Oppo Find N3 Flip review

Summary

Oppo Find N3 Flip review.. One feature of flip-style foldables helped it stand out from the competition: the cover screen. The time and a few buttons were visible on a single strip in the early versions of these flippable gadgets, but that was pretty much all. By 2023, things have changed significantly, with a number of folding gadgets providing much more fully functional cover displays. Between these two eras, the Oppo Find N3 Flip strikes a balance and comes in a charming tiny compact with a really good camera.

Oppo Find N3 Flip review

A flip phone is primarily attractive because it is a regular-sized phone that can be easily folded into half for portability. Convenient and battery-saving, the cover screen allows additional functionality without ever unlocking the phone. Oppo has restricted the functionality of the Oppo Find N3 Flip, but its cover screen is the perfect size to show off a lot of applications. The remainder of the phone is very remarkable. Let us now examine if this gadget merits a spot on our ranking of the top foldable phones.

Oppo Find N3 Flip review: Price and availability

The Oppo Find N3 Flip is scheduled for release worldwide on October 19, 2023, however details about its availability and cost are still pending. However, because the corporation disclosed a Singaporean pricing of S$1,499, we may attempt to estimate the retail price. We anticipate that the gadget will start at about that price if it does make its way to the United States and Europe. That comes out to little under $1,100, or just over £900.

This is our comprehensive evaluation of the Oppo Find N3 Flip sample that Oppo gave, which I used for three weeks on the T-Mobile network in the Chicago region. Before we get started, you can check our tutorial on how we test smartphones if you’d want to know precisely how we evaluate them here at Pocket Tactics.

Oppo Find N3 Flip review: Features

The Oppo Find N2 made its debut late last year, and the Oppo Find N3 Flip is the next generation of foldable devices. This improved model has a similar cover screen and style, but it has a newer CPU and better cameras. In this gadget, Oppo makes use of the Mediatek Dimensity 9200 processor. It’s the most powerful processor Mediatek has produced to far, packing a surprisingly large punch.
There are two storage options for this device: 256GB and 512GB, both with 12GB of RAM. It also has 44W wired charging and a 4,3000 mAh battery with a decent lifespan. These are the headline figures; the program features include the most intriguing information.

These days, Color OS is hardly new; any Oppo or OnePlus phone will have much of the same software. This contains the very simple method for creating folders. To create a folder, just pinch in with two fingers and mark any program you want to merge into one. This is crucial to me since it’s my preferred method to arrange applications and my workflow revolves around it. The option to alter the icon shapes is another feature that I like since it adds some personality to your phone.

The option to expand folders is one of my favorite software enhancements. You may make them larger than the standard single icon groups, up to 2×2. It shows the first nine icons found in the folder within. You may slide to navigate between pages or tap any of those icons to launch the app. It’s a great addition that makes the icons more manageable and readable.

Although it is customisable, the cover screen is not as good as some of the other options. Oppo has restricted the capability to a small selection of applications, in contrast to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Motorola Razr Plus, which both allow you to run almost anything on the cover screen. However, those that are included often function effectively.

It’s not ideal that Oppo restricts everything else while curating the app experience, but I can see the company’s reasoning. Samsung and Motorola give you complete control, but some people may find that a little too much. For those who are unfamiliar with flippable and foldable phones, Oppo makes the experience more approachable by restricting the number of applications. It is up to you and your requirements to decide whether it is a good or bad thing.

Prior to concluding the features section, there are a few items that are still lacking but still need attention. The first is wireless charging, which every contemporary smartphone ought to have. The latter is of more importance. There is no IP classification for this device’s waterproofness. It’s unfortunate not to have that assurance in case of an aquatic catastrophe when you compare this to the Motorola Razr 40’s mediocre IP52 certification and the Samsung Flip 5’s excellent X8 IP waterproof rating.

