New foldables' design is revealed by OnePlus in its official unboxing

The new foldable device from OnePlus has been unboxed in a video that highlights its distinctive appearance. With premium specifications, the foldable is anticipated to compete with Samsung and Tecno in the Indian market. Pete Lau, the CEO of OnePlus, emphasised the device's metal body, gapless design, and small hinge. October 19 is the scheduled date for the global launch. 

The focus of the video is clearly the phone's brand-new design language, which looks strikingly different from any OnePlus smartphone in the recent past. The metal frame has flat sides and has an overall form factor which is very different from the Oppo Find N2's passport-sized broader inner and outer displays. At the same time the form factor also does not appear similar to Samsung's skinny remote-control-like design, which makes the outer display a bit cramped to use. On the front, the display glass stretches to the edges of the skinny metal frame, which along with the flat front and rear panels gives it a very modern appearance.

Lau claims that the company holds around 600 patents related to foldable technology and also explains how this makes it possible to have a gapless design which first debuted on the Oppo Find N. The hinge, as demoed in the video, is strong enough to even hang from a piece of paper when placed between the two halves of the foldable. 

Lau in the video also claims that OnePlus holds 35 patents for the new hinge's design. This new hinge is an improvement over the Oppo Find N2 as well in the sense that it has fewer components, not only making it lighter, but more compact and durable as well. The hinge is 37 percent smaller than the hinge on the outgoing Oppo Find N2 model. 

Apart from the hinge, OnePlus has also made room for its unique Alert Slider, which has been available on its premium devices for many years. However, its presence also hints at the lack of an IP rating, which is also not available in its most premium smartphone offering, the OnePlus 11 5G.