Oppo’s Find N is an impressive first folding phone

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The Find N is the first folding phone from Oppo. Pete Lau told reporters that the company has been working on the Find N since the beginning of the year. I have been using it since last week and it is an impressive and refined product.

The Find N has a large, squarish folding panel on the inside and a smaller screen on the outside that can be used when the phone is closed. The Z Fold display is taller when unfolded and has a landscape 9:8.4 aspect ratio. You don't have to hold the phone 90 degrees to watch the largest videos. The dual stereo speakers at the bottom of the phone make it easier to open the phone and watch a video.

Noupscale is a file onchorusasset.com.

The Find N can be unfolded between 50 and 120 degrees.

The screen looks good. Lau confirmed that it is a panel made by a Korean company, but said that Oppo has its own patents. The screen is protected by UTG and is the same thickness as that used by SAMSUNG. The crease in the panel is larger than in the Z Fold 3 because it wraps around a unique hinge that costs $100 to build alone. The phone folds shut without leaving a gap between the two halves of the display. You can feel the crease under your finger, but it's hard to see in regular use from all but the widest of viewing angles.

The Z Fold has an outer screen that is more similar to a regular phone. If it weren't for the folded device being twice as thick as a regular phone, it would feel like the compact Android flagship that no-one else is making. The left side of the screen has a bigger screen, but it is not intrusive. The outer screen is only 60hertz, which isn't a problem, but it feels a bit weird when the inner screen is right there.

Noupscale is a file onchorusasset.com.

The Find N's outer display is similar to a regular phone.

The rest of the Find N's spec sheet is what you would expect from a flagship in 2021. The phone has a processor, up to 12GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The main camera has a Sony IMX766 sensor, which is used in the Oppo Find X3 Pro and the OnePlus 9 Pro. The battery can be charged with either a SuperVOOC cable or a wireless one. There is also 10W reverse wireless charging. There is a power button.

There are a few gestures that help make the most of the bigger screen, but Oppo isn't quite as ambitious with its custom software for multitasking. You can split the screen in half with a two-fingered gesture, or collapse a full-screen app into a floating column. If you prop the screen open at an angle, the music app can show lyrics on the top half of the screen.

Noupscale is a file onchorusasset.com.

The Find N has a similar back panel to the Find X3 Pro.

I can speak to the design of the Find N, but it is obvious that it is not durable. The Find N is sleek and easy to use, and it strikes the balance between open and closed better than any other foldable phone to date.

I think that the Find N should be a concern for the company, but it is only going to be sold in China, a country where there is almost no presence of the company. It will go on sale in December for a low price of 7,699 yuan, about $1,200, for a model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You can get a 12GB/512GB model for 8,999 yuan. The Find N is within mainstream flagship phone territory, even though it isn't cheap, because it starts at 8,999 yuan in China. The US price for the Z Fold 3 is $1,799.