Oppo Find N2 Flip review: Meet the best flip smartphone on the market.

Oppo has finally chosen to enter in the most market in the limited realm of folding smartphones. The Oppo Find N2 Flip, with its clamshell design, competes with the Galaxy Z Flip 4. On paper, it has a bigger exterior screen and a more precisely controlled hinge. Is it enough to win? This review solution.

In addition to being one of the first companies to fight with Samsung on folders, Oppo has chosen a somewhat different path than all of its competitors by selecting the clamshell format over the book format for its first global release in this area. As a consequence, the Oppo Find N2 Flip was born.

As the name implies, it is the initial Oppo form factor, whereas Samsung is now on its third iteration (if we do not count the Galaxy Z Flip 5G , which served as a Galaxy Z-Flip 2). It is thus a great first, for which Oppo appears to have made bold choices on paper: a larger screen than the Samsung, a hinge that allows the screen to fold completely without leaving any space, a top-of-the-line chip not seen very often in Europe, the Dimensity 9000+, and a 4300 mAh battery worthy of a traditional smartphone.

TECHNICAL SHEET

DESIGN: FIRST TRY, FIRST SUCCESS

As the name implies, it is the initial Oppo form factor, whereas Samsung is now on its third iteration (if we do not count the Galaxy Z Flip 5G , which served as a Galaxy Z-Flip 2). It is thus a great first, for which Oppo appears to have made bold choices on paper: a larger screen than the Samsung, a hinge that allows the screen to fold completely without leaving any space, a top-of-the-line chip not seen very often in Europe, the Dimensity 9000+, and a 4300 mAh battery worthy of a traditional smartphone.

When approaching a market controlled by an actor, as is typically the case with tech items, it is less about recreating the wheel and more about differentiating yourself by attempting to stand aside. This is precisely the mentality of the Oppo Find N2, which, to begin with, has nothing to envy its sidekick in terms of finishing.

The flat edges (made of aluminum alloy, polymer, and fiberglass) are united by the rear of the phone in a little camber, whereas the Z Flip 4 has selected a feature virtually at right angles. Furthermore, with a thickness of 7.45 mm, the Oppo Find N2 Flip appears to be incredibly slim.

In this regard, the Oppo Find N2 is similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 3, and the outcome is pleasantly surprising. When folded, the phone fits perfectly in the palm of the hand, causing no pain. Unfolded, we find a device that is broader than the Z Flip (75.2 g vs 71.9g), with a 21:9 ratio rather than the Z Flip’s 22:9, giving its screen a less squashed look.

Even while the hinge appears less stiff than that of the Z Flip, making it simpler to open and close, opening it with one hand is challenging. Let’s not forget that the phone is heavier than its rival: 191 g vs. 187.

Let’s talk about the hinge, which has the undeniable advantage of allowing the device to be entirely closed. This mostly results in less dust coiled in the screen’s center. Furthermore, the technology employed for this hinge, which is identical to that used for the Oppo Find N2, greatly reduces the hollow in the screen.

The hollow is fully obliterated from the front, it must be noted. The small shadow that we used to have on the Z Flip 4 has vanished, especially on huge white hues. If we adjust our sight slightly, we can still see the fold, but it becomes almost imperceptible. Finally, although though it is considerably less obvious, it is still evident when you run your finger over it. To round out the hinge, consider the presence of a gleaming treatment with subtle ripples of light for the most stunning impact.

Furthermore, this excellent treatment can be found all around the smartphone. On this, the two colors stand out: the lavender hue has a gloss treatment (which, actually, resists fingerprints pretty well) and the matte black color will appeal to a wider audience. The edges then have a glossy look. The latter are thinner than the Z Flip, which aids grip but causes us to be less exact when placing our finger on the power button for fingerprint identification. As a result, your tester frequently had to attempt many times.

