Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 vs. OnePlus Open: A surprisingly hard decision

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  Samsung’s newest foldable

  Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6

  Part of Samsung’s 2024 foldable lineup, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 offers modest improvements over its predecessor. It has Qualcomm’s latest chip and promises seven years of software updates.

  Pros

  • Durable design with IP48 rating
  • Seven years of software updates
  • Wireless charging support

  Cons

  • Expensive
  • Foldable software experience falls behind OnePlus

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  Well-rounded foldable

  OnePlus Open

  $1400 $1700 Save $300

  The first foldable smartphone from OnePlus, the OnePlus Open, is powered by Qualcomm’s older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and packs a 4,805mAh battery with 67W fast wired charging support.

  Pros

  • Solid performance
  • 67W wired charging
  • Good cameras

  Cons

  • Only IPX4 splash resistance
  • Not available directly from carriers

Despite being OnePlus’ first foldable, the OnePlus Open made a strong impression and showed how the likes of Samsung can’t sit idly by. It has a lot to like, from beautiful hardware to excellent battery life. But it’s quite a few months old now, and Samsung has released its latest Galaxy Z Fold 6 smartphone with design tweaks and the latest internals. Is the OnePlus Open enough to take on the Z Fold 6, or will you be better off with the Samsung offering? Let’s find out.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 is more expensive than its predecessor and starts at $1,900 for the base 256GB model. The 512GB and 1TB models cost $2,019 and $2,259, respectively. All three variants are offered in five colors, two of which are exclusive to the company’s official online store. The phone is also widely available through online and physical retailers, and you can even buy it from all three major carriers and US Cellular.

In contrast, the OnePlus Open comes in a single 512GB variant and is relatively cheaper than the Z Fold 6 model with the same storage at $1,700. You can buy it in two colors. It’s also widely available via Amazon, Best Buy, and OnePlus online store. However, you can’t buy it directly from any of the carriers.

Here’s a quick look at the raw specifications of the two phones.

• 	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6	OnePlus Open
  SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
  Display type	AMOLED, 120Hz	OLED, 120Hz
  Display dimensions	7.6” (main); 6.3” (cover)	7.82″ (main); 6.31″ (cover)
  Display resolution	2160 x 1856 (main); 2376 x 968 (cover)	2440 x 2268 (main); 2484 x 1116 (cover)
  RAM	12GB	16GB
  Storage	256GB, 512GB, or 1TB	512GB
  Battery	4,400mAh	4805mAh
  Charge speed	25W wired, 15W wireless	67W
  Charge options	Wired, wireless, reverse wireless	Wired
  Ports	USB-C	USB-C
  SIM support	Nano-SIM and eSIM	Nano-SIM and eSIM
  Operating System	Android 14 with One UI 6.1.1	Android 14 with OxygenOS
  Front camera	10 MP f/2.2 (cover); 4 MP f/1.8 (under main display)	32MP, f/2.4 cover screen selfie camera; 20MP, f/2.2 camera on folding screen
  Rear camera	50MP, f/1.8 main; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10 MP, f/2.4 3x telephoto	48MP, f/1.7 main; 48MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 64MP, f/2.6 3x telephoto
  Cellular connectivity	5G, LTE	5G, LTE
  Wi-Fi connectivity	Wi-Fi 6E	Wi-Fi 7
  Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
  Dimensions	68.1 x 153.5 x 12.1mm (folded); 132.6 x 153.5 x 5.6mm (unfolded)	153.4 x 73.3 x 11.7mm (folded); 153.4 x 143.1 x 5.8mm (unfolded)
  Weight	239g	239g
  IP Rating	IP48	IPX4
  Colors	Silver Shadow, Pink, Navy, Crafted Black, White	Emerald Dusk, Voyager Black
  Stylus	S Pen (not included)	No
  Price	From $1,899	$1,700

Design and display

Although the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the OnePlus Open have the same form factor, they have quite a few design differences. Samsung has built upon the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and made the Z Fold 6 thinner and lighter. The phone also has a matte finish on the frame and rear glass, as well as sharper corners. As a result, the Samsung offering looks premium and much more refined than the company’s previous foldables.

In comparison, the OnePlus Open is about the same weight as the Z Fold 6 but slightly thicker in an unfolded state. However, once folded, it becomes thinner than the Samsung offering. It also has rounded corners and a glossy frame. But you get a matte glass or vegan leather on the back.

However, the displays have the most significant differences. Although Samsung attempted to bring the cover display close to a traditional smartphone, it’s still narrower than you would expect, with a screen size of 6.3 inches. The primary display is a rectangular 7.6-inch panel featuring an OLED screen, like the cover display. Both displays are pretty bright and have a 2,600 nits peak brightness. Additionally, you get up to a 120Hz refresh rate.

