Since the foldable phone industry is not as crowded as the conventional smartphone market, every new model generates excitement among early adopters eager to try it out. The introduction of the OPPO Find N foldable phone has sparked the interest of tech aficionados who have been waiting for a contender to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Microsoft Duo 2. The unveiling of OPPO’s new folding phone occurred during the annual INNO Day event, including some other fascinating technology that drew much attention. Even though Samsung has been working on a foldable smartphone for quite some time, the firm did not want to hurry things to compete with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the best overall folding gadget one can buy. When it comes to the foldable form factor, Find N takes a somewhat different strategy, but will it unseat the current leader? More information about the phone and a comparison with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be provided below.
Display & Design
The basic design of both phones is quite similar: they open up like a book to reveal large screen real estate like that of a tablet, and then when in their folded form, a tiny display on the front cover serves as a secondary screen for when you don’t want to open the device. Both OPPO and Samsung have chosen metal for their respective smartphones’ frames and hinge covers. With Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back, both of these foldables are protected from the inevitable scratches that will occur.
The volume rocker controls on OPPO’s foldable are located on the left side of the device, while the recessed power button on the right side also contains the fingerprint sensor. These buttons are located on the right side of the Samsung smartphone. Both variants feature hole-punch cameras on the front and the cover display, with the arrangement of the cameras on the front and the cover display differing somewhat. This phone clone – OPPO picked the left-hand corner, but Samsung chose the top-right corner of the primary screen, centrally aligned with the camera.
The Find N has a more comfortable grip, while the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a sleek and protected appearance owing to its IPX8 waterproof classification. When OPPO unveiled the gadget at its launch event, the company highlighted its ergonomic design, which might be a game-changer for consumers with tiny hands. Although both phones are foldable, OPPO’s is significantly shorter and broader in look, while the Z Fold 3 is slightly higher. Although the Find N’s rear camera housing is less visually appealing than the Find X3 Pro’s, the seamless transition from primary glass to camera module makes it more attractive, in our opinion, than the Find X3 Pro. The Galaxy Z Fold 3, on the other hand, has a modern pill-shaped casing that seems a little out of place on such a high-end flagship handset.
The 12-layer Serene Display, which includes a 0.03mm layer of ultra-thin glass on top, makes the crease in OPPO’s screen less noticeable while the phone is in the folding position. Aside from that, the display characteristics of the gadgets are relatively clear to understand. With a 5.49-inch full HD AMOLED display on the front and a 6.2-inch 25:9 AMOLED display on the back, the Find N is a worthy competitor to the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The display on OPPO’s gadget has an aspect ratio comparable to that of a conventional smartphone display, and it seems to be less cramped than the display on Samsung’s device.
The Find N boasts a 7.1-inch E5 AMOLED display with a resolution of 1792 x 1920px and an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz that can dip as low as 1Hz, as well as TÜV Rheinland certification. The Galaxy Z Fold 3’s main display is a 7.6-inch AMOLED screen with a 2K resolution and a 120Hz variable refresh rate (with the lowest refresh rate being 10Hz). It has also been certified for HDR10+.
Batteries & Cameras
On paper, the Find N seems to be a strong contender in the optics area, and it has the advantage over the absolute champion in terms of adaptability. There are three cameras on the back: a 50-megapixel Sony IMX 766 primary sensor, a 16-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and a 13-megapixel telephoto lens. It also features a fingerprint reader. Samsung used a camera module comparable to its predecessor to take a more methodical approach. All three lenses, including the primary lens, the ultra-wide lens, and the telephoto lens, contain 12MP sensors.
The Find N has an edge in the selfie camera on the cover screen and the main screen selfie camera. This model sports a 32MP cover screen camera instead of the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s 10MP camera on the back. The selfie camera on the main screen is also 32MP, but the Samsung foldable falls short in pure hardware, with just a 4MP camera on the under-display. Regarding battery size and compatibility for the 33W SuperVOOC charger, OPPO opts for a slightly higher-capacity 4,500mAh battery with support for the SuperVOOC charger. It also enables wireless charging at a rate of 15 watts and reverses charging at 10 watts. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 boasts a 4,400mAh battery pack that can be recharged at speeds of up to 25 watts while also providing support for wireless charging and reverse charging up to 11 amps.
The OPPO Find N seems to have the upper hand when it comes to battery size and charging rates. The software environment and battery management technology may decide whether the device will be superior to the other. For real-world use, Samsung’s extensive expertise with the multiple screen foldable format may give its gadget an advantage over OPPO’s competition.
OS & Hardware
When it comes to sheer power, the two flagship smartphones are pretty close to one another. Both devices are equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 CPU, UFS 3.1 storage, and the most recent LPDDR5 RAM. The only difference between them is the amount of RAM and storage space. Find N is available in 8GB/12GB RAM configurations with 256GB/512GB storage choices. The Galaxy Z Fold 3, on the other hand, begins at 12GB and comes in both 256GB and 512GB storage configurations. There isn’t much to distinguish between the two foldables aimed at the same tiny market area.
When it comes to the software environment, the Find N is equipped with ColorOS 12, which runs on top of Android 11. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is powered by the One UI 3.1, which is based on Android 11. Regarding the user interface, Samsung should have an advantage over OPPO’s first try at foldables since the company has been in the foldables market for many years. As a result of the lessons learned from the previous foldable phones introduced by Samsung, the user interface on this device should be more simplified and sharp.
Concluding Statement
Pre-orders for OPPO’s Find N have already started in Mainland China, where the device is scheduled to ship on December 23, 2021. The basic model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage costs 7,699 RMB (about $1,200), while the top-end model with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage costs 8,999 RMB (roughly $1,400). Compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which starts at $1,800 for the basic model and goes up to $1,900 for the top-of-the-line option, the pricing disparity between the two smartphones is apparent. According to some reports, OPPO is undercutting the Samsung foldable smartphone by almost matching the price of top-tier flagships such as the iPhone 13 series and the Galaxy S21 series.
Improvements in camera quality, ergonomic design, the Flexion Hinge, and the minor crease all work in favor of the new OPPO folding camera system. Sure, the phone makes a few concessions — there is currently no waterproofing certification for the device, for example, and the display is less vibrant than that of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Nonetheless, the significant price disparity is sufficient to be the deciding factor. Hopefully, OPPO’s new foldable phone will be introduced in other areas across the globe soon so that we can have a closer look at it in person.