Oppo Find N3 Flip first impressions: Something borrowed, something new

Oppo Find N3 Flip first impressions: Oppo today launched the Oppo Find N3 Flip in India. The company’s next-generation flip phone is the successor to the Oppo Find N2 Flip that arrived in India earlier this year and it was first showcased in China back in August this year. Despite what might seem like short tenure between the launch of the two phones, that is, the Find N2 Flip and the Find N3 Flip, the latter brings some meaningful upgrades over its predecessor.

To start with, the company has added a more powerful Dimensity 9000+ chip to the Find N3 Flip. It has also improved the cover display and the front camera of the phone. Besides a newer and more powerful processor and tweaks to the front camera, the company has made the cover display far more capable than it was in the Find N2 Flip. Oppo says that the cover-display of the Find N3 Flip supports more than 40 apps such as Gmail, LinkedIn, YouTube, Calendar and Google Maps to name a few. In addition to this, it has also made changes to the hinge of the phone. The Oppo Find N3 Flip comes with a new waterdrop-shaped Flexion hinge, which is 25 percent better than that of the Find N2 Flip. More on this later.

However, the biggest upgrade to the Find N-series this year is in terms of the rear camera. Oppo has not only thrown in another lens to mix but it has also powered those lenses with efficient sensors, its own AI-based algorithms and Hasselblad’s technology — making the Find N3 Flip one of the most capable flip-style foldable phones in the market right now, at least on paper.

To put into perspective, here is a cover-to-cover comparison of the Find N3 Flip and the Find N2 Flip (REVIEW):

But what about the overall experience?

I haven’t had a chance to spend a lot of time with the phone yet, but in my short time with the phone a smooth and a comfortable experience in day-to-day usage. The opening and the closing mechanism is also smoother than before. The crease is not visible at all, and you can barely feel it when you touch the display — all thanks to Oppo’s new water-drop style folding mechanism, which the company says makes all the difference. What’s more? This new and upgraded hinge has also ensure that the phone stands at a 180-degree angle when opened completely. On the outside, the glass design looks flawless until you notice how easy it is to get your fingerprints all over it. Thankfully, Oppo ships silicone cover in the box that will take some pressure off cleanliness-loving people like me.

On the camera front, the Oppo Find N3 Flip manages to capture picture-perfect images in daylight conditions while maintaining a balance of colours and contrast. The algorithm doesn’t automatically increase the brightness level to make the image better, instead it paints a more balanced image. It also does a good job at capturing the details. The front camera, on the other hand, maintains colour and clarity while smoothening the skin just enough to hide all the blemishes or wrinkles that you might have.

What I really like about this Find N3 Flip is the cover display that is more versatile and more useful than ever before. You can compose emails on Gmail like you would using the primary display and navigate your way to your destination using Google Maps comfortably — all using the cover display. That said, I do need to spend more time with the Oppo Find N3 Flip and explore its features to share better insights to tell you just how good (or not), this phone is. So, stay tuned for a detailed review!