Why the OnePlus Open Apex edition is more than just a new color

Foldables always rank among my most anticipated upcoming phones, and an impressive debut effort means anything OnePlus sits right at the top until rivals catch up. While it’s not quite time for a full sequel, the new OnePlus Open Apex Edition looks like the next best thing. The revised version of Stuff’s favourite book-style clamshell has now landed in Europe, with a fresh colour scheme and some notable internal upgrades.

Officially revealed the week before Google is set to announce the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the OnePlus Open Apex Edition brings a whopping 1TB of on-board storage, a new VIP mode activated by the Alert Slider, and some generative AI image editing tools – plus a fresh new look that nods to imaging partner Hasselblad.

The Crimson Shadow colour scheme is meant to match the firm’s 503CW 60 Years Victor Red Edition film camera complete with vegan leather and diamond-like pattern. Orange trim on the alert slider and a silver frame help set it apart from the standard Open. It’s also a great reminder that OnePlus absolutely schools Samsung when it comes to camera hardware.

It’d be easy to write this off as just a lick of paint for a year-old phone – but when the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 feels like a fallow year effort, I’ll happily take a few minor upgrades.

The AI image editing tools and a VIP mode might be new to OnePlus, but they’ve been seen before on stablemate Oppo’s phones. The Reno 12 Pro was first out the gate with generative erasers, and the China-only Find X7 Ultra had the VIP function. It locks off the microphones and cameras, heavily restricts tracking cookies, and stops chat apps from being recorded by apps with out explicit permission.

Otherwise the hardware line-up stays the same as the regular Open, with a year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset running the show. That’s still plenty potent enough for multitasking, though, and the 4805mAh battery is enough juice for all-day use. The 239g handset is still just 11.9mm when folded and 5.9mm open. An independent security chip returns to protect against malicious attacks, along with 67W fast charging and two delightful OLED screens. Factor in OnePlus’ fantastic Open Canvas split-screen software and there’s plenty here to give the Galaxy Z Fold6 reason to worry.

The Open Apex Edition is predictably costly at $1900/£1799. But that’s still $120 less than an unlocked Z Fold6 and if you pre-order before 3 October in the UK you can get £200 off plus a further £100 off with a trade-in. If I were in the market for a top-tier foldable, it would have to be in my must-consider list.

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