There’s a new foldable phone on the block, and this one is from Oppo. Could the new model eclipse similar efforts from the likes of Samsung?
So far we’ve still only seen very few examples of foldable smartphones in action, but we’ve been treated to a glimpse of a brand new one thanks to Oppo’s unexpected announcement on 9 December — just one day after it showcased an innovative retractable camera.
This is the exquisitely engineered #OPPOFindN.
— OPPO (@oppo) December 9, 2021
Hold. Fold. Enjoy. Repeat.
Coming December 15. #OPPOINNODAY2021 pic.twitter.com/LVZKNgYiAv
Named the Oppo Find N, the device is seen in the above promo video floating across a room, before being grabbed and opened up to reveal a blossoming flower on the large inner screen. The video’s most thought-provoking part comes at the end, when the slogan “From Novelty to Necessity” pops up on screen; is this format really the future of our mobile devices?
Regardless of whether this genre of smartphone will dominate the future, it’s clear that is has been forefront of Oppo’s plans during the recent past. On the official website, the brand’s new product chief, Pete Lau, revealed that the concept began development all the way back in April 2018.
Lau gave two reasons why the development process has taken until now to come to fruition: firstly, that the product must be beautiful in terms of its design, and secondly that it must be useful and easy to use. This seems to identify some early teething problems seen with Samsung’s range of foldables, especially as the first generation was vulnerable to being damaged easily and did not feature optimised software.
Nonetheless, we’ve been impressed by the progress shown since by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, and we’re eager to see if Oppo’s latest creation could challenge them for the foldable top spot.
The Oppo Find N will be launched on 15 December, at the company’s OPPO INNO event.
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