Review: the Oppo Find N2 Flip fits into little pockets too

Oppo has kitted the Find N2 Flip out with a larger display than those of its competitors. The phone is cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 and the Motorola razr. Not only that, but Oppo has also done a better job of the hinge. In my review, I’ll find out how the whole package fares.

A mirror of itself: the cover screen

At 3.26 inches, the Find N2 Flip’s portrait-format cover screen is almost twice the size of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4’s, which comes in at 1.9 inches in landscape format. Although the display can be used latency-free, its possibilities are limited. I can only use a handful of widgets on it: the camera, the timer, the weather app, the voice recorder and the calendar. As for the Motorola razr, any of its installed apps could be used on the cover screen – even as widgets. On the Find N2 Flip, I have to flick through the widgets instead of having them all on one screen to tap as I please. Oppo has promised to introduce more apps in widget form in the future, including Spotify. Hopefully, they’ll be arranged better too.

The Find N2 Flip displays notifications in a convenient way. Pop-ups are neatly arranged on the cover screen, and I have the option of answering chat messages with short, pre-written replies. I wasn’t able to type as well on the Motorola razr’s smaller screen. But I was able to type some dazzling, individual replies on a small touch keyboard. If the Oppo had a keyboard, it’d be even larger and easier to use. The thing is, it doesn’t. Oppo has, however, come up with a gimmick for the Flip; I can choose a pet that frolics around on the cover screen and lets me stroke it. Like a Tamagochi without any needs.

I really like the Find N2 Flip’s design. My favourite smartphones are ones that, rather than being super sleek, have a special feel to them. Because of the slightly roughened texture of the black outer casing, the smartphone feels easy to grip. That said, it’s a tad too wide for my dainty hands. The cherry on top is the hinge, made of aluminium finished with waves and engraved on the back with the Oppo logo. But the silicone case that comes with the phone renders all of that useless.

Seamless folding

The hinge closes flush, while the crease in the interior display is barely noticeable – a much better solution compared to Samsung’s previous models.

Open up, Oppo: the interior display

The foldable smartphone’s AMOLED display is particularly bright. From using my Oppo find X5, I’m used to a brightness of 1000 nits. On the Find N2 Flip, the brightness reaches up to 1600 nits, something I’m especially conscious of in bright sunlight. Even when the sun’s out in force, the content on the display still appears in bright colours, with a high level of detail.

When it comes to watching movies, the picture looks washed out – even on the highest brightness setting. There are no gradations, which obscures the picture completely during scenes filmed in the dark. In my opinion, the gradations on the Find X5 are more refined.

One niggle I’m aware of when using the touchscreen is that the smartphone’s besel encroaches on the display ever so slightly, collecting dust and crumbs. Compared to the Flip’s otherwise very classy design, this looks kind of cheap. That’s just nit-picking, though.

Oppo’s in it for the long haul: software and warranty

Oppo’s user interface ColourOS 13 is based on Android 13. Using my Oppo Find X5 has made me familiar with it. While I generally like its design and build, there are a number of additional Oppo apps installed on the Flip. These include the app market, Oppo’s own internet browser and a weather app. Since Google’s services are included on devices sold internationally, the aforementioned apps have duplicates in the form of the Play Store, Chrome and yet another weather app. Unfortunately, most of them can’t be uninstalled.

With four years of software updates and five years of security updates, you can look forward to using the device for the long haul. If it stays in one piece, anyway. Should the display break, Oppo promises a three-year warranty.

Hardware: specs like these pay off

The smartphone has two batteries with a total of 4300 mAh. The larger one boasts a 3100 mAh capacity, with the capacity of the smaller one measuring in at 1200 mAh. As a result, the Flip can hold out for more than a day during typical use. The 44-watt power adapter included with the phone, as well as the fast-charge function, mean the Flip can be charged in less than an hour.

