OPPO Air Glass 3 brings AI to your vision to improve your interactions

Smart glasses, in contrast to AR headsets and visors, aim for a design that ideally should be indistinguishable from regular glasses. With today’s technologies and knowledge, however, that’s not easily possible, especially when you need to add powerful computing hardware to sophisticated optics. That’s especially the case when you need to offer some kind of smart assistant functionality, especially voice and speech recognition. In the past, you had to settle for rough translations and sometimes misinterpretations; comical but frustrating nonetheless. That definitely sounds like a job for AI, and that’s exactly what OPPO is bringing to the table, or rather to your eyes, with the newest iteration of its lightweight and discreet “assisted Reality” glasses that take a focused approach to wearables.

Designer: OPPO

AI is still the hot thing in tech today, in spite of and despite the bad publicity that misuse of the tool brings. Today’s AIs happen to be great at processing human language, both written and spoken, and they can now run the device itself with very little power, making them perfect for very small devices, including smart glasses. In its third iteration, the OPPO Air Glass 3 prototype harnesses the power of AI, specifically its own self-trained language model AndesGPT, to deliver a more natural way to talk to your glasses and get your job done.

AI might be the technical highlight of the new OPPO Air Glass 3, but its winning feature is going to be its design. OPPO is laying claim to the title of the world’s lightest binocular full-color glasses, and at 50g only, the claim does have merit. It looks just like regular spectacles with very thick frames, but nothing like those complicated and heavy mixed reality glasses. Despite that lightweight design, the Air Glass 3 still boasts a bright 1,000 nits display delivered by a tiny Spark micro projector, ensuring you can clearly see the virtual information even in bright environments. And with an ultra-thin waveguide, you don’t get the rainbow-like patterns that are often seen on optical see-through displays like these.

The OPPO Air Glass 3 manages to offer this more comfortable design thanks to its more focused functions. Rather than trying to cast its net wide with augmented reality, OPPO is instead focusing on “assisted reality” that emphasizes productivity over entertainment. You’ll still be able to see images if you want and control music playback, but the information that’s displayed in front of your eyes is limited to things like navigation, timers, translations, or even a teleprompter. In other words, it’s a sleek way to have all the important information you need right in front of you instead of having to fish out your phone from your pocket and get distracted in the process.

Of course, that means it will need to connect to an external device, particularly your OPPO smartphone. The Air Glass mobile app provides that connection you need with OPPO’s AndesGPT to ensure you’re getting the best performance possible without weighing your head down. OPPO is also laying the groundwork for more AI-enhanced features and experiences by investing heavily in its own AI center in the hopes of empowering all its products, especially its smartphones, with these features.

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Foldable Phone Designs are about to get more interesting but also less diverse

The number of foldable phones launching each year is slowly rising, suggesting that these former novelty items are here to stay. To manufacturers’ credit, the phones are getting more reliable and attractive, even if their prices are still prohibitive for most people. With more players in the market, it’s bound to become a somewhat livelier place, with brands putting their own spins or changing designs to match or challenge their rivals. It now seems, however, that the still niche foldable phone category is about to enter another tumultuous phase with new designs that could shake up the market and some companies throwing in the towel, leaving only a few designs to stick and stagnate.

Triple Folding Phones

The biggest and perhaps only reason for a foldable phone would be to provide a device that can be used as a regular phone when wanted but can transform into a tablet when you want more screen real estate. The current crop of foldable phones does meet those requirements, though almost barely. As tablets, they’re painfully tiny even compared to the already small iPad mini and some 7-inch slates. As phones, some designs make them awkward to use because of their narrow and tall external screens.

One possible solution would be to have a large screen that can fold in three parts, turning into a phone-sized slab, albeit probably a bit thicker than even today’s foldable phones. Samsung has, in fact, been working on such a design for years and it finally showed off a prototype two years ago. It turns out that it might even launch its first tri-fold phone slash tablet later this year.

Designer: Samsung

This timeline is reportedly due to one of Samsung’s biggest rivals trying to make a move first. Huawei, who is rebuilding its empire in some markets, is rumored to be launching a foldable phone that transforms into a 10-inch tablet. Just for the title of being the “world’s first,” Samsung could be taking a big risk and making a leap of faith to get that triple foldable phone out the door quickly, even if it means repeating the mistakes of the first Galaxy Fold.

Stylus Support Inside and Out

One of the biggest draws of foldable phones is, of course, their big screens. They’re not just perfect for showing more content, but they’re also great for actually creating content. With tablets now being seen as productivity and creativity tools thanks to the iPad Pro, these foldable phones are truly powerful laptops you can fit in your pocket, at least in theory. Ironically, very few of the brands actually support such a use case with the right accessories. Even Samsung forces you to buy the S Pen Fold Edition if you want to scribble and doodle on your foldable phone like a notebook.

The newly launched mouthful that is the Honor Magic V2 RSR Porsche Design bucks the trend by actually including a stylus inside the box. Granted, the price of this limited edition would make you think it should include such an item, but you’re also paying for other luxuries at the same time. For example, you get two charging bricks instead of one. Some foldable phones other than Samsung don’t even advertise support for a stylus even if they’re capable of supporting one.

Designer: Honor

More interesting, however, is how the Honor Magic V2 RSR Porsche Design actually supports that active stylus not only on the large internal screen but also on the smaller cover screen. That one-ups even Samsung who is famed for its stylus-enabled Galaxy Note phablets, now sold under the Galaxy S Ultra brand. Honor is showing that such a set of features is possible, and it could lead to a long-overdue trend in the foldable smartphone market, presuming there’s still one in the next few years.

Design Monoculture

One of the reasons why the foldable phone market seems to have stabilized a bit is because of the number of players now in the ring. Of course, you have Samsung and Huawei leading the charge, but now you also have Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, Tecno, OnePlus, and Honor in the running. Unfortunately, there are whispers that two of these are bowing out of the race, and their absence could actually have an indirect though significant negative impact on foldable phones as a whole.

Those rumors claim that both OPPO and vivo are calling it quits in the foldable market. The cited reason is not exactly surprising, with both brands suffering significant losses in foldable phone sales last year and they don’t believe they can throw in more resources to recover. It’s unknown at this point whether OnePlus will also be following its cousins, though there’s a real possibility that these manufacturers will pull out sooner rather than later.

Designer: OPPO

While that indeed sounds like a win for Samsung and Huawei (and Honor), it might not actually be good for the entire market in the long run. Competition often breeds innovation, with these brands pushing each other to develop new designs and features at every turn. With only two contenders, each with their own separate kingdoms, there might not be enough incentive to push the boundaries, leading to stagnation and eventual death of the market.

Designer: Vivo

Uncertain Tomorrow

Of course, there’s still no confirmation that OPPO and Vivo are indeed making an exit strategy, but it does paint a picture that isn’t as rosy as these brands try to paint. Even with the popularity of clamshell-style foldables and with new models coming out year after year, actual sales might actually reveal a very different and less encouraging situation. Given the way technology is developing, foldable and rollable displays will eventually be a staple of tomorrow’s devices, but that doesn’t mean the market won’t experience a few flops first along the way.

