OPPO Find N5 Review—Samsung, don’t even bother

The OPPO Find N5 has just set a new standard for foldable smartphones. If Samsung wants to claw its way back into the race, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will need to be something truly special. With a refined hinge, a stunning display, and performance that puts even traditional flagships to shame, OPPO has delivered the best foldable of the year—before the competition even gets a chance to launch.

First Impressions: More Than Just Another Foldable?

I’ll be honest—I was skeptical. Samsung has an extremely well-oiled marketing machine. The company was the first mainstream brand to launch a foldable phone. So when other brands started launching their own foldables, many of them felt like, “Me too!” phones. I expected another generic foldable, but the Find N5 quickly proved me wrong.

There was something different about how the Find N5 felt in my hands. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until I spent a bit of time with the phone, and then I realized it was a combination of factors that makes me think the Find N5 is easily the best foldable smartphone of 2025.

Design & Build: The Thinnest Foldable Yet

For starters, it’s hard to ignore how incredibly thin the Find N5 is. It measures a mere 8.93mm thin when folded shut, and 4.21mm when unfolded. Just to give you an idea of how thin this is, when folded it is almost as thin as your typical smartphone. When it’s unfolded, it’s in a league of its own. The Honor Magic V3 previously had the honor of being the world’s thinnest foldable smartphone, but the Find N5 has stolen the crown. We’re not sure how long OPPO will be able to hold onto that title, but for now the Find N5 is the one to beat. It is also pretty light considering its a foldable coming in at 229g.

In a world where most foldables feel bulky, OPPO has achieved something remarkable. The Find N5 isn’t just the thinnest foldable—it’s the first that truly feels like a regular smartphone in your pocket.

We can’t talk about foldables without talking about the hinge. The hinge is both a foldable phone’s strength and weakness. With the Find N5, OPPO has created what they are calling a Titanium Flexion Hinge. I don’t dare put the hinge to the test, but during a demo that showed off how strong the hinge is, OPPO dangled a 20kg dumbbell off the phone.

And it held.

The phone did bow a bit, but otherwise, it held its own and remained completely functional. The hinge also offers enough friction and tension so that it doesn’t flop around and opens and shuts rather satisfyingly. OPPO claims that it has been rated for 100,000 folds, but only time will tell how well it will hold up.

Speaking of durability, the Find N5 is IPX6, IPX8, and IPX9 rated for water-resistance, a first for a foldable. This means that whether it’s rain, a dunk in the pool, or being sprayed by water, the Find N5 will handle it like a champ.

Display: The Largest Foldable Screen & a Nearly Invisible Crease

The cover display of the Find N5 measures 6.62-inches and has a 20.7:9 aspect ratio. This puts it closer to the aspect ratio of more traditionally-designed smartphones, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has an aspect ratio of 22:9. This means, unlike Samsung’s tall and narrow outer display, OPPO’s cover screen feels natural—more like a traditional smartphone. You don’t have to awkwardly stretch your thumbs to type, and apps don’t feel cramped.

However, the bezels on the cover display are pretty obvious. Also, the part of the display closer to the hinge creates an asymmetrical look, which may or may not bother some of you. But if you plan to get a foldable phone, chances are the foldable display is what you’re really after, and that’s where the Find N5 blew me away.

When unfolded, the Find N5 has an 8.12-inch inner display, giving it the largest display in a foldable smartphone yet. However, the large display wasn’t what caught our attention. The crease of the Find N5 is barely visible. OPPO says they’ve made the crease 50% shallower compared to its predecessor, and they did. No foldable is truly crease-free, but OPPO’s refinement means you’ll barely notice it unless you’re actively looking for it. And in daily use? It simply disappears.

Apps and games look amazing on the foldable display. Everything looked bigger, and some games felt more enjoyable due to the extra-screen real estate. Not all games necessarily benefit from this, however. This is due to the aspect ratio of the foldable display, which makes it more square-like than rectangular like a tablet.

This means that for videos and some games, you can expect to see a lot of black bars. This isn’t an issue specific to the Find N5. So, unless we get a foldable that has a display aspect ratio similar to a tablet, you can expect to encounter similar issues with any other foldable.

Software & Features: Multitasking Made Easy

However, the screen size makes it perfect for reading ebooks, documents, emails, messages, and browsing websites. Combine that with the display’s 1-120Hz refresh rate, and it was an absolute treat. It also makes it ideal for multitasking. Multitasking is where OPPO truly flexes its software. Need to reply to emails while watching a YouTube video? Done. Dragging files between apps? Seamless. Switching between full-screen apps? Instant. Unlike some foldables, the Find N5 makes multitasking feel like second nature. It’s good to see OPPO adopting these features from the OnePlus Open.

Speaking of software, OPPO has created the O+ Connect app for both macOS and iOS devices. For iOS, the O+ software allows Find N5 users to wirelessly transfer photos and videos to an iPhone. Granted, there are plenty of other methods out there, but this is probably one of the fastest options.

