Watch out Samsung, Oppo foldable phone could arrive sooner than expected

Oppo focused on 'compelling' products ahead of potential Q2 Oppo foldable release

Oppo
(Image credit: Unsplash)

Oppo has its sights set on a year of rampant innovation, sloughing off all of the iniquities of 2020's Covid-19 outbreak, and marching onwards with new and "compelling" phone designs. 

With that said, Oppo is rumored to be launching a foldable phone sooner than expected, adding to a run of versatile mobile handsets, including the Oppo Find X2 Pro, the mid-ranged Oppo Reno 4 Pro 5G, and even finding time to launch the Oppo Enco X – its new true wireless buds for your listening pleasure.

Samsung has been head of the pack for a while when it comes to innovative phone design, unleashing the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy Z Flip, and even catching a recent glimpse of what the Galaxy Z Flip 3 could look like. This has spawned several competitors' designs, the latest of which comes from the Huawei Mate X2, which sports an inside folding screen and a great set of specs to boot.

The new release info comes from the regular tipster, Digital Chat Station, on Weibo, who suggests that Oppo’s first foray into the foldable phone market could debut in the second quarter of 2021, which is a mere stone's throw away if true.

It riffs off comments made to T3 by Oppo's WEU President, Maggie Xue: “We continue to focus on providing the best in terms of design and innovation, delivering compelling products that cut through a crowded marketplace.”

If Oppo's foldable phone is en route, then it will certainly need to be compelling to stave off devices like the Google Pixel Fold, which is rumored to be the search giant’s first upcoming foldable from its popular Google Pixel line, boasting devices like the Google Pixel 4 and the Google Pixel 5

While Oppo immerses itself in researching groundbreaking designs for its phones, it also knows the importance of not doing this at the expense of other parts, keeping one eye firmly on its mobile products' other features that give its mobile users, “access to innovation in both smart technology and 5G”, explains Xue. 

Oppo has been planning a foldable device for some time if previous reports are to be believed: recent coverage of other foldable devices from the likes of Google, Vivo, and Xiaomi, also pointed to an Oppo foldable via the ever-reliable conduit of Ross Young’s Twitter page, which posted as far back as December 2020, tipping the device.

If you can't wait that long, then head over to our best folding phone of 2021 for T3's pick of the best-in-class foldable devices currently available. If you prefer something a little less abstract, head over to our best phones list for a wider selection. 

Luke Wilson

Luke is a former news writer at T3 who covered all things tech at T3. Disc golf enthusiast, keen jogger, and fond of all things outdoors (when not indoors messing around with gadgets), Luke wrote about a wide-array of subjects for T3.com, including Android Auto, WhatsApp, Sky, Virgin Media, Amazon Kindle, Windows 11, Chromebooks, iPhones and much more, too.