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OPPO Find X7 Ultra Review: Inching Closer to Photography Perfection

PROS:


  • Distinctive and stylish design with a nice touch of vegan leather

  • Impressive Quad Main Camera output

  • Bright and vibrant display

  • Excellent hardware performance across the board

CONS:


  • Available only in China

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

With four nearly co-equal cameras packaged in a gorgeous design, the OPPO Find X7 Ultra makes real the prophesied smartphone that could rival professional cameras.

Photography has become an important part of the smartphone experience to the point that it could be considered one of the most critical deciding factors in a purchase. Companies have been working left and right to provide an excellent experience, but no matter how good the output is, they still can’t compare with the flexibility of a dedicated camera, especially mirrorless and DSLR cameras. You can only cram so much inside the thin body of a smartphone without either compromising on quality or leaving a distasteful bump on the phone’s back. Technology, however, is starting to catch up with smaller but more powerful sensors and lenses that could really give cameras a run for their money. The OPPO Find X7 Ultra embodies that promise, so we give the smartphone and its cameras a good test to see if it’s worth that large disc on its back.

Designer: OPPO

Aesthetics

If you’re familiar with OPPO’s premium smartphone line, then the Find X7 Ultra will immediately look familiar. But even if you aren’t, you’re still in for a treat with one of the most beautiful devices to grace the market so far. Just like its predecessor, the Find X6 Pro, it bears a dual-tone color scheme and a large circular camera bump that others have dubbed the “camera Oreo,” though a resemblance with the top of a soda can wouldn’t be off the mark either. It’s a peculiar design, but one that has a reason and actually serves another purpose, intentional or not.

That said, the OPPO Find X7 Ultra isn’t just a rehash of the 2023 flagship. The colored vegan leather that makes up two-thirds of the rear area has a pleasant curve that arcs around the camera at a distance where the two elements intersect. It’s a subtle yet significant change that prevents visual elements from just abruptly cutting into each other. It also has the visual effect of giving the camera Oreo more prominence, with the leather seemingly giving way to this important part of the phone’s design.

The color options for the phone differ in more than just their hues this year, though. Both the Orange and Blue colorways do share a similar design, with the white top of the design looking like a familiar ceramic that OPPO has used in the past. The black colorway, on the other hand, has a few more interesting details, like the stitching on the vegan leather surface. Instead of ceramic, the top looks more like metal but still feels like glass. The mid-frame is also different, using some sandblasted finish that complements the phone’s darker looks.

All three do have the same basic design, with a back that curves at the sides toward the edges. On the flip side, the screen is mostly flat but does curve sharply at those same edges, typical of the premium design carried by phones in the past. Admittedly, it’s going to be a divisive design choice, given how flat is back these days. There’s no denying, however, that the OPPO Find X7 Ultra still looks great with this style and probably wouldn’t be as appealing if was completely flat all around.

Ergonomics

The OPPO Find X7 Ultra is a large piece of metal and glass, there’s no getting around that fact. As with any large smartphone, there will be a problem of straining your hand with its weight and making it less comfortable and stable to hold over time. Fortunately, the phone is also unbelievably thin at 9.5mm only, and at 221g, it’s not exactly a heavyweight. It also feels well-balanced and not top-heavy as you might suspect given the size of the camera bump.

Even better, the rest of the phone’s design also contributes to helping secure a more confident grip. The vegan leather, for example, provides enough texture for your skin to grip comfortably. Even that camera Oreo becomes a place where your index fingers can rest when holding up the phone, especially with a ribbed rim that, again, adds texture and friction to stop the phone from slipping out of your hands. You will still have some difficulty reaching higher areas of the screen if you’re holding it in one hand, but other than that, the size of the Find X7 Ultra doesn’t get in the way of an enjoyable experience when using it.

Performance

The OPPO Find X7 Ultra is a premium flagship through and through, which means it also bears the best of the best hardware available in the market to date. That means a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, right at the top of the list. Suffice it to say, the phone isn’t wanting in terms of silicon power and it blasts through all kinds of tasks, including heavy gaming, without breaking a sweat. Your hands won’t be sweating either thanks to an impressive cooling system. Mind you, it does get a bit warm with heavier loads, but not to the point of making you want to drop it like a hot potato.

It would be such a shame and a waste if those specs were matched with a mediocre screen and, fortunately, OPPO didn’t fail to impress here either. The huge 6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED display is bright, fast, responsive, and vibrant. It perfectly complements the phone’s luxurious back with an equally gorgeous display that supports the industry-standard HDR10+, OPPO’s own ProXDR, and soon, Google’s new Ultra HDR. Given you’ll want to view the photos you take on this screen, OPPO really needed to make sure that it was up to the task.

OPPO crammed a 5,000mAh battery inside, which is both common yet also mildly disappointing. With all its capabilities, a higher capacity would have been a better choice, but that would have also weighed down the phone considerably. Fortunately, it does last a day on a single charger, at least with constant use, and the super-fast 100W charging is enough to bring it back to full in about half an hour. 50W wireless charging is also plenty fast, which is a rarity in this regard.

Quad Main Camera and HyperTone System

Much of OPPO’s rhetoric revolves around the OPPO Find X7 Ultra’s Quad Main Cameras, and to be fair, it does deserve some praise for pulling off what comes naturally to professional cameras but not to smartphones. DSLRs and mirrorless cameras can easily change lenses when they need a different focal length or field of view while keeping the same high-quality imaging sensor built into the camera. Smartphones, on the other hand, use a different camera for different focal lengths, but due to space and price constraints, also use different sensors that aren’t always up to the task.

What the OPPO Find X7 Ultra accomplishes is to have four different cameras with different lenses, all of which have 50MP sensors. Yes, these sensors have different sizes and specs and, therefore, different overall quality, but the differences are very marginal at best. No longer do you have to sacrifice quality just to jump from wide to ultrawide to telephoto, nor will you get that jarring effect whenever you switch between cameras.

The phone’s mighty camera roster includes a 1-inch 50MP Sony LYT-900 with a 23mm focal length equivalent, a 1/1.95-inch 50MP Sony LYT-600 ultrawide (14mm equivalent), a 1/1.56-inch 50MP Sony IMX890 3x periscope telephoto (65), and a 1/2.51-inch 50MP Sony IMX858 6x periscope telephoto (135mm). With this set, the OPPO Find X7 Ultra practically covers the whole range of lenses used by photographers, including 10x zoom at 270mm with some computational photography. OPPO’s software also allows users to select more common focal lengths, like 35mm for the wide (main) camera, though it does that with a bit of cropping.

As you might have already noticed with the camera samples, these aren’t just numbers or empty words. OPPO definitely delivered on its promise of professional-quality photos in any field of view, zoom, or even lighting condition. Part of that magic is thanks to its partnership with Hasselblad, which also led to the Computational Photography aspect of its HyperTone camera system. In a nutshell, it tries to avoid oversharpening, overexposure, and other exaggerations that most camera software apply to compensate for poor image quality, resulting in more natural-looking photos you might have never thought came from a smartphone instead of a pro camera.

