Foldable has split opinions over the years with many of them sitting on the fence unsure if the form factor will ever become mainstream. Well, those doubts have gradually dispersed and brands like Samsung and Oppo are helping the cause.
Truth be told, I haven’t got the chance to test a foldable through the daily grind so when Oppo Find N3 Flip was handed over to me, I was circumspect of how it will handle wear and tear, if any. Also, can the crease of the foldable screen become an afterthought rather than a headline. We spent the last few weeks using the Find N3 Flip to see if a foldable is finally ready to become the choice for the masses, even though it costs over Rs 90,000.
Oppo Find N3 Flip Review: What’s Cool?
Samsung has a long lead in the foldable space but it is good to see Oppo trying to change that image. The Find N3 Flip has the right balance of design and practicality that makes it an ideal daily runner for most people.
It is not the lightest by any means but the overall dimensions allow you to use and keep it in the pocket without feeling its weight and that’s a good sign. The hinge feels durable and the company claims it can last 6,00,000 folds and unfolds, which it says could take as long as 10 years.
Oppo has provided a 120Hz refresh rate screen on the inner LTPO AMOLED display which gives it a fluid touch while navigating between apps and also preserves battery by switching from 1Hz to 120Hz depending on what is running on the screen.
The quality of the screen is quite good and it is bright enough at 1600 nits to let you view content under sunlight. Once you unfold the screen, barely see any crease on the screen which speaks volume about Oppo’s focus on the finer details.
Talking about the cover screen, it is smaller than the one you got with the Find N2 Flip but Oppo has managed to get the screen a tall profile which makes using apps like Maps, YouTube Music and WhatsApp a lot easier. You can add fun and colourful themes and icons to make it look exciting on the cover.
Oppo has used the MediaTek Dimensity 9200 chipset with 12GB RAM and offers 256GB storage. We have seen the capability of this chip with the Vivo X90 Pro launched earlier this year, and performance was never a sore point for the Find N3 Flip during our time. We barely noticed the phone lagging, games were played at the highest settings and still no major heating issues.
One of the reasons for Oppo using a smaller cover screen is the introduction of a triple camera system, a first for any foldable device. Oppo has used its Hasselblad links to colour tune the sensors, and the results in general are flagship-worthy.
You have a wide, ultrawide and telephoto sensor that can shoot quality photos in day and low-light conditions. The company has added a dual-camera option which lets you see the subject on both the screen and use either of them as a viewfinder.
Oppo is also making sure that foldables don’t run out of juice before the day ends. The Find N3 Flip has a 4300mAh battery which during our tests offered a screen-on-time of 6 to 7 hours on an average. And when you have 44W charging support out of the box which gives you 0 to 50 percent in around 22 minutes, the down time for the phone is less than you’d imagine.
Oppo Find N3 Flip Review: What’s Not So Cool?
There is a lot to like about the Find N3 Flip, however, we didn’t like how the power and volume buttons are close to each other. This became apparent when using the power button to unlock the device and we accidentally ended up pressing the volume button. We’re hopeful that in the next few years, in-display fingerprint sensors could be an option to tackle this issue.
Oppo has made tall claims about the hinge lasting for as long as 10 years but there is no way to vouch for such numbers, unless someone really puts them through the test for such a long time.
We really can’t say how the phone will fare in the next few years, let alone 10 years and that will also be a concern, no matter what the company says.
Oppo Find N3 Flip Review: Should You Buy?
Oppo Find N3 Flip is a decent upgrade on the Find N2 Flip and a noteworthy addition to the foldable catalogue in the market. People will say that Rs 95,000 is a lot for an Oppo phone, and rightly so, but other brands in this segment, except for Tecno don’t come cheap either. But for the price, Oppo gives you a more rounded device, which is easy and comfortable to use, the cameras are equally good, there is a fast-charging battery and the cover screen makes its presence felt.
We do have concerns about how the hinge will hold up in the long term, and the placement of the buttons could use some thinking. But on the whole, the Find N3 Flip is a sign that foldables are heading in the right direction.