A sequel to the OnePlus Open is unlikely to appear this year. However, a new variant of the device that took the crown of best folding phone from Samsung and its two folding devices is on the way.

OnePlus has said it plans to release the OnePlus Open Apex Edition, which will debut at a launch event next week, August 7, and later this month in Europe. We expect it to be available in the U.S. as well, but will have to wait for the August 7 event for more details.

The OnePlus Open Apex Edition will be notable for its Crimson Shadow coloring, a nod to the Hasselblad 503CW 60 Years Victor Red Edition camera. (Lens specialist Hasselblad has partnered with OnePlus to improve the camera performance of its recent flagships, including the OnePlus Open.)

But the OnePlus Open Apex Edition offers more than just a fresh coat of paint; OnePlus did not announce details about the new model, but the phone will offer enhanced storage, AI image editing capabilities, and additional security features The OnePlus Store's listing for the OnePlus Open Apex Edition also suggests that it will have more RAM than the 16GB found in the original OnePlus Open.

When we reviewed this model last year, we praised the OnePlus Open's multitasking efforts and its thin and light design. However, it appears that OnePlus hopes to rectify this by adding a new AI photo editing feature to the Apex Edition. [The arrival of this version of the OnePlus Open comes less than a month after Samsung released the Galaxy Z Fold 6, a direct competitor to the OnePlus. At the same time, Samsung raised the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 by $100, and it will be interesting to see how much the Apex Edition will cost versus the OnePlus Open's $1,699.

It is certainly a competitive time for foldable phones that use the open book design found in the OnePlus Open and Galaxy Z Fold 6. Another phone with this design, the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, is already set to be unveiled at the Made by Google hardware event on August 13. The phone is a sequel to the Pixel Fold, which debuted last year and proved to be a strong competitor to OnePlus and Samsung's foldable.

As for a true OnePlus Open sequel, we don't expect to see it this year, as there are reports that OnePlus is eyeing a 2025 launch for that version. Allegedly, OnePlus wants to use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset for the OnePlus Open sequel, and that new silicon will not be available until Qualcomm announces it at its annual technology summit in October.

In the meantime, the OnePlus Open Apex Edition awaits us. What this new foldable will offer will be revealed on August 7.