Oppo has launched a foldable flip phone for international markets, as the Chinese smartphone maker looks to boost its business outside of China.
The Find N2 Flip marks Oppo’s push to make a dent in the premium segment of the smartphone market and in the nascent foldable phone category.
The Find N2 Flip, which was launched Wednesday, folds in the middle like a traditional flip phone and boasts two screens. The main continuous 6.8-inch display is visible when the device is open and can connect to next-generation 5G mobile networks. There is a second display on the outside of the phone when the device is folded, which Oppo touts as the “largest cover screen of its kind.”
The company said the phone can withstand more than 400,000 folds and unfolds at standard room temperature, which it equates to opening and closing the device around 100 times a day for more than 10 years.
The foldable phone category, which was pioneered by Samsung, is still in the early stages. Shipments of foldables accounted for only 1.1% of total smartphone shipments in 2022, according to IDC, and are expected to increase to just 2.8% in 2026.
“I think there’s this kind of tricky thing with foldables: they’re all lovely, everyone is excited by them, but do we really know how big the market is?” Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, told CNBC via phone.
