OnePlus Makes a Shocking Decision – No Foldable in 2025, What’s the Plan?

Last Updated on 4 weeks by Amiya Nandy

Oneplus makes a shocking decision: OnePlus has completed its statement regarding OnePlus Open 2, which will not be launching in 2025, a clear sign that the company is changing tactics regarding foldable phones. While there was some speculation that the OnePlus Open 2 would be a relabeled Oppo Find N5, the company has now publicly stated that they are folding up this generation’s foldable offering. Nevertheless, OnePlus does assure other users that OnePlus Open’s current users will be catered to regarding software updates, security updates, and hardware services.

OnePlus has always been a competitive player in the premium smartphone market along with Samsung, Honor, and Oppo, who have increasingly expanded their foldable phones in the market. This opens up more question regarding OnePlus’ strategies this year and beyond.

Why OnePlus Won’t Launch the Open 2 in 2025

Let’s take a look at what made OnePlus pull out of this launch and go on a strategic pause concerning the Open 2.

Image Credit: X

A Strategic Pause on Foldables

Vale G, Product Manager for OnePlus Open, provided an answer in an online Community thread post at OnePlus. In clear terms, the directive was given in order to bring out a new foldable phone to the market. This directive comes from a need recalibration of the foldable strategy – it does not mean that OnePlus has entirely abandoned development on foldable devices.

The company made it clear that halting production on this cycle of foldables does not equate to abandoning the technology altogether. Rather, OnePlus seeks to adopt new developments and evolve its design thinking before marketing any further foldable devices.

OnePlus Open 2 was rumored to be a rebranded version of the Oppo Find N5.

Several sources believed that the OnePlus Open 2 was going to be sold as a rebranded version of the Oppo Find N5 which is set to release on February 20, 2025, The two companies have been merging ever since 2021 and have begun pooling their resources for technology and product development.

Oppo’s Find N5 is expected to rank among the thinnest folding cellphones and is set to spearhead the company’s foldable designs for 2025. It seems that the company is concentrating on other categories of smartphones besides the Find N5 since OnePlus has chosen to omit their foldable device.

Effects on Foldable Market Competition

OnePlus’s planned exit from the foldable market by 2025 creates less competition for Samsung’s Z Galaxy Fold 7, especially in the USA. While Samsung still has competition from Oppo, Honor, and Huawei for foldable devices, Samsung has one less competitor in the high-end foldable device market.

What This Implies for OnePlus Open Users

Ongoing Support for Software and Hardware

For now, OnePlus has not promised a new foldable, but has told existing users of the OnePlus Open device that they will continue to receive:

Regular updates aimed at improving the device’s functioning, Security patches aimed at enhancing the device’s security, Routine servicing of the device’s hardware components

These changes allow owners of the OnePlus Open device to use their foldable devices without the fear of software obsolescence.

Possibility for Future OnePlus Foldable

The OnePlus Open 2 may not be coming out this year, but there is an indication that the brand may venture into foldable smartphones. The company is working with new materials, better hinge mechanisms, and new display features, which are likely to be introduced in the Oppo Find N5.

Instead of trying to meet the markets demands with a mediocre upgrade in 2025, OnePlus seems to be waiting to unveil a more sophisticated foldable device.

The Future of OnePlus Smartphones

Concentration on Classic Flagship Models

With the OnePlus Open 2 being canceled, it seems that OnePlus is now concentrating on its flagship smartphone range which includes the following models:

• Expected later in 2025 is the OnePlus 13 Series.
• Midrange buyers are served by the OnePlus Nord series.
• The OnePlus Pad 2 will strengthen their position within the tablet market.

Potential Partnership with Oppo

Because the R&D resources of OnePlus and Oppo are shared, it stands to reason that future OnePlus foldables will incorporate Oppo’s most recent technologies. This suggests that when OnePlus resumes activity in the foldable domain, its appliance will possess the following features:

• A more compact and sturdier design.
• A more complex and therefore more reliable hinge.
• Superior battery performance.

Challenging Samsung and Honor

The OnePlus foldable smartphone market is one of the fastest growing sectors, with Samsung, Honor, and Oppo at the forefront of the industry. OnePlus will need to do the following if they want to stay competitive:

• Launch a device with a meaningful USP rather than an Oppo device with a OnePlus sticker.
• Start hand tailoring the software for the foldable devices.
• Make the next foldable a flag ship killer in all sense of the word.

Now that it is confirmed the Open 2 will not be released in 2025, OnePlus consumers that are considering new foldable options may shift to the Oppo Find N5, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, or the new Honor foldable.