Oppo’s new folding phone is the lightest I’ve ever carried

When I think of foldable smartphones, I picture a bulky device that is difficult to carry around. Oppo’s latest foldable smartphone, the Find N2, has begun to change my mind. 

The Chinese company’s new phone, announced Wednesday, is the lightest foldable device you can find  — even compared to its biggest rival, the Galaxy Z Fold 4. It’s also the smallest foldable I have ever used. 

It seems that foldable phones are inherently chunky. Oppo has made impressive improvements with the Find N2. It weighs in at 42 grams (42! It is lighter than its predecessor, and weighs in at 42 grams (42! Find N. Oppo attributes the creation of a lighter phone to its “Flexion” hinge. Oppo claims it reduced the number required to make the hinge and introduced materials such as carbon fiber and a high-strength alloy used in the aviation industry. 

The Find N2 folds down to a small size. It boasts a powerful Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, two equally responsive displays as well as fast charging and solid cameras. This phone is unlikely to be available for purchase due to its inability to withstand water and dust. The Find N2 is currently being released in China only. Oppo also launched a new flip phone similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 4. It’s expected to be released internationally in the coming months. At the time of writing, there was no pricing information for the Find N2. 

The Find N2 shortie is here

The Find N2’s design looks similar to Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4’s, in that it is a book-style folding phone. The Find N2 is smaller and more compact than the Z Fold 4. The Find N2 is nearly 1 inch shorter than Z Fold 4. Think iPhone 13 Mini in terms of height, but backed with double the thickness. It also has a different aspect ratio, 17.7:9. This means that when you unfold the Find N2, it transforms into a square-shaped screen, rather than the rectangular display found on the Z Fold 4.

The Find N2 foldable phone is the lightest available. The Find N2 weighs 233 grams and is 30% lighter than the Z Fold 4, at 232 grams. It is also lighter than the Z Fold 4. iPhone 14 Pro MaxIt is only a few grams heavier than the previous model. This lightweight design makes it easy to deal with the inherent weight of a foldable smartphone.

These features make it easier to carry around a foldable phone. I feel more at ease carrying it around in my pocket, without worrying about it sticking out or falling out. Despite the many similarities between the phones, the Find N2’s square-shaped screen makes it stand out from the other smartphones by Samsung and Huawei.

The Find N2 displays almost crease-free

Oppo admits that the Find N2 has a crease on its main display, but it isn’t easily visible. The crease was barely noticeable in my brief time with the Find N2. To see it, I had to move the screen to the right angle in bright light. The Find N2’s were not creased, which is a great thing. Oppo claims the Find N2 has been tested to withstand 400,000 folds.

The inner screen of Find N measures 7.1 inches with a 120Hz refresh speed. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has an inner display measuring 7.6 inches. The outer screen of Find N2 has a 5.5 inch AMOLED display. This might be a problem for those who are used to taller phones. 

The Find N2 features a rear camera with three lenses

The Find N2 comes with a polished Hasselblad-branded camera unit. There are three rear cameras: the main 50-megapixel camera, the ultrawide 48-megapixel and the telephoto 32-megapixel lenses. The Find N2 was able to take bright photos in low-light conditions and it did so well. It was great to have a telephoto lens capable of zooming out 2x, which is 1x more than the Z Fold. The camera supports 10-bit RAW as well as full manual control via Hasselblad interface elements.

The Find N2’s foldable counterpart from Samsung features a funny feature that allows you use the cover screen to take selfies with the rear camera. It’s important because front-facing camera quality is often lower than the main ones on the back.  

FlexForm Mode is another feature of Oppo’s Find N2. This allows you to move the app you are using to the top while still showing the controls at bottom when the phone’s half open. This allows you place the camera on a surface, such as a table, and capture a subject at a top-down angle. I used it to photograph my dog asleep on the floor. It also allowed me to get some great images from a lower angle. I wouldn’t be able to capture this shot with a regular, not-folding smartphone. Samsung’s foldable phones have a similar software option called Flex Mode.

Although I haven’t had the chance to fully test the Find N2, Oppo’s second foldable phone impressed my during the time I was with it.  The Find N2 is a foldable phone with a very compact design. It also has two sharp screens, reliable cameras and fast charging. The Find N2’s shorter design proves that it is possible to create a phone with a tablet-sized display that is still portable. The Find N2’s square design distinguishes it from its main Android rival, Galaxy Z Fold 4. It’s a shame that the Find N2 is only available in China, at least not for now.