The screen is a joy to use when you forget you're using a foldable
In the evolving story of how we carry and interact with technology, Oppo has stepped into the foldable arena with its Find N2 Flip — a clamshell device that, in its very first attempt, meaningfully challenges Samsung's established hold on the category. The phone arrives not as an imitation but as a considered response, improving on the fold quality and cover display that define daily life with a flip phone, while acknowledging that camera refinement and durability remain works in progress. At a moment when the premium smartphone market is searching for its next form, Oppo's debut suggests that dominance, however entrenched, is always provisional.
- Samsung has long owned the flip foldable space, but Oppo's Find N2 Flip arrives with a flatter hinge and a larger, genuinely useful cover screen that makes the reigning champion look incremental by comparison.
- The tension isn't just hardware — Oppo has matched Samsung's four-year OS update promise, signaling that it intends to compete not just at launch but across the full lifespan of the device.
- Real cracks show up in the details: IPX4 water resistance leaves the phone vulnerable, the ultrawide camera produces weak, edge-distorted images, and the fingerprint scanner occasionally refuses to cooperate with the cover display.
- Charging tells a quietly complicated story — Oppo advertises 44W but delivers 26W in practice, yet the phone still outpaces the Galaxy Z Flip 4 to a full charge, making the gap between marketing and reality feel less damaging than it sounds.
- With MWC 2023 approaching, the Find N2 Flip lands as a signal to the industry: the foldable market is no longer a two-act play, and the pressure on Samsung to innovate has measurably increased.
Oppo has entered the flip phone market with the Find N2 Flip, and for a first-generation foldable, it makes a striking impression. The phone's waterdrop hinge folds flatter than Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4, keeping creasing to a minimum, and the cover screen is large enough to actually use — reading messages, checking weather, framing selfies, and launching apps without ever opening the device. It's the kind of practical upgrade that changes how a phone feels to live with.
The inner display benefits from Oppo's ultra-thin glass technology, delivering a nearly crease-free experience that reviewers found easy to forget was a foldable at all. ColorOS 13 is polished and customizable, the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 Plus handles multitasking without strain, and the battery comfortably lasts a full day. Oppo has also committed to four years of OS upgrades and five years of security patches — a long-term support promise that matches Samsung's and signals serious intent.
The rough edges are real, though. Water resistance tops out at IPX4, below Samsung's standard, and the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 rather than the newer Victus 2. The cover screen, despite its size, won't rotate with the phone's orientation and offers no keyboard for typing. The fingerprint scanner occasionally fails on the cover display — a frustrating inconsistency for a premium device.
On charging, Oppo claims 44W but peaks at 26W in practice; the phone still reaches a full charge in 64 minutes, faster than the Z Flip 4's 80 minutes despite Samsung's smaller battery. The camera is the clearest weakness: the 50-megapixel Hasselblad-tuned main sensor performs adequately, but the 8-megapixel ultrawide struggles with chromatic aberration and crushed shadows. Portrait photography, aided by the large cover screen for framing, is a genuine bright spot.
Oppo has studied Samsung's blueprint carefully and made deliberate improvements where they matter most. The weaknesses are real but don't erase the achievement: a competitive foldable, built on the first try, arriving just as the industry gathers for MWC 2023 to ask what comes next.
Oppo has finally entered the flip phone arena, and the company's first attempt at a clamshell foldable is turning heads. The Find N2 Flip arrives as a direct challenger to Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4, and in several meaningful ways, it actually outperforms the reigning champion. The phone folds flatter—a waterdrop hinge design keeps creasing to a minimum—and the cover screen is noticeably larger and more functional than what Samsung offers. You can read messages, check weather, frame selfies, and navigate to apps without ever opening the device. It's the kind of practical improvement that makes a real difference in daily use.