Sustainability

As one of the world’s top 5 smartphone vendors, OPPO has taken its responsibility for preserving the environment quite seriously. In addition to a few models that made use of recycled or sustainable materials, the company also has a concrete program for reducing the negative impact its business has on the planet. That involves reducing its carbon footprint, optimizing its packaging and logistics, and offsetting its harmful emissions.

Unfortunately, the OPPO Find X7 Ultra itself doesn’t have the clear marks of a sustainable phone. Sure, it uses vegan leather across all models, but that synthetic material isn’t completely environment-friendly either, despite the name. One upside is that the phone is IP68-rated, which is one of the highest dust and water resistance levels for smartphones, promising a mostly durable product that should last you quite a while before you have to throw it away, responsibly, of course.

Value

If you’re anything of a mobile shutterbug, it’s hard not to get excited over the OPPO Find X7 Ultra. Although it’s not going to dethrone an expensive DSLR, it really comes close to it with its HyperTone Quad Main Camera System. And all that imaging hardware is packed into a thin and stylish device that you can also use for more than just taking photos. What’s not to like?

Unfortunately, the product’s value takes a nosedive because of the fact that, as of this writing, OPPO has no plans yet to bring the OPPO Find X7 Ultra to international markets, making it exclusive to a Chinese audience. Yes, you can probably import the phone through other channels, but that won’t change the fact that the version of ColorOS software running on it isn’t made for global users. Yes, you can install Google Play Store unofficially, but that still won’t give you access to some basic platform capabilities you’d expect from international versions of these devices. It’s definitely a shame that such a treasure would be out of reach, and hopefully, OPPO will change its mind very soon.

Verdict

Smartphones are sometimes a victim of their own success, or at least of marketing hype. It wasn’t that long ago when they were said to devour the lower end of professional cameras, but they haven’t managed to surpass the bulkier and more powerful shooters in terms of flexibility and quality. It’s just impossible, given the restraints on design, price, and engineering, so smartphones have to make do with workarounds and software solutions.

The OPPO Find X7 Ultra, however, comes pretty close to that ideal. It still can’t change lenses physically, but it provides almost the same experience through a perfect combination of hardware and software. Of course, it’s not just a digital camera, and it manages to excel in almost every field with very few flaws. It’s tragic that most people won’t be able to experience all of that, though, but hopefully, they will soon be able to get their hands on what could very well be this year’s most beautiful and most capable smartphone camera.

The post OPPO Find X7 Ultra Review: Inching Closer to Photography Perfection first appeared on Yanko Design.

OPPO Find X7 Ultra with four main cameras challenges the status quo

Smartphones have long been regarded to be ringing the death knell of digital cameras, but that has mostly been hyperbole. Sure, the old point-and-click cameras may have finally met their match, but professional-grade shooters like DSLRs will hardly feel threatened. While smartphones have quite a number of desirable features like advanced computational photography and filters, dedicated cameras win in the sheer raw power of their optics. That’s especially true since they can easily switch out lenses as they need to while keeping the same powerful sensor. Since that’s nearly impossible with smartphones, the OPPO Find X7 Ultra has made the bold decision to carry the world’s first Quad Main Camera system that’s poised to blow the competition out of the water and deliver stunning photos at every click.

Designer: OPPO

Smartphones have started using more than one camera to make up for the inability to switch lenses. Each camera used a different lens with a different focal point, but because of limitations in past technologies and design, phone manufacturers were forced to make do with different sizes of sensors to fit inside a smartphone’s cramped space. This meant that ultra-wide or telephoto cameras would have significantly different output qualities from the main camera, sometimes better, more often worse. Parity between these cameras is exactly what OPPO has been trying to deliver in the past generations, culminating in what is probably the most advanced smartphone camera system in the market to date.

The OPPO Find X7 Ultra boasts not only a quad camera system but a Quad Main camera system. Although they differ slightly in terms of specific specs, all four use a 50MP sensor, lead by the new Sony LYT-900, the latest generation of that coveted 1-inch sensor. What this practically means is that there is no loss of quality and no disconcerting jitter when switching between wide, ultra-wide, 3x zoom, and 6x zoom cameras. And yes, the phone has two optical zoom telephoto cameras, both of them with periscope-style lenses. With this unprecedented combination, OPPO is able to seamlessly cover a wide range of focal points, from 14mm to 135mm to even 270mm as if it were changing DSLR lenses on the fly.

Combined with this impressive hardware is OPPO’s new HyperTone Image Engine, designed to combat the unnatural colors, exposure, and sharpening that most computation photography software produces on smartphones today. Along with the famed Hasselblad Portrait Mode that accurately emulates four iconic Hasselblad cameras, you are promised to get breath-taking and natural-looking images, as if they were taken with a professional DSLR or mirrorless camera. And if you’re the type to really get into the nitty-gritty of camera settings, the Hasselblad Master Mode upgrades the typical Pro Mode to add even more fine-grained control over image quality.

Despite all the camera hardware packed inside, not to mention the latest and greatest components available in the smartphone industry to date, the OPPO Find X7 Ultra remains slim, sleek, and stylish, belying its powerful capabilities. The two-tone design of the previous Find X6 generation returns with a bit more character this time, wrapping around the distinctive camera circle more loosely. Available in Ocean Blue, Sepia Brown, and Tailored Black, the OPPO Find X7 Ultra marries head-turning elegance and groundbreaking performance in a package that’s sure to give shutterbugs something to talk about.

The post OPPO Find X7 Ultra with four main cameras challenges the status quo first appeared on Yanko Design.

Best of Tech Design – Yanko Design Awards 2023

It’s that time of year again when we take stock of the past 12 months and reflect on the ups and downs in order to get a brief glimpse of what lies ahead. It has been a pretty active year for the tech industry in many segments, from companies recovering or folding from the events of the past 3 years to the explosion of AI-powered services. Of course, there has also been a torrent of new designs and product types, such as the gaming handheld fever that’s gripping the PC market. In other words, there has been a great storm swirling in the tech and consumer electronics world, and now that the dust has finally settled, we’re taking a look at some of the best product designs that you can grab today or in just a few months.

Best Mixed Reality Headset – Apple Vision Pro

After years of speculation and waiting, Apple finally revealed its hand and showed the world its vision for its mixed reality platform. Of course, that includes the hardware that will become the gateway to that reality, the Vision Pro. In typical Apple fashion, the headset isn’t just a rehash of any old VR/AR gear and is specifically designed not only to showcase the power of Apple’s Spatial Computing but also to provide convenience and comfort in all aspects.

Designer: Apple

Why it’s noteworthy

As expected from any Apple product, the Vision Pro has a minimalist, understated design where every part is made with meticulous attention to detail. In addition to luxurious, comfortable materials, the headset is designed to be lightweight and well-balanced, allowing for long hours of use without straining the head. It was also made to immerse the wearer in a virtual world without taking them away from the real world, especially when communicating with others by making eye contact. Apple’s visionOS platform is carefully tailored to mix the real and the virtual seamlessly. Admittedly, the pricing for the Vision Pro is going to be high, but that’s also on par with any high-quality product that Apple makes.

