I converted to foldable smartphones with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, and there's no indication I'll ever go back. This growing category of personal devices lets me do more on the go, which can be a lifesaver when this job demands I get online even when I don't have a laptop nearby.
That being said, the latest Galaxy Z Fold is dreadfully boring to me, especially when it costs $1,900. Oh, and especially especially when you can get one of the best non-Samsung foldables — which is better in almost every single way — for just $1,399.99 at Amazon. That's a $500 discount over the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, and you'll enjoy better hardware, better cameras, and better battery life.
If my Galaxy Z Fold 5 were to go the way of the dinosaurs, I know which new foldable I'd choose (and it's not the Samsung).
Disclaimer
Update, July 18, 2024 — This Amazon Prime Day ended at its original discounted price of $1,299.99, but the OnePlus Open is still on sale for $1,399.99. That's still a great deal, but you can scroll down a little further for a list of the best deals still active after Amazon Prime Day.
🔥The hottest post-Prime Day deals🔥
- Seagate Xbox Series X|S Expansion Card (2TB) | was
$359.99now $249.99 at Best Buy - Lenovo Legion Go (512GB) | was
$699.99now $599.99 at Best Buy - Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-months) | was
$49.99now $31.99 at CDKeys - Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3423DWF) | was
$899.99now $699.99 at Dell - ASUS 65W USB Type-C charger | was
$64.99now $29.99 at Best Buy - HP Victus 15.6 (Ryzen 5, RTX 4050) | was
$979now $599 at Walmart - Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max + Xbox Wireless Controller + Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (1-month) | was
$119.98now $78.90 at Amazon w/ Amazon Prime - Logitech G502 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse | was
$149.99now $79.99 at Amazon - Samsung Class QE1C QLED TV (85-inch) | was
$2,799.99now $1,229.99 at Samsung - Razer DeathAdder V3 Wired Gaming Mouse | was
$69.99now $54.99 at Best Buy - Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX (Cobalt Blue) | was
$179.99now $119.99 at Best Buy - Samsung Class S90C OLED TV (83-inch) | was
$5,399.99now $2,699.99 at Samsung - Razer Blade 15 (Core i7, RTX 4070) | was
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$1,199.99now $959.99 at Newegg w/ code FANDUA5748
Beautiful hardware and an excellent price
My current daily driver is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. I personally love it — the hardware is premium, the displays are magnificent, the performance is excellent. I use it for media consumption, playing Solitaire, reading articles, editing documents, multitasking, staying connected with people and coworkers, and much more. It's honestly an amazing phone, but there's no arguing that it's on the boring side when it comes to the rapidly evolving foldable category.
The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 isn't much more interesting. The design is more attractive than ever and the phone is a little faster, but what else has Samsung done? Once again, other companies are leaving the South Korean behemoth in the dust when it comes to foldables, and one of the absolute best you can buy is the OnePlus Open.
Not only is the OnePlus Open actually available worldwide (and in the US) with functional software, it's frankly just better than Samsung's most recent foldables on the hardware front. The design is utterly gorgeous, and feels more comfortable in the hand (and the black version has a lovely faux leather texture). The hinge is smoother and more durable. The displays are larger and boast superior aspect ratios. The infamous display crease is less visible.
Want me to keep going? The battery is larger and lasts longer, and the charging speeds are far higher. The cameras are significantly better, with OnePlus not cutting any corners compared to its traditional slab flagships. There are so many subtle additions, refinements, and advantages the OnePlus Open has over the Galaxy Z Fold when it comes to hardware, and it all adds up quickly.
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The one area where Samsung has the competition beat is software — the Z Fold's interface is among the best at taking advantage of foldable displays, and Samsung promises seven years of software support compared to the four years of platform updates and five years of security updates that OnePlus promises. That doesn't mean the OnePlus Open completely fails here, though.
OnePlus' software is smooth and packed with awesome features, especially for multitasking. Updates have been improving the experience since the phone's launch, too, so it's better than ever. It's close enough that, combined with the hardware strengths, the OnePlus Open is looking like an obvious choice over the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. What does Samsung have? Well, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 inside the Fold 6 is newer than the Gen 2 inside the OnePlus Open, so there's that.
Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention the pricing. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 starts at $1,899.99 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The OnePlus Open retails for $1,699.99 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, but it's obviously heavily discounted right now. At just $1,399.99 at Amazon with an Amazon Prime membership for the US unlocked version that should work great with most American carriers, the OnePlus Open is $500 cheaper.
I'll admit that Samsung has the advantage with its trade-in program and US carrier deals, but those who aren't too concerned with that can save a lot of money and get a really, really good foldable in the process. Honestly, at this price the OnePlus Open is simply a good deal for a foldable, let alone when compared to the category default that is the Galaxy Z Fold 6. I'm sticking with my Galaxy Z Fold 5 for now, but I know exactly which foldable I'd replace it with if I had to choose right now.
What is an Amazon Prime membership?
Amazon Prime is the subscription for the ultimate Amazon-savvy shopper. You can already save a lot of money just by shopping through Amazon, but the company's all-in-one subscription service shoves an absurd amount of value into one monthly or annual cost. An Amazon Prime membership includes a ton of perks and features, such as:
- Free one-day and two-day shipping on millions of items
- Exclusive deals and promotions, such as for the $100 Best Buy gift card
- Ad-free access to thousands of free movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, books, and magazines
- Unlimited full-resolution photo backup
- Free games, perks, channel subscriptions, and more with Prime Gaming at Twitch
- Savings on prescriptions at thousands of pharmacies
- Zero delivery fees, exclusive offers, and other discounts on food deliveries with GrubHub+
If you're interested in trying it out, you can get started with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime for free at Amazon, or explore paid plans starting as low as $6.99 a month (the standard pricing is $14.99 a month).
What is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon Prime Day is basically Amazon's version of Black Friday. It's an all-online sales bonanza during which thousands of products are heavily discounted, with even more savings in store for Amazon Prime members. It's a great time to cross some products off your wishlist without draining your wallet.
Of course, Amazon is far from the only retailer to go crazy with price cuts during Amazon Prime Day, with many companies like Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and more taking advantage. If you want to save as much as possible, you could also consider a My Best Buy membership, Walmart Plus membership, or a Target Circle membership for exclusive discounts.
When does Amazon Prime Day end?
Amazon Prime Day takes place on July 16 and July 17, 2024, and more specifically ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on Wednesday, July 17. Take note of that time zone, as Prime Day could last longer depending on where you live! If you're in the ET time zone, for example, Prime Day actually ends on July 18 at 2:59 a.m.
