This year we got early and rather exclusive access to the Oppo Find N. This foldable screen device is different from the others because it uses a design similar to the Z Fold4 but in a more compact size. In the folded state, holding it feels more comfortable with the outer screen similar to an iPhone SE. Typing does not feel awkward and the ratio of displayed applications is the same as on a regular candybar device.
It is disappointing that the Find N is not marketed outside of China as the world is struggling with the pandemic and critical supply chain issues. This year the situation is giving hope that the Find N2 and N2 Flip launched today will arrive in the Malaysian market. Before this happened we got to use the device in a special event organized by Oppo Malaysia. Here's our opinion on the Oppo Find N2.
Specifications
Oppo Find N2
External Screen – 5.54″ AMOLED, 120Hz
In – 7.1″ AMOLED 120Hz
HDR10+, Stylus
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor (4nm)
1 X 3.19 GHz Cortex X2 chip
3 X 2.75 GHz Cortex A710
4 X 2.00 GHz Cortex A510
Adreno 730 Graphics Chip
RAM 12/16 Gigabytes
Internal Storage 256/512GB UFS 3.1
Primary Camera 54 MP, f/1.8, OIS (Wide Angle)
48 MP, f/2.2 (Ultra Wide Angle)
32 MP, f/2.0 Telephoto) 2x Optical Zoom
4K 60p
Front Camera 32 Megapixel f/2.4 (Front)
32 Megapixel f/2.4 (Inner)
1080p 30p
4520 mAh battery
67W wired charging
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM Nano /5G
NFC Yes
Infrared None
Waterproof None
Side built-in Fingerprint Scan System
Sale Price RM5060* (12/256 GB)
RM5693* (16/512 GB)
Screen
5.54″ AMOLED external screen with 120Hz refresh rate support. The screen size is compact which makes it very comfortable to use even with one hand. It's like holding an iPhone SE only twice as thick. Typing using the external screen is also more comfortable because the screen ratio resembles a regular candybar smartphone.
The bezels on the three corners are thin and even. There is official HDR10+ support but at the time of writing HDR can only be used on the YouTube app. Official support for other streaming services may only come after the global launch of the Find N2. The same screen detects every touch and scroll precisely. With 120Hz animation looks clear and smooth all the time. Users are given the option to lower the refresh rate to 120Hz if needed.
The Find N2 foldable screen is 7.1″ AMOLED 120Hz which also supports HDR10+. The crease effect still exists but is not noticeable with the length. Only at certain angles it can be seen. The internal screen frame is large as it is made of a plastic material that absorbs shock when the screen is closed.
The new hinge this year is easier to open without making any strange noises. The device feels solid in the hand both open and closed. In the closed position, there is no space between the screens. This closer design makes it look neater when compared to the Z Fold4 which has a small space between the screen near the hinge in the closed position.
The improvement this year is that Oppo uses a UTG layer on this foldable screen and finally this screen can support the Oppo Pen stylus. In terms of capabilities, the Oppo Pen is the same as the Samsung S Pen. As with the Z Fold4, the Oppo Pen stylus is sold separately with no special storage space included on the body. We were unable to test the Oppo Pen sketch capabilities on the reviewed N2 as it was not provided by Oppo Malaysia.
There are two small camera holes on the top left corner of the foldable screen and in the center on the smaller outer screen. Finally, because both screens are from the AMOLED family, text and images on the screen can be seen clearly even under bright sunlight.
Design
We said a few paragraphs above that the N2 is like using two iPhone SEs simultaneously. In closed mode it is still comfortable in the hand due to its compact size. In open mode, it is still comfortable to use like an iPad Mini. The power button and audio controls are placed on the "right wing" of the N2. The audio adjustment button is on top and the power button is on the bottom. There is a fingerprint scanner built into this power button. The fingerprint scanning system on the N2 is incredibly fast with the screen unlocking in the blink of an eye.
We just don't like the position of the audio control buttons that are too high. To change the sound volume is a little difficult. The speaker is also placed at the bottom which is actually a smart decision. In our experience with foldable screen devices, when the speaker is placed sideways the grille is often closed by hand. With the speaker firing down the audio is rarely accidentally obstructed.
The tray for the nano-sized dual SIM is also placed at the bottom of the right wing where it clamps the USB-C port and the audio grille. There is no space for a micro SD card so the buyer has to decide what size of storage they want to use while the device is in use. The lack of expandable memory has been a disappointing trend on Android flagships for the past four years.
On the back there is a large square-shaped bump that houses three cameras – 50MP wide-angle f/1.8 , 48MP ultra-wide-angle f/2.2 and 2MP telephoto f/2.o that supports 2x optical zoom and up to 20X digital zoom.