Oppo Find N3 Flip review: Camera

This is one of the finest camera configurations on a flip-style folding device right away. It may not be the most reliable, however. Nevertheless, the majority of the time, this camera can produce excellent images. The camera, which has a Starlight Track around it, is dubbed a Cosmos Ring by Oppo. To put it simply, it’s a half-dollar-sized camera bump with ridges running around the exterior.

A 50MP primary camera, a 48MP ultrawide camera, and a 32MP 2x optical telephoto lens are the three lenses that make up the Cosmos Ring. In addition, the camera manufacturer is maintaining its long-standing relationship with BBK, the parent company of Oppo, as seen by the big Hasselblad logo on the casing. The telephoto is a portrait camera, much as the OnePlus 11. Rather of serving as a zoom lens, its main purpose is to aid in producing the bokeh effect behind a subject in a portrait photo. If you examine attentively, you’ll see that the OnePlus 11 and this camera configuration are almost similar.

The images you take during the day are clear and true to color, as is standard with most modern cameras. You may snap pictures with any of the three sensors and get the colors you choose with great detail since the color constancy throughout the camera lenses is distinct and consistent. Although one of the advantages of a flip-style foldable is the ability to utilize the main camera for selfies while framing your photo with the cover screen, the selfie camera is also better than you may assume.

When using the primary camera, video is beautifully stabilized; however, there is no stabilization on the selfie camera. Again, filming with the phone closed is a highly effective method. However, keep in mind that 1080p is the maximum resolution that can be seen while recording using the main sensor and the cover screen. Overall, it’s preferable to utilize the primary sensors the majority of the time and ignore the selfie camera.

The main sensor is the only one you should utilize at night. That also applies to video, and when you’re filming in the dark with a subject in the frame, I advise you to stay away from moving about too much or moving quickly. If not, your footfalls have a lot of judder and bounce. Capturing moving subjects might be challenging, but not impossible.

Although the results may vary, overall, this is one of the finest camera setups I’ve seen on a flip-style foldable. Whenever I would take a picture, it would usually turn out quite poor, but for no apparent reason, if I took the same picture later and in the same situation, it would turn out fantastic. To put it another way, snap a few pictures if you want to preserve the memories. Day or night, there’s a good possibility that one of them will work out perfectly.

Oppo Find N3 Flip review: Design

The hinge of the Oppo Find N3 Flip is excellent; it minimizes the crease to the point of near-invisibility. It flops completely open at around 135 degrees, not as rigid as the one found in the Moto Razr Plus or the Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Conversely, this apparatus may be opened to a degree of around 25 degrees, but I would like a tighter hinge. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 stops anywhere you want, but it feels a lot like the Razr Plus in that you almost have to open it a little bit beyond where you want it.

Glass makes up the body, front, and rear, and color options include Sleek Black, Cream Gold, and Misty Pink. Although it has a fantastic appearance, it is really slick and easily slides off whatever surface you place it on. It is worthwhile to take up a case when they are accessible because of this.

Oppo Find N3 Flip: Display

With a peak brightness of 1,600 nits, the 6.8-inch LTPO AMOLED on the Oppo Find N3 Flip’s interior screen makes it very bright and readable throughout the day. All things considered, it’s a lovely display that can be dimmed to a low level for more comfortable gaming or reading at night. Speaking of dimming, you’re better off turning off auto brightness and using manual brightness settings since, to put it nicely, auto brightness is a pain in the ass.

Naturally, the flip phone’s internal screen tells only half of the tale. The cover screen, which is the opposite half, is another area to enjoy yourself. A variety of adorable cartoon animals, including a duck, koala bear, rabbit, and others, are included with Oppo and may all be placed on display. Oppo refers to these creatures as “interactive.” As it is, all they do when you touch the screen is alternate between a sequence of animations.

Some lovely animations and a weather screen that displays the current conditions are among the other cover screen wallpapers. Each of them may have a variety of widgets added to it that can be used to launch functions like the voice recorder, flashlight, camera, timer, or camera, or to display the battery level. Even while it doesn’t have as many features as some of the other foldable or flippable phones on the market, it still seems like it was smartly built.

