Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Users have found that the OnePlus Open supports tent and clamshell modes during video playback.
- The OnePlus Open also supports a tabletop mode in the camera app, where the UI is rearranged.
- These foldable features have not been advertised by OnePlus that much, but they add up to the foldable experience.
The OnePlus Open has done a great job impressing reviewers and early adopters. Barring a few omissions like wireless charging, the OnePlus Open is an excellent foldable, one that can go head-to-head against the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Google Pixel Fold. It seems OnePlus undersold their foldable, as users are now discovering that the Open also supports a tent mode, a clamshell mode, and a tabletop mode, but without the marketing words attached.
Redditor buds115 spotted that the OnePlus Open supports tent and clamshell modes, adding versatility to how you can use the foldable. I can confirm that “tent” mode works on my OnePlus Open, even though OnePlus doesn’t really advertise this as a feature. I am having difficulties triggering “clamshell” mode, though perhaps I am just doing it wrong.
Suppose you are playing a video on YouTube or Netflix on the cover screen of your OnePlus Open and slightly open the foldable. In that case, the video will begin playing on the inner screen even if you haven’t fully opened the device. However, if you place the Open on a table like a tent (aka tent mode), the sensors within the phone will detect this configuration, and the video will begin playing back on the cover screen instead.
You also get the same results if you place the phone with its back on the table and the cover screen propped up. In my experience, the video continues playing on the inner screen, but the Redditor has shared proof of the video appearing on their cover screen in this “clamshell mode” orientation.
OnePlus also has a tabletop mode on certain apps like the Camera app. You can open the phone halfway and place it on a table for easy selfies. The upper half of the cover screen acts as the viewfinder, while the bottom half houses the camera controls. Samsung calls this FlexCam on its foldables.
The OnePlus Open supports an active stylus on both displays, while the Galaxy Z Fold 5 supports the S Pen on only the inner display; though curiously, OnePlus did not advertise this feature in its launch. The same appears to be happening with the above-mentioned foldable features.
As we note in our OnePlus Open review, Oxygen OS’s Open Canvas feature is one of the best approaches to multitasking on any foldable phone. With these findings, the OnePlus Open extends its lead over the Galaxy Z Fold 5, with only the IPX4 rating and lack of wireless charging being sore pain points.
OnePlus Open
Solid cameras • Refined hardware • Alert slider
A debut foldable phone with great hardware
The OnePlus Open brings what might be the best hardware on a foldable phone and enough clever software tricks to turn heads. It pairs top-end internals with some of OPPO’s careful trial-and-error to create a debut foldable phone that hardly feels like a first attempt. Add in a competitive asking price, and the OnePlus Open just might give other foldables a run for their money.
