Oppo Find N2 Flip and Galaxy Z Flip 4
Samsung has been making foldables for four years now. It makes phones that are large and compact in form factor. But the company has yet to find a way to design the foldable screen in a way that won’t distract you when sliding your finger across the hinge or in certain lighting situations. It’s been that way for nearly half a decade because the South Korean smartphone maker had no external force – healthy competition in global markets – to drive it forward. Enter the Oppo Find N2 Flip!
The Oppo flip phone improves on the three main pain points of the Galaxy Z Flip 4: the crease, a larger cover screen and all-day battery life. These are the three improvements I’ve been waiting for in Samsung flip phones since the Galaxy Z Flip 3. And they should have been part of the Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Teardrop hinge design is the way to go
Oppo Find N2 Flip (left) and Galaxy Z Flip 4 (right)
The Oppo Find N2 Flip features a teardrop-shaped hinge design that allows it to line up when folded, unlike the Galaxy Z Flip range which always had a gap in the middle. The space leaves all sorts of debris in the pocket scratching the soft foldable screen inside, which the Find N2 Flip doesn’t. I would have preferred some sort of IP rating, though.
Oppo says its Find N2 Flip is tested to last up to 400,000 folds, which is a solid number. The hinge is not only a design element, it is also complemented by the FlexForm software function. It allows me to open the phone 90 degrees to make video calls, click selfies, and watch YouTube videos. I’ve used it as a selfie stick more often than I can remember, like I did on the Galaxy Z Flip 4.
It’s a solid hinge and can be opened with one hand, just like the Flip 4. The best part about it is the minimal crease that you can’t see on the screen unless you were looking for it. It’s much less prominent than the Flip 4’s fold. The hinge alone makes the Find N2 Flip’s hardware look better than Samsung’s.
Large blanket display, yes! But…
Oppo Find N2 Flip and Galaxy Z Flip 4
The Oppo Find N2 Flip has a 3.26-inch cover screen. The best use case I could find was as a viewfinder while taking selfies with the 50MP main camera or the not-so-good ultra-wide camera on the back. It reminded me of the Asus Zenfone 7 Pro, which had a flip camera system that let me capture selfies using the main camera. This is also possible on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. But the small cover screen makes it unintuitive.
But Oppo phone cover screen is underused. All you can do on it is interact with a few widgets. I get a lot of emails and it was annoying not being able to answer them without opening the phone. It’s good to have built-in widgets optimized for display size, but it’s a disappointing experience. The Motorola Razr has the most usable cover screen.
As Michael Fisher aka MrMobile mentioned in his review, Oppo could have made the cover screen more functional since the smallest Android phone he reviewed had a smaller main screen than the Find N2’s cover screen. Flip. Despite the size, it ran all the apps on that screen size, so it’s entirely possible for Oppo to offer more features on the Find N2 Flip’s cover screen.
It lasts all day without a hitch
Oppo Find N2 Flip
My biggest gripe with the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was its battery life – it was downright poor. The Flip 4 improved on it, but that barely made it an all-day smartphone.
On the other hand, the Find N2 Flip easily lasts a whole day. I don’t have to run for a charger as soon as I get home. I can doomscroll Twitter in peace. Also, when I need it, it charges at 44W – not the fastest but still fast delivering 50% battery within 25 minutes of charging.
The Find N2 Flip is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ chipset. It didn’t leave me wanting more power. I love ColorOS, and it’s performed well in everyday life. The display is vibrant and crisp, allowing me to enjoy streaming content on the 6.8-inch 120Hz screen.
Optically, the main camera delivers great results for clicked photos in lots of light. It focuses quickly in portrait mode and offers good but not the best edge detection. Low-light photos look above average at best. I loved using the XPan mode to click landscapes in Costa Brava, Spain. The ultra-wide-angle sensor captures average images and can be worked on.
Oppo Find N2 Flip launch is a win for the form factor as a whole
The Oppo Find N2 Flip forces Samsung, the world’s largest seller of foldable smartphones, to up its game. It’s not perfect, but it paves the way for a more competitive market. It’s a win for the flip phone factor.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 should have offered all-day battery life, a better hinge design with minimal creases, and a bigger cover screen. But that’s not the case, and that’s exactly where the Find N2 Flip shines. At 849 pounds / 1,199 euros / 89,999 Indian rupees, I would choose the Oppo Find N2 Flip over the Galaxy Z Flip 4 due to the better hardware and battery life.