Oppo Find N2 Flip review

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip has lengthy reigned (effectively, for a few years) the king of the foldable clamshell cellphone. However now, with the European launch of the Oppo Discover N2 Flip, it might lastly have to surrender that crown.

Oppo’s first flip cellphone – and third foldable total – takes intently after Samsung’s newest Z Flip 4. However an improved hinge, extra succesful digital camera, and bigger cowl show make this a extra sensible choice for many, helped by a extra reasonably priced £849 price ticket – a minimum of within the UK.

The Z Flip 4 nonetheless has the sting on software program, and a sure je ne sais quois visible aptitude, however the gauntlet has been laid down – and Samsung has lots of work to do to impress with this 12 months’s Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Design & construct

• Compact clamshell design
• Hinge closes fully
• No water-resistance score

Put aside the quilt display – we’ll get to that – and the Oppo Discover N2 Flip appears an terrible lot like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4. I suppose that both imitation is the very best type of flattery, or that is the one solution to make the flip design work proper now.

The Oppo is about the identical dimension – solely a bit of bigger – with a equally sized 6.8in display when open, that closes in half to type an ideal little sq. with its cameras down in a single nook.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The place Oppo has a transparent edge is its hinge. This upgraded ‘Flexion’ hinge makes use of a waterdrop form on the hinge, which permits the display to fold fully shut with no hole – and reduces how apparent the display’s crease is within the course of.

We’ve seen this earlier than in a couple of larger foldables, to not point out Huawei’s P50 Pocket flip cellphone, nevertheless it’s a trick Samsung hasn’t managed but. The result’s a cellphone that feels a lot sturdier than its principal rival, with a solidity that each protects the gadget from mud and provides a premium really feel.

One minor draw back is that the hinge can solely maintain the display confide in 110-degrees – so a contact previous the vertical level. That’s sufficient for many use circumstances, however the Z Flip 4 will keep put whenever you bend it additional, and at occasions throughout video calls I discovered myself lacking that additional literal flexibility.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

One other space the place Oppo lags behind is that the Discover N2 Flip has no IP score for mud and water-resistance. The Z Flip 4 is IPX8-rated – which means good water-resistance, however no official mud safety – however the Oppo has no such score. The corporate says the cellphone can survive splashes of rain and the like, however you would possibly really feel nervous whipping it out within the tub.

After all, sturdiness specs matter up to some extent, however the proof is within the pudding – nowhere extra so than with foldables. Oppo’s first gen Discover N is just a bit of over a 12 months previous, and by no means launched outdoors China, so nobody has a great sense of how lengthy this stuff final. You do a minimum of get a easy plastic case included within the field.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

For all of Samsung’s enhancements, there are nonetheless loads of tales of Flip and Fold 4 models failing lower than twelve months in, and anybody shopping for a foldable ought to go in with a level of warning: solely purchase one when you can afford for it to interrupt.

Whereas the Discover N2 Flip has a gold version in China, the place it first launched in late 2022, the worldwide version is available in a selection of black or purple. My black mannequin has a barely grippy, textured end to the glass physique that I’m a giant fan of, with a refined sparkle, whereas the purple is glossier – a disgrace, since I in any other case choose that color.

If you wish to evaluate them immediately, I’ve to confess I choose the two-tone aptitude of Samsung’s flip cellphone, which makes the Oppo aesthetic really feel bluntly practical by comparability, however I can’t deny that is effectively put collectively piece of {hardware} that feels as slick as something on the market.

Display screen & audio system

• Giant 3.26in cowl display
• Vivid and matt interior display
• Respectable stereo audio system

There are two screens to the Discover N2 Flip, and funnily sufficient the one which doesn’t fold is arguably the extra fascinating.

