The Find N6 features the least pronounced crease of any foldable device to date.
The Find N6 features the least pronounced crease of any foldable device to date.
Typically, the first thing individuals do when examining a foldable phone I’m assessing is search for the crease in the display. With Oppo’s Find N6, it might take some time.
Oppo asserts that the Find N6, which debuts fully next week on March 17th, features the globe’s pioneering “zero-feel crease” foldable screen. Let’s clarify one point right away: “zero” is a bit of an exaggeration.
You can detect the crease on this device, but it’s only slightly noticeable, and only if you’re paying attention. You can also see it, but only in specific lighting circumstances, at precise angles, and you might have to squint a bit to make it out. This is the most unobtrusive crease I’ve seen in any foldable phone to date; so delicate that I genuinely have a hard time believing it could be bothersome for anyone.
The primary method Oppo has employed to create the subtler crease is rather innovative: 3D liquid printing. The company states that the crease mainly arises from height discrepancies on the surface of the hinge below, and so it resolved the issue by attempting to eliminate those discrepancies. The hinge undergoes laser scanning to find the areas where the surface is uneven, after which a photosensitive polymer is used to fill those gaps, curing it with a UV light beam. Oppo asserts that this process is repeated over 20 times, leading to average surface discrepancies of merely 0.05mm — thinner than a human hair.
Oppo further claims that the Find N6’s crease should remain difficult to notice throughout the device’s lifespan, rather than deteriorating as time passes. In pursuit of this goal, it employs a slightly thicker variant of foldable glass, which is more resilient to deformation and retains its shape better as well. Naturally, assessing this after merely a few days with the device is challenging — although the company presented me with a phone it claimed had endured 200,000 folds, and its crease felt indistinguishable from my review unit straight out of the box.
With the complete launch of the device not occurring for another week, Oppo is refraining from revealing most of the Find N6’s additional specifications. The company has only confirmed it will feature at least one 200-megapixel camera; stylus compatibility; and IP56, IP58, and IP59 ratings for dust and water resistance — which means it does not reach the Honor Magic V6’s IP69 rating or the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s IP68. It is also sleek, approximately matching the size of last year’s slim Find N5 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. Additionally, it will be available in the same silvery hue as my review unit, along with a trendy iPhone-like orange.
We will learn more specifics on March 17th, when the company states the Find N6 will have a “global” launch — however, considering that last year’s Find N5 was only introduced in China and a select few Asian regions, there’s no certainty regarding how truly global this launch will be.
Photography by Dominic Preston / The Verge
