OPPO Find N3 Flip Review: Should You Buy It?
With the OPPO Find N3 Flip, we finally have a foldable smartphone without compromising on the camera. It's hard not to feel like OPPO could have done more with a larger bezel, but the combination of an excellent crease-free internal screen, overall high build quality and impressive battery life makes the Find N3 Flip a great foldable device.
OPPO Find N3 Flip Review: Quick Review
- What is it? Find N3 Flip is OPPO's second generation foldable device. The new model subtly builds on the Find N2 Flip and includes a new alert slider, camera hardware and a host of flexible software optimizations.
- What's the price? The OPPO Find N3 Flip is priced at S$1,499. It's slightly more expensive than last year's model, costing around $1,090.
- Where can I buy it? Availability of OPPO Find N3 Flip is currently low. The phone is rumored to be coming to the US and Europe, but we've only seen it in Singapore so far, with pre-orders starting on October 20th.
- How did we test this? I tested the OPPO Find N3 Flip for five days. The test device was provided by OPPO.
- Is it worth it? The OPPO Find N3 Flip is a major improvement over the N2 Flip, especially for photographers, but it looks deceiving in places. Thin bezels and boring design aren't as stylish as the phone's stunning display and top-notch camera quality.
Is OPPO Find N3 Flip worth buying?
Robert Triggs/Android Authority
If you saw the Find N2 Flip last year, the N3 Flip is clearly an evolution of the same design as its US debut. While similar in appearance, the improved flex hinge is 25% stronger while delivering a seamless design and minimal screen wrinkling. The N3 Flip adds a new alarm panel to its devices that offers silent, vibration, and ringer settings without unlocking the phone—a nice touch. The same IPX4 rating remains, but stronger Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection protects the phone from drops. The internal display still looks great, and the time spent improving the OPPO flip phone's hardware is clearly money well spent.
The display cover is also familiar (it's the same panel). While it was one of the largest outdoor displays available at launch, the N2 Flip is now one of the smallest options. However, OPPO has improved the software experience by supporting third-party apps as well as weather, timer, camera, calls, voice recorder, and now 3D pet widgets. I had no problem accessing a lot of useful tools without having to unlock my phone.
The Find N3 Flip offers improved hardware, but doesn't solve all the problems of the previous generation.
“Widgets,” as OPPO calls them, are a small collection of popular apps including X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp, Gmail, Google Maps, Wallet and more that run on the front screen. You don't need to download them separately (it's the same app that only works on a small screen), but you do need to enable each one in the Settings menu. It is available in the Test Functions section, which indicates that errors may occur. I have no experience, but the setup seemed to work.
My biggest complaint is that the screen is too small to comfortably fit the keyboard, which already takes up too much screen real estate to see what you're responding to. Sending messages and emails from Cover is a hassle: I ended up just opening the phone, which defeats the purpose of the screen. Even pressing a few small app buttons is tedious. Additionally, app support isn't as extensive as the basic Android interface that the Motorola Razr offers on the front display. Your experience may vary, but I definitely can't use my phone for long without unlocking it.
OPPO claims that the relatively smaller top screen allows for a no-compromise approach in camera setup. It's hard to believe that the lenses are housed in a tiny Hasselbland camera body that mimics the look of other OPPO/OnePlus phones. I understand the desire for recognition between brands, but the phone is an aesthetic degradation from its predecessor. When you see what competitors are doing with larger screens, the remaining space seems wasted.
However, OPPO has updated the ultra-wide-angle camera to a 48MP f/2.2 model, and this time there's a third lens, a 32MP beast with a 47mm focal length and 2x zoom. While it's not a game-changer for long-distance photography, it's a great addition for portraits. Let's get a look.
Firstly, Hasselblad's partnership with OPPO is based on the saturation aspect of color science. Overall, though, I like the way it looks; This is a huge improvement over last year's lackluster results. The most important thing is that you always look the same, no matter what three lenses you shoot with. For other brands this is often an ongoing problem. Detail from the main camera is clear, if a little blurry when viewed at 100%, and the new ultra-wide camera appears virtually distortion-free. If you want to get the most out of your camera, the Pro mode and editing tools are incredibly powerful.
When I first saw the 2x lens in the spec sheet, I thought, “Okay, we're just adding up the numbers, right?” “I am very much mistaken. The 2x lens produces great images even at 5x magnification thanks to good image blending. After pressing the shutter button, look closely. You can see the magical scaling happening. OPPO has clearly shared this technology with the equally impressive Find X6 Pro.
Details are a little washed out, but color, lighting, and natural bokeh are all fine in the Find N3 Flip's zoom shots. It's ideal for portrait and product photography and is my favorite lens of the three. The only downside is that the telephoto lens isn't always great for close-up macro photography, so you may end up with sharper photos if you rely on the main camera.
Obviously, 2x optical devices have their limitations. It's not a competitor to the Galaxy S23 Ultra's long-range 10x zoom. OPPO allows up to 20x faster speeds, but the results are complex. Stick to 5x zoom, which is plenty for most scenarios, and this set of cameras won't disappoint.