The three.26in cowl show on the cellphone’s exterior is way bigger than you’ll discover on every other flip cellphone proper now – whether or not Samsung, Huawei, or Motorola. In truth, hint your cellphone historical past again and also you’ll discover it’s technically a bigger display than was on the primary ever Android smartphone, the HTC Dream – and solely a fraction extra compact than the first-gen iPhone.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

It additionally stands out because of the portrait orientation, which Oppo says was a deliberate selection to enhance usability. That’s most evident whenever you use that outer display as a digital camera viewfinder for selfies – immediately it’s in the identical orientation because the digital camera itself – but in addition feels extra pure when flicking via notifications, scrolling your calendar, or checking the climate.

After all, you’ll spend extra time utilizing the interior display, which at 6.8in is remarkably related in dimension and really feel to Samsung’s providing. It’s an LTPO AMOLED panel with 1-120Hz dynamic refresh price, so delivers high visible high quality, however with an additional edge: Oppo has added a matt, anti-glare end that each appears implausible and makes the cellphone simpler on the eyes.

Studying off this virtually appears like an eReader at occasions, and from a visible component alone I’ve really come to choose this show to the shiny glass slabs on most different telephones. Although because the floor you work together with is plastic, it does decide up grease and fingerprints.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

There’s nonetheless a small crease in fact, nevertheless it’s a refined one: you’ll be able to solely spot it when taking a look at an angle, not head-on (which is the way you’ll usually use the cellphone in fact). You possibly can really feel it, however much less so than on most foldables, and it’s shortly forgotten after a couple of hours with the cellphone.

I’ve additionally been pleasantly stunned by the stereo audio system included right here, that are punchier than you’d assume given how slight the entire cellphone is. Don’t get me unsuitable, these are nonetheless cellphone audio system, with all the bounds that entails, however they get the job accomplished.

Specs & efficiency

• Highly effective MediaTek chipset
• 256GB storage by default
• Wobbly Bluetooth vary

Oppo has geared up the Discover N2 Flip with MediaTek’s Dimensity 9000+ chipset. That’s not absolutely the newest flagship chip, nevertheless it’s nonetheless lower than a 12 months previous and lots highly effective for many functions. 

Day-to-day efficiency is easy and fluid, with no stutter or slowdown in sight, and there’s sufficient horsepower to recreation and take full benefit of that 120Hz show.

This isn’t absolutely the strongest cellphone round – and it’s value noting that each Samsung and Motorola’s different flips are a bit of extra highly effective – however solely extraordinarily demanding players or energy customers are prone to discover something to moan about.

The Flip has 8GB of RAM, which is pretty normal, however provides a extra beneficiant non-expandable 256GB of storage by default – double Samsung’s base storage for the Flip. There are not any choices so as to add extra storage although, in order that’s all you get.

Naturally 5G is supported, together with the standard array of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. I’ve discovered the Bluetooth irritating although – the vary appears to be restricted, which means I get interference and sign drops on my headphones even when the cellphone is within the entrance pocket of my denims. That’s not an issue a contemporary cellphone ought to ever endure from, and is the largest blemish to the general person expertise I’ve discovered.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

One nice contact is that the cellphone contains ‘360-degree’ NFC, which means you should use the cellphone to make contactless funds from nearly any angle when it’s closed. 

This solely works for sure cost varieties, like getting into London’s public transport system, so that you’ll nonetheless have to open the cellphone totally to pay in a store or restaurant, nevertheless it’s a handy time-saver when it does kick in.

Digital camera & video

• Surprisingly succesful principal digital camera
• So-so ultrawide
• Common selfie digital camera – however you don’t want it anyway

Digital camera high quality was lengthy held up as one of many key flaws of Samsung’s Flips, and whereas that was improved in final 12 months’s Z Flip 4, Oppo has nonetheless discovered room to 1 up its Korean rival.

That isn’t to say that the Discover N2 Flip’s digital camera is without doubt one of the greatest round – nevertheless it’s higher than earlier than, and the principle digital camera a minimum of is comfortably at flagship stage, even when it lacks the flexibility of slab flagship digital camera techniques.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

See also  ProCook air fryer health grill review

That principal lens is a 50Mp, f/1.8 shooter utilizing a Sony IMX890 sensor – the identical one discovered within the latest OnePlus 11. It’s able to some actually stunning photographs, with punchy and vibrant colors which are typically a bit of over-saturated however don’t veer too distant from being true-to-life.

