Oppo Find N2 Flip was launched in February 2023. It is Oppo’s first flip phone to be sold in the global market, after the Oppo Find N and Find N2 “foldables”. Given Oppo has years of assessing the competitors’ design and consumer feedback, it is a given that the first flip phone would have attained a certain design maturity. Indeed, I feel that the Find N2 Flip uses much better material finish. Everyone I showed loves the matt texture which is unique for a smartphone. The metal frame is also feels less slippery so I have a better grip on the phone.
Another stellar feature is the 3.26-inch Cover Screen that is large enough to be useful. It requires user to unlock – either via facial recognition, fingerprint or password – before you can access the content. Unfortunately, Oppo did not quite make full use of this screen, as it only has a limited set of widgets. While I could see the list of notifications, I could only view a truncated message. Oppo needs to quickly allow more Android apps to be able to display on the cover screen and interact. Already I am seeing Whatsapp available as an experimental widget, so this feature will make or break the adoption of flip phones.
The Cover Screen is great for photo taking and video capture thanks to the portrait layout, and you are using the rear camera as selfie which are of higher quality than the front camera. I also like the Spotify widget where I can control track playbacks and select playlist.
As much as I appreciate the compactness of flip phones, they remain only useful in storage mode. That is, they fold into a small size that makes it easy to carry around, but if you want to interact with it for most of the functions, you have to unflip it. Comparatively, large fold phones can still be used like a normal phone using the external display, and unfold if necessary to enjoy a much larger display.
The OPPO ColorOS 13 generally feels slow in the interaction experience, and it’s not because of the processor. Rather, the animation sequence makes the screen-to-screen flow draggy, and I have to reduce the animation timing using the developer option menu to speed things up a little. The OS feels a little dated in the UX, unlike Xiaomi whose OS has a lot more animation effects. The display has a few settings, with “Vivid” the most vibrant without looking too over-saturated. I find that the “Natural” setting works better as the whites are slightly warmer.
The camera system – 50MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, and 32MP front – captures good vibrant images that is not as neutral as Google Pixel 7 series, but if you like your images punchy, the the Oppo Find N2 Flip does not disappoint.
The OPPO Find N2 Flip also offers better digital bokeh for subject isolation, something that Pixel 7 Pro lacks.
Notice that there is a difference in colour tones between the wide angle lens and the standard lens. The wide angle lens exhibit warmer tones.
The smartphone also does not have telephoto lenses, so when doing digital zoom beyond 2-times, images appear soft.
Thanks to the large Cover Screen, it is easy to take a selfie using the main camera as you can see a live preview on it. The flip hinge also means you have greater flexibility in positioning the smartphone on a flat surface without needing a tripod for self-directed content. The collaboration with Hasselblad enables special “Master” filters and Pro shooting mode that offer more exposure controls and saves in 10-bit RAW. The XPAN mode is unique to Hasselblad with a 65:24 ratio, making the final images appear panoramic. You can also add Hasselblad watermarks with EXIF information.
The 4300 mAh battery life comfortably lasts me a full day of normal usage, but the 44W SUPERVOOC charger fills up the juice in about an hour. The smartphone gets hot during charging due to the super charging capability. The retail package also includes hard plastic protection case that snaps separately on the back of the phone.
Conclusion
The OPPO Find N2 Flip is a very polished flip smartphone with a smartphone system aligned to Hasselblad imaging style. Camera lovers also benefit from the flip design which allows them to shoot without tripod as well as get a live preview of them while shooting with the rear camera. The Cover Screen has much potential and hopefully there are updates to further make them more useful than what’s currently being offered. For now, it’s a cool screen with some Always-On Display digital pet animation to make it stand out.
The OPPO Find N2 Flip retail price in Singapore is S$1299, making it a very attractive flip phone to own. For more information on the OPPO Find N2 Flip, visit the official Singapore website.