I tried the Oppo Find N2 - it's a great foldable phone but there's one problem

Oppo was running a little late to the foldable phone party but eventually, they made it, having launched the Oppo Find N back in 2021. Now the series is back with its second generation unveiled towards the end of 2022. 

I've managed to get my hands on one and it's actually a really interesting piece of kit, although there is one quite big problem that could put a spanner in the works. 

The best folding phones are taking off right now - the technology is finally getting more trustworthy and people are starting to see how they would make use of it day-to-day. 

As things stand, they come in two formats: the phablet-type phone and the clamshell. The former starts off as a regular-sized smartphone and can be folded out into a big-screened mini tablet. Phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Huawei Mate XS 2 fall under this category.

The latter clamshell-style handsets are much smaller, about half the size of a normal phone, folding out into a similar shape to one of the best Android phones. Oppo's Find N2 Flip is a good example of that, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Motorola Razr 2022. 

Given its large 7.1-inch screen on the inside and 5.54-inch display on the outside, the Oppo Find N2 comes under the phablet category. But, unlike a lot of similar devices, it's actually quite compact and lightweight. 

The Oppo Find N2 weighs around 233g which is a significant 30g lighter than something like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 which weighs 263g. Oppo's device measures 132.2 x 72.6 x 14.6mm so it's a lot smaller too and unlike the Fold it shuts with next to no gap between the displays. 

To allow for the smaller dimensions the screens aren't as big as elsewhere (the Samsung has a 7.6-inch screen on the inside and a 6.1-inch cover display). 

In saying that, one of the biggest pain points of these phones up until this point has been the size. More often than not they're a little too bulky to comfortably slip into your trouser pocket and using them one-handed is near enough impossible. Because of that, it's refreshing to see the Oppo Find N2 come in with a more portable, comfortable phone that still gives you the benefit of a larger screen than you'd get otherwise. 

Just because the screens are smaller than elsewhere doesn't mean you'll lose out on picture quality though, I was pleasantly surprised by the main display's 1792 x 1920 pixel resolution which is paired with HDR10+, a 120Hz refresh rate and a whopping 1550 nits peak brightness. It's perfect for streaming video or catching up on work thanks to bright vibrant colours and precise, sharp details.

The 5.54-inch cover display simplifies things a little with a resolution of 1080 x 2120 pixels but it still looks crisp, plus it is a good size and shape for replying to messages or doing a quick Google Search.

Under the hood, the Oppo Find N2 is loaded with a decent amount of power as well, thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset which sits alongside up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. All of that bodes well for more demanding tasks like photo editing and it'll cope well with light gaming without heating up or lagging.

The camera system doesn't skimp on hardware either. The rear set-up is made up of a 50MP wide camera, a 48MP ultrawide camera and a 32MP telephoto lens with two 32MP selfie shooters, one on the cover and one on the main screen. 

I snapped a few shots on each one and was generally pleased with the results. Admittedly you won't get photos that look as professional as from some of the very best phones in the world yet you will still be able to take some nice-looking shots, particularly in daylight.

So far, so good - what's the downside? As far as we know, the Oppo Find N2 is only going to be released in China so if you're keen to get one, it won't be easy to get a hold of. 

Because of that, if you did manage to pick one up, it wouldn't come with Google apps installed like the Google Play Store or Gmail. That in itself could be massively off-putting to some. 

Until Oppo decides to launch the Oppo Find N2 globally, I'd recommend buying the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. Take a look at the widget below to see the latest prices on it from across the web right now.