Oppo Find N3 Flip Review: More Than Just a Pretty Face?
Oppo’s Find N3 Flip is the latest entry in the ever-growing foldable phone market, and it aims to stand out from the crowd by offering more – more screen space, a more capable cover display, and a more impressive camera setup. This strategy worked well for its predecessor, the Find N2 Flip, but can it keep up with the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, both of which have implemented large cover displays and innovative features? Let’s dive into the specifics and see if Oppo has hit the mark this time around.
Oppo Find N3 Flip Review: Price in India
The Oppo Find N3 Flip is priced at Rs. 94,999 and offers 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. You can choose from two finishes: Cream Gold and Sleek Black. This pricing strategy makes it competitive against Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5, which starts at Rs. 99,999 for the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage version but climbs to Rs. 1,09,999 for the 512GB storage variant. In contrast, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is even more affordable at Rs. 79,999 for 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.
While Samsung’s clamshell might seem more expensive, it’s important to note that it’s the only one of the three flagship foldables to offer the updated Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. It also boasts an IPX8 rating for water resistance and Qi wireless charging.
Oppo Find N3 Flip Review: Design
Oppo’s design for the Find N3 Flip remains very similar to its predecessor. It features a rounded and pleasant design that feels more comfortable to hold than the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which has sharper edges and flat sides. However, I miss the matte finish available on the Astral Black version of the Find N2 Flip, as this glossy finish is very slippery.
Although the overall finish looks and feels luxurious, I did notice some sharp edges at the bottom edge of both halves (when folded) where the curved outer panels meet the flat frame. For a phone priced near Rs. 1 lakh, I expected better attention to detail. Thankfully, Oppo includes a basic matte-finished case in the box that snaps onto both halves and adds some grip.
The rectangular cover display on the top half remains unchanged, and I believe Oppo kept it in this orientation to accommodate the triple rear camera setup. This is a breakthrough in the clamshell foldable market and gives the phone a unique look. The circular camera module with Hasselblad branding doesn’t add much extra thickness to the device, whether open or folded. It’s broad enough to prevent the phone from wobbling when placed open on a flat surface.
On the left side of the device, you’ll find the iconic OnePlus alert slider. This is the first Oppo device to feature this feature, and I found it convenient for changing device profiles. OnePlus users considering a vertical foldable will be familiar and happy with this familiar feature.
The inner folding display has a very shallow, barely visible crease, and thin bezels on all four sides. These flat bezels make swipe-in and swipe-out gestures at the edges of the display smooth and enjoyable. Just like the previous model, the inner folding display doesn’t gather fingerprints easily, and any smudges are quickly and effortlessly wiped away.
Back to that tall cover display, Oppo’s marketing strategy for its usage is a bit confusing. Given the display’s left-sided layout (when held folded with the hinge up), I found myself reaching over the circular camera module to operate it. While it worked fine for me with my large hands, it doesn’t feel like the intended interaction.
Oppo actually suggests using the phone with the hinge down, placing the left-aligned display within easy reach for right-handed users. This approach makes sense but creates an issue for the fingerprint reader, which is now on the opposite side, requiring your ring finger to unlock the phone instead of your thumb.
Unlocking the phone in Oppo’s advertised orientation works as expected, but flipping it open upside down means having to use both hands or risk a less conventional single-handed opening process.
In short, the best way to use the cover display is with the hinge on top and the display on the left, the way you’d normally unfold the main display. Those with small hands may struggle with this setup due to the phone’s width.
The barely visible crease and thin, flat bezels are made possible by Oppo’s Flexion hinge. Constructed with aircraft-grade steel, it features a water drop design allowing both halves to close seamlessly without any visible gap. Oppo claims the hinge can withstand up to 10,00,000 folds, although this claim was unable to be tested.
The hinge feels very responsive and light to operate, similar to the Find N2 Flip. It’s not as loose as the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s hinge and not as tight as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s hinge, striking a comfortable balance. This enables you to easily open and close it with a single hand.
Unlike Samsung’s hinge, Oppo’s hinge has a sweet spot between 45-120 degrees where one half can remain upright. Beyond this range, the phone will slam shut or fully unfold.
Another benefit of the hinge is the IP rating. Oppo’s Find N3 Flip finally gets an IPX4 rating, offering protection against splashes or light rain. However, this rating is still quite basic and doesn’t offer protection for submersion in water.
Oppo Find N3 Flip Review: Specifications and Software
The Oppo Find N3 Flip, like its predecessor, uses a MediaTek processor. This time, it’s the Dimensity 9200 SoC (4nm), an upgrade from the Dimensity 9000+ SoC. Oppo offers 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. You get support for various 5G bands, dual-5G standby, and two nano SIM cards (or one SIM card and one eSIM). Communication standards include Wi-Fi AC, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, a USB Type-C port, and support for all major global positioning systems. The phone’s fingerprint reader is built into the power button and worked reliably during the review period. There’s a 4,300mAh battery with 44W wired charging but no wireless charging.
The phone runs Oppo’s ColorOS 13.2, based on Android 13. It offers all the expected features from the customized operating system, which also powers OnePlus smartphones. All the settings for the cover display are conveniently grouped in a separate section in the Settings app called Foldable features. Here you can change the cover screen wallpaper, add or remove mini-apps and third-party apps.
In terms of functionality, the cover display is a significant leap forward from the previous model, which only ran mini versions of native apps. Oppo still retains the Mini apps (mini versions of native apps like weather, timer, etc.) but has now added full app support, similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Apps can transition from the cover display to the main display but not back, which feels a bit strange. However, considering the primary use case of the cover display for quick message replies through voice, its functionality is not as advanced as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s display. You can also reply with a full keyboard in supported third-party apps, but it’s a bit squished due to the cover display’s width.
