OPPO Find N first impressions: Impressive first attempt at making foldables

The OPPO Find N seems to be a polished foldable device, but there are some flaws that give its weaknesses away

Foldable devices have been around since 2019, but they are yet to become mainstream, primarily because they are expensive, limited, and confusing – are they smartphones or tablets? Besides, it is just South Korean electronics maker Samsung playing alone in this field in India. In 2022, however, things are expected to change. Chinese smartphone maker OPPO recently unveiled its first foldable device with a bendable screen similar to Samsung's Fold. Called the OPPO Find N, the device is expected to launch soon in India besides other international markets.

Among other things, it is its design and form factor that make the OPPO Find N an interesting option in the segment of foldable devices. It does not aspire to be anything but a smartphone, even when completely unfolded. That is because the device has a compact form factor. Its 5.49-inch cover screen is modest in size but dominates the entire front profile in the folded state. Unlike the other smartphone of this kind, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 (review), the cover screen in the OPPO Find N is stretched in a conventional 18:9 aspect ratio, which makes it for comfortable for one-handed use. When unfolded, the device is not bigger than a medium-sized palm. It requires two hands to use the bendable screen comfortably, but the square aspect ratio (8.4:9) does away with the need to rotate the device for content featuring horizontal or vertical aspect ratio.

The most critical component for any foldable device, the ‘hinge’, is sturdy and firm here. Importantly, it can hold its position anywhere from 50 degrees to 120 degrees. Not that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is any less capable, but there is a gratifying sound the OPPO Find N makes every time you fold it. Another thing that OPPO’s debutant foldable smartphone manages to do well is to hide the display crease. Yes, the crease is there but not as prominently visible as on other foldables.

The OPPO Find N seems to be a polished foldable device, but there are some flaws that give its weakness away. For example, the two screens have different refresh rates – the cover screen is of 60Hz and the bendable screen 120Hz. Another is the absence of ingress protection. And, the on-battery time is terrible.

Overall, the Find N seems to be an impressive first attempt by OPPO at making foldables. It is not perfect, but there finally would be a foldable device in the market other than the ones made by Samsung. Importantly, the launch of the Find N in markets outside China may accelerate the growth and adoption of foldable devices. That said, the foldable future now seems more probable!