Review | Oppo Find N2 foldable phone a light, sturdy, compact competitor for Samsung Galaxy Fold 4 and for other Chinese models
- The Chinese smartphone brand’s second-generation large foldable handset is lighter than the Find N1 and 5,000 yuan cheaper than Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 4
- Unlike the latter it folds entirely flat, but its display when folded is small by 2022 standards. Processor and main camera are good enough but not top notch
The hotly contested foldable phone market in China got even more crowded last week when Oppo launched two handsets there.
Following Samsung’s strategy, Oppo has developed a larger, book-like folding device and a smaller, flip-phone-style foldable. We got our hands on the former, and it’s a solid and compact alternative not just to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 4 but to the half-dozen other competitors in China.
Design and hardware
Named the Find N2, the Oppo handset is a direct successor to last year’s surprise hit the Find N. Despite its dimensions and shape being similar to that device, the Find N2 is 42g lighter, at 233g, making it the lightest book-like foldable phone yet.
Oppo says it managed to shed weight by redesigning the hinge to use fewer moving components. Despite this, Oppo claims the hinge is more durable than that of the Find N1 and has been tested to withstand at least 400,000 folds by TUV labs.
From my testing I can say the hinge feels sturdy and well constructed, and it can stay in place mid-fold.
The Find N2, like its predecessor, differs from other foldables in that Oppo has opted to use a main screen that is wider than it is tall. The display has a diagonal span of 7.1 inches (18cm) in landscape format; when closed, it has a 5.5-inch display – which feels downright tiny by 2022 standards.
Both the outside and folding displays are top-notch OLED panels with refresh rates of up to 120Hz. Unlike Samsung’s Fold 4, the Find N2 can fold entirely flat.
This test unit comes with a faux-leather back that offers grip and texture. I’m a fan. There are also conventional glass-back models in green and white.
Powering the phone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, which is no longer the best and most powerful processor on the market but is still more than adequate. There’s also a triple-camera system that is solid for a foldable device but not quite at the level of the best systems in conventional phones.
Software and features
The Find N2 runs Oppo’s ColorOS software over Android 13 and the software experience is mostly pleasant. ColorOS is one of the smoothest and most customisable UIs around. Oppo has built several multitasking features into the software that take advantage of the fact that this phone can turn from small phone to mini tablet at the blink of an eye.
The wide main screen does present some app scaling problems, as most Android apps are designed for portrait orientation. None of these issues are bad enough that they break basic functionality, but aesthetically they are not great.
Performance and battery life
With the Snapdragon chip and 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, day-to-day performance has been absolutely fine.
I spent most of the review period travelling, and the larger display came in handy for navigating with Google Maps, or running two apps at the same time.
Battery life is decent, and should be fine for average users. Because I’m on the road, I am out 13 to 15 hours a day, and the Find N2 definitely could not last the entire stretch. Expect to get 10 to 11 hours of sustained regular use on a single charge.
Camera performance is fine for a foldable. The 50-megapixel main camera in particular can snap some great images, and Oppo’s image processing is on par with the best phone brands. But its ultra-wide and zoom lens are relatively mediocre by late 2022 standards.
Conclusion
The Oppo Find N2 is priced at a relatively attractive 7,999 yuan (US$1,150) in its home market, and at this price point it’s hard to complain about the older chipset or just solid camera system. Samsung’s Fold 4, for example, costs 12,999 yuan.
However, Oppo needs to release this phone internationally to truly take a bite out of Samsung’s market share. Oppo says it will gauge interest and decide in early 2023 whether to do so.