This year's camera configuration is no longer three vertical like on the original Find N. The size of the wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses is large. No gimmicky macro camera system here. There is also no periscope camera system. What is available is the Hasselblad camera system with Oppo continuing its collaboration with this Swedish photography company. The large bump makes the Find N2 impossible to place flat on the table.
The back finish of the Find N2 is made of vegan leather with a texture similar to that found on digital cameras. When used without a frame, the surface of this back pen is textured but still soft to the touch. It doesn't feel cold when held like glass and metal panels. We quite like this finish because it makes the device feel exclusive, not slippery when held and not easily dirty. A little sad when the supplied frame is installed, this beautiful panel is hidden behind a plain polycarbonate frame.
The battery provided is 4520 mAh which is bigger than Z Fold4 (4400 mAh) but smaller than Magic Vs (5000 mAh). Impressively, the Find N2's small body can accommodate a larger battery compared to the larger Z Fold4. Amazingly there is support for faster 67W wired charging. The only downside is no wireless or reverse charging support.
The combination of a compact body, a small but still easy-to-use external screen and a foldable screen that doesn't have a noticeable crease made us instantly fall in love with the Find N2. This is something that we ourselves did not expect because we always felt that the Z Fold4 was the pinnacle of foldable screen device design. One of the most significant advantages we realized is that because of its small size and not so thick, Find N2 can be used on the device holder in the car without having to buy a new one.
In short, the Find N2 design is not only the most comfortable we've used so far for a foldable screen device, but also the most practical. The downside is that it doesn't have any official waterproof capabilities whereas Samsung's foldable screen devices this year pass the IPX8 standard.
Interface And User Experience
ColorOS 13 operating system based on Android 13 is used. This brings better customization and widget support. Android 12L components specifically for tablets are also included. Use of the Find N2 is smooth and fast as expected for a premium flagship device. The reviewed model only comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage but we didn't encounter any issues downloading apps from the Play Store and running them post-installation.
No issues at all even though the device is actually using a Chinese version of the ROM. Installation of Google Play Store can be done without complicated process. Good news for those looking to buy N2 units directly from China before the global level offering.
There is a feature to add RAM up to 8GB virtually if needed. Tablet-specific functions on the foldable screen are also provided by Oppo. Among them doing two fingers from top to bottom will automatically launch dual-window mode. This window can then be resized as needed. In addition, the mode of displaying the application in a floating window can also be used.
Because not all apps are designed for foldable screens, Oppo provides a feature for users to choose to launch apps at a more normal smartphone-like ratio or force them to use the entire screen. We are more comfortable using Instagram without it being forced to be big for example. YouTube is easier to use on a wider screen. Users can set themselves which applications they want to force or not.
Flex Mode can also be used but at this time it is limited to some applications from China only. As we mentioned above, the reviewed Find N2 uses a Chinese ROM, so YouTube and Netflix application support has not yet been provided.
Based on early-stage usage, ColorOS 13 works smoothly and offers a variety of interesting additional features in tablet mode. However, features like Taskbar Z Fold4 are not on Find N2 because the intellectual property may be held by Samsung. In our opinion, Taskbar should be a standard feature on all foldable screen devices because it speeds up the process of switching between applications as if it were a desktop operating system.
Camera
Some sample photos that were taken during the short period of time the device was used by us . Cameras with the Hasselblad XPan system are given to take more cinematic photos at elongated ratios. Like the Oppo Find X5 Pro, the Find N2 also has a MariSilicon X chip which is an independent ISP made by Oppo to improve photography performance.
Conclusion
To say we're pretty impressed with the Oppo Find N2 would be a bit of an understatement because it's better than we thought it would be. The bar for foldable screen devices has been set quite high after the Z Fold4 launched this year. At first we thought that with the smaller screen the Find N2 might not be a contender for the best smart screen phones on the market so far but we were wrong.
The design of the Oppo Find N2 is the most practical we have used so far. No sacrifices on one-handed use, no feeling weighed down by weight and a foldable screen that doesn't disappoint. We are only disappointed that Oppo is still unable to guarantee that the Find N2 will be marketed globally. This is a device whose design we believe will become a template for other devices after in because it has almost no compromises.
Pro
The 5.45″ 120Hz screen is small but comfortable to use with one hand.
The large 7.1″ 120Hz foldable screen inside has no noticeable creases.
High specification Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 with memory up to 16GB RAM.
The finish of the outer panel feels like luxurious leather.
Large main tri-camera with optical zoom.
Large 4500 mAh battery with 67W charging.
Oppo Pen support.
Cons
There are no waterproof standards.
Flex Mode on ColorOS 13 is limited to some Chinese applications only.
The position of the audio adjustment buttons is a little awkward.
There is no Flex Mode option for external screens.