OnePlus Foldable Phone Isn't Going To Happen Anytime Soon

OnePlus' much-publicized philosophy is to never give its customers a subpar or expensive experience exchange for new, fancy features that won't benefit anyone. The company has stuck to that except when it doesn't, like when it did remove the headphone jack just in time for it to launch its own wireless earbuds. It still hasn't yielded ground to wireless charging, at least not yet, and it seems that the latest trend it is saying no to is foldable phones.

Foldable phones have always been a debated topic. Few will argue their stunning looks, futuristic concepts, and impressive manufacturing process. Not everyone agrees, however, that they are practical everyday mobile devices, especially given their price and durability or lack thereof.

One of those non-believers happens to be OnePlus CEO Pete Lau. In an interview with The Verge, Lau expressed his conclusion that the shortcomings and disadvantages of the screen far outweigh whatever benefits the new form factor may bring. In particular, he is unimpressed by the crease that forms at the fold, something no foldable maker seems to have been able to completely solve just yet.

OnePlus' position contrasts with those of its compatriots and rivals. Xiaomi, OPPO, and, of course, Huawei have all showed off one form of foldable device or another, though only Huawei has actually sold one. Lau hints that the company did look into the possibility but stopped short of revealing they had made any working prototype out of that.

Of course, OnePlus is always free to change course later on, just as it did with headphone jacks and 5G. For now, at least, it seems to be taking pride in being a rebel yet again, refusing to jump onto that trend just because everyone is.