There's not much to say about selfies; You will need to use the main camera for the results to look as good as any other photo. Skin textures and colors are excellent, as is the software's bokeh effect. The only noticeable downside is that the camera can be easily covered due to its low position. It took me a few shots to get used to flipping the phone over. Despite this disappointment, the internal camera isn't very good; I'll stick with this for video calls only.
The triple camera is the main reason to buy the OPPO Find N3 Flip.
You can't buy a foldable phone for gaming, but the Find N3 Flip still makes us a little worried about the temperature. It's not that the phone is hot, it's just trying to stay cool.
Firstly, the performance is lower than the MediaTek Dimensity 9200 devices; It's closer to the Tensor G2 from the Pixel 7. It's still ideal for everyday tasks and has the benefit of keeping the device cool while gaming due to its frame rate. To work around this issue, you can enable High Performance mode. Speaking of which, this low performance also means excellent battery life; The phone will easily last a whole day. In our tests, 10 hours of browsing, 16 hours of video streaming, and almost five hours of extreme gaming were possible.
The limited temperature rise also indirectly affects OPPO's SuperVOOC fast charging. Despite the 44W peak power lasting only a few seconds, the phone charges at just under 20W most of the time. Thus, Find N3 Flip charges in 52 minutes and 23 minutes to reach 50%. That's faster than last year, but not very fast for a 4,300mAh battery. While we're being picky, 15W from non-SuperVOOC chargers isn't very good and means the phone will charge much slower when using third-party sockets and power banks.
OPPO Find N3 Flip
Sublime • Apps for external display • No visible creases
A foldable smartphone that does not damage the camera.
Find N3 Flip is OPPO's second generation foldable device. The new model subtly builds on the Find N2 Flip and includes a new alert slider, camera hardware and a host of flexible software optimizations.
What are the best alternatives to OPPO Find N3 Flip?
Robert Triggs/Android Authority
Without international pricing, it's hard to pin down the phone's value proposition, but we're probably looking at something around or just above the $999 mark, which seems like a fair value. While we wait for stock to arrive, there are plenty of Find N3 Flip competitors that could be just what you're looking for.
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 ($999.99 at Samsung): The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a big name in foldable phones and a phone that beats the competition at this price. The phone has a larger screen and a greater selection of quickly accessible applications, but with its limitations. Samsung also offers wireless charging, IPX8 rating, and other color options. But the OPPO Find N3 Flip has a more powerful camera and an almost invisible fold.
- Motorola Razr Plus ($999.99 at Motorola): With another larger screen, the Motorola Razr Plus offers plenty of ways to use the phone without having to open it. It is an excellent choice for making clam shells due to its high performance, dust resistance and silky smooth finish. However, the cameras aren't particularly good for the price, which leaves the door open for OPPO.
- Google Pixel Fold ($1,799 at Amazon). Although it's not a flip phone and is much more expensive, the compact, book-like Google Pixel Fold fits neatly into any pocket. With a great camera and Pixel-exclusive features, this foldable device is hard to miss. However, the Find N3 Flip is more compact and still has the performance advantage.
OPPO Find N3 Flip Specifications
| OPPO Find N3 | |
|---|---|
screen | |
6.8" LTPO OLED display Resolution 2520x1080 The aspect ratio is 21:9. Refresh rate 1-120Hz Brightness 500 nits (typical) Brightness 1600 nits (peak) Supports HDR10+ technology. Gorilla Glass Victus – Lens Cap | |
healer | MediaTek Size 9200 |
RAM. | 12 GB |
storage | 256 GB |
Performance | 4300 mAh (typical) |
Cameras | behind: - 50 MP wide-angle lens, ƒ/1.8 aperture, 1/1.59-inch sensor, 24mm focal length. - Wide-angle camera 48 MP, lens aperture ƒ/2.2, focal length 14 mm. - 32 MP telephoto lens, ƒ/2.0 aperture, 47 mm focal length .
camera app with professional controls |
protection | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
Dimensions and weight | Open: 166.2 x 75.8 x 7.8 mm |
video | behind: 4K (30 frames per second) 1080p (30 or 60 fps) Up to: |
My voice | Two speakers |
Ports | USB-C |
sustainability | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
Connection | Bluetooth5.3 |
net | - 5G NR: n1/n3/n5/n8/n12/n20/n28A (707–733 MHz)/ |
programming | Android 13 |
Colors | Golden cream, misty pink, soft black |
Box Contents | OPPO Find N3 flip |
OPPO Find N3 Flip Review: Questions
With an IPX4 rating, the OPPO Find N3 Flip can withstand light splashes such as rain or spills. It cannot be immersed in water.
No, Find N3 Flip does not support wireless charging.
Yes, OPPO Find N3 Flip supports 5G in sub-6GHz bands.
Yes, OPPO Find N3 Flip supports dual SIM. There is a physical location for nano-SIM and a second one for eSIM.
No, OPPO Find N3 Flip does not have an external storage slot.
