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OnePlus Open Apex Edition: What’s New?

OnePlus Open Apex Edition: What’s New?

The OnePlus Open Apex Edition offers some extras over the existing variants but not everyone may need them

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 7 August 2024 18:31 IST

The OnePlus Open Apex Edition is priced at Rs. 1,49,999 in India

Highlights

The OnePlus Open Apex Edition is a variant of the regular model
It sports the new Crimson Shadow colourway with a vegan leather rear pane
The Alert Slider gets a new function

If you are in the market for a book-style foldable, 2024 is indeed the year you should go in for one. This is because it's only this year that the book-style foldables segment has now started offering more than two models which were earlier limited to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and the OnePlus Open. This year, we saw Vivo take a bold step into the foldables market with the launch of its X Fold 3 Pro and then we also have the upcoming Pixel 9 Pro Fold. When launched, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be Google's first foldable device for the Indian market.

Compared to 2023 (which was mainly dominated by Samsung), buyers finally have some variety. Adding to this interesting lineup is a new variant from the OnePlus called the Open Apex Edition. The phone is nearly identical to the standard OnePlus Open variants which have been on sale since last year. But there are a few minor changes that might justify picking this model over the standard Open models.

I loved the retro-camera-like Voyager Black variant of the OnePlus Open, the new Crimson Shadow finish does look very attractive as well. The Crimson Shadow colourway's frame gets a mirror-like chrome finish for its frame versus the matte-finished frame on the Voyager Black colourway. This finish is similar to the Emerald Dusk variant.

OnePlus Open Review: Raising the Bar

The OnePlus Open Apex Edition sure looks the part for an ultra-premium smartphone

The Apex Edition also gets a familiar vegan-leather rear panel like the Voyager Black variant, but this one looks quite premium in its crimson red finish, which has a shiny OnePlus logo embedded into it in the centre. The circular camera module now has a crimson red insert around it, which is a nice touch.

The OnePlus Open Apex Edition's frame gets a mirror-finish chrome-like appearance

The design of the Alert Slider has changed and now appears similar to the one I used on the Oppo Find X7 Ultra. And this is because it is actually a rebranded Oppo Find N3, which was also launched in the red colourway but branded as the ‘Oppo Find N3 Collector's Edition' in China. Similar to the Find X7 Ultra's Alert Slider it has a three-stage function, an orange accent and a diamond pattern that has better grip and is easier to operate.

VIP mode

This updated Alert Slider, brings along a new VIP mode, which is a first for a OnePlus smartphone. It works in a similar fashion like on the Oppo Find X7 Ultra and when activated is supposed to cut off permissions to the mics and cameras at a hardware level leading to complete privacy for those who need it. The rest of the phone and other functions and features work like normal when in VIP mode, but no app gets camera or mic access when in this mode.

The OnePlus Open Apex Edition's new VIP mode claims to keep conversations private

When in VIP mode, the phone's dialer app will prompt you to exit VIP mode or give the app permission to access the mic. The camera app too cannot function and will directly ask you to deactivate VIP mode (as it is a native app).

More storage than your average Open

The Alert Slider looks like the one we used on the Oppo Find X7 Ultra

While the standard OnePlus Open is offered with 16GB RAM and a maximum of 512GB of internal storage, the Apex Edition gets users 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage which can come of use if you record a lot of Dolby Vision video in 4K. Adding more storage also brings OnePlus' foldable offering in line with Samsung's Galaxy Fold models which also offer a 1TB storage model but are limited to 12GB RAM.

A sturdy new case

The OnePlus Open Apex Edition gets a slightly improved case with a port cover at the bottom

The new case is designed a lot better than the one that the first two variants shipped with. These were quite lanky and did not fit the case well once they were flexed (when taking them off). The plastics used in this case do feel premium and there's a nice USB port protector at the bottom, which protects it against dust. The rear panel of the case also has a soft touch leather-like finish which feels a lot better than the previous one.

What remains unchanged?

The processor remains the same as the regular variants. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is no slouch, but the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, which is available in Vivo's X Fold 3 Pro and Samsung's recently launched Galaxy Z Fold 6 is definitely faster.

The cameras on the Apex Edition are the same as on the standard variant

Camera performance is the same as before. And given what I've experienced with my usage so far, it's identical to the Voyager Black variant of the Open that I reviewed late last year.

OnePlus Open Apex Edition camera samples

There are no updates in terms of IP rating. While the IPX4 rating for water resistance was good for a foldable device in 2023, Samsung's latest Galaxy Z Fold 6 offers an IP48 rating which offers protection against both dust and water. Vivo's X Fold 3 Pro also offers a better IPX8 rating.

Oxygen OS 14 works great across both displays

OxygenOS 14, which is based on Android 14 works like a charm and so does OnePlus' unique Open Canvas multitasking feature that can open three apps side-by-side. The phone also comes with two AI features (for now) called Smart Cutout and AI Eraser. Introduced for the regular handsets in April this year, these don't work as well as I thought they would. And definitely nowhere close to what Google's Pixel and Samsung's Galaxy smartphones are capable of.

While the OnePlus Open surely raised the bar for book-style foldables at launch, about 6 months later, competitors have caught up and moved ahead especially when it comes to AI features. Google's upcoming Pixel 9 Pro Fold is also expected to bring more AI features to its foldable and Apple too is expected to join the AI bandwagon with the launch of iOS 18 software update, which is expected to roll out in September.

OnePlus Open

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Slim and light foldable design
Excellent displays
Plenty of raw performance
Good for gaming
Speedy wired charging
Well-rounded cameras
Excellent battery life

Bad
No wireless charging
Basic IP rating

Read detailed OnePlus Open review

Display (Primary) 7.82-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Front Camera 20-megapixel + 32-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 64-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 16GB

Storage 512GB, 1TB

Battery Capacity 4800mAh

OS Android 13

Resolution 2,440x2,268 pixels

More OnePlus mobiles OnePlus mobiles price in India

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Further reading: OnePlus, OnePlus Open, OnePlus Open Apex Edition, OnePlus Open Apex Edition Design, OnePlus Open Apex Edition Displays, OnePlus Open Apex Edition Specifications, OnePlus Open Apex Edition Cameras, OnePlus Open Apex Edition Battery, OnePlus Open Apex Edition Storage, OnePlus Open Apex Edition Case

Sheldon Pinto

Email Sheldon Pinto

Sheldon Pinto is based in Mumbai, and has several years of experience in reviewing smartphones and gadgets. As a Senior Reviewer at Gadgets 360, you will always find him deeply immersed in his reviews, switching from one phone to another. When the battery dies out, Sheldon is always browsing the web for a good sci-fi movie or reading up on cars and bikes. He also loves creating lists of interesting places to eat and travel. Sheldon is available on Twitter at @shellshocd, and you can mail him at ...More