphones, therefore, we can expect the phone to include a new-gen Snapdragon SoC, likely Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. OnePlus has also been a pioneer in fast charging technology, and the OnePlus Fold could maintain that reputation. Like most of its latest smartphones, the Fold will have 5G support.
With these partnerships and research and development efforts, the OnePlus Fold seems well-equipped to compete with its rivals, especially in terms of hardware. However, to gain an advantage, OnePlus must maintain its reputation as a flagship killer, at least on the pricing front.
Over the past few years, OnePlus flagship smartphones have experienced a price increase, although they remain relatively more affordable than Samsung’s flagships. Motorola has begun offering flagship devices below the Rs 50,000 price range, making them cheaper than premium OnePlus smartphones. However, Motorola’s Razr flip phone of 2020 was one of the most expensive smartphones in India. It is anticipated that the upcoming Razr 40 Ultra will be priced above Rs 80,000.
While the OnePlus Fold may also be likely to be priced around Rs 1 lakh, the company has a strong fan base in India — potentially willing to spend extra on OnePlus smartphones. It may also attract several Android lovers who want to get their hands on a folding phone but were previously limited by the high cost associated with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 or Z Fold 4 phones. Additionally, several notable folding devices like Oppo Find N2 Fold and Google Pixel Fold remain unavailable in India.
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