OnePlus Open 2 vs Galaxy Z Fold 6: Samsung might be lagging behind
Intro
The rumor mill is industriously painting a picture about a pretty exciting foldable just about the corner––the OnePlus Open 2.
OnePlus is a relative newcomer on the foldable phone scene, but its first attempt was exceptional, leading to one of the best foldable phones in 2023 (that also holds rather well in 2024, too).
One of this year's phones that failed to beat the OnePlus Open in most areas and remained the arguably inferior foldable was none other than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Although improved in comparison with its predecessor, the Samsung foldable didn't really stand a chance in contrast with the OnePlus phone.
Now, the upcoming OnePlus Open 2 is shaping up to be an even more extreme device that could leave Samsung even more behind.
How will the two phones compare?
OnePlus Open 2 vs Galaxy Z Fold 6 differences:
| OnePlus Open 2 | Galaxy Z Fold 6 |
|---|---|
| A significantly thinner body, around 9mm thin | Mostly the same design as previous Galaxy Z Fold devices, but with zero-wedge design |
| Likely 7.8-inch and 6.3-inch displays on deck, likely with no display crease | A 7.6-inch inner and 6.3-inch screens, with a display crease |
| A triple camera system with 3X telephoto camera and 6X in-sensor crop | A triple camera system with 3X telephoto camera |
| Likely Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset (3nm) | Older Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset (4nm) |
| Likely 16GB of RAM, as well as a few storage versions | 12GB of RAM, 1TB of storage variant also available |
| Likely a larger silicon-based battery, probably 5,500mAh | Smaller 4,400mAh battery |
| No stylus support | S Pen stylus support |
| Possibly 67W or faster wired charging | 25W wired charging and wireless charging |
Table of Contents:
Read more:
- Best Google Pixel 9 deals: Pre-order offers to expect
- OnePlus Open Review: One of the best foldable phones even in 2024
- OnePlus Open 2 vs OnePlus Open: A sequel set for success
- OnePlus Open 2 vs Pixel 9 Pro Fold: How will the two foldable phones compare?
Design and Size
Although details are thin, the wider understanding is that the OnePlus Open 2 will be a much thinner foldable, likely around 9mm. That would make it one of the thinnest foldable available out there, rivaling even standard flagships in terms of thickness.
As a comparison, the OnePlus Open is around 11.9mm when folded, while the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 12.1mm thick. Extraordinary!
Aside from that, we don't know much else about the OnePlus Open 2, besides the obvious: it will be a sleek foldable phone. Based on our experience with the first OnePlus device, we suppose that the OnePlus Open 2 will have no display crease, which will make for a pleasing experience.
The smaller footprint might also lead to lower weight, which could be another benefit.
OnePlus is also said to be amping up the water and dust resistance of its next foldable phone. The first OnePlus Open was just an IPX4 device with only rudimentary water resistance, so there's definitely room for improvement here.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 introduced a zero-wedge design in contrast with its predecessor, which all "suffered" from this design quirk. Made of Armor Aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is styled like most other Samsung foldables, but is also significantly lighter, tipping the scales at just 239gr. The Samsung foldable phone is 12.1mm thick, however.
There's IP48 water and dust resistance on board the Galaxy Z Fold 6. This means it's protected against water immersion and dust particles larger than 1mm.
Finally, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 supports an S Pen stylus, whereas the OnePlus Open 2 will hardly do that.
Display Differences
We expect that the OnePlus Open 2 will keep the display dimensions of the OnePlus Open. Thus, there likely will be a 7.8-inch external display and a 6.3-inch external screen, both OLED panels with dynamic refresh rate, HDR support, and high peak brightness. There probably won't be a display crease inside.
We don't know if the OnePlus Open 2 will feature the local refresh rate technology that's coming to the OnePlus 13. This display technology will possibly lead to significant energy savings and a better user experience.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a 7.6-inch inner screen with a more squarish aspect ratio than the Galaxy Z Fold 5. The outer screen of the phone is a 6.3-inch AMOLED with a 22.1:9 aspect ratio. A very smooth experience is ensured by the dynamic refresh rate of 1 to 120Hz on both display panels. There's a display crease here.
Performance and Software
Welcome, 3nm!
The OnePlus Open 2 is coming along with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the first 3nm chipset available for Android devices. This will definitely have big repercussions on the overall performance and energy savings of the foldable phone, and will undoubtedly make it one of the most powerful foldables for the time being.
We don't know how much RAM OnePlus will put inside the device, but we suppose the company could throw 16GB of RAM in the entry-level 256GB or 512GB storage variant and up to 24GB of RAM in the top storage version with 1TB of memory.
