The new Find N from OPPO combines the Galaxy Fold 3 and Surface Duo 2 principles into one device

What you should know

In the future years, the world of foldable phones is expected to expand, especially now that Android 12L has officially ushered in a new era of handsets with adaptable displays. OPPO has unveiled the Find N, which resembles a Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 with the larger form factor of the Surface Duo 2.
Michael Fisher, aka MrMobile, one of our tech colleagues, got his hands on the new smartphone and provided his thoughts on how the design advances the foldable category.
The Find N, ahem, adopts a lot of Samsung’s design language and “fixes” a lot of the phone’s flaws, such as its more apparent hinge and unusually tall displays.
The Find N has a 7.1-inch OLED primary display with a resolution of 1792 x 1920 (370 PPI), a 120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 1,000 nits. In comparison, the Surface Duo 2 features a larger 8.3-inch AMOLED display with a greater resolution (401 PPI) but only 800 nits.

While the Find N has one large interior display, it can be split into two halves with a swipe down from the top. Instead of depending on OEM hacks to enforce this, Android 12L is likely to codify it in the OS itself.
You can’t reverse-fold the Find N for single-screen mode, but you don’t have to because there’s a 60Hz 5.49-inch OLED cover display that can be accessible at any time.
The similarities to the Surface Duo stems from how much larger this phone is than the Samsung. It’s not as wide as the dual displays on the Surface Duo, but it’s somewhere in the middle. As a result, it may be superior for video and gaming. Even still, compared to Microsoft’s design, which looks more like a moleskin notebook, you won’t view as much content on each screen (when divided).
However, when contrasted to Microsoft’s model, there are a few drawbacks.
The OPPO Find N does not appear to have pen support, which is something Microsoft is focusing on as the Surface Duo 2 (and Android) evolves. However, because the Galaxy Fold 3 includes the S Pen, it is conceivable. However, because to the softness of the foldable screen (which is manufactured by Samsung), there are concerns about long-term durability.
The Find N is also significantly thicker than the Surface Duo 2, measuring roughly 16mm versus Microsoft’s much thinner 11mm. The majority of this is due to OPPO’s compressed design, which is more brick-like than Microsoft’s.
Both smartphones are heavy, weighing 275 grams for the Find N and 284 grams for the Surface Duo 2, owing to Microsoft’s use of Corning Gorilla Glass on four panels rather than OPPO’s single panel.
In terms of price, the OPPO Find N costs 7,699 yuan (about $1,210) for 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, vs $1,499 for 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM on the Surface Duo 2.

The real sting is that the OPPO Find N is exclusively available in China, with no intentions to expand to other regions. However, OnePlus, which frequently borrows OPPO’s designs, is now a subsidiary of the latter. If OnePlus accepts the challenge, Western markets could get a similar gadget later in 2022.

In general, the OPPO Find N is a nice addition to this new phone and mobile device form factor. Whether the design is better or worse depends on personal opinion, which is how the market for these devices should work, similar to single-screen phones and their vast variation. (Microsoft asserts that consumers prefer dual displays for productivity, based on unpublished research, and that electroencephalogram (EEG) evidence backs this up.)
As Android 12L becomes a reality in 2022, we can expect much more from other OEMs.