Oppo just introduced the mid-range Reno 8 Series in Europe, but many people are still unsure if the Chinese manufacturer’s upcoming foldable phone would also reach western shores. Billy Zhang, the vice president of overseas sales at Oppo, has provided us with some additional details.
Zhang was questioned if the Find N’s replacement would be marketed in Europe during a roundtable where Tech Advisor was present. Although his one-word response, “…probably,” isn’t a guarantee, additional information tends to suggest that the Find N’s successor will have a wider release and that another type of foldable may join it.
Beginning in August, GSMArena revealed that the EU Intellectual Property Office had trademarked the titles “Find N Fold” and “Find N Flip.” Samsung, the market leader in smartphones, adopts such naming scheme, with the ‘Fold’ being a clamshell foldable and the ‘Fold’ being a book-style foldable.
Zhang also stated that flip and foldable phones are the way of the future, therefore it is very possible that Oppo will introduce both.
Oppo Find N pic.twitter.com/zT55SVG1KJ
— 🌞🌝🌈羊王の日常 (@haobangdada1) August 27, 2022
The Chinese-only Find N, which we gave 4.5 out of 5 stars for its superior design, extended battery life, amazing cameras, and a pricing that undercut the competition, was the company’s biggest hit.
Making Oppo’s foldable phones accessible to European customers seems like the logical next step after Zhang declared Oppo’s “commitment to Europe” in his keynote address for the Reno launch.
Samsung is now the only company in the west to market both types of foldable technology. With some of these phones costing over £1500/€1700, Oppo has a chance to enter the market with some more cost-effective models, which may greatly improve the brand’s reputation in Europe.
There are still some obstacles to overcome, though. Zhang stated during a different roundtable that the lack of third-party app support for foldables is one of Oppo’s current biggest issues, a problem that also affects other firms.
The worst offender is Instagram, which lacks a native aspect ratio for foldables with large screens. You can choose to make it operate in full screen mode or in a conventional 16:9 or 4:3 window with black bars on the sides. The latter, however, severely crops all videos, articles, and stories, causing you to lose out on a significant portion of what you’re viewing.
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Instagram is probably waiting for the demand for foldable devices to increase before addressing this problem, but as the business still hasn’t developed an iPad app, we won’t be holding our breath for it to happen any time soon.
Zhang added that Oppo is considering the possibility of removing its charger from the packaging. This reduces waste by following the example of other smartphone manufacturers like Samsung and Apple. By forgoing a phone case with the most recent phone launch, Oppo has already taken precautions.
Oppo, on the other hand, is a leader in fast-charging technology, and many of its devices (such as the recently announced Reno 8 series, which has 80W charging speeds), require the specialized SuperVooc bricks that aren’t typically found in stores.
Zhang stated that this modification will take place “for various devices in the next year,” implying that it may apply to the rumored foldables. However, it is unclear whether this modification will be made globally or only to the Chinese versions of the phones.
Zhang asserts that the upcoming foldable will be “thinner and lighter than the Find N,” that “the crease will be narrower,” and that “the battery, the charger, the camera system, and the hinge” would all receive improvements.