OnePlus unveiled its debut foldable smartphone priced at almost $1,700, with the company promoting the handset on being lighter than rival devices with comparable form factors and only marginally heavier than the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

During the company’s OnePlus Open global launch event, held in India, the head of strategy for its European operation Tuomas Lampen (pictured) claimed its research suggested previously “foldables have offered disappointing usability, they do not offer a compelling reason to switch”.

The device is the company’s first foray into the foldable devices market, though sister brand Oppo has already released a number of handsets into the segment.

Lampen noted the OnePlus Open had been tested and verified to withstand over a million folds without screen damage, claiming it as a “milestone” device for the form factor.

The device has an unfolded display of 7.82-inches with an outside screen of 6.31 inches, runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with a 4,805mAh battery and triple rear camera system including a main unit of 48MP.

OnePlus opened orders yesterday (19 October) in India, North America and Europe with shipping starting next week.