Skip to main content

Oppo is launching a cheaper Galaxy Z Flip 3 competitor

Oppo’s Find N is a very well-received Galaxy Z Fold 3 competitor that debuted recently, and the company seems to be going all-in on the foldable segment. It’s reportedly working on a clamshell foldable to compete with the segment-leading Galaxy Z Flip 3. The selling point? It will be cheaper than the Samsung clamshell device, making it more affordable for Chinese and perhaps other international markets. It will also be yet another device that U.S. customers can’t buy.

According to a report from 91Mobiles, tipster Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings on Twitter) has revealed that Oppo is working on its first-ever clamshell foldable smartphone. The upcoming phone will be a value-for-money foldable device, which means it would be cheaper than the Galaxy Z Flip 3. It is expected to hit the shelves in the third quarter of 2022. However, we don’t know if the launch timeline is for a China-only release or a global launch. While the name of the foldable clamshell smartphone isn’t known yet, it is touted to debut under the Oppo Find series brand.

Related Videos
Galaxy Z Fold 3 (left) and Oppo Find N open from the back.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The report goes on to say that the Chinese company is also prepping to launch another foldable smartphone, perhaps a successor to the Oppo Find N. The current foldable has a lot going for it with a compact design that fits in the hand well and allows for a workable front display. However, it leads to a squarish foldable display that doesn’t fit as much content on the screen as the Galaxy Z Fold 3. There is no word if the successor would retain the design language, though we expect it to be built on the same compact design language.

The launch timeline of the next Oppo Find N device isn’t available, and like the clamshell device, we don’t know if it will be a China-focused phone or launch globally. We expect to hear more about the clamshell smartphone later in the year. It will be interesting to see how it competes with the Galaxy Z Flip 4 since it’s also expected to be launching sometime around October as well.

Editors' Recommendations

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is breaking again, and it looks bad
Half open Galaxy Z Fold 3.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 comes with a “new protective film made of stretchable PET5 and optimized display panel layers resulting in a Main Screen that’s 80% more durable than previous devices.” Samsung also said back in 2021 that the phone has been “put through a strenuous folding test, verified by Bureau Veritas, to withstand folding 200,000 times.”

But how does that play out in reality? Actual Galaxy Z Fold 3 users are living a rather different story — one where the inner foldable display has broken or cracked within a year, or so, of purchase.

Read more
Everything Samsung announced at Unpacked: Galaxy S23, Galaxy Book 3, and more
The Samsung Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra all next to each other.

Samsung's held its first Unpacked event for 2023, where the company launched the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra. Alongside that, Samsung powered up its ecosystem play by updating its MacBook competitor, the Galaxy Book line.

There's quite a lot being unpacked, and nothing here is going to be cheap. Though Samsung has managed to claw its way to the top in the Android market by pushing out cheap phones like the Galaxy A14, the company's headline-grabbing devices are often its more expensive -- and more innovative  -- ones.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Read more
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 isn’t just a good phone — it’s also my favorite computer
Samsung DeX mode.

Samsung is good at making some of the best phones money can buy. Samsung also happens to do a terrible job at marketing those great phones. Actually, the company sucks at it. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the best example of Samsung’s failure at telling a great story around a compelling product. Now, I have never recommended that a person drop $1,799 on a smartphone unless that person happens to be an enthusiast with a deep pocket. I know a few such people. But almost every time I see them toying with the Samsung foldable, I have the urge to scream “you’re holding it wrong,” somewhat like late Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

But I do remember actually telling a few proud Galaxy Z Fold 4 owners that “you’re not pushing it enough.” The Z Fold 4's folding tricks and hidden selfie camera are great, but the aspect that really stands out for me is the phone’s ability to turn into a terrific secondary screen and a full-blown computing machine that can drive its own peripherals. It's for this reason the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has become one of my favorite computers.
Goodbye, distractions
Running mobile apps on your PC is a massively underrated convenience. Nadeem Sarwar / DigitalTrends

Read more