What you need to know
- OPPO has teased its first foldable phone, the OPPO Find N.
- OnePlus CEO Pete Lau will oversee OPPO's development of the foldable device.
- The phone will officially see the light of day on December 15 at OPPO's Inno Day.
While many phone makers such as Samsung, Motorola, and Xiaomi were quick to hop on the foldable bandwagon, OPPO seems to have taken its time. Now, OPPO has finally announced its answer to the best foldable phones, the OPPO Find N, after several years of work.
Pete Lau, co-founder and CEO of OnePlus and chief product officer at OPPO, has revealed in a blog post that the Find N took four years to develop. The first prototype came out as early as April 2018, but the company managed to keep it hidden from public view.
As it stands, the current version of OPPO's first foldable device represents the sixth generation. Lau said the device is intended to help usher in a new era of smartphones after the industry "has hit a wall" following rapid development over the past 10 years.
Lau noted how smartphone development has reached a limit when it comes to configurations and designs. "Whether it's fast charging, high refresh rates, mobile photography covering several focal lengths, or 5G connectivity, smartphone development has reached a limit that requires new ways of thinking and new approaches to continue innovating," he wrote.
The Find N is also claimed to address major pain points such as display creases and overall durability found in many foldable phones in the market such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3. See the phone in action below:
OPPO didn't provide additional details of the phone in terms of specs and price, but the Find N will officially debut on December 15 during the second day of OPPO's Inno Day.
The teaser video also gives away the foldable's inward folding design and rounded corners like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3. Additionally, it has the same form factor as Samsung's foldable device, combining a large internal screen with a smaller outer display. The main screen also looks to have slim bezels.
That said, it's not certain whether the device will feature OPPO's retractable camera that was teased shortly before today's announcement.