Finally, the SIM drawer, which is dual SIM capable, is integrated on the phone’s lower edge. Unfortunately, the phone is not waterproof. It does, however, have an IP X4 certification, which offers protection from water sprays in all directions. Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protects the exterior screen.

SCREEN: NOT TOO MUCH

The internal screen of the Find N2 Flip measures 6.8 inches diagonally and can alternate between 120 Hz and 60 Hz (LTPO 1), with a resolution of 2520 x 1080 pixels (403 dpi). Its 21:9 ratio makes it look less crushed than its major Korean counterpart. In reality, this means that vertical videos are less clipped and horizontal videos have less obvious black bars.

The external panel, for its part, is also an AMOLED, capable of displaying 60 or 30 Hz, with a diagonal that is nevertheless rather large for a secondary screen, measuring 3.26 inches. In comparison, the Z Flip tops out at 1.9 inches, while the original iPhone, for example, had a 3.5-inch screen (although in 3:2, but still) or 36.5 cm2. The Oppo Find N2 Flip’s exterior screen measures 28.4 cm2.

Overall, this is a pleasant screen to use on a daily basis. The phone’s fundamental idea benefits from a broad slab that fits neatly in the pocket. As we said in the design section, the fold is entirely ignored. The overall sense of fluidity and vitality of the colors is complete, with nothing to envy of the top of the line.

As confirmation, we ran it via Portrait Displays’ CalMAN Ultimate program, and the coverage of the colorimetric fields was at the desired level, but without blowing over the standards. It shows 115% of sRGB and 101% of DCI-P3 in vivid mode, which is precisely what it needs. As a result, the average delta E – which measures color fidelity – is a touch too high, at 4.12, while you should ideally strive for 3 to have a hue that isn’t too changed. It is still correct. In vivid mode, the color temperature is 7318 K, which is somewhat higher than the optimum natural light temperature of 6500 K.

As is customary in natural mode, we sacrifice a bit color precision for greater accuracy. The sRGB increases to 99% throughout the board, while the average delta E improves slightly at 3.46. The light is ideal at 6494 K.

On the bright side, the reading of 688 cd / m2 appears to be fairly low. In reality, this is most noticeable in direct sunshine, as the phone quickly approaches maximum brightness. On rare times, I wished I could move the cursor a little further to improve my vision, but it was impossible. Apart from these little annoyances, the brightness appeared enough to me, especially for avoiding seeing the fold. The company guarantees up to 1200 cd / m2 in total measurement in HDR.

However, it should be remembered that these measurements were performed on SDR material. In HDR, the phone displays a significantly less accurate average delta E of 8.44. The fact that HDR precision diminishes is extremely common.

SOFTWARE: FOUR YEARS OF COLOROS IS YES

The Oppo Find N2 Flip is powered by ColorOS 13, Oppo’s home interface based on Android 13.

First, if you’re used to seeing folding devices under One UI, like yours truly, this is a little unnerving in the early hours. But, for the better, rather than the worse: ColorOS has an amazing UI that is complemented by smooth and appealing animations.

ColorOS features a few tiny benefits over its competitors, such as the Shelf, a location where various widgets may take pride of place. Enough to free up space on its home screen while enjoying new features. We may also rejoice at the inclusion of Monet, the well-known technology inherited from Android 12 that allows you to change the interface colors by tapping on the wallpaper. Oppo goes one step farther than Google by letting you to select your own colors.

Add to that the fact that the phone is the first from Oppo to offer four years of Android upgrades and five years of security patches. The Widevine L1 DRM is effectively integrated, ensuring HD content streaming from SVoD systems.

Nonetheless, there is one little drawback: the existence of bloatware, or potentially undesirable software that are preloaded. We found Netflix, Facebook, and the Amazon shop; nothing major, but it’s not very clean for a phone that costs over 1000 euros.

• EXTERNAL SCREEN

Let’s have a peek at the exterior screen now. Despite its greater size, this screen has much less functions than the Galaxy Z Flip 4 screen. Although this is not surprising given that we are talking about a first generation product, we might still be disappointed that the maker did not include a few additional options. Especially since the format implied that we may fantasize about a little smartphone on the exterior.

