Review | OnePlus Open/Oppo Find N3: the best foldable phone you can buy outside China – light, slim, with innovative software. Look out, Samsung and Google
- Chinese brand Oppo’s Find N3 foldable phone is being sold internationally as the OnePlus Open. Lighter and slimmer than rivals, its hardware is best in class
- With native Google app support and a build, screen, camera and battery superior to the Samsung Z Fold 5, the OnePlus Open will be an eye-opener outside China
Chinese smartphone brand Oppo has launched the third edition of its Find N foldable phone and, like the first two models, it features hardware that outshines devices from market leader Samsung and is arguably best in class.
What makes this release noteworthy, and also a bit confusing, is Oppo’s decision to launch the device globally – including in the United States, a market most Chinese phones makers have stayed away from – and under a different name.
In China and throughout most of Asia, the new handset is called the Oppo Find N3; but in the US, India, and western Europe, it is called the OnePlus Open (Oppo and OnePlus are owned by the same parent company, BBK Electronics).
My unit is officially the OnePlus version, and will be referred to as such in this review, but it is identical to the Find N3 except for slightly different colour options.
Hardware and design
The Open’s periscope zoom lens, at 64 megapixels with a ½ inch sensor, also trumps Samsung’s zoom lens in hardware prowess.
The display hinge is well built, can stay in place at any angle, and the phone is rated IPX4, meaning it can withstand splashes of water and survive being used in the rain (I’ve tried it).
I adore the faux-leather back of my unit (which is available for both brandings), but those who find it tacky have the option of a green glass version (OnePlus) or a gold glass version (Oppo).
In terms of hardware, it’s difficult to argue this isn’t hands-down the best foldable phone available outside China right now.
Software and features
Chinese foldable phones have been impressive and industry-leading for a few years, but because most were never released internationally, the software on them was not optimised for audiences outside China, and lacked native support for Google apps.
Oppo bets on foldable phones in global markets with launch of Find N3
Almost all the software quirks of Chinese foldables, like the inability to summon Google Assistant via voice or run YouTube in horizontal split-screen mode, are fixed here.
In fact, Oppo/OnePlus has developed a new dynamic multitasking system for the foldable that is the most intuitive system I have used yet. Essentially, you can open up to three apps at once, but rather than being stuck in a locked grid, the apps shift in size and proportion depending on your action.
Performance
Running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform, performance is top notch.
The camera system produces vibrant, bright images – perhaps too bright. The image sensors are so large that the camera sometimes overexposes, which is something Oppo/OnePlus’ software will have to work to fix. But in almost all conditions, the camera produces shots that are more detailed than those of other foldable phones.
Conclusion
For phone users around the world who haven’t used the Find N2, the Open is an eye-opener. That this phone is launching in the US, where the media still mostly adheres to a Western tech narrative, is a big deal.
The OnePlus Open/Oppo Find N3 is the new best foldable phone on the market. The model is selling in the US for US$1,700 (HK$13,298); S$2,339 (HK$13,385) in Singapore; and 9,999 yuan (HK$10,700) in China.