Best Gaming Handheld – Lenovo Legion Go

Although some manufacturers have been churning out portable gaming PCs for years now, things really heated up when the big names in the industry started jumping in. Valve got the ball rolling with the Steam Deck, followed closely by the ASUS ROG Ally. Lenovo may just be the latest to jump on board, but thanks to both its expertise and the advantage of hindsight, the Lenovo Legion Go is pretty much ahead of the game not just in terms of specs but also in design.

Designer: Lenovo

Why it’s noteworthy

Yes, the Legion Go looks big, but mostly because it has the biggest screen among handheld gaming PCs in the market today. Its removable controllers give the perfect Nintendo Switch vibe, but the FPS mouse mode also delivers a new and unique way to play games. The high-performance hardware leaves few complaints, aside from the usual battery life, and the built-in kickstand removes the need for a separate accessory. There’s definitely still room for improvement, so it’s actually exciting to see what Lenovo has planned next for this device category.

Best Foldable Phone – OPPO Find N3

Foldable phones are becoming mainstream to the point that there might be too many to choose from at this point. While Samsung still has the lion’s share of people’s attention, it has long relinquished being the best in this market. It has easily let its rivals pass it by, and OPPO, who is relatively new to the scene, has just produced what is pretty much the best foldable phone you can buy (depending on where you are).

Designer: OPPO

Why it’s noteworthy

The OPPO Find N3 combines not just the best specs but also the best designs currently available in this category. It folds flat, has stylish color options, and has a more normal, wider shape that makes it more usable as a regular phone when folded. And it doesn’t skimp on the cameras, which is something that most foldable phones still have a hard time getting right. This particular model might not be available in all markets, but the OnePlus Open is a dead ringer and might be available in countries where the OPPO Find N3 isn’t.

Best Laptop/Portable PC – HP Envy Move

When thinking of “portable computers,” most will probably think of laptops since those are the most common designs available. They’re not always the best, though, especially when you consider the ergonomics involved. Desktop PCs, however, are just too large and bulky to be portable, even the thin all-in-one PCs are firmly rooted to desks. HP is challenging that status quo with a unique PC that is as portable as a laptop yet as usable as an all-in-one desktop.

Designer: HP

Why it’s noteworthy

The HP Envy Move is, for all intents and purposes, an AIO or All-in-One PC that was designed to be carried around, especially thanks to a built-in foldable handle and a pocket for storing a wireless keyboard. Its large 23.8-inch screen has plenty of room for work and entertainment, and you won’t have to crane your neck down every time you use it. Yes, it’s probably going to be awkward to carry it with you everywhere, but when you have a few fixed places to set up work or sit down for a movie, this computer will give you the full desktop experience in no time flat.

Best Portable Power Station – Bluetti AC500 + B300S

A stable supply of electricity has almost become a luxury these days. Power grids can go down without prior notice, or you might find yourself spending days and nights outdoors. Gas generators no longer cut it and are dangerous liabilities rather than assets, but there’s, fortunately, a large selection of safer and greener battery-powered generators now available today. Perhaps too many, in fact, since they come in all sizes and capacities, but Bluetti’s latest modular AC500 inverter and B300S expansion batteries offer the perfect flexibility for all your power needs.

Designer: Bluetti

Why it’s noteworthy

The modular design of the Bluetti AC500 means that you can stack as many as four of these 3,072Wh batteries if you need to, enough to power a home for a day or two. Or you can only bring the inverter and one battery module if you just need to go camping over the weekend. Best of all, you can charge the batteries using solar power, so you don’t even have to worry about power outlets in case of emergencies or being stuck outside. It’s a great way to enjoy the conveniences of modern life by having access to safe and sustainable power at any time.

Best Powerbank – Anker 737 GaN Prime 24K

Our dependence on computers and smartphones becomes pretty obvious when we start scrambling for a charger and find no power outlet available. There’s a variety of portable batteries, a.k.a. power banks, available today, but not all of them deliver the power you need to charge multiple devices, let alone a power-hungry laptop. Anker is one of the leading brands in this space, and it has a solution that addresses that need without forcing you to carry a veritable brick in your bag.

Designer: Anker

Why it’s noteworthy

The Anker 737 GaN Prime 24K offers portability and power in a compact package. It has enough output and battery capacity to charge a MacBook, for example, which means smartphones, accessories, and even drones are no sweat at all. GaN (Gallium Nitride) technology makes charging not only faster but also safer, while a helpful LCD display shows all the necessary stats you need to keep tabs on the power bank itself as well as the devices it’s charging. The block is admittedly chunky, but compared to power banks of similar capacity, it’s surprisingly compact and light, making it the perfect all-around partner for any mobile worker.

Best Smart Speaker – Sonos Era 300

The hype around smart speakers may seem to have died down, but that’s mostly because they have become almost too common. Every modern Bluetooth-enabled speaker these days has some smarts now, leaving manufacturers more freedom to explore other designs. Sonos is one of the pioneers in the wireless speaker space, and it continues to push through with new designs even in the face of unrelenting competition. Its new Sonos Era 300 this year makes an impact not only with its design but also with its commitment to the environment.

Designer: Sonos

Why it’s noteworthy

The Sonos Era 300 has a distinctive shape that almost looks like a flattened speaker icon, with a front half that flares out and a back that is more or less uniform in size. That shape isn’t accidental, as it allows the multitude of woofers and tweeters to be positioned for maximum efficiency and performance. What really makes the Sonos Era 300 extra special, however, is the attention that it gives to sustainability, picking materials, lowering power consumption, and encouraging quick repairs in order to reduce its negative impact on the environment.

Best Wireless Earbuds – Sony WF-1000XM5

Apple may have made wireless earbuds popular, but it is far from being the only game in town. When it comes to design and especially sound quality, the AirPods are easily eclipsed by products from more experienced brands. Reclaiming its foothold in this audio space, Sony has launched a new pair of high-end buds that truly immerse you in your favorite music, regardless of your environment.

Designer: Sony

Why it’s noteworthy

The Sony WF-1000XM5 boasts one of if not the best noise canceling experiences that tiny buds can offer. It even uses some AI special sauce to also reduce noise interference when you’re making calls, allowing for clear and crisp audio on both ends of the line. Best of all, its minimalist design doesn’t call attention to itself, but its stylish appearance won’t embarrass you if people do notice.

Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner – SwitchBot S10

We have long gone past the days when robot vacuum cleaners only vacuumed floors and still left everything else to humans. Now they can dump their dirt into bins on their own and even wipe the floor with a mop when needed. Human intervention can’t be removed completely, like in taking out the dust bin or refilling water in the tank, but the SwitchBot S10 further reduces the need for manual interaction by making the robot smart enough to dump its own dirty water and stock up on clean water all by itself.

Designer: SwitchBot

Why it’s noteworthy

The small and narrow auto-emptying station of the SwitchBot S10 is rather deceptive, making you think it’s less capable than its larger competitors. But that’s because the exciting action happens away from that bin and at the separate water station that lets the robot vacuum exchange dirty water for clean one using the same pipes that you already have for drains and faucets. It can even refill a humidifier’s water tank on its own, presuming it’s SwitchBot’s humidifier, of course. These almost completely automated processes reduce the need to get your hands dirty, literally, and reduce the risks of getting contaminated and sick from handling waste materials.

