While Oppo is one of the world’s largest tech companies, it’s better known for its subbrand OnePlus in the West. OnePlus started out producing just one or two flagship smartphones a year but has since launched a midrange lineup called Nord and has entered other product categories like headphones and tablets. Though the hype around the brand isn’t what it once was, OnePlus is notable for being one of the few Android manufacturers to still release handsets in the US.
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Verge Score
The OnePlus Pad 2 continues to impress in many ways, but the upgrades don’t justify the price.
The crimson red ‘Apex Edition’ OnePlus Open is a stunner, and the color isn’t the only thing that’s different about it.
You can buy the tablet from OnePlus.com for $549.99 and from Amazon this coming August.
I’m still in the testing process, but so far I like it. It offers the same value as its predecessor but is faster and more powerful, with six stereo speakers that sound phenomenal. It’s still not the best for work, though. My full review is coming soon, so stay tuned.
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OnePlus is launching its latest pair of earbuds in the hyper-competitive midrange market. The new Nord Buds 3 Pro come in light green or black, and the company says they offer adaptive noise cancellation along with OnePlus’ proprietary “BassWave 2.0” technology. Plus you’re getting IP55 water resistance and multipoint. Not bad at all for $79.99.
OnePlus is stepping into the piping-hot waters of mobile AI. It’ll soon release AI Eraser, a feature that uses Oppo’s own LLM, AndesGPT.
It sounds like a straightforward generative AI photo tool in the style of Google’s Magic Editor, and it’s coming to the OnePlus 12, 12R, 11, Open, and Nord CE 4. I guess the refreshingly AI-free flagship is AI-free no more.
Update April 3rd, 9:45AM ET: Added link and sample images from OnePlus.
Currently, OnePlus Watch 2 owners can’t pair the device with a new phone without their existing OHealth app data being completely wiped. But an update provided to Android Central reveals that’s about to change:
“We will be introducing a data migration feature in a future OHealth app update that will allow users to locally migrate their health data by scanning a QR code. This way, users will have control over their data and can securely transfer it to their desired location. We are planning to have this feature on the OHealth app by the end of March.”
This doesn’t address the separate nuisance of having to reset the OnePlus Watch 2 before pairing it with a new device, but the company says it may release a watch transfer feature to address that in a future update.
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Verge Score
Time for Samsung and Google to make some room in the midrange.
9to5Google spotted Reddit users talking about new OnePlus phone features, including a call summarizer called AI Summarizer that can add calendar appointments based on the conversation, as well as a photo editor named AI GC Remover.
The updates seem to be rolling out to both OnePlus 11 and 12 users.
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Verge Score
While Samsung and Google were busy shipping AI features as fast as possible, OnePlus doubled down on the essentials.
The OnePlus 12 launches globally on January 23rd, but testing is underway. I can’t tell you how much it costs or when it will be available, but I can show you this marbled green finish on my review unit. I don’t know, it’s kind of growing on me? One thing’s for sure: it’s one of the last places you’ll find a dedicated mute switch.
The OnePlus 12 isn’t the only phone getting an international launch on January 23rd. It’ll be joined by the OnePlus 12R, the first R Series device to release in the US and Europe (the likes of the 10R and 11R were exclusive to India and China). OnePlus’s new teaser image below shows off the 12R’s blue and gray colors below. It looks a lot like the OnePlus 11 and 12, but we’ll soon see what its internal specs bring.
The company’s upcoming flagship model, which has already arrived in China, offers a triple rear camera setup, up to 24GB of RAM, support for 100W wired fast charging, and the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. The budget-friendly OnePlus 12R will launch alongside the OnePlus 12, marking the first international launch of an R-series device.
Beyond a December 5th date for its Chinese launch, OnePlus is being coy about releases in other markets. But there’s evidence that the international launch will take place on January 24th, Android Police reports. Terms and conditions for a related giveaway say it’ll run until January 23rd, while a second page notes it’ll run until “the day before OnePlus 12 launch event.”
The new OnePlus Open comes with three pre-installed apps: Facebook-installer, Facebook-services, and Meta App Manager, all of which you can’t easily remove. This isn’t the first time OnePlus has done this — it also pre-installed Facebook’s apps and services on the OnePlus 8T in 2020 but ended up removing them after user backlash.
Despite OnePlus making no mention of stylus support for its new foldable, it seems sharing a design with the Oppo Find N3 means it also supports Oppo’s Pen accessory, as verified by Reddit user Rashed341. It even works on the outer display, apparently.
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Verge Score
The OnePlus Open finds a happy medium between the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 5 size-wise, but it’s too close in price to the incumbent foldables.
OnePlus says its new foldable has been “test-folded 1,000,000 times” and is certified by TÜV Rheinland. That’s a bold claim compared to the 200,000 to 500,000 folding cycles most other manufacturers claim their foldables are rated to withstand.