Its high-end Dimensity 9000+ processor is manufactured by Mediatek. Faring well on Geekbench with a single-core score of 882 and a multi-core score of 3,175, it’s in a similar league to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. For example, the Huawei P50 Pro achieves a single-core score of 898 points and a multi-core score of 3,509 points using Qualcomm’s top chipset from 2022.

When it comes to graphics performance, the Oppo Find N2 Flip is hovering somewhere in the mid-range – when I run a 3DMark benchmark test, it scores a total of 2,542 points in Wild Life Extreme mode. This puts the smartphone six per cent below the average score of 2,706 points.

In practice, the Find N2 Flip copes well with simple games such as Mario Kart and Mortal Kombat. More graphics-heavy games, such as Genshin Impact or GRID are slightly jerky on occasion. There aren’t many gaming settings. I can use 4D vibration so that the vibration matches the audio. In addition, there’s a quick boot function for games, which I use frequently, as well as a gaming focus mode, which blocks notifications appearing from outside the game.

Say cheese! The camera will do the rest

The camera is said to be on a level with other flagship smartphones. My current smartphone, the Oppo Find X5, also has a 50-megapixel main camera. In terms of software, it benefits from the company’s collaboration with Hasselblad. With this in mind, I’ll be comparing both smartphones. I notice that the Find N2 Flip’s photos look sharper on a computer screen and have brighter colours. In my view, the Find X5’s natural colour reproduction loses out to the Foldable’s luminance.

The fact that there’s barely a difference between the Find N2 Flip’s main and wide-angle cameras is astonishing. The wide-angle camera produces images that are just as sharp and detailed as the ones captured in high-res mode on the main camera. When I gave it a go, the colours were actually warmer. Mind you, that could be down to the sunlight. Either way, I’m pleased with the result.

However, given the digital zoom’s impressiveness already begins to dwindle after the double zoom is applied, I’d advise against using it.

I’m pleasantly surprised by the camera’s night mode, which really brightens objects photographed in total darkness. However, it does mean that I need to put up with an orange colour cast. I wanted to turn off night mode and the AI in order to do a comparison, but it wouldn’t work. To draw comparisons and get an untouched image, I have to enable Pro mode.

The camera app has two handy features. If I want to take a photo of someone, they can be correctly positioned immediately, with the cover screen displaying a preview of the image.

Being able to activate the self-timer with a hand gesture proves to be another convenient feature. I do it by raising a fist. Flip phones are generally well suited to taking group photos because they can be set up like tripods when flipped open.

I’m stumped by my selfie. I’d assumed a selfie taken with the main camera would completely win me over. The quality is better than that of the 32-megapixel front camera, and I like the angle too. But in the front-camera selfie, my skin is more even and my hair is softer. Even so, the colours are punchier. That’s probably down to the filter, which automatically touches up the image. However, it also reveals that I’ve absolutely no desire to look at myself in high resolution with all my pores on display.

Stable framework and software with potential

I’m impressed by both the Oppo Find N2 Flip’s look and its folding mechanism. It opens and closes comfortably, with the crease in the middle hardly noticeable. The cover screen is easy to use. The camera takes clear pictures with fresh colours and I can take nice selfies and group photos with the main camera. In that respect, the AI is a huge help.

Meanwhile, the interior display is equipped with clear, bright image reproduction. With a decent camera and solid hardware to hand, you’re never left wanting. Not only that, but you have a three-year warranty, four years of software updates and five years of security updates.

There’s still room for improvement when it comes to use of the cover screen. Widgets are few and far between, and there’s not much I can do with notifications besides sending a quick reply. The pets are a fun idea, but as a Tamagotchi fan, I reckon there’s more potential there. The besel, which encroaches on the interior display, takes some getting used to. What’s more, the screen has its work cut out for it when reproducing dark images.

Currently going at just under 1,000 francs, it’s cheaper than previous flip smartphones. If you ask me, it’s not quite cut out for use by gamers and streamers. However, if having a flip phone with a good camera and decent hardware is more important to you, you’ll definitely be happy with it. For me, the drawback is having to return this neat gadget.