Everything begins with a highly good secondary home screen. The gorgeous part is left to the hour, the battery symbol, on the two top thirds. When you listen to music, the lower section combines a music player. This space reduction creates a very airy image, and we make full use of the exterior OLED display.

What you can get from there is as follows:

• A swipe down opens notifications;
• A swipe up opens a shortcuts pane like on any Android phone;
• A swipe to the right takes you to the widgets.

As previously said, the list of widgets is not the longest. We discover:

• Camera
• Weather report
• Events
• Timer
• Wireless headset management
• Recorder

Each widget is rather attractive and fits in nicely with this screen, although we would have appreciated a few additional information. It is impossible, for example, to initiate a call from the cover screen (even if it is possible to pick up). It is also worth noting the lack of a keyboard (even if it is possible to respond by voice dictation). The camera still has a little influence and allows you to capture selfies with the main sensors while receiving feedback on the huge screen.

Alternatively, the Oppo Find N2 Flip lets you add a little animated animal to your external screen. This is animated differently depending on specific criteria: he eats at lunchtime, sleeps at night, appears fatigued when the phone’s battery runs out, performs sports when it recharges, and so on.

PHOTO: THE POOR RELATIVE

The Oppo Find N2 has two back cameras and one front-facing camera:

• Grand-angle: sensor IMX890, 50 MP, 1/1.56 inch, 1 μm, 10-bits, 4:3, 23 mm, f/1.8, 86°, 7P, AF, EIS;
• Ultra wide-angle: IMX355 sensor, 8 MP, 1/1.4 inch, 1.12 μm, 4:3, 16 mm, f/2.2, 112°, 5P, FF, EIS;
• Selfie: sensor IMX709, 32 MP, RGBW, 1/2.74 inch, 0.8 μm, 4:3, 21 mm, f/2.4, 90°, 5P, AF, EIS.

• MAIN SENSOR

The Oppo Find N2 Flip’s primary sensor provides good sharpness and colorimetric processing that, while somewhat saturated, remains acceptable. The HDR is properly maintained; no photo produced with this phone appeared to be burned, and the development is mastered.

There’s nothing to make you jump out of your chair, and some may accurately argue that for the price of the Oppo Find N2 Flip, you can find better images elsewhere, but the shots are fairly decent.

• SELFIE

The benefit over other flagships is that we can take selfies using the primary sensor, which adds another layer of cachet to the photographs.

The skin is considerably smoother, but the sharpness remains somewhat greater. As evidence, consider the following comparison: The selfie sensor is on the left, while the primary sensor is on the right.

• ULTRA GRAND-ANGLE

The ultra-angle has a darker complexion than his companion. As a result, the colorimetry is somewhat duller.

The remainder of the time, we have the normal loss of dive on the secondary camera, which makes it less appealing. This is also a bad element because the high-end has acclimated us to actually useable ultra-paints.

• NIGHT

The Oppo Find N2 Flip performs well at night: the sceneries are nicely lighted and expertly recover the little light you will offer them. Take cautious not to move when the blur approaches.

Under artificial lighting, the result lacks character and a few lens flares remain, but we can adequately record the scene.

The extra grand-angle is often unsuitable at night. This festival of creative ambiguity is seen below.

• PORTRAIT

Portrait mode is fine, but not spectacular. If the backdrop blur effect is perfected (with the exception of a few strands of trimmed hair), the main issue is the treatment applied to the face.

• COMPARISON WITH GALAXY Z FLIP 4

Let us now do a short point-by-point comparison with its major competition, the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The Oppo is on the left, while the Z Flip is on the right.

First observation on a portrait: the treatment is radically different. Oppo is more harsh with its approach, whilst Samsung is more natural. Oppo’s complexion appears a tad drab.

