According to a video posted to the YouTube channel Unbox Therapy on Monday, OnePlus, a manufacturer of high-end Android phones for around $1,000, is already previewing its future foldable phone to the channel.

In the video, Pete Lau, the founder of OnePlus and current chief product officer of Oppo, was interviewed by Unbox Therapy host Lewis Hilsenteger. The ability to fold flat is the unknown folding phone’s main selling point. Lau claims that OnePlus has submitted 35 patent applications for the new folding phone’s hinge, all of which aim to increase strength while reducing weight and size.

The hinge of the OnePlus foldable contains 31 fewer parts than the Oppo Find N2 does. And it’s 37% smaller. In demonstrations, the fold had a grip that was firm enough to handle the weight of the phone in addition to a page of paper.

Although the iPhone continues to rule important markets around the world, like the United States and Japan, Apple has yet to enter the foldables market. This enables businesses like Samsung and Google to stand out and perhaps attract Apple customers. Contrary to the rest of the business, the foldables market for smartphones continues to rise. According to Counterpoint Research, shipments of foldables grew 10% in 2023 despite a 9% overall global fall in smartphone shipments. Despite the positive results, Samsung recently lowered its production goals for foldable devices; according to The Elec, the company presently has 8 weeks’ worth of inventory.

OnePlus has come under fire for squandering its reputation as the “never settle” phone business that also offered excellent prices. As OnePlus and Oppo joined, some people criticised the similarity of the two firms’ products and the escalating cost.

The company’s R&D capacity is strengthening as a result of the merger, according to Lau. “We have introduced a number of innovations that lead the market and are bringing items that have a positive reputation with customers. For instance, we introduced two generations of foldable phones under the Oppo name, as well as the OnePlus 11, which also won a lot of praise.

It does appear that this new foldable pays homage to the founding DNA of OnePlus. The unlock slider is on the back. The camera array was covered in the unit that Unbox Therapy received. Anushka Sharma, an Indian actress, was spotted holding a folding phone that appeared to be extremely similar to the OnePlus foldable, albeit a release date hasn’t been confirmed.