Press review: can the Oppo Find N make the Samsung Galaxy Fold wobble?
Announced in mid-December, the OPPO Find N is the first smart phone folding developed by the Chinese manufacturer. A late arrival in a market where Samsung is king, but which precisely allows it not to reproduce the youthful mistakes of the competition.
Several Anglo-Saxon media have had the chance to take Find N in hand, and deliver their enthusiastic impressions in articles that we will summarize here.
After testing the Samsung Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Galaxy Z Fold 3, an inherent defect in this type of device clearly appears to us: they are almost never pleasant to use closed. The fault of a form-factor very narrow, which requires great precision from the user. A problem that the OPPO Find N proposes to correct, according to XDA Developers.
According to the reporter who received a test copy, OPPO found ” the perfect compromise between “too big” and “too small” with its Find N. As a reminder, it offers a 5.5″ screen in 18:9 format when folded. This makes it an even more compact smartphone than an iPhone 13 Pro!
A format which the journalist recognizes that it allows you to type at the same speed, and with the same confidence as on any more conventional smartphone. Unfortunately, that small front screen is capped at a refresh rate of 60Hz, which causes some lag when switching between screens (the inner screen allows 120Hz).
The best screen for a folding smartphone?
Unlike Samsung’s products, the Find N does not require you to turn it to take advantage of a landscape format when unfolded. Opening it like a book reveals a 7.1″ screen (also designed by Samsung), punched out in the upper left corner (to house a 32-megapixel camera), which is ready to be used for reading or watching videos A choice of design that particularly appealed to 9to5Google.
Another detail particularly appreciated by American testers: the hinge of the OPPO Find N is exemplary. Designed differently compared to its counterparts at Samsung, Xiaomi or Huawei, it would allow the two parts of the screen to marry almost perfectly; thus avoiding the space that exists on a Galaxy Z Fold, for example. And it also makes all the difference when you unfold the Find N. The reason? It spares us the appearance of the characteristic fold of this type of smartphone.
A difference, written Android Central“ simply monumental in everyday use “. In his grip, The Verge adds that we can feel the crease under your finger, but it’s hard to see it unless you look at the screen from a great distance and from a certain angle “.
Still more work to do on the software side
We know: the party software is at least as important as the component hardware for our smartphones. And this is all the more true when we talk about folding smartphones. So how is the OPPO Find N doing in this regard?
We must start by repeating that this device runs on ColorOS 12, based on Android 11. It therefore does not yet benefit from the new features that Android 12L will bring in the future. That being said, the OPPO Find N offers a very fluid browsing experience (thanks to its Snapdragon 888 and its 8 to 12 GB of RAM, in particular), which adapts well to the folding format. The manufacturer has also worked on shortcuts allowing, at your fingertips, to divide its screen in two to display several applications without having to get lost in complex menus.
Nevertheless, and OPPO is not the first to blame here, Android is still not a very suitable platform for the folding smartphone. In his grip, Android Police writes that the Find N has a ” stellar hardware, pulled down by the software part “. The journalist particularly regrets applications that do not adapt correctly to the screen ratio, or quite simply a UI designed above all for the Chinese market. Market which, let us remember, will be the only one to benefit from Find N.
A smartphone destined for China
Because if most of the grips that we have relayed here are enthusiastic, all or almost all regret that the OPPO Find N is absolutely not intended to leave its territory. OPPO confirmed it to the journalists invited to discover the phone: the Find N will not be launched in other markets.
The import solution still remains, but it should be remembered that Google services and applications are natively absent from Chinese smartphones (which only complicates the user experience even more for Western testers).
Nevertheless, it should be noted that, for a first try, OPPO is obviously doing very, very well. And offers its Find N at an attractive price (compared to the competition): from 7,699 yuan, or around €1,068 (excl. VAT). The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is sold in France from €1,799.