There isn’t much to complain about in a selfie taken with the primary camera. At the sting level, the two are quite close. On the other hand, two discrepancies should be noted: the meaning is different and the colorimetry on the Samsung side is a bit more saturated.

PERFORMANCE: A GOOD CHIP, BUT A LITTLE BEHIND FOR 2023

The Oppo Find N2 Flip is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 Plus processor, which is one of the most powerful on the market. It is additionally cooled by a layer of graphite, and the phone’s aluminum alloy frame is expected to aid as well. Include a thermal gel, a silicone film, and a copper film. As you may have guessed, Oppo attempted to place the package on the heatsink without compromising the thickness ( what a steam chamber or heat pipes could have done ).

It comes with 8, 12, or 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Add to that the presence of 256 GB of minimum storage and up to 512 GB of maximum storage.

In terms of pure performance, the phone is positioned in a few wires from the 2023 norms on the top end, as demonstrated by the comparison with the Galaxy S23. The Zenfone 9 from Asus, one of the 2022 examples, likewise maintains the edge. The Oppo Find N2 Flip, on the other hand, is somewhat ahead of its major opponent, the Galaxy Z Flip 4. This is without a doubt the most important: it is currently the most powerful on the market in the same form factor.

In truth, their distinctions are not sensed much more than that on a daily basis. Both phones are responsive and smooth. You’ll claim that’s normal at this price. The disparity might be due to the Oppo’s lifespan on the Z Flip.

The Oppo Find N2 Flip replies in game as present. The phone performs admirably while running on Genshin Impact with graphics set to maximum and 60 FPS rates. At 0 minutes, it indicates 60 FPS and an average temperature of 29°C. If we experience a few decreases in framerate to 22 FPS in the city within the first few minutes, it will eventually stabilize. After 10 and 20 minutes, the phone averages 54 FPS, indicating a minor decline in rpm, but it stays steady. The temperature reaches 34°C, and it’s chilly, extremely cold.

BATTERY: ALWAYS A CONCESSION

The Oppo Find N2 Flip is powered by a 4300 mAh battery that is divided into two 3110 mAh and 1190 mAh cells. After 1000 charge cycles, it is claimed to retain 80% of its performance.

In usage, I found the autonomy of this phone to be rather good, at least for a clamshell style, which suffered considerably in the early iterations. However, although 2023 is already shaping up to be an extraordinary year in terms of autonomy (the first three high-end ones evaluated by the editorial team are impressive), the valve appears to be behind.

In particular, on a normal day, I arrived home at 7:30 p.m. with 4 hours of total screen usage (mostly listening to music, social networking, texting, and so on), and the phone was displaying 32%. As a result, we are content to work a normal working day, rather than wait till the end of the night. Autonomy, although not disastrous, is thus not a strength of this phone.

The switch to SmartViSer, automated testing software that allows us to mimic continuous phone use, validates this initial impression. The phone takes 10 hours and 22 minutes to attain 10% battery life using our unique protocol. This places it 70th out of 86 phones evaluated with this technique. In comparison, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is ranked 54th. Neither shines very brightly, but the Oppo Find N2 Flip falls just short of its rival. Remember that the two phones are quite close in usage, taking a day but not much longer.

• RECHARGE

The existence of a significantly quicker charge distinguishes it from its opponent. It is compatible with SUPERVOOC 44 W charging and comes with a 67 W charger from the manufacturer. Oppo is certain that those who can do more can do less.

We discovered that charging is certainly faster than on the Z Flip in our tests. As a reminder, it demonstrated 25% autonomy in 30 minutes during our test. Here is the outcome of the Oppo with 25% autonomy:

• 5 minutes : 35 %
• 10 minutes : 41 %
• 15 minutes : 50 %
• 20 minutes : 61 %
• 35 minutes : 87 %

This is exactly what you’d expect from a rapid charge: getting above 50% autonomy by plugging in your phone for a quarter-hour.

AUDIO : MEDIUM FORTE