OnePlus Open vs Xiaomi MIX Fold 3

The OnePlus Open managed to impress a lot of people since its launch, and that includes us. This is one of the best foldable smartphones around at the moment, and we’ve already compared it to the best Samsung and Google have to offer. What about Xiaomi, though? In this article, we’ll compare the OnePlus Open vs Xiaomi MIX Fold 3. These two devices are the best foldable smartphones OnePlus and Xiaomi have to offer at the moment.

One thing to note, before we get started, is that the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 was not released globally. If you want to use it, you’ll need to import it from China, and sideload Google services, which is fairly easy. Having said that, we’ll first list the specs of both smartphones, and will then move to compare them across a number of different categories. Including their designs, displays, and more.

Specs

OnePlus Open & Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, respectively

– Screen size (main):
7.82-inch LTPO 3 AMOLED display (120Hz, Dolby Vision, 2,800 nits)
8.03-inch Foldable LTPO OLED+ (120Hz, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 1,300 nits)
– Screen Size (cover):
6.31-inch OLED (120Hz, 2,800 nits)
6.56-inch AMOLED (120Hz)
– Display resolution (main):
2268 x 2440
2160 x 1916
– Display resolution (cover):
2484 x 1116
2520 x 1080
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (overclocked)
– RAM:
16GB (LPDDR5X)
12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
512GB (UFS 4.0)
256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
48MP (wide, f/1.7 aperture, multi-directional PDAF, OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, 114-degree FoV), 64MP (periscope telephoto, 3x optical zoom, 6x “in-sensor” zoom, macro)
50MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, PDAF, OIS), 10MP (ultrawide, 120-degree FoV), 10MP (telephoto, 3.2x optical zoom), 10MP (telephoto, 5x optical zoom)
– Front cameras:
20MP (main display, f/2.2 aperture), 32MP (cover display, f/2.4 aperture)
20MP (main & cover display, wide, f/2.3 aperture)
– Battery:
4,805mAh
4,800mAh
– Charging:
67W wired (charger included)
67W wired, 50W wireless (charger included)
– Dimensions (unfolded):
153.4 x 143.1 x 5.8mm
161.2 x 143.3 x 5.3mm
– Dimensions (folded):
153.4 x 73.3 x 11.7mm
161.2 x 73.5 x 10.9mm
– Weight:
239/245 grams
255/259 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
Side-facing fingerprint scanner
– OS:
Android 13 with ColorOS
Android 13 with MIUI Fold 14
– Price:
$1,699
CNY8,999 ($1,239)
– Buy:
Best Buy
Xiaomi (China only)

OnePlus Open vs Xiaomi MIX Fold 3: Design

Both of these have frames made out of aluminum, and they also come in a couple of different backplate variants. The OnePlus Open is available with glass and vegan leather backplates. The Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 utilizes glass and aramid fiber, depending on the model. Non-glass models of both smartphones are grippier, needless to say. Both of these devices are book-style foldables, and both of them are quite thin.

The OnePlus Open is shorter than the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, while the two phones are about equally as wide in both folded and unfolded states. The Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 does have slightly larger displays, just for comparison’s sake. Xiaomi’s handset is also slightly thinner than OnePlus’, but not by much. The two variants of the OnePlus Open weigh 239 and 245 grams, while the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 is available in 255 and 259-gram variants, depending on the model. So they’re actually not that heavy, considering these are book-style foldables we’re talking about.

There is a single display camera hole on all displays here, all four of them. The bezels around the displays are rather thin on both smartphones. The real design difference is visible on the back. The OnePlus Open has a large camera oreo back there, while the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 includes a rectangular camera module. The hinge is hidden on both smartphones when they’re unfolded.

Both devices feel good in the hand, but have different in-hand feel. The OnePlus Open is IPX4 rated for splash resistance, while you won’t find any such rating on the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3. Both smartphones do feel premium, and offer a good folding/unfolding experience, though we prefer the one on the OnePlus Open.

OnePlus Open vs Xiaomi MIX Fold 3: Display

The OnePlus Open features a 7.82-inch 2268 x 2240 Foldable LTPO3 Flexi-fluid AMOLED display on the inside. That is the phone’s foldable panel. It can project up to 1 billion colors, and has Dolby Vision support. It also supports a 120Hz refresh rate. This panel goes up to 2,800 nits at its peak. The cover panel on the phone measures 6.31 inches, and it’s a 2484 x 1116 LTPO3 Super Fluid OLED display. This display also projects up to 1 billion colors, has Dolby Vision support, and has the same peak brightness as the main one. It also supports a 120Hz refresh rate. The cover panel on the phone is protected by the Ceramic Guard.

