OPPO’s clamshell folding could be reasonably close to release: According to well-known leaker Mukul Sharma, the first internal tests of the smartphone have already started in various parts of the regions of Europe and Asia. As a result, the device could be presented as early as the next few months, before the end of the year.
Naturally hoping that no serious problems emerge during the tests, which would cause significant delays and collapse what has been said so far. It is not an impossible scenario, indeed, especially on a particular and experimental product class like this one. It seems that the same fate has recently befallen Google’s Pixel Fold or Pixel Notebook, for example.
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| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 72.2 x 166 x 6.9 mm 6.7 inches – 2640×1080 px |
Huawei P50 Pocket 75.5 x 170 x 7.2 mm 6.9 inches – 2790×1188 px |
Motorola Razr 5G 72.6 x 169.2 x 7.9 mm 6.2 inches – 2142×876 px |
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The Chinese company’s clamshell would be placed in a rather fascinating but still sparsely populated market niche: the main exponents are Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip, now in its third generation, Motorola’s RAZR and Huawei’s P50 Pocket. For the moment, no too precise indications have emerged on the device: it seems that it will mount Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, and that it will have a relatively affordable price.
It is assumed around 5,000 RMB in China, which is equivalent to about 700 € at the current exchange rate. For comparison, the Z Flip 3 and RAZR 5G had a list price at launch of, respectively, € 1,099 and € 1,599, although at the moment the web price places them both around € 700. It is also worth remembering that the Find N, which is the company’s first folding and has a form factor similar to that of the Galaxy Z Fold, was launched in China at 7,699 renminbi, equivalent to about € 1,100.
Concept render of the smartphone
So far we have seen patents and concept renders, but the concrete details have been very scarce. It is clear that the presence of a new generation SoC, indeed the very latest update just presented, suggests that the company is aiming for the best possible performance; it remains to be seen where compromises will be made to keep prices low, and one can only think about photographic sector – already struggling with this type of form factor due to the extremely limited space.
