Update: A OnePlus foldable could appear by September

Rumors of OnePlus foldables have been circulating for years with little to show for it, except for a fake-out created to try to hide in Samsung's shadow And now reports are circulating that OnePlus is working on not one but two folderables under the "OnePlus V" brand

The news comes from Twitter leaker Mukul Sharma, who goes by the handle @stufflistings (opens in new tab), who claims that OnePlus has trademarked the names OnePlus V Fold and OnePlus V Flip The claim is that OnePlus has trademarked the names OnePlus V Fold and OnePlus V Flip The names seem to have been deliberately chosen to emphasize the folding nature of the device

Sharma's sources claim that internal testing of at least one foldable device has begun in some regions - Europe gets a specific name drop Extra details are pretty scarce, but we can speculate about the nature of the device based on its name Similarly, OnePlus' close relationship with Oppo, which already produces its own foldable phones, may provide a few more clues

The OnePlus V Flip is probably a flip phone of some sort, quite similar to the Oppo Find N2 Flip that debuted in China late last year Unsurprisingly, that device shares a clamshell design similar to Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola's Razr That is, it has a single 68-inch 120 Hz display with a hinge in the middle that folds open and closed like a flip phone

Other notable Find N2 Flip specs include a 326-inch external display, 50MP main camera combined with an 8MP ultrawide lens, 32MP selfie camera, Mediatek Dimensity 9000+ chipset, 44W charging, 4,300mAh battery, Wi-Fi 6, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner are included

The OnePlus V Fold will likely share many similarities with Oppo's Find N2, a large-screen device that shares its design with Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold series Its foldable has a 554-inch full-screen display on the outside, which folds down to reveal a 71-inch tablet screen

The Find N2 also features a triple-lens camera with a 50MP main lens, a 32MP telephoto lens, and a 48MP ultra-wide angle lens It also has a 32MP selfie camera, side-mounted fingerprint scanner, stylus support, Snapdragon 8+ chipset, 120Hz refresh rate on both displays, Wi-Fi 6, 67W charging speed, and 4,520mAh battery

OnePlus phones are often very similar, though not always identical to Oppo's parent company So while some details may change, it is fair to speculate that it will have many similarities to the Find N2 handset that will appear in the US and European markets later this year This is because we had a lot of good things to say about the Oppo Find N in our hands-on review

We appreciated its beautiful design, sturdy construction, and great display We hope that the second generation, and OnePlus V devices, will make the necessary improvements without sacrificing what we liked about the Oppo Find N the first time around

Few companies have made serious efforts at folding phones in the past few years, many of which were widely available only in China For example, the original Oppo Find N was sold exclusively in China, as were numerous foldable devices made by cell phone companies in the region

But that could change in the coming years: in addition to OnePlus and Oppo folding devices likely coming our way, rumors of Google's Pixel Fold and Apple's iPhone Flip (which may actually be a foldable iPad) are being heard

The only question is when we will see them: the OnePlus 11 is scheduled to launch outside of China on February 7, but it is unclear if the OnePlus V series will also make an appearance Our gut feeling is that the phones are still being tested, so it is unlikely, but stranger things have happened And OnePlus may make a surprise announcement in anticipation of a widespread launch later this year