Oppo Find N5: A Revolutionary Step in Foldable Phone Design

Introduction: A New Era in Foldable Phones

The Oppo Find N5 represents a significant leap forward in foldable smartphone design, addressing many of the issues that have long plagued this category. At its core, the Find N5 is remarkably thin and lightweight, making it feel more like a traditional smartphone when closed. This is a major achievement, as foldable phones have often been criticized for being bulky and awkward to use. When open, the phone offers a spacious 8.12-inch internal screen that is nearly crease-free, providing an immersive experience that feels natural and intuitive. The Find N5 is being marketed as "the world’s thinnest book-style foldable when closed," and it lives up to this claim, measuring just 8.93mm thick in its folded state. This slim design is complemented by a lightweight build, weighing in at 229 grams, making it easy to carry and use on the go.

Design and Build: A Masterclass in Thinness and Durability

One of the standout features of the Oppo Find N5 is its incredible thinness, both when open and closed. When closed, it measures only 8.93mm thick, which is slightly thicker than an iPhone 16. When open, it is an impressive 4.21mm thick, making it one of the thinnest foldable phones available. This thin design doesn’t come at the expense of durability, however. The phone’s frame is made from aluminum alloy, which Oppo claims is 30% stronger than the previous model. The cover display is made of nanocrystal glass, offering improved drop resistance and scratch resistance. The hinge is constructed from grade 5 titanium alloy, ensuring smooth and seamless folding and unfolding. The phone’s build feels sturdy, and the absence of a noticeable gap when folded adds to its premium feel.

The Find N5 is available in two color options: Cosmic Black and Misty White. The matte backing provides a secure grip, while the smooth aluminum frame along the edges adds a touch of elegance. Despite its slim build, the phone manages to include a USB-C port at the bottom and volume and power buttons on the right side, which are also slim but functional. The camera module is slightly noticeable but doesn’t detract from the overall design, thanks to a single glass cover that smooths out the appearance.

Display Quality: Sharp and Bright, with a Near-Creaseless Experience

The Oppo Find N5 boasts two high-quality displays: a 6.62-inch cover screen and an 8.12-inch internal screen. Both displays feature a 120Hz refresh rate, providing smooth scrolling and responsive interaction. The cover screen has a peak brightness of 2,450 nits, making it easy to read in bright outdoor conditions. The internal screen, while slightly dimmer at 2,100 nits, still offers excellent visibility and is equipped with an antireflection film to reduce glare.

One of the most impressive aspects of the Find N5 is the near-invisibility of the crease on the internal screen. When the screen is on, the crease is almost undetectable, and even when the screen is off, it is barely noticeable. This is a significant improvement over earlier foldable phones, where the crease was often a major drawback. The phone’s overall display quality is excellent, with sharp images and comfortable viewing angles. However, colors on both the cover and internal screens are slightly more muted compared to flagship phones like the iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S series.

The larger real estate of both screens makes multitasking a breeze, especially with the split-screen mode. The phone is easy to navigate, whether using one hand or two, thanks to its lightweight design. The intuitive layout of the cover screen makes it feel like a standard smartphone, while the internal screen provides the added benefit of a larger display for media consumption and productivity.

Camera Performance: Vibrant Colors and Impressive Features

The Oppo Find N5 features a triple-camera setup, including a 50-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera. The selfie cameras for both the cover and internal screens are 8 megapixels. The camera system has been optimized to work seamlessly with the phone’s slim design, ensuring that the camera module doesn’t compromise the overall aesthetic or functionality.

In initial tests, the camera delivered vibrant and punchy colors, with portrait mode standing out for its precision. However, users who prefer more natural colors might find the images slightly oversaturated. Nighttime shots were well-lit, and the overall smoothness of the images was impressive, although they lacked the sharpness of images from top-tier flagships like the iPhone. The Find N5 also supports 4K video recording at 60 frames per second, resulting in smooth and vibrant footage.

The selfie cameras performed well, capturing clear and detailed self-portraits. The AI features, such as the AI eraser and unblur tools, were particularly impressive. The AI eraser did an excellent job of removing unwanted objects from photos, while the unblur feature showed more modest improvements. These practical AI tools add significant value to the camera experience, making photo editing easier and more accessible.

Battery and Performance: Power and Efficiency in a Slim Package

Despite its slim design, the Oppo Find N5 packs a large 5,600-mAh battery, the biggest in the Find N series. It supports 80-watt fast charging and 50-watt wireless charging, making it easy to keep the phone powered up throughout the day. In a streaming test, the phone lasted three hours with continuous video playback at full brightness, dropping from 100% to 89% battery. This is a solid performance, especially considering the phone’s thin build. Charging was also impressively fast, reaching a full charge from 0% in under an hour.

Under the hood, the Find N5 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which delivers significant improvements in CPU, GPU, and AI performance compared to previous models. The phone also comes with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM, ensuring smooth and responsive performance for both everyday tasks and demanding applications.

The Find N5 also features Google’s Gemini AI tool and Circle to Search, a feature that allows users to quickly find more information about anything on their screen. These AI-powered features enhance the overall user experience, making the phone more intuitive and practical to use.

Conclusion: A Foldable Phone That Feels Normal

The Oppo Find N5 is a game-changer in the world of foldable smartphones. It successfully addresses many of the issues that have held back earlier models, offering a thin, lightweight, and durable design that feels natural to use. The nearly crease-free internal screen, combined with its robust build and intuitive design, makes it a compelling option for anyone considering a foldable phone.

While the camera performance is not on par with the absolute best flagship phones, it still delivers high-quality images and video, especially in terms of color vibrancy and smoothness. The battery life and charging speeds are also noteworthy, ensuring that users can enjoy their phone without constant concerns about running out of power.

In summary, the Oppo Find N5 proves that foldable phones don’t have to be bulky, awkward, or fragile. It offers a sleek, intuitive, and durable design that feels like what foldables have been striving to achieve all along.