Best Smartwatch – Apple Watch Ultra 2

Just like with smart speakers, the smartwatch market has more or less normalized by now after a long struggle in trying to carve out its niche. Designs may no longer be changing drastically, but innovation hasn’t stopped completely either. Now it’s a race to put the best health sensors you can cram in such a small space, but Apple has long been ahead of the race and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 cements its lead even further.

Designer: Apple

Why it’s noteworthy

The Apple Watch Ultra series delivered what users have been asking for a long time, more space to see the information they need at a glance without having to tap their way through screens. It also adds a new double tap gesture so you won’t even have to use your other hand for basic actions like stopping a timer, ending a call, or better yet, taking a photo from your iPhone. It also introduces Apple’s first carbon-neutral products, offsetting the negative impact the production of its smartwatches has with “carbon credits” from nature-based projects and parts.

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OPPO Find X7 camera design leak could leave you scratching your head

Camera bumps are one of the necessary evils of smartphone design. There’s a hard limit on how small you can make imaging sensors and lenses while also keeping the phone itself thin and light. Sometimes, this situation has resulted in ingenious and beautiful designs, but sometimes the mass of glass and metal protruding from the back of the phone ruins whatever beauty the rest of the design might have. These days, it’s no longer common to see unappealing camera designs, though there are a few rare cases that pop up from time to time. If this leak is true, however, OPPO’s next flagship will come with a rather odd design choice that will surely split camps and get the Internet talking.

Designer: OPPO (via Weibo)

OPPO Find X6 Pro

OPPO Find X5 Pro

To be fair, it’s difficult to design around those cameras that wouldn’t look obnoxious or even unusable. Unless you’re Samsung, which separates each camera into its own little island, the common strategy is to have a single raised structure, often called a “bump,” to visually group the cameras together. Coming up with a pleasing design for that is no walk in the park, but OPPO has had some very good results in that regard.

The OPPO Find X5, for example, used a single piece of ceramic for the back cover as well as the camera so that the bump is more of a gentle slope rather than an abrupt and independent structure. This year’s OPPO Find X6, on the other hand, used a very large circle, but it tried to imitate the aesthetics of a DSLR lens to give it a more familiar appearance. Given these two hits, it’s almost shocking to hear that the brand might be adopting something completely different and opposite to what they achieved.

Leaked hands-on photos of the alleged OPPO Find X7 reveal a gigantic camera bump with a hexagon shape we rarely see on other phones, at least not of late. It seems to have a two-step structure perhaps to give it a bit of a flair, something it definitely needs given this rather unappealing appearance. At this point, however, the device in the photo is most likely a prototype, which means there’s a chance it isn’t the final design. Given the rather raw and rough appearance, that is hopefully the case.

The extra large camera bump could be due to having two periscope-style telephoto cameras, another first in the industry, that would require even more space for the hardware. That speculation isn’t that far off considering how OPPO markets its Find X series as a mobile photographer’s tool. It seems that the rest of the phone’s design will be similar to the OPPO Find X6, especially the curved edge screen which is a dying breed in this new flat age. The OPPO Find X7 is expected to drop sometime in the first quarter of 2024, so there’s plenty of hope that the brand will adopt a more attractive design for that large camera bump.

The post OPPO Find X7 camera design leak could leave you scratching your head first appeared on Yanko Design.

OPPO Find N3 Flip Foldable Phone Review: Refinement with a Big Twist

PROS:


  • Impressive cameras, including a 32MP telephoto shooter

  • Elegant design with nearly invisible crease

  • All-day, fast-charging battery

  • IPX4 dust and water resistance rating

CONS:


  • Distracting camera bump

  • Limited Cover Screen functionality

  • No wireless charging

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The OPPO Find N3 Flip takes foldables to flagship standards, but its impressive camera upgrade doesn't come without a price.

When large, not to mention expensive, foldables didn’t seem to be appealing to people, manufacturers tried a different angle and sent a different message. Taking lessons from the somewhat inexplicable popularity of clamshell flip phones from the 80s and 90s, brands found the perfect opportunity to market a foldable phone that seemed hip, classy, and a bit more relatable. Thus, the flip-style foldable phones were born, straddling the fine line between compactness and usability, and we’ve been witnessing big changes in design and features in every iteration. But like their larger foldable siblings, these stylish phones have traditionally been held back by space constraints, especially when it comes to squeezing advanced cameras inside cramped bodies. With the Find N3 Flip, OPPO is trying to change the formula once and for all, so we put it through the wringer to see whether that large bump on its back is worth its presence.

Designer: OPPO

Aesthetics

There’s no denying the fact that two things will immediately catch your attention when you behold the OPPO Find N3 Flip. First is the large rectangular external display, formally called the Cover Screen, which has been the signature design of the OPPO Find N Flip. It’s admittedly smaller than ones from Samsung and Motorola, but its shape more closely resembles a phone screen and doesn’t force the cameras to be stuck with a particular design only. As we’ll soon see, OPPO added some new features for the Cover Screen, but it really only takes a second seat to the other most obvious design feature of its new flip foldable.

There is a distinct camera bump on the Find N3 Flip, and it isn’t some discreet bump either. It’s a large raised circle that houses no less than three sensors arranged in a symmetrical triangular pattern. It takes inspiration from the OPPO Find X6’s “Cosmos Ring” design, with an added “Starlight Track” that aims to mimic the control ring on camera lenses. On a wide area on a large phone like the Find X6, this design element is striking and quite pleasant. Squeezed into a very small space, the raised structure looks more pronounced and visually distracting. Some will love the luxurious style and materials of the ring, but there will also be some who will criticize its almost obnoxious presence, especially when the rest of the smartphone can stand up as an elegant accessory that you can proudly show off at a gala.

This isn’t surprising since the Find N2 Flip before it already flaunted stunningly good looks, and OPPO wisely preferred not to change that winning formula. The glass back panel’s edges gently curve toward the metal frame to produce a pleasing aesthetic that also increases comfort when holding it in your hand. It’s a departure from the predominantly flat trend of smartphones these days, but one that still works in the Find N3 Flip’s favor. The color options are just as gorgeous, with Cream Gold and Misty Pink offering soft hues and Sleek Black carrying a classic character. The phone has a minimalist charm to it as well, broken only by that large circle whose presence can, fortunately, be justified by its performance.

Ergonomics

Unlike with the larger book-style foldable, holding the OPPO Find N3 Flip is less of a hassle and risk because it can be easily held in one hand. In fact, you can even open it up with a single hand, if you’re not afraid of digging your finger in between the two halves. The phone folds completely flap with no gap in between, though there’s still a bit of space created by the raised edges of the foldable screen where you can slip your finger in. Some might still be a bit too wary of tempting fate, but opening and closing the foldable is quite easy and can even be quite addictive to be perfectly honest.

Holding the phone in your hand is just as pleasurable, thanks to both the texture of the materials used as well as their forms. The curved edges of the back panel contrast and complement the flat sides of the frame, providing both comfort as well as grip. It’s taller than most flat smartphones, of course, so you might still find yourself reaching elements higher on the screen with your free hand. Compared to other flip-style foldable phones, however, it has a wider main display and a wider body. This means the aspect ratio of the screen is more standard and that your hands won’t feel cramped when tapping away on it.