The sensor is large enough to even create a slight pure bokeh impact in photographs, with a extremely engaging depth of area. Pictures additionally maintain up effectively whenever you bounce into the digital camera app’s default 2x zoom, with little lack of element – although at occasions the color tuning does shift as you zoom.

My greatest shock was the standard of images at night time – the Discover N2 Flip manages impressively deep dynamic vary, various mild sources are dealt with rigorously, and for probably the most half darkish spots stay darkish, however detailed – although it does fall sufferer to the widespread drawback of over-brightening the night time sky.

The 8Mp ultrawide is way much less spectacular, however nonetheless welcome as an additional choice. It doesn’t deal with lowlight effectively, however in good lighting images are serviceable – simply count on flatter colors and a severe drop intimately.

Then there are selfies. You should use the 32Mp punch-hole digital camera on the cellphone’s folding display to take selfies, and outcomes aren’t dangerous in any respect – higher than most on the market. 

I’m a bit of stunned it’s so good, as a result of Oppo’s clear pitch is definitely that it is best to save this digital camera for video calls and the like, and as a substitute use the quilt show and principal digital camera to take selfies as a substitute.

That is barely extra fiddly – as huge because the outer show is, it’s nonetheless a fraction the dimensions of the principle display – however the portrait orientation makes it straightforward sufficient to border your self, and the principle digital camera is a superb choice for selfie photographs, a step up even farther from the devoted digital camera on the inside.

Battery & charging

• All-day battery life
• Quick wired charging
• No wi-fi charging

Battery is the opposite space the place early flip telephones struggled, and Oppo clearly needed to keep away from studying that lesson the exhausting method.

With that in thoughts, it’s geared up the Discover N2 Flip with a 4300mAh battery – removed from the largest round, however inside the similar realm as trendy flagship slab telephones.

Over per week with the cellphone I’ve discovered it usually lasts all day, as long as I don’t push it too exhausting. A two-hour video name was sufficient to tank the battery early and pressure a night cost, but when I caught to Spotify, social media, and internet shopping then I often ended the day with 20-30% left within the tank.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

In case you do have to run for a plug socket, the corporate has thrown in pretty quick charging. On paper the 44W wired velocity is considerably sooner than both Samsung or Motorola presents, however in my check it was solely sufficient to revive 59% of the battery in half an hour – the very same because the Razr 2022, and solely a bit of sooner than Samsung’s cellphone.

That might be OK, however the trade-off you make for that very barely sooner charging is that there’s no wi-fi charging included in any respect. I personally discover the flip cellphone format completely suited to dropping onto a Qi charger and glancing at from time to time, so I do actually miss the choice, and don’t discover the wired providing quick sufficient to make up for the loss.

Software program & updates

• Loads of widgets and choices for the quilt display
• Foldable options aren’t fairly as easy as Samsung’s
• Lengthy-term software program assist promised

There’s good and dangerous to the software program aspect of the Discover N2 Flip. 

Let’s begin with some good: total I believe Oppo’s ColorOS pores and skin (right here laid on high of Android 13) is without doubt one of the higher choices round. It’s filled with customisation choices, retains bloatware and adverts mild, and better of all it not often appears to get in the way in which of me really utilizing the cellphone.

I’m additionally impressed with how a lot the corporate has constructed into the quilt show. A few of the choices are normal: an always-on show, climate and alarm widgets, and primary digital camera controls so you’ll be able to take selfies with the principle digital camera.

You possibly can set a wallpaper from your personal picture, however higher is the set of interactive pets. Choose from a canine, cat, hen, hamster, or rabbit, and also you’ll get a bit of furry or feathered good friend who lives in your cowl show and spends their time studying, listening to music, or dozing off.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Interactivity is proscribed to a fast faucet to vary what they’re as much as, however that’s in all probability for the very best – you get all the great bits of a contemporary Tamagotchi with out the all-consuming stress that you simply’ll by accident kill them off.

