The OnePlus 12 is now available in China, with a global release promised early next year. That means we are in a good position to judge how the Chinese company's latest flagship measures up against the expensive folding OnePlus Open.

Good but not perfect We know that the OnePlus 12 is coming soon, but pricing has not yet been revealed. However, we would be very surprised if it surpasses Open's hefty entry cost of $1,699 when it appears next year.

Here's how the battle between OnePlus devices is shaping up.

The OnePlus Open is available for purchase right now for $1,699 to be exact. That's cheaper than Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google's Pixel Fold, but still not cheap.

The OnePlus 12's release date and price are currently unknown, but we should know both in January. Based on previous models and Chinese pricing, we expect it to be around $699 to $799.

While the OnePlus 12 is a very familiar looking 6.82-inch black (or green or white) candy bar, the OnePlus Open is a play on Samsung's Galaxy Fold. It's a regular 6.31-inch external screen with a refresh rate of up to 240 Hz and a foldable 7.82-inch internal panel. When folded, it resembles a small tablet.

Are two screens better than one? Well, it offers more flexibility, but this flexibility comes at a price: at 8.43 ounces, it is nearly 10% heavier than the 7.76-ounce OnePlus 12 and significantly thicker at 0.46 inches versus 0.36 inches.

In terms of performance, the OnePlus 12 has the edge. While it benefits from the latest and greatest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, the OnePlus Open has to make do with the previous generation. This should improve performance by about 25-30% and energy efficiency by 20-25%.

The second point is important: the OnePlus Open also has a smaller battery, with a 4,805mAh battery compared to the OnePlus 12's 5,400mAh cell. We have not yet been able to test the OnePlus 12's battery, but it is almost certain to achieve better than the 11:45 that the OnePlus Open managed, as folding tends to consume more battery power to power the two screens.

Otherwise, specs are similar: the OnePlus Open has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, while the OnePlus 12 can be configured with more (24GB and 1TB) or less (12GB and 256GB) of each to suit your budget.

Both models are set up with a triple camera array on the back, two of which are identical in terms of raw specs: a 48MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide angle sensor and a 64MP, f/2.6 telephoto lens (3x optical zoom).

The difference is in the main sensor, which is also quite close here: while the OnePlus Open has a 48MP, f/1.7 main lens, the OnePlus 12 has upgraded to a 50MP, f/1.6 sensor. The slightly wider aperture should result in better photos, but it is a slight difference and we will have to compare the two when we get our hands on a review unit.

A fairly simple, if entirely subjective, choice: the OnePlus 12 is almost certainly cheaper and has a newer, faster processor, making it more future-proof.

However, it cannot be folded in half, effectively making it a tablet and phone in one. If that's important to you, the OnePlus Open is one of the best folding phones you can buy, and well worth the high cost.