The improved Flexion Hinge also plays an important role in enhancing the usability of the foldable phone, especially when taking photos. Since it can stay open at almost any angle, you can take shots from difficult angles that would normally require a tripod or monopod and still have the confidence in being able to hold the phone firmly. Considering how this kind of foldable is being marketed primarily at Gen Z customers who love to take selfies or record videos, that kind of stability and ergonomics goes a long way in appealing to that consumer base.

Performance

The OPPO Find N3 Flip is quite the looker, but it thankfully isn’t just a pretty face. It boasts some of the best specs in the smartphone market today, like the latest LPDDR5x memory and fast UFS 4.0 storage technology. The one oddity in that hardware list is perhaps the choice of processor, a MediaTek Dimensity 9200. It’s definitely no Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, as synthetic benchmarks will show, and there will be some areas where the Dimensity 9200 might fall behind in terms of numbers. That said, the gap isn’t that wide, especially in practice, and you can expect premium performance from this foldable, no matter what task you throw at it.

The foldable display inside helps support those use cases, providing a vibrant and bright display when you need it but folding out of the way when you don’t. It’s the exact same screen as the OPPO Find N2 Flip, which means a 6.8-inch 120Hz foldable display with a resolution of 2520×1080, a few pixels shy of the standard ultra-wide format. Thanks to the aforementioned Flexion Hinge, the screen has no visible crease in the middle, not unless you intentionally search for or feel it. It presents a traditional user experience, the same you’d find on regular smartphones, just that you can fold it halfway to enable some extra features, especially with the camera.

Ironically, it’s the secondary display outside that’s more interesting than the foldable panel. The Cover Screen, after all, allows you to use the phone without opening it up as well as easily take high-quality selfies using the more powerful cameras on its back. It’s the same 3.26-inch 720×382 screen, though, with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection for this year’s model instead. The traditional rectangular shape might seem almost old-fashioned given these year’s flip phone designs, but its straightforward implementation actually makes it more flexible in features, at least in theory. It also frees up more space for bigger camera sensors, which is the true star of OPPO’s 2023 flip foldable phone.

The OPPO Find N3 Flip boasts the world’s first triple camera system on a clamshell foldable, which explains the decisions that the company had to make. It wouldn’t have been efficient to just have three dots lined up on the side of the phone, especially given the sensors’ sizes, so they had to resort to a more familiar design of having a large camera bump instead. Just having three cameras wouldn’t have been enough to justify such a large enclosure and, thankfully, OPPO didn’t stop there either.

Portrait Mode

The 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor makes its return from last year, but this time it comes with Optical Image Stabilization or OIS. The ultra-wide shooter has been upgraded with a whopping 48MP camera so you won’t have to sacrifice quality for field of view. The biggest change, however, is the dedicated telephoto camera with a 32MP sensor that’s useful not only for 2x optical zoom but also for taking stunning portrait photos, with some help from Hasselblad tuning. The results are simply impressive, with images containing lush colors and high levels of detail, no matter which of the three cameras you use. And thanks to that multi-angle Flexion Hinge, you can use these powerful cameras in more ways, taking breath-taking shots or videos without having to use sticks and stands.

Ultra-wide

1x

2x

The Find N3 Flip runs the latest OPPO ColorOS 13.2 based on Android 13. This flavor of Android has all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect from the brand, including the dizzying amount of options and several pre-installed apps. Unlike with the larger foldable, the focus on this flip phone is not exactly multi-tasking but on “mini-tasking,” that is, the mini apps that can run on the small Cover Screen. OPPO has expanded that experience to include a few more Google apps and social networks, but the limitations are still the same. You can’t use it for anything other than OPPO’s sanctioned set of apps and experiences, which now includes having a furry pal on your lock screen. It’s a double-edged that keeps the experience simple and streamlined but also misses out on big opportunities. It gets the job done, which focuses mostly on basic tasks you can do without flipping the phone open, but that’s all there is to it.

Normal Mode

Night Mode

Powering this whole ensemble is a 4,300mAh battery that is quite generous for a flip foldable. It’s more than enough to last you a full day, though your mileage will depend on what you’re using it for, and it also charges up quickly thanks to SuperVOOC 44W technology. There’s still no wireless charging, which is a bit of a shame in this day and age, especially when you consider the premium price that OPPO is asking for.

Sustainability

Despite its rapid growth, OPPO has thankfully been mindful of the role it plays in keeping the planet alive for future generations of customers. It has a strong and detailed strategy for reducing its impact, at least as far as operations and production go. There’s definitely plenty of room for improvement, especially when talking about the use of recycled materials, but that will probably require a bigger investment and more partnerships than OPPO can muster at the moment.

Fortunately, the OPPO Find N3 Flip is built to last, and not just because of its improved hinge. Earlier generations of foldable phones have been notoriously vulnerable to the slightest accidents, especially when it comes to dust and liquid. The Find N3 Flip’s IPX4 rating still doesn’t hit the mark, especially when it comes to protection from small particles, but the waterproofing goes a long way in inspiring confidence in such a pricey investment.

Value

It was quite easy to impress crowds with foldable phones, but they turned out to sell in practice. Durability and usability have always been concerns, but there’s also the question of practicality vis-a-vis their expensive price tags. Modern flip phones are an attempt to make the idea of foldable phones more approachable while also pushing down the price just a bit. Unfortunately, many of these devices failed to match expectations when compared to flagships on the same price tier, especially when it comes to the photography experience that many users consider to be critical to their smartphone use.

That’s where the OPPO Find N3 Flip comes to the scene with guns blazing. A glance at the specs sheet suggests an incremental upgrade from last year’s model, but you can immediately see there’s something different once you behold that large camera ring on its back. It is perhaps the closest that flip phones have gotten to matching the power of traditional flagships, both in the overall experience as well as in photography. It’s still a bit pricey, but that price finally makes sense considering you’re finally getting what you’re paying for.

Verdict

Foldable are here to stay and the market will only get noisier in the coming years. There’s plenty of room for improvement, especially as they try to catch up with features that have become standard in buyers’ eyes. Durability and reliability are always top priorities, but matching the photography prowess of flagships without giving up thin and light designs is something that has eluded even the biggest smartphone brands.

The OPPO Find N3 and the Find N3 Flip raise a challenge to the status quo, proving that, yes, you can put great cameras on foldable phones, too. While much of the Find N3 Flip hasn’t changed, it steps up its game with a team of imaging sensors that empowers any user to become a content creator. Yes, the large camera ring looks a little awkward, but we’ve seen worse designs on regular smartphones. It’s one of the prices that OPPO and users have to pay to achieve this level of performance, and it’s definitely worth that design cost. Fortunately, the rest of the phone looks as elegant as ever, so if you’re in the market for a stylish phone that has both a “Wow!” factor and impressive cameras, the OPPO Find N3 Flip deserves a spot on your list.

Aki Ukita contributed to this review.

The post OPPO Find N3 Flip Foldable Phone Review: Refinement with a Big Twist first appeared on Yanko Design.

