It wasn’t too long ago that Oppo released their second-generation flip – the Oppo Find N2 Flip – and I was crazy about it when I reviewed it – so much so that I dubbed it “the best flip phone ever”.
Fast forward nine months later, and Oppo has released an update to the Find N2 Flip – the Find N3 Flip. Although the Find N3 Flip is not a massive update to its predecessor, the Find N3 Flip has quickly become my favorite clamshell foldable.
The best camera on a flip phone
Oppo describes the Find N3 Flip as the device that “rewrites the flip phone rulebook”. The reality is that, in comparison to slab phones of a similar price, flip phones have less-than-stellar camera performance. But the Find N2 Flip surprised us with great cameras, that are close to flagship-level.
The Find N3 Flip is poised as the only flip with flagship camera chops, and after testing the phone for a few weeks, I can’t dispute that sentiment. The Find N2 Flip had the best Flip phone camera at the time of its release, and the Find N3 Flip follows suit once again with a camera that produces better photos than you’ll find on the likes of the Motorola Razr+ and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.
To that effect, the camera array on the Find N3 Flip has experienced significant upgrades this time around – it now features powerful Hassleblad cameras. The Oppo Find N3 Flip houses these cameras inside of a new circular camera bump on its cover, dubbed the “cosmos ring”. There’s a 50-megapixel main, an 8-megapixel ultrawide, and a 32-megapixel telephoto. Notably, the Find N3 Flip is the first foldable with three cameras on its cover.
Moreso, the camera on the Find N3 Flip 3 offers a significant leap in photo quality over its predecessor, which was no slouch. To that effect, both day and night mode photos offer much more detail, improved white balance, and much more accurate colors. This Oppo Find N3 Flip really is the first flip to offer a true flagship-level camera.
Oppo Find N3 Photo samples
Same old cover screen, but improved widget experience
Outside of its camera overhaul, on the hardware front, the Oppo Find N3 Flip doesn’t offer a huge overhaul, but it’s more of a refinement over its predecessor. To that effect, the same 3.26-inch vertical cover screen remains. But, Oppo has vastly improved the widget experience on the cover screen so that it’s much more versatile and useful, and there’s support for several new apps.
When it comes to competitors, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 and the Motorola Razr+ do sport much larger cover screens, but we’re not fussed, because based on my experience using the Find N3 Flip, I think it offers just the right amount of screen real estate to be useful for using widgets comfortably without squinting.
Some of the notable apps that work on the cover screen include Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, Gmail, Reddit, Uber, Google Maps, and Oppo is actively working on bringing additional app widgets to the cover display.
In any case, I’ve found myself using the external display much more this time around than I did with the Find N2 Flip. It’s really great for using apps like Gmail and Spotify without having to open the phone. I’m also enjoying the interactive pets widget which has now gone from 2D to 3D and adds a flare of fun to the phone.
What’s also notable about the Find N3 Flip is that while most flip phones are boxy, the Find N3 Flip now sports precision (74.5 degrees) curved glass edges for a sleeker look and borderless feel that allows for a better in-hand experience. There’s also a new three-stage-alert slider for setting silent, vibrate, and ring settings.
The inner display of the Find N3 Flip is nearly identical to its predecessor; it’s an excellent LTPO AMOLED display 6.8-inch 120Hz refresh rate display and a peak brightness of up to 1600 nits. However, Oppo has further improved the zero hinge gap design, which is now practically creaseless and not at all distracting.
It’s worth noting, that the Oppo Find N3 Flip continues to offer a larger 6.8-inch display than what you get from the competition without making the device feel too bulky or unwieldy.
Improved performance and battery life
With the Find N2 Flip, I did experience some occasional app freezes and slowdowns. Powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9200 chipset, alongside 12GB RAM and 256GB ROM, the Oppo Find N3 Flip feels significantly faster in day-to-day use than its predecessor. I’ve also noticed that fingerprint lock and face recognition is much more responsive.
When it comes to battery, the device is powered by a 4300mAh battery and in my testing the phone lasts for a full day of use and then some. Although this is the same battery that you’ll find in the Find N3 Flip, the battery life lasts longer on the Find N3 Flip.
The Find N3 Flip does offer fast charging – there is 44W Supervooc flash charging which charges the device to 50% in about 53 minutes. But once again, I’m disappointed that Oppo didn’t include wireless charging.
Is the Oppo Find N3 Flip worth it?
The Oppo Find N3 Flip ultimately improves on lots of important features – it offers a better camera, improved creaseless display and gapless hinge, a more useful widget experience on its cover, as well as faster performance.
Furthermore, in a market where the cameras on other flips are an afterthought, Oppo has taken the stance that their Flip is the only one to offer true flagship photography, and that’s proven true in my testing.
However, if you already own an Oppo Find N2 Flip, you don’t really need to upgrade to the Find N3 Flip. But if you’re looking to purchase a flip foldable and have access to the Oppo Find N3 Flip in your region – this is the flip to get, especially since it offers the best camera on a flip at the time of this writing.
All in all, although the Oppo Find N2 Flip isn’t a massive update over its predecessor, it’s certainly a worthy one—worthy enough for us to name it once again – the best clamshell foldable on the market. It’s just a shame that it’s not readily available to purchase in the U.S. – although it can be purchased on Amazon and ebay.
For those who don’t have access to the Oppo Find N3 Flip, we recommend considering the beautifully designed Moto Razr+ which costs a few hundred dollars less, but it doesn’t offer nearly as good a camera.
However, if you’re able to purchase an Oppo Find N3 Flip unlocked, we highly recommend doing so. I’ve been using the Find N3 Flip with Google Fi here in the U.S. and overseas and have had no connectivity issues whatsoever.
The Oppo Find N3 Flip is available in a choice of sleek black, cream gold, or misty pink. Personally, I miss the moonlight purple option that the Find N2 Flip came in. In any case, the Oppo Find N3 Flip can be found on Amazon for $1299. And kudos to Oppo for including a sleek case and a 44W (proprietary) fast charger in the box