Oppo is testing its first ”wide-format” foldable flagship, and the pitch is simple: make it compact enough for one-handed use when closed, then stack it with the kind of specs that usually come with a phone nobody wants to fold in half. The device is expected to debut in the first quarter of next year, with a 7.6-inch main display, a 5.5-inch cover screen, and a price north of 10,000 yuan, or about $1,500.
That price puts it in the same rarefied air as the most expensive foldables from Samsung and Huawei, which is exactly where Oppo seems to want to play. The broader trend is clear: foldables are no longer just a novelty exercise; they are becoming a way to sell premium hardware at even higher margins.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and a 6000 mAh battery
Under the hood, the phone is expected to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, paired with a battery of around 6000 mAh, wireless charging, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and top-tier water resistance. For a foldable, that battery figure is especially aggressive; brands have spent years trying to fix the usual foldable complaints, and endurance remains one of the biggest ones.
- Main display: 7.6 inches
- Cover display: 5.5 inches
- Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
- Battery: about 6000 mAh
- Extras: wireless charging, side fingerprint sensor, strong water protection
BOE and Samsung panels point to a flagship build
The displays are said to come from BOE and Samsung, a familiar split for high-end foldables where panel quality is half the product story. Oppo is also leaning into a design that sounds closer to the rumored future ”foldable iPhone Ultra” concept than to the company’s own earlier book-style devices, which suggests a more compact and pocket-friendly shape than the usual tablet-in-your-pocket routine.
If the testing schedule holds, the real question is not whether Oppo can build an expensive foldable. It is whether buyers will pay this much for one that tries to be both a small phone and a luxury hardware showcase without feeling like a compromise in either role.