OPPO Find N3 Foldable Phone Review: A Shutterbug’s Dream Come True

PROS:


  • Elegant and luxurious design

  • Best of class cameras for foldables

  • Innovative UX features for foldables

  • Top-notch hardware performance

CONS:


  • Taller, more vertical design compared to previous gen

  • No wireless charging

  • No IP rating (but weather-sealed)

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The OPPO Find N3 elevates the foldable phone experience with a gorgeous design and cameras worthy of a true flagship.

Phone makers have been trying to really make foldables a more common presence in people’s hands, and they have been trying to do so by assuring them of their durability. But while they have been successful on that front to some extent, some people still doubt the practical use of such devices. What makes matters worse is that foldable phones have always been a step behind flagship models in the one area that matters most to users: the cameras. OPPO, however, is now saying that it doesn’t have to be the case, especially with advancements not only in technology but also in design. The new OPPO Find N3 foldable phone is poised to showcase how far foldable phone cameras can go, so we give it a good spin to see if it is the true trailblazer that the brand is touting it to be.

Designer: OPPO

Aesthetics

You might think that once you’ve seen one foldable phone, you’ve seen them all, but there’s definitely plenty of room for improvement and innovation. There are the parts that you can’t see, like the all-important hinge that can make or break the device almost literally. And then there are aspects that you can see, like the materials used to make the phone, the flexible screen that actually gives it its unique functionality and the camera bump that puts an accent on the phone’s back. The OPPO Find N3 definitely touches on these and then some, to create a rather beautiful package that you’ll proudly flaunt wherever you can.

Rather than aiming for the typical business-like appearance of smartphones, OPPO clad its latest large foldable with luxurious clothing that makes it as much a fashion statement as it is a technological marvel. The Classic Black, for example, is anything but standard, covering the back with rich vegan leather. Our review unit dons the Champagne Gold colorway that uses a single piece of glass for the back panel to give it an elegant character. In both models, the OPPO Find N3 sports a sand-blasted metal frame with flat sides to complete the phone’s contemporary aesthetic as well as provide a better grip.

The Cosmos Ring camera design will probably be a bit divisive, considering how large and conspicuous it is, especially on the Gold model where the lens easily stands out. At the same time, the camera’s symmetric design and gentle rise do add a bit of elegance to the composition. That said, the LED flash would have probably been better inside in the ring rather than sticking out like a sore thumb in the corner of the phone.

If there’s one thing that sets the OPPO Find N3 apart from its predecessors, it is the fact that it is noticeably taller, even if it’s only subtly larger. The aspect ratio of the screens is different and, for better or worse, changes the formula in an important way. The first two OPPO foldables were praised for their compact designs which were closer to common phone sizes when folded and were more like standard horizontal tablets when unfolded. This time around, the overall shape is taller, yielding a vertical tablet design instead, almost similar to the design that Samsung and Huawei have been carrying for years. On the one hand, this does suggest having more breathing room for content. On the other hand, it also sadly lets go of what endeared the OPPO Find N to the market and what set it apart from its peers.

Ergonomics

Comfort and confidence are important factors in any smartphone, but they’re even more critical for foldables because of the different shapes they come in and the higher risks of breaking the flexible screen and the hinge. Manufacturers have focused more on strengthening these two parts, but improving the phone’s ergonomics also goes a long way in preventing accidents from happening in the first place. In that regard, the OPPO Find N3’s textured back and flat sand-blasted frame offer a stronger grip without being too rough on the hands.

It also helps that the foldable phone is made to be just as light as a regular phone and incredibly thin whether folded or not. This isn’t just a bragging right because it helps reduce the stress that’s placed on your hand when holding the phone, which means you are less likely to accidentally drop it from fatigue. It also adds more confidence and stability to your grip, making the phone comfortable to hold and enjoyable to use.

The hinge also plays a very important role in improving the usability of the phone, particularly in opening up use cases where the user can hold the device in a different way with more stability. This is particularly useful when taking selfies with the main camera, or folding the phone halfway for difficult angles. One won’t need a tripod or selfie stick to stabilize the device, whether in your hand or on some flat surface.

The taller shape of the phone when folded might prove to be a stumbling block for some since your thumb will have to stretch out more to reach higher elements on the screen. Granted, the OPPO Find N3 is still actually shorter than, say, the latest Samsung foldable, but it’s also considerably taller than the OPPO Find N that people loved for its handy and comfortable size. Thankfully, the design doesn’t have that awkward narrow shape of other “vertical” foldables, so you won’t be clumsily pecking at the keyboard either. The size difference is, unfortunately, a compromise that has to be made to fit more stuff in, especially the cameras that will be the defining factor of OPPO’s latest foldable.

Performance

OPPO definitely pulled out all the stops in decking the OPPO Find N3 with the finest parts, both inside and outside. While the foldable phones look glamorous, they are veritable beasts when it comes to power. The latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 leads the show, followed by the fastest LPDDR5x memory and UFS 4.0 storage technologies available to mobile devices. What all these mean in practice is that you won’t be wanting when it comes to performance, whether you’re gaming, creating content, or simply taking advantage of the advanced user experience features that the phone has to offer.

Of course, the star of the show is that internal display, which now measures 7.8 inches diagonally. It bears a resolution of 2240×2268 pixels, a variable refresh rate of 1 to 120Hz, precise 1440Hz PWM dimming, and support for the latest Dolby Vision and HDR10+ standards. All of these translate to a breathtaking viewing experience, no matter the type of content. Colors are lush and vivid and peak brightness makes the phone usable under the sun. Together with the powerful silicon running inside, the vibrant screen makes the UI feel fluid, responsive, and as smooth as butter. Best of all, the screen’s crease is barely visible and won’t distract you from enjoying your content. It’s still there, of course, if you look hard for it or try to feel it with your fingers, but it might as well be invisible in most cases.

With the OPPO Find N3, however, that screen is probably upstaged by the camera system, and for good reason. Cameras have traditionally been the weak point of foldable phones, primarily because of how much space they need to take up inside these thin devices. In that regard, OPPO seems to have pulled off a miracle by including not just large sensors but even a periscope-style telephoto lens while maintaining the foldable phone’s incredibly thin profile. The result doesn’t just blow other foldables out of the water but even stands head-to-head with some of the best smartphone cameras in the market.

You might downplay the main camera’s 48MP sensor, but it’s living proof that megapixel count isn’t all that matters. The new Sony LYTIA-T808 1/1.43-inch sensor boasts an image quality close to those of the ranking 1-inch sensors without taking up as much space. Ultra-wide cameras are often neglected and left with disappointing sensors, but the OPPO Find N3 flaunts a 48MP Sony IMX581 1/2-inch sensor that complements the main wide shooter quite well. Last but definitely not least, you have an astounding 64MP telephoto camera with a 70mm equivalent focal length, capable of 3x optical zoom and 6x lossless zoom that it pulls off by cropping the full 64MP image to preserve details.