Nevertheless, the cover screen’s edge-to-edge design is what makes it so amazing. Since the video just shows on the phone cover, activities like viewing TikTok are made extra enjoyable by the lack of a bezel on the screen.

Oppo Find N3 Flip: Battery

This Oppo gadget has a battery life that is just above average. If you integrate the cover screen into your workflow, the 4,300 mAh battery should last the whole day and well into the next.

For the benefit of your battery, if there is a job you need to do and you can do it properly on the cover screen, do so. The cover screen is smaller and requires less energy to power. You can survive the day, although not very well, if you have your phone open most of the day.

Luckily, this phone charges quickly even if the battery runs out. Even while 44W charging may not seem revolutionary, if you’re using the proper equipment, you can count on it to recharge you to 50% in less than 30 minutes.

Oppo Find N3 Flip: Performance

The Mediatek Dimensity 9200 chipset, Mediatek’s top CPU (though it’s realistic to predict a new iteration in the not-too-distant future), is included in the Oppo Find N3. That being said, this CPU packs a punch: its 1,319/3,554 single/multi-core Geekbench 6 score puts it in the same performance range as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.

That implies that the phone can play games like Genshin Impact for more than 30 minutes on medium settings without stuttering or dropping frames. Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9 are two more titles that run just as well. In summary, this phone is capable of handling a variety of demanding tasks in addition to intensive gaming.

Should I buy the Oppo Find N3 Flip?

Whether or not someone should purchase this phone is difficult to determine since Oppo hasn’t yet disclosed official price or availability for countries other than China and India. This is a good choice if you’re looking for a foldable smartphone and like taking pictures with them. But if you’re seeking for the finest gaming performance available, this could be a harder sell since the phone’s Dimensity 9200 chipset is comparable to the Snapdragon processor from the previous year.

In the event that the phone costs about $1000 USD, this is a decent purchase. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that the Samsung Galaxy Flip 5 and the Moto RAZR Plus are also in that price bracket, have superior cover screens, but generally have worse cameras. I would choose one of the other alternatives if Oppo requests more from those makers. For around a grand, this is a great offer.

Alternatives

If our review of the Oppo Find N3 Flip doesn’t persuade you, have a look at some of our recommended choices below.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

There are two more substantial choices if you are unable to remove the Oppo Find N3 Flip’s partial cover screen. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the first item here. In the important aspects, this is Samsung’s fifth-generation flip-style foldable. Compared to the Oppo Find N3, the outside display is bigger and has more customization options and widgets, giving the user more flexibility.

Other than that, the Flip 5 has better build quality, a comparable battery life, and cameras that perform comparably. Nevertheless, I would choose the Oppo in this instance. In principle, Samsung may be better at maintaining broken displays since it has a lot more experience creating these products, which may make a big difference.

Where can you buy the Oppo Find N3 Flip?

The Find N3 Flip was released globally, however it is only accessible in Asia and the Middle East.

Is the Oppo Find N3 Flip water-resistant?

Although it lags considerably behind the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s IPX8, it still has an IPX4 water resistant certification that should shield it from light rain.

Does the Oppo Find N3 Flip come with a charger?

Indeed, and a SuperVOOC 44W charger at that, enabling quick charging without the need for other equipment.

Motorola Razr Plus

With the Motorola Razr Plus—or, depending on where you’re reading this, the Moto Razr 40 Ultra—Motorola launched the huge cover screen craze. Compared to the Samsung and Oppo handsets, this cover screen has more settings and is the most user-friendly of the group.

Sadly, Motorola has a track record of producing cameras that are subpar, and the Moto Razr Plus is no different. With the camera configured, you can take passable pictures, but that’s as good as you’re going to get until the lighting is ideal. Selecting between the Oppo or Samsung is definitely the best option if the camera is crucial to you. If not, the Motorola Razr Plus is better in almost every other way.

Pros