OPPO Find N5 first impressions: A slim productivity powerhouse

If you’re a fan of foldable phones, you’re aware of the hype behind the OPPO Find N5 and how thin it is. If you're a fan of kaya toast, here's some food for thought: This foldable phone is thinner than a single slice of your breakfast sandwich of choice.

I used this slice of tech goodness over a 48-hour period, here are my first impressions of this flagship device – kudos, caveats and all.

IS THE EXTRA SCREEN REAL ESTATE WORTH IT?

For the most part, yes. As a tech flex, the Oppo Find N5 helped me achieve maximum nerd aura. I first truly appreciated the extra screen real estate while viewing a cafe menu online without needing to pinch-zoom.

When folded, it feels about the same in the hand as a single-screen phone with a case. When opened, it feels incredibly thin. I needed a few minutes to recalibrate my senses to this new normal.

The screen was bright and I found it easy to read and review photos even under the afternoon sun.

There is a caveat that affects all book-style foldables. Movies are usually shot in a horizontal widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, or something close to it. However, open book-style foldables have an almost square aspect ratio.

The result? Video content doesn’t fill the entire screen and there are significant black bars above and below your content.

IS IT A VIABLE PRODUCTIVITY TOOL?

If you need to correspond with colleagues or view stats or attachments on the go, the bigger screen and larger virtual keyboard make a big difference. I typed part of this story on the OPPO Find N5 and found it (bad pun intended) to be extremely user friendly. The more spacious virtual keyboard and larger keys made typing much easier.

I’m not suggesting this is a laptop replacement, but it makes working on the go much smoother.

HOW VISIBLE IS THE CREASE?

OPPO’s done a good job of reducing the visibility of the crease when the phone is opened. The crease is visible if it catches reflections from overhead light sources, although images and text don’t appear distorted. When held at typical viewing angles of about 45°, the crease isn’t visible.

The tactile experience is similar to a device with a non-folding screen, although you will feel the crease if you run your fingers across it

WHAT ABOUT THE CAMERAS?

I couldn’t push the limits of the phone in my brief time with it and only used it for street photography. Pictures showed good contrast and detail – even when zoomed in to 100 per cent – what one would expect from a flagship device. Night shots were done hand-held and were well rendered. Pixel peepers will notice that fine detail on night shots is a bit soft when zoomed in but is still fine for socials.

The Gen-Z inspired “0.5” method of taking selfies involves using the rear-facing wide-angle lens to take selfies. This captures better images as the rear-facing cameras on phones are usually better than selfie cameras. It can be a hit-and-miss affair to the uninitiated since your screen faces away from you.

If you can't wrap your head around this, you'll appreciate using the cover screen on the OPPO Find N5 to control your camera. The screen and rear-facing cameras face you, making it much easier to compose selfies.

HOW IT STACKS UP

The OPPO Find N5 is a slim, powerful tech tour de force. When folded, it handles similarly to a single-screen device. When opened, it feels like a light, slim mini-tablet. Like all book-style foldables, its form factor means that it isn’t optimised for watching video content.

Get it if: You want a large-format device that fits into your pocket while offering improved browsing and productivity options

Pros: Thin, light, bright screen; Large screen aids productivity; Includes 80w charger

Cons: Pricey; Form factor not ideal for video

Early birds who pre-order the OPPO Find N5 before Feb 27 will enjoy a S$300 discount and magnetic accessories including a case, wireless charger and powerbank.

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Prices are accurate as of the time of publication.