What annoys me is that for all of the promise of this bigger cowl display, there’s an occasional lack of polish that will get in the way in which.

Most annoying is the truth that when closed it’s garbage about recognising orientation. Whereas Samsung clearly determined there was a ‘appropriate’ orientation to the Z Flip 4 when shut, Oppo desires to have it each methods, letting you employ the cellphone hinge-up or hinge-down. However half the time it may’t inform which method it’s turned, leaving you taking a look at an upside-down notification or a hamster dancing on its head.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

I believe a part of the issue right here is the digital camera. Maintain the cellphone within the apparent method – i.e. able to flip open – and the lenses are on the backside proper, which creates an ungainly angle for images. Turning it the wrong way up – because the digital camera widget really suggests – provides you higher framing, however swiftly it’s not able to open.

I don’t know what the elegant resolution right here is, and Oppo’s setup would in all probability work higher if the cellphone was just a bit higher at realizing which method up it’s. It’s so virtually there that these little nuisances each you greater than you assume they may.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Let’s finish on a great observe although: Oppo has caught as much as the competitors and is now promising 4 years of ColorOS function updates along with a fifth 12 months of safety patches, a match for Samsung and one up on Google.

That signifies that in idea this must be supported all through to Android 17, with safety safety into 2028, so it is best to be capable to depend on this for years to come back – as long as the {hardware} holds up too.

Value & availability

For those who’re within the UK, the largest draw of the Discover N2 Flip might be the worth tag: the £849 ticket value is a full £100 cheaper than Samsung’s newest, and £210 cheaper than that cellphone’s equal 256GB storage mannequin (although in fact you might now discover that cellphone a bit of under asking value when you store round).

It’s even the very same value as a brand new iPhone 14 – and that cellphone doesn’t even fold or nuthin’.

Within the UK you should buy the Discover N2 Flip direct from Oppo, from Amazon, or from main networks, Carphone Warehouse, or shops like Currys.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

In Europe the distinction is much less stark, the place the €1,199 retail value is definitely pricier than the Z Flip 4, and a direct match for its 256GB variant.

In both promote it’s a detailed value match for the Motorola Razr 2022, however beats that cellphone in total feel and look.

Sadly the US received’t get the Discover N2 Flip in any respect – Samsung can relaxation straightforward there for now – and the larger book-style Discover N2 received’t launch outdoors China in any respect.

Try our full information to the very best Android telephones for extra choices, or the very best Oppo telephones for extra from the corporate.

Verdict

The Oppo Discover N2 Flip is a reasonably astonishing cellphone – and I say that as a dyed-in-the-wool Z Flip fanboy.

I nonetheless assume Samsung’s cellphone appears slicker, and the combo of smoother software program, waterproofing, and wi-fi charging signifies that on the similar value I’d give the Z Flip 4 the sting.

However, within the UK a minimum of, they’re not the identical value – and when it can save you £100-200 on the Oppo choice, it’s exhausting to beat. These minor gripes are straightforward to dwell with, and the improved digital camera, sooner charging, and gapless hinge give this a couple of benefits that might effectively win you over outright.

Proper now, this is a superb flip cellphone, and the very best worth one round. If Oppo can match Samsung’s polish, then subsequent time it round it would simply be the very best – full cease.

Specs

• 6.8in, 120Hz AMOLED inside show
• 3.26in, 60Hz cowl show
• MediaTek Dimensity 9000+
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB storage
• 4300mAh battery
• 44W wired charging
• Cameras:
  • 50Mp, f/1.8 principal digital camera
  • 8Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide digital camera
  • 32Mp, f/2.4 selfie digital camera
• 166.2 x 75.2 x 7.5mm (unfolded) or 85.5 x 75.2 x 16mm (folded)
• 191g
• Android 13 with ColorOS 13