The cover display on the OnePlus Open is about the same size as the Z Fold 6 at 6.31 inches, but its aspect ratio is almost the same as that of a traditional smartphone. So, when you’re using the phone in the folded state, it doesn’t look much different than a regular phone. Since the Open is wider than the Z Fold 6, its primary display is also larger at 7.82 inches. Like the Samsung offering, both panels are OLED but can get slightly brighter at up to 2,800 nits. Otherwise, they have the same 120Hz refresh rate. OnePlus Open also supports Dolby Vision on both displays, but it’s hard to get the most out of it on smartphone-size screens.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the OnePlus Open are also well-made and feel good in the hand. However, the Fold 6 has a better IP48 dust and water resistance rating than the Open’s IPX4 splash resistance.

Software

The overall OxygenOS experience of the OnePlus Open may not be as refined as Samsung’s One UI, but the one area where it easily overshadows the Fold 6 is most important — the foldable and multitasking experience. As Will mentioned in his review of the OnePlus Open, the company has nailed the most crucial aspect of any foldable’s experience. Even though the Fold 6 is newer, its multitasking experience falls behind.

Samsung is also leaning heavily on AI in the Fold 6, but barring a couple of features, such as Circle to Search and automatic translations, others will end up being party tricks for most users.

In terms of specifics, the Fold 6 runs on Android 14 with One UI 6 out of the box, whereas the OnePlus Open comes with Android 13-based OxygenOS 13 but is upgradeable to Android 14-based OxygenOS 14. OnePlus is also committing to four Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates, but Fold 6 will receive Android and software updates for seven years.

Performance and battery life

Performance is one aspect in which the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a slight advantage over the OnePlus Open, as it packs the latest version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 chip. However, that doesn’t mean the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the OnePlus offering is any kind of slacker. It, too, delivers a flagship-grade performance that’s hard to fault, which is undoubtedly helped by the presence of 16GB of RAM, higher than the 12GB present in the Samsung foldable. So, unless you like to only go for the cutting-edge, you won’t be disappointed with either phone on the performance front.

However, the OnePlus One easily edges ahead of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 in terms of battery life. It not only houses a bigger 4,805mAh battery than the 4,400mAh capacity of the Samsung phone, but it also delivers a much better backup and can easily last through an entire day on a single charge. It’s possible to achieve the same with the Fold 6, but with heavy usage, you may be looking at the wall outlet again.

The OnePlus Open also supports faster wired charging at 67W than the Fold’s 25W. That said, the phone lacks wireless charging support, a feature present in the Fold. The Samsung foldable can also reverse wireless charge other devices.

Both smartphones even have side-mounted fingerprint sensors and NFC. The OnePlus Open also supports newer Wi-Fi 7, compared to Wi-Fi 6E in the Fold 6, but it’s not a big deal. However, the OnePlus offering undoubtedly benefits from dual-frequency GPS support, and the Samsung foldable will be helped by USB 3.2 Gen 2 and UWB.

Camera

Smartphone makers don’t really put the best cameras in their foldable smartphones. Still, both the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the OnePlus Open have capable cameras for day-to-day photography. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 houses a 50MP primary shooter, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 10MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom. The OnePlus Open, on the other hand, packs a 48MP primary camera, a 48MP ultrawide shooter, and a 64MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.

As mentioned in our Galaxy Z Fold 6 review, the Samsung foldable takes perfectly acceptable shots, with the wide-angle shooter performing better in low-light conditions than its predecessor. Motion can be an issue at times, so you have to be careful while capturing a moving subject.

The OnePlus Open also captures good shots with the primary and ultrawide cameras. Its low-light captures are particularly interesting, with good contrast, unlike the Pixel phones that often turn night into day with the Night Sight. However, the phone struggles with consistency and HDR.

Like most foldables that turn into tablets, the Fold 6 and the OnePlus Open have two selfie cameras each. There isn’t anything particularly noteworthy, but you won’t be disappointed with the selfies.

Which should you buy?

Choosing between the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the OnePlus Fold is tricky. Both are pretty capable foldable smartphones with distinct advantages. While you can’t go wrong with either, the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and seven years of software support give the Samsung offering a slight edge. The Z Fold 6 also houses two beautiful displays, decent cameras, and a more durable build. Additionally, there is wireless charging support, a feature missing from the OnePlus offering.

The OnePlus Open is a better value for money as it’s already significantly cheaper than the Samsung foldable at list price and is often available at a discount. Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip may be slightly older, but it’s quite capable and a solid performer. The phone also offers excellent battery life, and its cover display is much closer to a traditional smartphone. You’ll also get decent cameras, dual-frequency GPS, and faster 67W wired charging. More importantly, it has a better multitasking experience.