On the flip side, the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 features an 8.03-inch 1916 x 2160 Foldable LTPO OLED+ panel. That display has a 120Hz refresh rate, and can project up to 1 billion colors. It also supports HDR10+ content, and Dolby Vision too. The peak brightness on this panel is 1,300 nits. The cover display measures 6.56 inches, and has a resolution of 2520 x 1080. This is an AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, and supports HDR10+ content, and Dolby Vision. The peak brightness on this panel is 2,600 nits, and this display is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

All four of these displays look great on paper, and the same goes for actual real-life usage. They’re very vivid, very sharp, and have good viewing angles. The blacks are also quite deep, as you’d expect them to be. Neither panel is too reflective either. The OnePlus Open does have one glaring advantage here, though. Its main display gets a lot brighter than the one on the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3. Yes, you will notice that difference, easily, especially when using the device outdoors in direct sunlight.

OnePlus Open vs Xiaomi MIX Fold 3: Performance

Both of these phones are fueled by the same chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 by Qualcomm. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is out, technically, but it launched just recently (based on the time of publishing this comparison), and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is still immensely powerful. It was the best chip on offer at the time these two phones were made. The OnePlus Open includes 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 flash storage. That’s the only model. The Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, on the flip side, includes 12GB or 16GB of RAM, and has several different UFS 4.0 storage options.

So, on paper, both of these smartphones are immensely powerful. Do they show it in day-to-day performance? Well, yes, very much so. You’ll get a very smooth experience on both smartphones, as you’d expect from flagship devices. Their software iterations are immensely different, though, so take note of that. Neither is close to stock Android, but both are full of customization options and work well. Both smartphones can multitask without a problem, and even have some special features for foldables. We do prefer the OnePlus Open’s implementation of multitasking, though.

When it comes to games, you can run pretty much any game from the Google Play Store on these two phones. They’ll handle those games without a problem, and won’t even get too hot while at it.

OnePlus Open vs Xiaomi MIX Fold 3: Battery

A 4,805mAh battery sits inside the OnePlus Open, while a 4,800mAh battery is included in the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3. Thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and whatever optimizations the two companies did, both smartphones do offer great battery life. Getting over the 7.5-8 screen-on-time mark is possible, that’s for sure. It will, of course, depend on how you use your phone, your signal strength, and so on.

In our experience, though, getting over the aforementioned limit is not a problem at all. That is achievable with mixed usage of the main and cover display, and without gaming, at least that was the case for us. Plenty of browsing, messaging, multimedia consumption, emailing, image editing, and so on, was included in that usage. They do offer good battery life, but your mileage may vary, of course.

What about charging? Well, the OnePlus Open supports 67W wired charging, and reverse wired charging too. It does include a charger in the box. The Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, on the other hand, supports 67W wired, and 50W wireless charging, while it also includes a charger in the box. Xiaomi’s handset has the upper hand here, due to wireless charging. If you don’t care much about it, however, the OnePlus Open is on the same level in terms of wired charging speed. You can get a full charge on either side in about 40 minutes.

OnePlus Open vs Xiaomi MIX Fold 3: Cameras

The OnePlus Open includes three cameras on the back, while the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 has four. A 48-megapixel main camera sits on the back of the OnePlus Open, along with a 48-megapixel ultrawide unit (114-degree FoV), and a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (3x optical zoom, 6x hybrid zoom). The Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, on the other hand, has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and two 10-megapixel telephoto units (one offers 3.2x optical zoom, the other 5x optical zoom).

OnePlus also has a partnership going on with Hasselblad, while Xiaomi partnered up with Leica. Their expertise is visible in the pictures provided from both smartphones. Both camera setups are really good, and both do provide great results. The OnePlus Open loves to take contrasty shots, and it has outstanding colors in them, which is where Hasselblad’s influence is visible. The Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 does saturate images, but not too much, just enough to make them look nice and sharp. The styles are different here, and you can also choose to shoot in Leica Authentic mode on the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, which will bring that vignetting effect to images, and make them look rather unique. Both smartphones handle HDR situations really well, and the same goes for low light.

That quality does transfer over to ultrawide and telephoto shots too, though we prefer those from the OnePlus Open. They do seem to provide more details, more often than not, while we do like the colors more as well. Both smartphones are quite capable in the video department too, though they’re not the best out there.

Audio

Both smartphones do have stereo speakers. The ones on the OnePlus Open are Dolby Atmos enhanced, while the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 includes Harman Kardon-tuned speakers. The sound coming from both smartphones is quite pleasing and balanced, but the speakers on the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 are a bit louder.

You will, however, not find an audio jack on either of these two smartphones. You’ll have to utilize their Type-C ports in order to achieve wired audio connections. Alternatively, both smartphones offer Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless connectivity.