OnePlus Open Apex Edition isn't just a pretty new colour, it's packed with upgrades

The OnePlus Open is one of the most exciting folding phones around, and there's a new version coming very soon.

Even though it seems that the company won't be completely updating it with a new model in 2024, it has announced a new variant – the OnePlus Open Apex Edition.

There's an elite feeling to the Apex Edition, rolling out in a new Crimson Shadow colourway. This new edition of the OnePlus Open comes finished in crimson vegan leather, with OnePlus saying that it pays homage to the Hasselblad 503CW 60 Years Victor Red Edition.

That medium format camera was also finished in red leather, which is about as far as that connection goes. But it looks great and is a welcome change from the black leather or green options already available.

The Apex Edition isn't just about a new colour scheme, though, it comes with hardware upgrades too. That sees the RAM move to LPDDR5X – promising a smooth experience – while there's 1TB of storage, up from 512GB on the standard model.

Whether you'll actually notice any difference from the change in class of RAM is open to plenty of debate.

That 1TB of storage is huge and rare on anything except special edition phones, although the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, strangely, offers 1TB as standard – good to know if you're a massive storage fan.

The OnePlus Open also features a VIP mode. Using the Alert Slider – which is finished with an orange accent – you can flip the phone into VIP mode, where the security chip is locked and all microphones and cameras are disabled. At the same time, advertising is reduced with chip-level restrictions.

VIP mode looks a little like Incognito Mode for your entire phone, although we'd have to test it to see exactly what it's doing on the software side.

The OnePlus Open Apex Edition also benefits from the addition of AI tools, including AI Eraser and AI Smart Cutout, with the Open getting the same suite that recently made its debut on the OnePlus Nord 4.

OnePlus Open Apex Edition core specs

Aside from those updates, the Crimson Shadow version of the OnePlus Open has the same specification as the existing devices. That gives you a 7.82-inch folding OLED display in the centre, with a 2K resolution and 2800 nits peak brightness. This is joined by a cover screen with a 6.31-inch size as well as a 2K resolution and 2800 nit brightness.

The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 hardware, a reflection of its original 2023 launch date, while it has a 4805mAh battery and support for 67W charging. It runs Android with Oxygen OS and the highlight feature for many is the Open Canvas approach to multitasking.

Turning to the camera and there's a 48-megapixel main camera on the back, supported by a 3x optical zoom and an ultrawide. There is also a 20-megapixel selfie camera on the main display and a 32-megapixel selfie camera on the cover display.

OnePlus is saying that the price will be revealed on 27 August. The original OnePlus Open launched at £1,599.99 / $1,699.99 / €1,799.99 / AU$3,189, so you can expect it to be around that, or slightly more.