The Oppo Find N2 Flip is a foldable smartphone that also has a screen on the outside. Oppo is looking to cement its position in the premium smartphone market with the £849 ($1,024) device.
Oppo
Oppo has launched a foldable flip phone for the international market as the Chinese smartphone maker seeks to strengthen its business outside China.
The Find N2 Flip marks Oppo’s move to break into the premium segment of the smartphone market and the fledgling foldable phone category.
The Find N2 Flip, which launched Wednesday, folds in the middle like a traditional flip phone and boasts two screens. It can connect to generation 5G mobile networks. Folding the device reveals a second display on the outside of the phone, which Oppo touts as “the largest cover screen of its kind.”
The company says the phone can withstand more than 400,000 folds and unfolds at standard room temperature, equivalent to opening and closing the device about 100 times a day for over 10 years.
The foldable phone category pioneered by Samsung is still in its early stages. Foldable device shipments will account for just 1.1% of total smartphone shipments in 2022, and are expected to grow to just 2.8% by 2026, according to IDC.
“I think there’s this kind of tricky thing about foldables. They’re all nice and everyone’s excited about them, but do you really know how big the market is?” Ben Wood, the site’s director of research, told CNBC by phone.
Oppo targets premium brands
Oppo is the world’s fourth largest smartphone player by market share, and over the past few years, the Chinese company has thrived on selling high-spec, innovative devices at competitive prices.
More recently, Oppo has been expanding its presence outside of China and trying to grab a slice of the high-end smartphone market. apple And Samsung dominates.
According to Wood, Oppo’s challenge is to build its brand outside of China, where it lags behind the likes of Samsung. The foldable smartphone is part of Oppo’s efforts to establish his brand as premium.
“This is a big bet for them. The fact that Oppo clearly sees a lot of potential in the premium smartphone segment and believes foldables are one aspect of pushing the brand into the premium tier. “I’m not hiding anything,” said Wood.
“One of the reasons premium is holding up is because people want to buy phones that last. Mobile phones are such an integral part of people’s lives that they’re willing to pay more for a product if they believe in it.” Yes, it will last a long time.”
Outside of China, there are still very few foldable phones available for purchase. When it comes to flip foldables, Samsung has the Galaxy Z Flip4 and Motorola has the Razr 5G.
Oppo’s UK price is £849 ($1024), cheaper than Samsung’s £899 Galaxy Z Flip4.
“For the price, it’s definitely competitive,” said Wood, adding that Oppo needs to increase brand awareness.
Oppo said Wednesday that its Find N2 Flip is the official smartphone for the UEFA Champions League, the European football competition.
Given Oppo’s heavy investment in marketing and high-end devices, Wood called 2023 “the year of success or failure” for smartphone makers.
“They are making big bets on building an international business, which requires very large investments, and if they don’t get paid for it, they can’t keep doing it indefinitely.” said Wood.