It is probable that the OnePlus Open 2 will be equipped with OxygenOS 15, which is based on Android 15, which will feature a visual redesign, novel AI capabilities, and other features. Read more about all the new features right here.
The OnePlus Open 2 is expected to be supported at least until 2029, depending on when it hits the market.
Meanwhile, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 clicks and ticks inside the Galaxy Z Fold 6. It was the best chipset available for the 2023 crop of Android devices and is featured inside multiple flagship phones, like the Galaxy S24 series.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, but there are also 512GB and 1TB versions up for sale.
Camera
Samsung could be lagging behind
We've heard that OnePlus Open 2 might have to resort to using the same Hasselblad-powered camera setup as the first OnePlus Open, consisting of a 48MP Sony LYTIA-T808 main camera, a 48MP ultrawide, and a 64MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom.
Apparently, a quad-camera setup was initially intended for the OnePlus Open 2, but it proved to be too thick for the upcoming super-thin foldable phone. This likely forced the use of the OnePlus Open's original camera setup. Of course, we expect improvements on the software side of things.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 offers a camera setup that includes a 50MP primary sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS), a 10MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture, OIS, and 3x optical zoom, as well as a refreshed 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture that may bring improvements in low-light performance.
However, this setup could definitely ring a bell. Samsung has used a similar configuration since the Galaxy Z Fold 4. This year, however, we expect the biggest enhancements to come from software updates, which Samsung often uses to refine performance. We haven’t had the chance to test the full impact of these updates just yet.
Battery Life and Charging
Larger battery on deck
As per the rumor mill, and contrary to the usual logic, the super-thin OnePlus Open 2 will feature a larger battery than its predecessor. We could expect a battery in the vicinity of 5,500 to 6,000mAh, all while keeping the phone less than a centimeter thick.
This will be achieved thanks to the relatively new lithium-silicon battery technology, which allows much greater energy density than traditional lithium-ion batteries. Thanks to this larger battery and the Snapdragon 8 Elite, we can only dream of the potential battery life of the foldable phone.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 comes with a relatively small 4,400mAh battery, which didn't really wow with great battery life. In retrospect, it fared well against the first-gen OnePlus Open, but the second generation of the OnePlus foldable will likely pull ahead.
We expect that the OnePlus Open 2 might come with very fast wired charging, likely at least 67W or possibly more, which will possibly enable it to go from 0 to 100% in around half an hour. OnePlus might still throw in a charger in the box, but we don't expect wireless charging on board.
In the Samsung camp, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 came with 25W wired charging as well as fast wireless and reverse wireless charging.
Specs Comparison
The table below boasts a preliminary between the yet unofficial OnePlus Open 2 vs Galaxy Z Fold 6 specs:
| OnePlus Open 2 | Galaxy Z Fold 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Size, weight | ~9mm thickness | Unfolded: 153.5 x 132.6 x 5.6mm Folded: 153.5 x 68.1 x 12.1mm Weight: 239gr |
| Screen | Main screen: ~7.8-inch AMOLED Cover screen: ~6.3-inch AMOLED | Main screen: 7.6" AMOLED, HDR, 1-120Hz, 20.9:18 aspect ratio Cover screen: 6.3" AMOLED, HDR, 1-120Hz, 22.1:9 aspect ratio |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| RAM, Storage | 16GB/24GB LPDDR5X RAM 256GB/512GB UFS 4.0 | 12GB RAM 256GB/512GB/1TB |
| Cameras | 48MP main, f/1.7, Sony LYT-T808 1/1.43" sensor 48MP ultra-wide, f/2.2, 1/2" sensor, 114-degree FOV, EIS, AF, Macro 64MP telephoto, f/2.6, OmniVision OV64B 1/.2" sensor, 3X optical zoom 20MP front inside, f/2.2, 1/4" sensor, fixed focus 32MP front outside, f/2.4, 1/3.14" sensor, fixed focus | Main: 50MP primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture and OIS; Telephoto: 10MP secondary telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture, OIS, and 3x optical zoom; Ultra-wide: 12MP, f/2.2 aperture Internal selfie camera: 4MP under-display camera, F1.8 External selfie camera: 10MP, F2.2 |
| Battery | >5,000mAh | 4,400mAh |
| Charging | USB-C >67WW wired (charger in the box) | 25W wired charging, Fast Wireless charging 2.0, no charger in the box |
Summary
We expect that the OnePlus Open 2 will be more affordable than the Samsung foldable phone and could very well end up being the much better value.
If anything, we're pretty excited about the potential bout in the foldable phone space.
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