OnePlus is working on foldable software with Google
It’s hard to deny that Samsung owns the title of “King of The Foldable.” The Galaxy Z Fold3 and the Galaxy Z Flip3 were two very popular devices, and we all seem excited about the next crop of foldables from the company. Aside from Samsung, Huawei just launched the P50 Pocket and Google is planning on launching the Pixel Notepad in Q4 this year. Those three companies seem to be the only ones really putting an effort into the foldable phone market. However, OnePlus seems to be gearing up to join their ranks. During a media briefing, Gary Chen, the Head of OS Product said that it’s working closely with Google to develop Oxygen OS 13. They’re collaborating on several aspects of the software, but one thing, in particular, caught everyone’s attention. Chen then went on to say that the companies are working on “how to bring new features for foldable devices”. That sounded a bit vague, but it means that the companies are working on making the foldable software experience optimal on OnePlus devices.
However, don’t expect a device soon
After the initial excitement, Chen told reporters that this “…is more visionary, long-term work”. This means that there’s no device currently in the works at the company (so far as we know). This means that we shouldn’t expect a OnePlus foldable phone this year. It’s possible that we could see one either next year or in 2024. Oxygen OS 13 will most likely be based on Android 13. This is significant because Android 13 will share the large-screen optimizations being presented in Android 12L. Oxygen OS 13 should, ostensibly, share these optimizations. Right now, we don’t know much about this partnership, but it seems like OnePlus is really focusing on software optimization first and foremost for its foldable phone. That’s one thing that the company has going for it. Android 13 will be much better for foldable displays. So, OnePlus jumping into a partnership with Google seems like a really good idea. Hopefully, the company will be able to deliver a great foldable phone when/if it releases it.
