OnePlus Open may be delayed because of Nokia-OPPO patent battle

The OnePlus Open was previously expected to launch in August but reportedly got delayed because of a last-minute screen replacement issue. However, a tipster now claims that switching out BOE panels for Samsung displays may not be the only cause of the foldable phone’s later-than-expected launch.

According to Yogesh Brar, the OnePlus Open is delayed till late September or early October, not just owing to the screen issue but also because of OPPO’s ongoing patent dispute with Nokia. The two companies have engaged in litigation since 2021 after the terms of a licensing agreement between Nokia and OPPO could not be renewed. The matter resulted in OPPO having to suspend sales for its own phones as well as OnePlus devices in Germany.

Last month, Nokia also won a judgment in its favor against OPPO in India for the same parent infringement case. The Chinese phone maker was ordered to furnish a licensing fee payment to Nokia for the phones sold in the country.

With the OnePlus Open on the horizon, OPPO would surely like to settle these court matters for a hurdle-free launch of the new phone.

Meanwhile, OnePlus has been pretty quiet about the Open after confirming the phone’s name on X (formerly Twitter) during the launch of Samsung’s new foldables. As usual, we’ll have to wait for an official confirmation from the company, but with August mostly out of the way and September being the iPhone launch month, an early October launch for the OnePlus Open seems more likely than not.