Oppo Find N5 Review: A Remarkably Thin and Surprisingly Practical Foldable Phone

I found myself using the cover and internal screens on the Find N5 pretty equally. I tend to opt for the front display when sending a quick email or taking a doomscrolling break, and the internal display is ideal for settling into longer videos and multitasking (more on that later).

Both the cover and internal display on the Find N5 have a 120Hz refresh rate, with a peak brightness of 2,450 nits and 2,100 nits, respectively. The screen is easy enough to see in bright sunlight, though colors and contrast don’t quite pop as much as they do on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, for instance. But images still look sharp.

The internal screen has an anti-reflective film, which is especially helpful with such a large display, but the cover screen doesn’t. I’m used to not having an anti-reflective screen on every other phone I use, so it wasn’t odd for just one screen to have that coating. The crease is impressively minimal; I can hardly detect it when the screen is lit up or when I’m watching a video, browsing through photos or scrolling through social media.

Speaking of social media, content on apps like TikTok are magnified to fill the internal screen, making some text appear a little off-center, but nothing I saw was awkwardly cropped. The Find N5 also seamlessly transitions apps between the cover and inner screen when opening the phone, and vice versa. 

With such a thin phone, it’s reasonable to worry about durability — or accidentally snapping it in half. Thankfully, I never felt like that was a possibility with the Find N5. The phone feels sturdy in my hands, and I wasn’t able to bend it, open or closed. 

The Find N5’s frame is made from aluminum alloy, which Oppo says adds a 30% increase in strength over the previous model. The cover display is made of nanocrystal glass that’s meant to withstand drops 20% better than the Find N4, and it has a 10% increase in scratch resistance, the company says. I walked around Barcelona all day without a case on the Find N5, and though I didn’t drop it, I took comfort in the idea that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I did. 

The hinge feels secure — and it’s similarly sleek and unobtrusive. It’s made of grade 5 titanium alloy, and there’s no awkward gap when the phone is folded. Opening and closing the phone feels smooth each time.

The Find N5 comes in two colors: cosmic black and misty white. I have the black version, and the matte backing makes it easier to grip the phone. It also does a decent job of resisting fingerprints.

Camera and photos

Take a look at this nighttime shot below that I took just after sunset brightened up the sky to a vibrant blue and notice how the Find N5 preserved details on the facade of the Cathedral of Barcelona. 

Sometimes, images are a little too well lit and appear washed out, like this picture of churros with chocolate that’s a tad too bright for my liking. But it still looks nice and clear.   

“This feels normal” is among the highest praise you could give a foldable phone, in my book, and the Find N5 has earned it. Whether I’m using the cover display or the internal one, I’m not constantly reminded of how gimmicky the concept of a foldable phone can be, because everything feels sleek and comfortable. Yes, the Find N5 is remarkably thin and lightweight, but it’s also exceptionally practical and enjoyable to use. And it’s good to see that a thinner build doesn’t necessarily mean slimmer capabilities. 

I’m personally still not sure if I’d make the switch full-time to a foldable phone, largely because of the high price tag, but the Oppo Find N5 helped to assuage some of my reservations about practicality and bulkiness. After all, social media scrolls and multitasking just aren’t the same on a non-folding phone after seeing what’s possible on the flip side.