The display itself is a standout. Oppo's ultra-thin glass technology delivers a durable, nearly crease-free experience that feels natural to use. Reviewers found themselves forgetting they were holding a foldable at all, absorbed in the kind of mindless scrolling that defines modern phone use. The software layer—ColorOS 13—is vibrant and highly customizable, letting users reshape the experience to their preferences. Under the hood, the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 Plus processor handles multitasking without strain, and the battery easily survives a full day of heavy use. Oppo has also matched Samsung's long-term support promise: four years of operating system upgrades and five years of security patches. For a first-generation foldable, this is a confident statement.
But the Find N2 Flip isn't without rough edges. The water resistance rating of IPX4 falls short of Samsung's standard, meaning the phone is less protected against splashes and moisture. The glass covering the screen is Corning Gorilla Glass 5—tough enough, but aging compared to the newer Gorilla Glass Victus 2 found on competitors. The cover screen, despite its size advantage, lacks some conveniences: it won't rotate to match the phone's orientation, and there's no keyboard for typing. The fingerprint scanner occasionally fails to unlock the cover display, a frustrating inconsistency in a premium device.
Charging speed tells an interesting story. Oppo claims 44W charging capability, but real-world testing shows the phone peaks at 26W. Still, it reaches 50 percent charge in 25 minutes and a full charge in 64 minutes—meaningfully faster than the Galaxy Z Flip 4's 80-minute full charge time, despite Samsung's smaller battery. The phone also lacks Wi-Fi 6E support, a connectivity standard that would have future-proofed the device without much added cost.
The camera system is where the Find N2 Flip stumbles most noticeably. The 50-megapixel main sensor, color-tuned by Hasselblad, performs adequately, but the 8-megapixel ultrawide camera is genuinely weak. Chromatic aberration appears readily in ultrawide shots, with color detail dropping off at the edges. The lack of dynamic range makes the problem worse—shadows crush to pure black, creating harsh contrast that flattens the image. These photos might pass muster on social media, but they won't hold up to scrutiny. The one bright spot is portrait photography, where the large cover screen helps frame and compose shots with surprising effectiveness.
Oppo's entry into the flip phone market arrives at a pivotal moment. The company has clearly studied what works and what doesn't in Samsung's design, then made deliberate improvements where it counts. The flatter fold, the larger cover screen, the software polish, and the aggressive update commitment all signal a manufacturer that understands what matters to people buying premium foldables. The weaknesses—water resistance, glass durability, camera performance, occasional biometric hiccups—are real enough to matter, but they don't undermine the fundamental achievement: Oppo has built a competitive foldable in its first try. As the mobile industry gathers for MWC 2023 in the coming weeks, the Find N2 Flip serves as a reminder that Samsung's dominance in this category is no longer inevitable.
Citações Notáveis
The screen is a joy to use and you quickly forget you're using a foldable when engrossed in a doom scroll— Android Authority reviewer Robert Triggs
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does the hinge design matter so much? It seems like a small engineering detail.
It's actually the difference between a phone you forget you're using and one that constantly reminds you it's broken. A flatter fold means less stress on the display over time, and less visible creasing—that permanent line down the middle that catches light and breaks the illusion of a normal screen.
So Oppo got the hardware right on the first try. What about the software?
ColorOS 13 is genuinely thoughtful. It's not just functional—it's customizable in ways that let people make the phone feel like theirs. That matters more than people think, especially on a device this expensive.
The camera sounds like the real problem.
It is. The ultrawide is genuinely bad—like, it's the kind of camera that makes you regret taking the shot. But the main sensor is fine, and the portrait mode is actually excellent because of that big cover screen. It's uneven.
Why would Oppo skip Wi-Fi 6E? That seems like an obvious choice.
Exactly. It's a cost-cutting decision that doesn't make sense on a premium device. In two years, that's going to feel like a missed opportunity.
Is this phone actually better than the Galaxy Z Flip 4?
In the ways that matter most—the fold, the cover screen, the software—yes. But Samsung's water resistance and glass durability give it an edge in longevity. It's closer than it should be, though.