Oppo Find N2 initial review: A new super-lightweight foldable champion?

When Oppo released its first consumer foldable phone it piqued our interest. With the Find N it delivered a book-style foldable that was much shorter than the Galaxy Z Fold, making it much more compact and pocketable, but simultaneously giving us a screen on the front that was much more convenient to use than Samsung's. 

We thought at the time it was a winning formula, and the company is back again with a second generation. It sticks to that same idea but tidies up the design a little. But this time the company says it's launching outside of China, meaning you'll actually be able to buy one in the future. 

Design 

• 132.2 x 140.5 x 7.4mm (open)
• 132.2 x 72.6 x 14.6 (closed)
• 233g (Black) or 237g (Green and White)
• Gorilla Glass Victus front and back

Like its predecessor, the Find N2's biggest design strength is its portability. It's not a giant like the Samsung-made Fold series, instead, Oppo's almost has a more pocket and palm-friendly footprint. It's much shorter than most other phones of this style and has a wider aspect ratio front. 

That means when you're using it shut with one hand, you're not left stretching as much with your thumb to reach the furthest edges of the screen. Plus, it easily fits in a pocket without poking out of the top. 

Its weight also makes it really appealing this year. In fact, Oppo claims this is the lightest foldable phone of this style launched so far. At 233 grams - for the lightest model - it's much lighter than the latest Z Fold and even lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. 

In short, you don't get that sense of heft or bulk that you get with most other horizontal folding phones. To achieve it, Oppo used carbon fibre in the hinge and in the flexible underside of the display, stripping out heavier parts and replacing them with lighter ones that were also more durable. 

The black model is the lightest and also - we think - the best looking. It has a vegan leather rear, which complements the dark grey metal around the cameras and the phone's edges perfectly, to give it a really classy overall look, and one we instantly fell in love with upon removing it from its packaging. 

There are glass-backed white and green models as well or will be when these phones are available to buy. It's worth noting, those two have Gorilla Glass Victus on the back, as well as over the exterior display on the front. The black model has Victus on the front only. 

As mentioned, the hinge has been redesigned internally. It's not only lighter and more durable, but smoother in motion and can hold at a few different angles. With the software enhancements made - which we'll get to a bit later - that gives it a bit more of an edge than its predecessor. Unlike Samsung's phones, however, Oppo's doesn't have an official water or dust resistance rating. 

Displays and software

• 7.1-inch main foldable AMOLED display
• 1920 x 1792 - 120Hz adaptive refresh 
• HDR10+ - 1500 nits brightness outdoors
• 5.54-inch external AMOLED display
• 2120 x 1080 - 120Hz refresh - HDR10+ 

Oppo's phone might break the mould with its shaping and size, but it sticks to the tried and true formula of foldables: it's got one rigid display on the outside, and a flexible panel on the inside. 

The former of those is close to being a regular smartphone shape, and measures 5.54-inches diagonally. It's bright and vibrant, reaching over 1000 nits peak brightness and up to 120Hz refresh rates. It's not an afterthought in the slightest, and Oppo sees this as being a screen you use frequently, not as a secondary, or additional screen you might use sometimes. 

If it's like its predecessor, it'll be great for just about anything, but you also have the larger, more expansive screen on the inside. At 7.1-inches it's not massive, but you do still get a lot of space to play games or work with side-by-side apps. 

There's also something Oppo calls 'FlexForm Mode' which kicks in automatically when you open up the phone to an angle. It's like its own custom launcher which features a gesture trackpad on the bottom half and a collection of functions and apps on the top half. 

You'll be able to use it when using the camera - as an example - giving you the viewfinder/monitor on the top half and your controls on the bottom for shooting. On first impressions, it seems a little limited, but we suspect it will be built on as the global launch draws nearer and - hopefully - third-party app developers outside of China get involved and build the functionality into their apps. 

The display spec sheet sings all the right notes too, with 120Hz adaptive refresh rates, HDR10+ support and outdoor brightness up to 1500 nits. It's also got an almost invisible hinge, which makes a huge difference to the experience of using any folding phone. 

You don't really see it when using the phone, and you can barely feel it either when you run your finger across it. Or - at least - it's not so noticeable that it'll distract you from your gaming or productivity. 

Performance and battery

• Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor 
• 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB options
• 4520mAh battery - 67W SuperVOOC wired

It's been a trend for foldable phones in 2022 to hold nothing back in terms of internal power. After all, when you're paying potentially big money for a flexible smartphone, you don't want a device compromised by a less-than-stellar processor. Oppo's continued that trend by equipping the new phone with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor. 

Combined with the 120Hz refresh rates on the displays and either 12GB or 16GB RAM, that should mean fast and smooth performance regardless of the task. We've not had enough time to say whether or not that's the case for the Find N2, but our early impressions are promising. 

There's no doubting it's a very powerful processor, however, and every other phone we've tested featuring this chipset has generally been very fast and responsive in all of our testing. 

You get plenty of storage space too, with either 256GB or 512GB available as options. That'll mean more than enough room for photos, video, apps and music. 

All of this is supported by a 4520mAh battery, which should last a full day comfortably and - when empty - can be fully charged in about 35 minutes. 

Cameras

• 50MP f/1.8 primary camera
• 32MP f/2.0 telephoto zoom 
• 48MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera
• 32MP f/2.4 selfie cameras (external and main display)
• MariSilicon X neural engine - Hasselblad colour science

As camera systems go - again - it's got pretty much everything you need. There's a primary 50-megapixel primary camera joined by a 48-megapixel ultrawide and a 32-megapixel 2x optical telephoto zoom camera on the back. 

Like the flagship Oppo Find X5 Pro, the Find N2's photos are processed by Oppo's own Marisilicon X neural imaging engine and have colour science from Hasselblad. 

Exactly what that means in everyday use is yet to be seen, but it should mean a strong camera system with great versatility in focal lengths on offer from the three distinct lenses. We're glad there are no low-resolution macro or depth sensors anywhere to be seen. This is - seemingly - a proper flagship phone, with proper flagship cameras. 

Source : https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/reviews/oppo/163827-oppo-find-n2-initial-review