A cliché with a kernel of truth, the one for which the Foldable smartphones are less durable than “traditional” ones. Physics teaches that a mobile element, however resistant it may be, still introduces an additional potential breaking point, and this is the case with the hinge of folding smartphones. Pete Lau, founder of OnePlus and current executive of Oppo, posted a video on Twitter showing the resistance of the hinge of the recent Find N2 Flip the first Oppo leaflet to arrive in Europe (sponsor, moreover, of the Champions League, you will have seen the advertisements on the sidelines).
Oppo’s CPO does not deny that the hinge is an element that makes the Find N2 Flip intrinsically more fragile than, for example, a Find X5, on the contrary: precisely because the hinge is the most delicate component of a leaflet together with the display, Lau wanted demonstrate with a video that the one designed for Find N2 Flip is capable of withstanding ordinary and decidedly less ordinary stresses. The smartphone is turned upside down on two transparent supports and increasing masses are applied to the hinge.
You start by applying 5 kg and end up with 25 kg, gym discs that Find N2 Flip tolerates as if they all had the same weight. It is clear that in all likelihood the video is made on a computer, so the point is not whether the clip captures the movements of the Find N2 Flip’s hinge during the actual application of increasing masses. The point is that an official video corresponds to an official statement, so in theory a laboratory test was first done where a Find N2 Flip under the same conditions proved to be able to hold a concentrated load on the hinge up to 25 kg.
This flip doesn’t flop. #OPPOFindN2Flip pic.twitter.com/ixS3A20sZH
— Pete Lau (@PeteLau) March 15, 2023
And we can only trust Oppo and its extreme test with which it conveys the message of not looking for compromises on the durability of the first leaflet sold in Europe, whose most fragile component does not raise the white flag even in the presence of loads that exceed its featherweight of 191 grams by 131 times. Unfortunately you don’t see the post in the video, but even if once the load was removed the hinge had taken the hit (probable) and the fragile folding display no longer worked (very likely) it wouldn’t matter much, because the test is objectively extreme and not very representative of a circumstance that can arise in everyday life.
Find N2 Flip, therefore, is made to last a long time, Oppo swears. If you want to know the attitudes of the Chinese foldable, here is our review.
OPPO Find N2 Flip 5G Smartphone, AI Dual Camera 50+8MP, Selfie 32MP, 6.8/3.26?120HZ AMOLED Display, 4300mAh, RAM 8GB (up to 16GB), ROM 256GB, +Car Support Moonlit Purple
1199€
OPPO Find N2 Flip 5G Smartphone, AI Dual Camera 50+8MP, Selfie 32MP, 6.8/3.26?120HZ AMOLED Display, 4300mAh, RAM 8GB (up to 16GB), ROM 256GB, +Car Support
1199€
Oppo Find N2 Flip is available online from Eprice at 1.130 euros. The value for money is discreet and it is the best device in this price range. To see the other 7 offers click here. (updated March 15, 2023, 5.30pm)
