What you need to know
- Rumors say OPPO is working on powering its next foldable phones with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
- The Chinese company is also speculated to release a tablet-like foldable phone and a clamshell.
- One glaring issue is OPPO's current sales ban in Germany and potentially other European countries due to its 5G technology patent issue with Nokia.
OPPO could be looking to power its next foldable phones with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon chipset. The Chinese Android OEM released its first foldable phone, the Find N, late last year in December, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. Recent rumors could see OPPO's next releases come with a welcome upgrade akin to Samsung's latest foldables.
Leaked details reported by Pricebaba (via 9to5Google) say the company is working on launching two foldable devices in the near future. One device may potentially be a clamshell-like foldable, and another is closer to a tablet-like foldable. The leaks also say both of these new foldable phones may feature the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which would be a step and a half above the chipset found in OPPO's first foldable, the Find N.
Thinking of competition, OPPO is likely to challenge Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 if the rumors are true with that chipset. What's also rumored is that the tablet-like foldable may be called the OPPO "Find N Fold," while the clamshell device could be called the "Find N Flip," further pitting it against Samsung's latest devices. It was also reported that both phones have been registered at the European Union Intellectual Property Office.
The launch of a clamshell would also join the likes of the recently launched Motorola Razr 2022, which also features the same chipset.
As we are still wondering about the potential release of OPPO's next foldable phones, Pricebaba speculates that they could emerge in the coming months, potentially giving consumers something to look forward to for the holidays while giving Samsung more much-needed competition.
Something to consider in the meantime is OPPO's current situation with its recent sales ban in Germany. The ban on OPPO and OnePlus devices resulted from a patent dispute with Nokia.
This reality is quite crippling for OPPO, along with OnePlus, as the sales ban could spread across several more European countries. However, both companies stated they are actively working to resolve the issue. If OPPO is looking to give its portfolio a fighting chance against some of the best foldable phones, this patent issue with using Nokia's 5G technology would ideally need to be resolved beforehand.
