The title of the post isn’t entirely complete because there are other products from popular brands such as the Royole FlexPai, Microsoft Surface Duo, Huawei Mate X2, Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold, and the not-so-exciting Motorola Razr Fold.

The foldable smartphone line that started back in 2019 as mere experimentation has quickly become a game-changer and Samsung in my opinion seems to be championing the movement even though Royole, the display manufacturer would be assumed as being the pioneer.

Take for example, in 2019, while the foldable smartphone game was new, the likes of Samsung, Royole, and Huawei all had a different idea about the exact form factor of the device.

The original Galaxy Fold had an external display and then an inner display making the device fold inwardly. But there was the Huawei Mate X that folded outwardly with its screen spanning across the front of the device. The same goes for the Royole FlexPai as well.

Then we had Motorola bringing back its iconic Razr smartphone design into the foldable form factor.

Xiaomi also teased a tri-fold smartphone and other companies like TCL teased a “rollable” display. Even LG released a commercially available swivel smartphone.

So far, the Galaxy Fold design seems to be winning because even Huawei has dumped the outward folding design to adopt the Galaxy Z Fold 2’s inward folding design.

There have also been rumors about other big smartphone makers such as Apple, Google, and even Honor all planning to debut their own foldable smartphones in the near future.

But our focus today is going to be about how the all-new OPPO Find N matches up next to the already-successful Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Placing both devices side-by-side, there are obvious differences between both devices.

While the Galaxy Z Fold 3 appears taller with a narrowed 6.3-inch display, the OPPO Find N is on the petite side which some people may find okay.

Also, while I opened up both devices to see their bigger display, OPPO did well with the Find N and despite the fact that Samsung is known for making really beautiful screens, the presence of crease on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 might not be so attractive to some.

OPPO bragged that there will never be a crease on its Find N and we’ve also seen something quite similar on the Huawei Mate X2 as well. It was just amazing that Samsung is yet to nail the presence of crease on the device.

Oppo Find N vs Galaxy Z Fold 3: Design and hardware

One of the obvious differences between the Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs OPPO Find N is the size of the devices and also their shapes.

Even though the foldable form factor will eventually become saturated to the point that it will also become as boring as current smartphone form factors, now are the time to enjoy the views while it lasts.

In terms of the technical specifications of both devices, we have a foldable 7.6-inch panel on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 with a tall TV-remote-shaped outer 6.2-inch display with a narrow 25:9 aspect ratio.

Personally, I don’t really fall for the shape of the outer display but Samsung made it useful this time around by increasing its refresh rate to 120Hz and also adding those nice Samsung FHD+ resolutions to make the outer screen usable.

On the other hand, we have a more squared-out OPPO Find N with a 7.1-inch inner foldable display with a tiny 5.5-inch outer display with a moderate 18:9 aspect ratio.

The OPPO Find N looks like two iPhone 13 Minis stacked on top of each other and conjoined via a hinge.

However, the outer display is very usable and it looks like a normal phone. Just like the Huawei Mate X2’s outer display which looks like you’re holding two conjoined Mate 40 Plus smartphones.

The fact remains that both the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the OPPO Find N have different audiences in mind which is why they all reside on different spectrums.

That is why I can’t objectively say that one of them is better than the other because the choice is left to the consumer depending on what they want.

I personally prefer a bigger display which is something that foldable smartphones are supposed to be.

Multi-tasking is one of the best things that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is great for. Running two apps on split-screen is buttery-smooth thanks to the high-refresh-rate display.

However, when folded, OPPO Find N is quite better although it doesn’t have a fast refresh rate. But typing is much better – if you have small hands.

But apart from the size of their displays, both devices are well-engineered, especially as far as the hinges are concerned.

The fact that you can bend both devices to any angle is interesting and I really fall for that.

You can make also make hands-free video calls, take selfies, or anything else sans tripod.

Powering both devices is the almighty Snapdragon 888 chipset with 12GB of RAM. In the camera department, both have a triple camera setup and they both have a 120Hz refresh rate on their main screen.

Each phone can brag about a key hardware win: the Fold 3 has official IP-rated water resistance, and the main screen has stylus support (it has to be Samsung’s official stylus).

The Find N’s main screen has a far less noticeable crease, and the phone folds entirely flat (the Find 3 does not).

Oppo Find N vs Galaxy Z Fold 3: Software and features

Both devices are powered by Android 11 OS and they both run their OEM’s proprietary skins such as ColorOS for OPPO and OneUI for Samsung.

However, Samsung wins the software game because of how well-built the OneUI is designed to turn the Galaxy Z Fold 3 into the most utility smartphone ever.

As for the OPPO Find N, the square-ish design affects the orientation of some popular applications such as Uber – as they’re required to open sideways to function because they often refuse to open in default landscape orientation.

Oppo Find N vs Galaxy Z Fold 3: Performance and battery life

Samsung has become excellent in the battery department lately and I trust their devices are doing just great.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 sports a 4,500mAh battery – and while it performs well enough, especially if you make use of the power-management functionality and restrain yourself from maxing out the 120Hz super AMOLED panel on the device, you should be able to use the device for a really long time.

On the other hand, the OPPO Find N sports a slightly bigger 4,600mAh battery and it can last slightly longer than the Galaxy Z Fold 3 because its external display isn’t equipped with 120Hz technology.

The Fold 3 also has better-sounding speakers and haptics, but the Find N has slightly better cameras: its 50MP main shooter produces sharper shots than the Fold 3’s 12MP main camera.

The choice is yours at the end

Samsung is definitely changing the foldable smartphone market because its recent Galaxy Z Fold 3 costs less despite being better than the previous Galaxy Z Fold 2.

As for OPPO, this is its first attempt in the foldable smartphone market and the Find N costs about US$1,205 in China (CNY 7,699).

I don’t want to mention Huawei’s Mate X2 that costs about US$3,000 or more depending on the e-retail store you plan to get it from.

Samsung’s Fold 3 costs US$1,800 and, if we are comparing these two straight up, the Find N is a better buy because it is almost US$600 cheaper.

Samsung is still the dominant force in the foldable smartphone market right now – maybe when the likes of Google and Apple join, things might change.

Currently, the OPPO Find N is still being sold in China only and whoever wants to import it will need to pay a hefty price.

Whereas Samsung is sold globally and at a discount in fact – if you’re lucky enough!

The choice at the end is for the consumer to make. Do you prefer the crease-free but tiny screen on the OPPO Find N or the bigger, multi-task-ready Galaxy Z Fold 3 display with a cheaper price point and other Samsung-custom advantages?