OnePlus launched the OnePlus Open earlier this year as its first take into the foldable market. The device has a horizontal folding style like the popular Galaxy Z Fold series. Naturally, the company is also set to introduce a flip-folding smartphone. The rumored OnePlus foldable with flip style has been floating through the rumor mill for quite some time. Now, the tipster Digital Chat Station comes with a launch timeframe for the tentatively named OnePlus V Flip. The smartphone will launch in Q2 2025 (April-June).
OnePlus V Flip Rumored to Come Q2 2025 Despite Claims of Chinese Brands Leaving the Category
Previous rumors have been suggesting the OnePlus V Flip to come as a rebadged Oppo Find N5 Flip. The latter was reportedly canceled according to a report from earlier this year. Therefore, the OnePlus V Flip debut becomes even more confusing. Hence, we need to digest this info with a pinch or two of salt. In any case, if it comes, it could be what the Oppo Find N5 Flip never had the chance to be.
To make things more complicated in this field, there are reports of Chinese brands pulling out of the foldable market. The report said that one major Chinese smartphone maker decided to leave the foldable smartphone market. The unconfirmed report from China claims that the 13.6% growth in China’s foldable smartphone market this year is below expectations. It continues saying that it has been too hard to maintain profitability under these conditions. The source of this report did not name the company pulling its 2025 release plans. However, Vivo and Oppo are the two with the longest gap since their last release.
Xiaomi has just made its Mix Flip international, following the announcement in China where it was accompanied by the Mix Fold 4. However, the report claims production of the Flip fell short of its 500,000-unit target, coming in at 460,000. The sales of the Mix Fold 4, couldn’t even hit the 100,000. Oppo has gone over a year without launching a new foldable smartphone, the Find N3 came in October 2023. Vivo did not release a successor to the X Flip, which came in 2023. Instead, it announced the X Fold3 and Fold3 Pro with horizontal foldable displays. The company even made the Pro its first foldable in international markets.
Multiple reports are putting some controversy on the theme of foldable smartphones.
