by Not many foldable phones come out every year… So when new ones arrive, their appearance turns into a real party – of course, at least if you’re a phone nerd!
And while the very end of the year might seem like a bit of an odd time to launch new devices, a ton of Chinese companies seem to disagree, much like Oppo rolling out the red carpet for what could turn out to be the two most important foldable phones we’ve seen in a while – the Oppo Find N2 and Oppo Find N2 Flip.
This story is about the phone-tablet Oppo Find N2which officially becomes the the lightest and cheapest foldable tablet phone ever released! Talk about bragging rights!
Foldable Oppo Find N2 puts Galaxy Z Fold 4, iPhone 14 Pro Max to shame with ultra-lightweight design
Unprecedented! The new Oppo Find N2 is lighter than Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max, which… doesn’t bend.
Although it might seem a little counter-intuitive at first, I think it’s actually pretty fair to compare new foldable phones with “regular” phones and other foldables at the same time!
In the end, the new foldable phones have two objectives: to become the new “default”, to replace the panels that we have been using for almost two decades, and to be better foldable phones than previous devices of the same kind…
Well, the miraculous Oppo Find N2 scores massive wins in both categories!
- Oppo Find N2 – 233g
- iPhone 14 Pro Max – 240g
- Huawei Mate Xs 2 – 255g
- Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 – 262g
- Galaxy Z Fold 4 – 263g
At just 233 grams, the Find N2 becomes not only the lightest foldable phone on the market, but also the first foldable tablet phone (ever!) lighter than a consumer slab phone – sponsored by Apple. iPhone 14 Pro Max big ape, sitting at exactly 240g, or seven grams Following than the foldable Find N2!
Achieving “normal” phone weight was one of the biggest challenges (if not the biggest) for large foldable phones, which is why the new standard set by Oppo could and probably will play a huge role in promoting of innovation in the foldable market. , quickly!
An incredible price makes the Oppo Find N2 much cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 4; little to no compromise from Oppo
Foldable phones are getting cheaper and cheaper! Well, except Samsung.
But the Find N2’s lightweight design isn’t where Oppo’s spirit of overcoming ends!
Before we look at pricing, I should clarify that part of the reason the Oppo Find N2 turns out to be much more affordable than other foldables is that we’re looking at converted Chinese market prices. Still, even if you were to import the Find N2 (currently China-exclusive), it’s likely to cost you around 20% less than buying a brand. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4. As for the shocking fact that the Oppo Find N2 ends up being cheaper than an iPhone 14 Pro in Europe, it’s again thanks to the conversion, which excludes import costs, but also thanks to Apple’s decision to shoot iPhone 14 prices in Europe soared, while keeping US prices unchanged.
At just CNY8,000 / $1,145 / €1,080 / ₹95,000, the Find N2’s price in China is so much lower than the Galaxy Z Fold 4 (assuming that’s the more obvious benchmark) that it almost looks like a direct attack on Samsung! Of course, that’s before the import markup, which makes the Find N2 a $1,530 / €1,450 phone – still significantly more affordable than the Galaxy Z Fold 4 at launch.
Weight and price aside, is the Oppo Find N2 a better foldable phone than the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the rest of the competition?
Maybe?
Really, that question can’t be answered yet, and that’s because the Oppo Find N2 is too fresh on the shelves (it hasn’t really hit the shelves yet) to tell. That means you’ll have to come back for our full Oppo Find N2 review to find out how it stacks up against the competition from Samsung and other foldable phone makers…
That being said, of course, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t share my first thoughts on the Oppo Find N2 with you, so let’s go and do that…
- Thanks to its 5.5-inch exterior display (and lightweight design), the Oppo Find N2 is shaping up to be the most/most practical foldable tablet phone not only compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 but, to some ways, even compared to large slab phones that can be difficult to use one-handed – while hiding another large 7.1-inch screen inside
- Similarly, the Oppo Find N2’s 7.1-inch internal screen makes it ideal not just for use as a mini tablet in split-screen mode (which is now made very easy thanks to the improved software in ‘Oppo), but also for use with one hand; this could come in handy in situations where you need a bigger screen to navigate the streets with Google Maps, while your other hand is busy, or if you need to have both Maps and another important application open at the same time
- With all-new primary, zoom, ultra-wide and selfie cameras, the Oppo Find N2 is also a contender for the best camera system in any foldable phone; for example, each camera found on the Find N2 has a larger and higher megapixel sensor compared to those found in the Galaxy Z Fold 4, with the difference between the ultra-wide cameras being the most noticeable
- Compared to the much bigger Galaxy Z Fold 4 (4400mah), the Oppo Find N2 has a larger 4520mah cell while being able to recharge much faster at 67W (100% in 42 min); at the same time, in a huge upgrade from the old Snapdragon 888, it now comes with the same Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip that did wonders for the battery life of the Galaxy Z Fold 4, this which means the endurance and battery efficiency on the Oppo Find N2 should (technically) be noticeably better than on Samsung’s foldable, which also has larger screens to power
For those who like to nitpick (that’s my job!), the Oppo Find N2 has two rather obvious design advantages over any Samsung foldable ever made! Unlike the Fold 4, the Find N2 can fold completely flatand it shows a barely noticeable display crease with the screen on. Samsung might want to take some notes for the new Fold 5…
Oppo Find N2 is far from perfect; lacks water resistance – but you can easily work around its weaknesses
Far from perfect… Unless you live in China.
In the end, it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t mention the elephant(s) in the room when it comes to the Oppo Find N2…
Unlike Samsung’s much more expensive Fold 4, the Oppo Find N2 doesn’t come with any form of water protection, which could be a deal-breaker for those who like to roam the seas and oceans or who have clumsy fingers. That being said, water resistance is one of those things that you either really appreciate having on your phone or don’t really care about…so it’s up to you if it’s a dealbreaker. …
Questionable software support makes the Oppo Find N2 a little less than ideal
The other factor that could hold the Find N2 back is the fact that Oppo, like almost every other Chinese phone maker, doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to fast and reliable software support…
Again, I don’t think that’s what makes or breaks a phone, especially when its selling point bends over backwards and this phone is so much more affordable than its biggest competitor, but it’s definitely not something to overlook!
Global availability could be the Oppo Find N2’s Achilles’ heel, unless…
And we come to the biggest elephant in the building, which I’ve alluded to a few times already, and that’s the fact that the Oppo Find N2 is a device that can only be bought in China – or imported via third-party providers if you live in the US, UK, Europe or elsewhere.
The bad news is that the import fees will make your purchase of Oppo Find N2 a little less “flying” than before the markup and you will need to make sure that the model you are ordering supports the international version of the Oppo OS Origin (most units that ship overseas do).
The good news is that third-party vendors are usually very good at bringing the international version of the software to Chinese phones as soon as possible and even with the import fee compounding, the Find N2 will end up costing less than a Galaxy Z Fold 4 – at least if we judge by the price at launch, which means that it is very likely that it will cost even less than the Galaxy Z Fold 5, expected in August 2023.
I left the best news for last, and that is the fact that Oppo is “very open” to bringing the Find N2 to the international stage! Apparently, the company is now awaiting initial response from enthusiasts like you and me before deciding whether or not to start selling the Find N2 outside of China.
So make yourself heard! Would you like to see the Oppo Find N2 launch in your country and (finally!) pressure Samsung to step up its hardware game and lower its prices? I know the answer for myself…
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