The Oppo Find N2 Flip is a foldable smartphone that has a screen on the skin too. Oppo is trying to boost its position within the premium smartphone market with the £849 ($1024) device.
Oppo
Oppo has launched a foldable flip phone for international markets, because the Chinese smartphone maker looks to spice up its business outside of China.
The Find N2 Flip marks Oppo’s push to make a dent within the premium segment of the smartphone market and within the nascent foldable phone category.
The Find N2 Flip, which was launched Wednesday, folds in the center like a conventional flip phone and boasts two screens. The essential continuous 6.8-inch display is visible when the device is open and may hook up with next-generation 5G mobile networks. There may be a second display on the skin of the phone when the device is folded, which Oppo touts because the “largest cover screen of its kind.”
The corporate said the phone can withstand greater than 400,000 folds and unfolds at standard room temperature, which it equates to opening and shutting the device around 100 times a day for greater than 10 years.
The foldable phone category, which was pioneered by Samsung, continues to be within the early stages. Shipments of foldables accounted for less than 1.1% of total smartphone shipments in 2022, in accordance with IDC, and are expected to extend to simply 2.8% in 2026.
“I believe there’s this type of tricky thing with foldables: they’re all lovely, everyone seems to be excited by them, but do we actually know the way big the market is?” Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, told CNBC via phone.
Oppo targets premium brand
Oppo is the world’s fourth-largest smartphone player by market share, and the Chinese firm has found success over the past few years by selling high-spec and modern devices at a competitive price.
More recently, Oppo has been trying to boost its presence outside of China and capture a slice of the high-end smartphone market that Apple and Samsung dominate.
Oppo’s challenge shall be around constructing its brand outside of China, where it stays behind the likes of Samsung, in accordance with Wood. The foldable phone is a component of Oppo’s effort to construct itself right into a premium brand.
“This can be a huge bet for them. Oppo has clearly recognized that there is robust potential within the premium smartphone segment, and so they have made no secret of the very fact they imagine that foldables is one aspect of taking the brand to the premium tier,” Wood said.
“The rationale premium is holding up is partly because individuals are wanting to purchase a phone that may last a protracted time. The cell phone is such an indispensable a part of peoples’ lives that they’re prepared to pay more for a product, in the event that they imagine it would last a protracted time.”
Outside of China, there are still only a few foldable phones available for purchase. By way of flip foldables, Samsung has the Galaxy Z Flip4, while Motorola offers the Razr 5G.
Oppo has priced its device at £849 ($1024) within the U.K, cheaper than Samsung’s £899 Galaxy Z Flip4.
“On price, they’ve definitely gone competitive,” Wood said, adding that Oppo has to spice up its brand recognition.
Oppo also said Wednesday that its Find N2 Flip is the official smartphone of the UEFA Champions League, the European soccer competition, because it looks to market its device and brand to a large audience.
Given Oppo’s big investment in marketing and high-end devices, Wood called 2023 a “make-or-break 12 months” for the smartphone maker.
“They’re placing an enormous bet on constructing their international business, and that’s requiring a really significant investment. And you’ll be able to’t keep doing that indefinitely, should you cant get a return on it,” Wood said.
