OnePlus is officially gearing up to launch its first foldable phone “soon,” the company told TechCrunch on Thursday. The company previously revealed that the device, tentatively called the OnePlus Open, was going to launch in the second half of this year, and it now looks like we’re nearing a launch date.
When asked why OnePlus is choosing to launch a foldable now, OnePlus North America CEO Robin Liu said onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt that the company has spent a lot of time on research and development in order to get it right before launching.
“We have spent, to be honest, we have spent an alarming amount of time on the new form factor, research and development,” Liu said. “So the reasoning at this time is you know, for the actual brand and Android devices, we can now start integrations on our hardware, and also the software. So the reason we launched at this time, it will be a believer that these products can bring the best in class hardware, no matter the hardware, performance experiments and also the software experience to the users.”
Liu also said another reason that the company is choosing to launch the foldable now is based on feedback from its community and because of the ongoing trend in the industry when it comes to foldable phones.
When asked if OnePlus was working with its parent company Oppo to develop the foldable, Liu said the two companies are sharing resources and technology.
Earlier this year, OnePlus COO Kinder Liu told TechCrunch that the company’s first foldable phone will “have the signature OnePlus fast and smooth experience” and that OnePlus wants to “launch a device that aims to be at the pinnacle experience of today’s foldable market.”
The device is rumored to feature an 8-inch internal display and a 6.5-inch external display with a 50MP primary camera.