The Kenyan market for foldable smartphones is starting to take shape, but the most anticipated models to hit the shelves next year are the OPPO Find N3 and N3 Flip.
Not only does OPPO provide the new device format in Kenya, but TECNO and Samsung have also released their own versions of it. OPPO’s own Find N2 Flip, the Galaxy Z Flip5, the Galaxy Z Fold5, and the Phantom V Flip are all available in the country.
It’s a positive thing for customers and smartphone firms alike that the rivalry is intensifying.
OPPO introduced the Find N2 Flip in China in December 2022. It was released internationally in February 2023 and returned to the country in late May. Before the Phantom V Flip was released last month, it was a fantastic replacement for the Galaxy Z Flip4 and Z Flip5.
With the release of the new third-generation foldable, OPPO has already updated its Find N series. After a late August introduction in China, the Find N3 and N3 Flip made their way worldwide in October.
Read also: OPPO launches latest smartphone in Nigeria
OPPO Find N3 description
With their third foldable in the clamshell design, OPPO changed things considerably.
It now sports a triple camera configuration, fine-tuned by Hasselblad, consisting of a 48MP ultrawide sensor, a 32MP telephoto sensor with a 2x optical zoom, and a 50MP Sony IMX890 primary sensor.
Regarding the portrait telephoto lens, the midrange OPPO Reno10 series and the Find N3 Flip have the same camera.
It has the same 3.26-inch vertical display as its predecessor, which is smaller than the 3.4-inch screen on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5.
Compared to the Find N2 Flip, the cover screen now has additional functionality that supports a wider range of third-party apps, such as Reddit, YouTube, Spotify, Twitter, Reddit Maps, and Google Calendar.
The hinge is still the same Flexion Hinge with zero gaps, which OPPO claims has undergone 400,000 tests. Thus, when the phone is closed, it folds entirely without any spaces between.
The 32MP front-facing camera, which can now record 4K video and the primary camera can both be used to take hands-free selfies and videos thanks to the continued availability of Flexmode.
The hinge also prevents the inside display from having the obvious crease found in some of its competitors’ products, such as the Z Flip5.
The 6.8-inch AMOLED display, which has an adjustable refresh rate of between 1Hz and 120Hz, opens up the flip.
The N3 Flip is rated IPX4, but its competitor, the Z Flip5, is IPX8 protected.
Rather than having the boxy appearance of the Find N2 Flip, the N3 Flip features a curved glass design along the sides.
The Find N3 Flip, with its 256GB storage and 12GB RAM, is powered by the Dimensity 9200 chipset (UFS 4.0). Along with four years of significant Android OS updates and five years of security fixes, it also includes Android 13 and ColorOS 13.1.
The 4300mAh battery of the OPPO Find N3 Flip can be charged at 44W quickly; the charger is part of the package. Among the foldable clamshell devices, this one has the biggest battery. You can charge the phone to 50% capacity in less than 22 minutes, thanks to rapid charging.
Unfortunately, this device lacks wireless charging, just like the Find N2 Flip.
The power button contains an integrated fingerprint reader. With the Find N3 Flip, OPPO included an alert slider, taking a cue from sibling firm OnePlus. You may move between different settings, such as vibration, silent, and ring, using the slider.
OPPO Find N3 description
The one that excites me the most is the Find N3 Fold.
It weighs 239g less and is 11.7mm thinner than the bulky Samsung Z Fold5.
You may use it more even without unfolding it to utilise the main screen because it has a 6.31 cover screen, which is more usual than the Z Fold5’s narrow outer screen.
A Ceramic Guard is used to protect the external screen. Similar to the Find N3 Flip, it is rated IPX4.
According to OPPO, the flexion hinge is significantly stronger and can resist a million folds.
The primary and secondary screens are 2K AMOLED LTPO panels featuring a refresh rate of 120Hz and a brightness of 2800 nits.
With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, Oneplus has replaced MediaTek with Qualcomm to power the Find N3. ColorOS 13.2 and Android 13 are preinstalled on it. Options for RAM and storage begin at 12/16GB and 512GB/1TB, respectively.
The Triple Splits feature of ColorOS, which allows you to open three programs vertically and use time side by side on the main screen while multitasking, is something I’m looking forward to utilising. You can pre-set up to nine sets.
Additionally, there is an app tray and taskbar at the bottom of the screen. I’m very sure I’ll adore the huge screen’s capabilities for desktop-style web browsing.
The Find N3 has three Hasselblad-tuned cameras: a 48MP primary, a 64MP 3X zoom telephoto, and a 48MP ultrawide. There is a 20MP selfie camera on the main screen and a 32MP selfie camera on the cover screen. Comparing these cameras to their competitors, all of them promise improved performance.
While the selfie camera records in 4K 30 frames per second, the main camera records in 4K 60 frames per second.
Its 4805mAh battery may be charged with cable power at 67 W.
Availability, costs
The starting price of the OPPO Find N3 Flip is $932 for the 256 GB model and $1042 for the 512 GB variant.
Early in the upcoming year, if it launches locally, we anticipate that its pricing will begin at about Ksh 150,000. In the nation, the Find N2 Flip retails for Ksh 130,000. Even so, it will still be less expensive than the Z Flip5, which costs Ksh 180,000.
The starting price of the OPPO Find N3 is $1700, or around Ksh 260,000. In Kenya, even if OPPO increases the price, it will still be less expensive than the Ksh 325,000 Samsung Z Fold5.