The O+ Connect software for Mac also offers unprecedented integration between Android and Mac. Users can remotely control their Mac computers via the Find N5. Users can also make edits in documents on one device and the changes are immediately reflected on the other device.

Performance: Flagship Power With Smart Trade-offs

Under the hood, the OPPO Find N5 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, paired with 16GB of RAM. However, it’s worth noting that this is the chip’s 7-core variant rather than the full-fledged 8-core version found in some traditional flagships.

On paper, that might sound like a downgrade, but most people won’t notice the difference in real-world use. In fact, the decision to use this version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite is a strategic one. Foldables have historically struggled with heat dissipation due to their compact, layered design. By opting for a slightly less power-hungry chipset, OPPO is prioritizing thermal efficiency—ensuring the phone stays cooler under load while still delivering flagship-level performance.

Battery Life: A Massive Leap Forward

And that efficiency plays a big role in battery life, too—an area where the Find N5 outshines most foldables. The Find N5 comes equipped with a 5,600mAh battery—the biggest battery we’ve seen in a foldable so far—without compromising on the phone’s size or weight!  If you’re wondering how the company managed to stuff a 5,600mAh battery inside its thin frame, it’s thanks to the use of silicon-carbon.

At the launch event, OPPO executive Diego Heinz casually pulled the Find N5’s battery out of his wallet—yes, his wallet—to show just how thin it is. Seeing it in person, it looked more like a credit card than a phone battery. And yet, it powers the biggest battery ever in a foldable. We can’t help but be reminded of the time Steve Jobs pulled the first-gen MacBook Air out of a manilla envelope—it doesn’t get any more visual than this.

In terms of battery life, your mileage may vary depending on how you use your phone. However, OPPO claims that users should be able to expect around 7 hours of battery life for gaming or 8.6 hours of Zoom calls. The Find N5 also supports OPPO’s 80W SuperVOOC fast-charging technology. It also supports AirVOOC ,which offers 50W wireless charging speeds with a compatible charger. Unfortunately, OPPO has opted not to include support for Qi2. Honestly, we’re fine with that. We’ll take fast charging any day. However, you can get cases with built-in magnets if you want to use the Find N5 with Qi2/MagSafe accessories.

Camera: The Best Foldable Camera Ever?

Now, foldables have long been seen as productivity-first devices, with cameras often playing second fiddle to their more traditional flagship counterparts. But OPPO wants to change that narrative with the Find N5, promising a camera system that isn’t just “good for a foldable”—but one that can actually compete with the best smartphones on the market. With a custom-tuned Hasselblad setup, a periscope zoom lens, and OPPO’s AI-driven image processing, the Find N5 is shaping up to be the best camera system we’ve seen on a foldable yet. So, does it deliver? In short—yes.

The Find N5’s camera system is the best we’ve seen on a foldable, and in some cases, it even challenges top-tier flagships like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max. If we’re talking purely about the technical aspects, photos appear to be sharp and crystal clear. While the Find N5’s photos are incredibly sharp, OPPO’s image processing sometimes overdoes it, reducing natural texture. Some users might prefer a more organic look.

Also, compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, photos taken with the Find N5 tend to have a cooler tone. This has an effect on the overall colors of the photo. The colors produced by the iPhone 16 Pro Max are closer to what my eyes see, whereas the Find N5 can look a bit different due to the cooler tones. Tone is a matter of personal preference, but those who lean more toward warmer tones might need to do a bit more editing after the photo has been taken.

Portrait mode is fantastic—not just for human subjects, but for objects and animals too, an area where the iPhone 16 Pro Max still struggles. However, while edge detection is mostly excellent, the artificial bokeh can sometimes feel a bit too perfect, making it obvious that it’s software-generated rather than natural lens blur.

Since the cameras were developed in collaboration with Hasselblad, the Find N5 comes with a Master mode. This results in photos with a Hasselblad-inspired look. It also gives users more manual control over the settings of the phone’s cameras.

Final Verdict: The Best Foldable Yet—But With One Big Catch

The OPPO Find N5 isn’t just another foldable—it’s a statement. With its ultra-thin design, nearly invisible crease, a foldable-first camera that competes with traditional flagships, and a massive battery that doesn’t sacrifice portability, OPPO has redefined what we should expect from foldable smartphones in 2025.

But while the Find N5 raises the bar for hardware and usability, there’s a catch—you might not be able to buy one. OPPO has labeled this a “global launch,” yet the phone doesn’t seem to be headed for the US or EU, making its availability feel oddly restricted. For now, the Find N5 will officially go on sale in Singapore on February 28th, priced at SGD 2,499. Other regions will likely follow, but OPPO has yet to clarify exactly where and when.

So, is this the best foldable of the year? Based on what we’ve seen, yes—if you can get your hands on one. Expanding availability should be its next priority if OPPO truly wants to take on Samsung. Because a phone this good shouldn’t be limited to just a select few markets.

*Full disclosure—OPPO sponsored my trip to the Find N5 launch in Singapore. The company also gave me a review unit ahead of the launch, but all opinions expressed in this review are my own. OPPO also did not get a chance to see this review ahead of its publishing.*

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