Oppo flips the script with new smartphone

The Chinese company is taking on Samsung with its new foldable handset, coming to Australia this month.

Oppo's new Find N2 flip phone. Source: Supplied.

Oppo is set to provide Samsung with some much-needed competition with the Chinese company announcing today that its first foldable smartphone, the Find N2 Flip, will be making its way to Australian shores on March 2nd for $1499.

The wider release of the Find N2 Flip might just be a sign that Chinese brands are ready to go global with their foldables to meet the growing demand and take on the likes of Samsung who up until now have faced very little competition in global markets. Despite playing exclusively at the ultra premium price point category of $1500 and above, global foldable smartphone shipments are forecasted to increase 52 per cent year over year within the 2023 financial year.

On paper, the N2 Flip looks to address some of the weaker points of Samsung’s clamshell foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 4. This includes a larger 3.26-inch outer screen, a near invisible crease on the main 6.8-inch internal display, all day battery life as well as significantly faster 44w charging capable of topping up the phone to 50 per cent charge in just 23 minutes.

While Oppo is matching rather than undercutting Samsung on price, it does offer more generous internal storage with the base model coming with 256GB.

Going hands-on with the device at the company’s launch event, the crease was almost impossible to spot and feel, making it a notable step up from the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s visible crease.

Oppo claims that the N2 Flip can withstand over 400,000 folds which is equivalent to opening and closing the phone around 100 times a day for more than ten years. The hinge is narrower too, enabling the phone to close shut with no gaps.

The main 6.8-inch OLED display looks as good as what you’ll find on a traditional flatscreen flagship smartphone with HDR content that pops with a retina searing 1600 nits of peak brightness. What impressed me most is how well the screen handled reflections and maintained visibility of the on-screen content under the bright lights of the demonstration area.

Oppo's new Find N2 flip phone. Source: Supplied.

The outer display or ‘cover screen’ has been vertically orientated, allowing you to see more notifications. A handful of commonly used widgets such as timers and music controls have been specifically optimised for the taller screen as well. The real utility in having a larger outer display though is when using it as a viewfinder. Framing selfies using the main camera was one to one, making composition faster.

Oppo is claiming that the 50MP main camera is a notch above its competitors but we’ll need more time with the handset to see if those claims hold any water. The cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, while adequate, are a noticeable step down from the Galaxy S23 series so any improvement in the camera department will be more than welcome.

It’s worth noting that the N2 Flip has an IPX4 rating, which means it can withstand splashes of water but cannot be submerged, and there’s no wireless charging either.

We will need to wait for the full review before we can pass final judgment but those interested can preorder one from either JB Hi-Fi or Harvey Norman.

Krishan Sharma travelled to Barcelona as a guest of Oppo.