1x

Low Light (1x)

Low Light (3x)

Needless to say, we were thoroughly impressed by the output that these cameras produced, regardless of the lighting condition or location. Colors are pleasant and lush, though probably more on the saturated side by default, and details are rich with very little noise. There is a very noticeable bit of distortion with the ultra-wide angle, but it’s all within expectations.

Ultra-wide

1x

2x

3x

Even more mind-blowing are the results from the telephoto camera, which are just as advertised. Even at 6x zoom, you can still make plenty of details, though it is also where noise starts to seep in just a little bit. The periscope lens also perfectly with portrait mode powered by Hasselblad, creating rich photos with pleasant blurring, accurate separation of the subject and the background, and rich depth. It also helps that the camera app has a friendly wheel interface that not only shows the zoom levels but also their focal lengths.

3x

6x

The OPPO Find N3 runs the latest ColorOS 13.2 version based on Android 13, and some might leave it at that when it comes to regular smartphones. Of course, this is a foldable phone, so it won’t be enough to simply slap on any plain old Android skin and call it a day. Fortunately, OPPO has definitely gone out of its way to provide new experiences that take advantage of the increased screen real estate, features you might not find in other foldables to date. Yes, it has a taskbar at the bottom of the internal screen and, yes, it has an app grid it calls the “App Library.” It didn’t stop there though and added a File Pocket shortcut that presents a visual grid of your most recent files, images, and clipboard items so that you can drag and drop these into the active app. There’s also the “Boundless View” feature that puts a new spin on split-screen multi-tasking that puts two or three apps into a scrolling view so you can enjoy more screen space while still being able to quickly switch between those apps.

A 4,800mAh split battery powers all these features, which is pretty generous as far as foldable phones go. It will definitely last you a day, at least with moderate and mixed use, and you can top it off quickly with SuperVOOC 67W fast charging. The phone, like its predecessors, still doesn’t support wireless charging, which is a bit disappointing for a premium flagship in this day and age.

Sustainability

As one of the top smartphone brands in the market, OPPO has a huge weight on its shoulders to lead the charge in protecting the future of its customers and the planet they live on. The company has implemented several strategies to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment and human welfare. Those efforts, however, primarily focus on the way it does business and produce and ship phones. We have yet to see it make more significant changes in the actual composition of its products, particularly with the use of recycled materials like plastics and aluminum.

The durability and subsequent repairability of foldable phones still remain in doubt even to this day. There is no question that OPPO’s third-generation Flexion Hinge is more resilient than its predecessors, but it’s still a far cry from the guarantees of phones with no moving parts at all. The OPPO Find N3 also bears no formal dust or water resistance guarantee other than being weather-sealed to guard against accidental splashes. IP rating might be an expensive certification, but it undoubtedly adds some peace of mind that the device has met internationally recognized standards at least.

Value

Almost any smartphone user will admit to wanting a bigger screen as long as it doesn’t mean having a bigger device. Ironically, these same people find the concept of a foldable phone alien if not too risky. It’s plain to see that brands are pushing foldable phones, both large and small varieties, to the market in an attempt to make them more commonplace, but the question of the value still remains. After all, why would you risk such an expensive product that might easily break or scratch at the slightest accident?

Fortunately, real-world experience as well as improvements in engineering and design have made those worries pretty much moot. As for the value of a foldable phone, you are getting a future-ready device that can easily adapt to whatever need you might have, whether it’s playing the latest mobile games, binging on trending shows, or taking mind-blowing photos and videos from angles that would have been impossible without some selfie stick. The OPPO Find N3, specifically, makes that last use case a complete pleasure thanks to its powerful cameras, delivering a foldable phone that is finally worth its price in almost all aspects.

Verdict

There is no stopping the march of foldable phones in the market, and each year we see new models promising the sun and then the moon but arrive with plenty of compromises. The latter often revolves around the cameras, constrained by the need to make these devices extra thin, especially when unfolded. Fortunately, there is also no stopping the progress of imaging sensors that are shrinking in size but increasing in capabilities, and OPPO has leveraged those advancements to put three such high-quality cameras on its thin and lightweight foldable hero.

Whether it’s the lustrous surface of Champagne Gold or the sleek leather texture of Classic Black, the OPPO Find N3 puts before you a product that is also a piece of art. It dares to go beyond market trends to put not one, not even two, but three powerful cameras that truly change the game for foldables. And that’s on top of the already impressive combination of hardware and software that truly makes the phone a joy to use for whatever purpose you might have. Sure, we wish it retained its more compact size or that it finally got an IP certification, but at the end of the day, the OPPO Find N3 is easily the foldable to beat, especially for shutterbugs who have long been denied this staple of the smartphone experience.

Aki Ukita contributed to this review.

The post OPPO Find N3 Foldable Phone Review: A Shutterbug’s Dream Come True first appeared on Yanko Design.

Oppo Find N3 Flip is the first clamshell-style foldable with three cameras, flaunts an alert slider too

If you believe the trend of foldable is just a fad, think again with the sheer number of foldable devices launched this year spearheaded by the recently debuted Galaxy Z Flip 5, Motorola Razr+, Vivo X Flip and soon-to-be-launched Mix Fold 3 and OnePlus V Fold. Now, you can add another one to the list to raise the bar of what foldables are capable of doing.

Oppo having released the N2 Flip in late 2022 is now ready with its predecessor with more finance and conviction to gravitate prospective buyers into making the big leap towards buying a foldable device. The Chinese OEM has already proved in the past its affinity to stay on the edge of technological innovations and this new device is no different.

Designer:  Oppo

Oppo N2 Flip stayed ahead of the curve introducing a bigger cover display, hardware superiority and a potent set of cameras. Now, the N2 Flip builds on that with key upgrades to make the device more intuitive and powerful, especially for the cover screen. One of the noticeable upgrades is the triple camera array (Hasselblad optimized for post-processing) on the rear, the first ever to be seen on a clamshell-styled foldable phone. These include a 50MP primary sensor, 48MP ultrawide lens and a 32MP telephoto shooter.

Drawing inspiration from the OnePlus smartphones, Oppo has also included a three-position Alert Slider to the equation. Apparently, this is the first-ever Oppo phone to feature such hardware. The foldable device gets a 6.8-inch Full HD+ OLED display tuned for a 120Hz refresh rate, having 1600 nits peak brightness levels and is capable of displaying 1.07 billion colors. The secondary OLED display measures 3.26-inch and gets support for 120Hz as well.

Under the belly lies the MediaTek Dimensity 9200 processor mated to LPDDR5X 12GB RAM and UFS 4.0 storage of 512GB. Powering the high-end hardware of the device with ColorOS 13.2 based on Android 13 is a 4,300mAh battery paired to a 44W Super Flash fast charging. Other specs of the IPX4-rated foldable include a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, facial recognition, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC.

If you inspect the official pictures closely, the top half has a rounded-over glass back as compared to the flat one on the N2 Flip. To that accord, the sides are also polished for mirror shine and the camera module knurls around it. For now the foldable phone only debuted in China for pre-orders in three color options – Black, Gold and Rose colors.

Priced at CNY 6,799 ($932) for the 12/256GB version and CNY 7,599 ($1,042) for the 12/512GB trim, the device will be available for open sales on September 8. The global launch however is expected in October and November.

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