Just like the Galaxy Z Flip 5, third-party app support for the cover screen is still in beta. If you want to open a notification from one of these apps, you have to expand it from the lock screen or the notification tray. Once expanded, you can choose between "Open app" (in the cover display) or "Unfold to continue" (via the main screen). Choosing the first option will take you directly to that section of the app or thread in the cover display, as long as Oppo supports it within their beta program.
You can also launch these third-party apps through the cover screen launcher (swipe left from the main clock face). The list of supported apps has grown since the review began, but there are still limitations. You can reply to most messaging apps (even those not officially supported) through the cover display’s built-in reply system, which provides emojis, customizable preset text replies, and custom replies using voice-to-text. While this is excellent, it is still not as seamless as the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s cover display, which offers the most comprehensive implementation. This means you’ll likely find yourself unfolding the phone and accessing the main display frequently.
Oppo Find N3 Flip Review: Performance
The Oppo Find N3 Flip delivers solid software performance. I didn’t encounter any lag or stuttering while using the phone in the default battery mode, which seemed more than sufficient for all my daily apps. The phone also performed as expected in benchmark tests. The MediaTek Dimensity 9200 SoC (4nm) managed lower scores than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5, which is powered by the custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, achieving an AnTuTu score of 10,27,655 and Geekbench scores of 1,116 and 3,325 points in its single and multi-core tests, respectively. The phone boasts a dual speaker setup with a speaker at the top doubling as the receiver, but both speakers offer balanced sound and good clarity even at high volumes.
Gaming performance was impressive. Call of Duty: Mobile ran smoothly on all settings, including the Medium graphics and Ultra frame rate combination, allowing the phone to reach 120fps while playing games. While the phone did heat up during gaming, it wasn’t excessively hot, and performance remained unaffected. The touch sampling rate while gaming was also very good, accurately registering swipes when using the Pro Gamer Mode in the slide-out gaming console. This is an area where Samsung has struggled so seeing a phone deliver a high-quality gaming experience in such a compact package is commendable.
Despite enjoying the gaming experience, the display still feels delicate, similar to the previous model. During the review, I noticed a few dents on the main Schott UTG display while gaming, suggesting that Oppo’s display technology still doesn’t match the durability of Samsung’s solutions.
The Oppo Find N3 Flip achieved excellent battery life, easily lasting a full day and more. Even on demanding days with half an hour of gaming and camera usage, the phone still had at least 20 per cent battery remaining. Oppo has done a great job of optimizing the software and hardware, especially considering that I rarely used the cover display due to its limited functionality.
This is a significant improvement over the Oppo Find N2 Flip, which also had excellent battery life but didn’t quite match the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 in this area. The phone managed a robust 23 hours and 54 minutes in our HD video loop test, significantly better than the Galaxy Z Flip 5 (16 hours and 45 minutes) and Motorola’s Razr 40 Ultra (18 hours and 27 minutes) in their respective tests.
When the battery does run out, the phone takes 30 minutes to charge up to 58 percent and 1 hour and 5 minutes to fully charge, making it significantly faster than competing models.
Oppo Find N3 Flip Review: Cameras
The Oppo Find N3 Flip stands out with its premium camera setup for a clamshell foldable. It boasts a 50-megapixel primary camera with OIS, a 32-megapixel telephoto camera with 2X optical zoom, and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera with a 114-degree field of view and a minimum focus distance of 4cm (in macro mode). The front-facing camera for selfies is 32-megapixel. Like OnePlus’s successful partnership with camera maker Hasselblad, Oppo’s rear camera system also benefits from this partnership and delivers similarly vibrant photos.
The primary camera captures photos with excellent detail and clarity in all lighting conditions. While they appear a bit saturated, they have impressive dynamic range. Utilizing the cover display as a viewfinder, I could even take portraits of myself with the primary camera, capturing sharp and detailed images with excellent edge detection. This also worked incredibly in low light as the selfies came out crisper and with more detail compared to the selfie camera embedded in the folding display. Even close-ups of objects were sharp and had a natural bokeh effect.
The telephoto camera, a first for clamshell foldables, performed well. It delivers crisp close-ups with a natural bokeh effect in daylight. While it loses a bit of detail in low light, the photos are still quite usable. Using the in-sensor lossless zoom at 5X magnification, you can capture usable images in daylight (with noticeable purple fringing) but not as well in low light.
The ultra-wide-angle camera produces slightly cooler color tones compared to the primary camera. The photos are detailed and sharp, though not suitable for pixel-peeping. The dynamic range is also impressive, capturing detail in shadows, but there is noticeable barrel distortion at the edges of the image. Macro photos were surprisingly well-executed, enabling you to get incredibly close to objects with sharp detail and slightly cooler colors.
The phone can record 4K video at 30fps on all cameras thanks to their high-resolution sensors. However, I found the recorded videos to be slightly underwhelming in detail and clarity. Stabilisation was decent, but the camera couldn’t maintain a smooth framerate during recording. Low-light footage looked decent with good stabilisation but had noticeable noise.
Oppo Find N3 Flip Review: Verdict
Oppo and OnePlus (both under the BBK Electronics umbrella) have undoubtedly raised the bar for Samsung’s upcoming foldables with their recent releases. The OnePlus Open is a clear winner over current Samsung offerings in 2023, but with the Oppo Find N3 Flip, my feelings are a bit mixed.
I’m not fond of the vertical layout of the cover display, and I’m unsure if Oppo will change it to a more intuitive design in future models. While the Find N3 Flip’s raw performance (including gaming), overall camera quality, and excellent battery life (including charging) are impressive for a clamshell foldable, these strengths are unfortunately held back by the oddly laid out cover display experience. I recommend this phone if you don’t rely on the cover display often or if this is your first foray into the world of foldables.
