OPPO stormed the market with not one, but two, foldable phones in 2023. Early in 2023, the company brought the much-loved OPPO Find N2 Flip foldable to the Indian smartphone market. Given its success, the successor – the OPPO Find N3 Flip – was launched in a matter of months boasting a couple of meaningful improvements. The most impactful improvements were seen in the camera department. So much so, and upon using this smartphone for a couple of weeks, it has become my favourite camera system to exist on a flip phone. You can read more about my thoughts in our full review of the OPPO Find N3 Flip.
I recently had the chance to candidly chat with Damyant Singh Khanoria, CMO at OPPO India about the company’s foldable strategy and how they plan on differentiating themselves in this competitive market. Here’s how the chat went.
Digit: What was the rationale behind launching two Flip phones in one year?
Damyant: The foldable smartphone market in India is growing rapidly, and this trend will continue in the coming years. Foldable phones have been driving the premium segment, so it made perfect sense for us to step into the foldable market earlier this year with the Find N2 Flip.
The Find N2 Flip—a culmination of five years of R&D— brought together the best in foldable technology and design and created an inflexion point in the flip phone industry. With the success of the Find N2 Flip, we introduced the Find N3 Flip. This new iteration improves the Find N2 Flip’s winning formula with upgrades in cover screen functionality, camera experience, and performance.
Digit: The OPPO Find N3 Flip has the best cameras we’ve tested on a Flip foldable phone. How was this achieved while still ensuring the device is pocketable?
Damyant: The OPPO Find N3 Flip is the perfect blend of innovation and artistry, centered around achieving compact perfection that easily fits in your pocket. In an industry-first, the Find N3 Flip introduces three powerful cameras as part of its primary camera setup, a result of our collaboration with the legendary camera maker Hasselblad. These cameras are integrated into a circular module next to the cover screen, ensuring you get exceptional photo and video quality in a compact design.
Building on the success of the Find N2 Flip, where we introduced a sizable 3.26-inch cover display, we’ve taken it a step further with the Find N3 Flip wherein we have introduced 40+ apps right on the cover screen. We intentionally kept the screen size the same so that our customers could have the best of both worlds – the versatility of our cover screen and the industry first triple camera setup.
Digit: The cover screen of the Find N3 Flip is pretty versatile but some competitors can run more apps. What is being done to address this?
Damyant: OPPO Find N3 Flip is the first flip globally to feature 40+ apps on cover screen without any third-party support. It offers an impressive array of features that boost productivity and communication.
Digit: What R&D has gone into the hinge? How has it become better to ensure longevity in a foldable device?
Damyant: Our fold journey began in 2018 when we started the R&D for foldable smartphones, leading into innovative products like the Find N3 Flip and Find N2 Flip, featuring our patented Flexion Hinge. The hinge sets new industry standards for durability, seamless design, FlexForm Mode, and an invisible crease.
With the Find N3 Flip, we continue to lead in innovation, introducing a micro-carved flowing texture in the hinge, a dual friction plate structure for enhanced FlexForm stability, and an upgraded New Generation Flexion Hinge for lasting performance. This innovation is rigorously tested, with the upgraded Flexion Hinge undergoing 600,000 folds certified by TUV Rheinland, equivalent to 16 years of usage with an average of 100 folds per day.
Digit: What are the main focus areas that differentiate the OPPO Find N3 Flip from the Find N2 Flip other than the camera?
Damyant: The OPPO Find N3 Flip stands out from the Find N2 Flip in several significant ways, beyond just the camera. It’s the world’s first flip phone to feature a triple camera setup (with 50MP OIS, 32MP, and 48MP lenses), which includes a telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. It’s also the most durable flip phone globally, certified by TUV Rheinland to withstand 600,000 folds (equivalent to 16 years if folded 100 times a day).
Furthermore, it introduces a unique micro-carved flowing texture on the rotating hinge, achieved through continuous carving up to 12,000 times over 3 minutes, resulting in a captivating water-wave-like effect. Additionally, it’s the first flip phone to offer more than 40 apps on the cover screen. Lastly, the Alert Slider adds a stylish and practical touch to the phone’s design.
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Dhriti Datta
Perpetually sporting a death stare, this one can be seen tinkering around with her smartphone which she holds more dear than life itself and stuffing her face with copious amounts of bacon. View Full Profile
