Flip phones are the new craze but what I find funny is that this craze happened when I was just a young girl. Despite once being beloved, flip phones had its sudden demise as the 2000s drew to a close. But why did it go out of business? Well, smartphones rose up with their larger touchscreens, sophisticated mobile operating systems, app ecosystems, internet browsing, and multimedia capabilities that far exceeded what flip phones could offer. The demand for advanced features like social media access, mobile gaming, streaming media, and high-quality cameras propelled the market towards smartphones.

An OP Oppo?

At first glance, the N3 Flip is elegant and sleek. It’s definitely a whole lot more compact than what we use these days, which is great right? I know most of us have our thicc Samsung or even Apple phones sticking out of our back pockets, or even poking us as we sit down.  My retail box didn’t just look fancy but it came with a charger, a cable and a two-piece case. The phone comes in 3 colours. Sleek Back. Cream Gold. Misty Pink. I’ve never really been a pink girl myself, but I was a little sad we didn’t get the pink version. Nevertheless, the black one made me feel like an elegant businesswoman who owned a publishing company. I named my phone the Flipper.

Its curvy design provides a comfortable grip in your hand, yet the glass surface, though resistant to smudges, can be exceptionally slippery so if you have butter fingers like me, well… you might want to invest in a good cover! Obviously, the most important part about a flip phone is how it feels when you open and close it. Flipper made a small ‘thud’ when I’d close him. A good smol thud. TÜV Rheinland has certified that the phone can withstand up to 600,000 folds without compromising its structural integrity. Now I can’t say that I’ve folded Flipper that many times but what I can tell you is that the phone folds smoothly with an almost invisible crease. This is great because man was I terrified about there being a crease. It also made it easy to swipe back and forth and navigate.

With a 3.2-inch screen boasting a resolution of 720 x 382 pixels, Flipper’s cover screen stood out just fine under the hot sun. It remains visible even under intense daylight, thanks to its impressive 1600 nits peak brightness. The N3 Flip enhances its hardware with a new Alert Slider, allowing quick access to silent, vibrate, and ring settings without having to open the phone. And in the world we live in, damn do we love convenience! The Alert Slider is oriented to match the current display, changing its controls when you flip to the other display. The Silent option is consistently positioned at the top, while Ring mode is at the bottom. The cover screen comes with an always-on feature, displaying the time when the device is lifted which is pretty nifty if you ask me! I appreciate the simplicity and intuitiveness of Flipper’s cover screen software. Swiping up gives notifications, swiping down reveals the control shade, and swiping left provides access to additional cover screen apps. You can also activate a feature through the Labs option in the Settings app where the cover screen will support popular or regular-use apps like Gmail, WhatsApp, YouTube, Google Calendar and most importantly Spotify! Flipper operates on ColorOS 13, built on Android 13, delivering a blend of stability and customization! Thanks to this, we have cool features such as split-screen functionality, flexible app windows, and a convenient smart sidebar.

Here’s where I think Flipper shines! HIS BATTERY! Now The Oppo Find N3 Flip comes with a 4,300 mAh battery and its screen inside when unflipped is a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with a clear 2520×1080 resolution. With 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of USF 4.0 storage, the phone ensures smooth performance for everyday use. After using a bunch of social media for days and also scrolling through my nightly TikTok sessions, the battery surprisingly lasts a pretty damn while. It’s something I honestly did not expect from an Oppo phone.  Even when the battery eventually depleted, recharging was notably swift. The 44W SuperVOOC wired charging of the device took 1 hour and 30 minutes to go from 0 to 100%, with the initial 30 minutes rapidly reaching a 50% charge which is honestly biiiiig. Regrettably, the Oppo Find N3 Flip doesn’t incorporate wireless charging. So Flipper had to live his life with a little charger hanging around. The inner display measures 75.78 millimetres (2.98 inches). While this width makes one-handed use a bit more challenging, it sort of gives you an experience akin to a standard bar phone. This width makes it rather pleasant to read the news, scroll through social media, and watch videos.

Let’s talk gaming! Yes, you can still game on the Oppo! Casually of course. If you intend to use the phone for competitive gaming, then well… you’re about to be disappointed. I could still play my usual Star Rail on the fly which was nice. I was worried that the phone would overheat fast, but surprisingly it took about an hour of serious gaming to get there. Again, this isn’t designed for games so… I’d say that’s pretty decent. In terms of graphics and smoothness of gameplay, there weren’t any issues! The same can be said about Mobile Legends and PUBG. You can play both of them at high settings in 60FPS!

I’ve never had an Oppo phone before but I’ve always been told that they take some amazing photos! Well… Flipper has 3 cameras. There’s a 50MP Sony IMX890 main sensor, a 48MP Sony IMX582 ultra-wide sensor, and a 32MP Sony IMX709 portrait camera, which also doubles as a telephoto portrait lens. To me, that sounded cool, although I really don’t have much of a background in camera specs. But I was blown away by the clarity of the photos! What I really loved most was being able to take selfies without flipping my phone open. Not only that, Oppo has also leveraged the folding design ingeniously in the camera app, allowing the bottom half to serve as a makeshift tripod. Take a look at some of the photos I managed to capture!

SLEEK AND PRACTICAL

So here’s what I have to say. It’s pretty practical and for RM4,399.00, I think the price is well suited if you’re looking for a new flip phone! It’s elegant and practical plus you can flip it open and close like a boss in front of friends. If I had to nitpick something I didn’t like about Flipper, it would be that he came with some pre-installed apps that may not be everyone’s preference. Thankfully, these can be disabled in the settings for a more tailored experience. I’ll miss Flipper but maybe one day we can reconnect!

SCORE: 80/100

Vital Statistics

Display

6.8-inch LTPO OLED
2,520 x 1,080 resolution
21:9 aspect ratio
1-120Hz refresh rate
500 nits brightness (typical)
1,600 nits brightness (peak)
HDR10+ support
Gorilla Glass Victus

– Cover Screen
3.26-inch AMOLED
720 x 382 resolution
17:9 aspect ratio
500 nits brightness (typical)
900 nits brightness (peak)

Processor

MediaTek Dimensity 9200

RAM

12GB

Storage

256GB
No expandable storage

Power

4,300mAh (typical)
44W wired charging (SuperVOOC)

Software

Android 13
ColorOS 13.2
5 years of OS upgrades
4 years of security patches

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3
NFC
Wi-Fi 7

Cameras

Rear:
– 50MP wide, ƒ/1.8 aperture, 1/1.59-inch sensor, 24mm focal length
– 48MP ultrawide, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 14mm focal length
– 32MP telephoto, ƒ/2.0 aperture, 47mm focal length

Front:
– 32MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture, 1/2.74-inch sensor, RGBW pixels, 21mm focal length

Camera app has pro controls

Video

Rear:
4K (30fps
1080p (30, or 60fps)

Front:
4K (30fps)
1080p (30fps)

Dimensions and weight

Open: 166.2 x 75.8 x 7.8mm
Closed: 85.5 x 75.8 x 16.5mm
198g

Audio

Dual Speakers
Dolby Atmos