When OPPO designed Find N2 Flip, our biggest challenge was to improve existing hinge designs. Generally, flip phones–because of their unwieldy hinges–tend to have small cover screens; their batteries are of a lower capacity than traditional phones and charge more slowly. Some also have a clumsy folding mechanism and a main screen that collects dust in the deep crease. But thanks to the incredible new, smaller Flexion Hinge at the heart of the phone, the Find N2 Flip eradicates these drawbacks.
The New Generation Flexion Hinge
Rather than be first to market with a foldable, our teams at OPPO invested in R&D. The earliest designs of our folding screen technology dates back to early 2018 — and in 2020, we unveiled OPPO X 2021, an example of our commitment to pioneering different form factors including the rollable smartphone that made headlines around the world.
We also experimented with countless hinge designs before the first Find N launched with the original Flexion Hinge.
The reason OPPO places so much emphasis on its hinge engineering is because of the impact it has on features. In smartphone design, space is always at a premium, and less space means less room for components like batteries, for example. But the Find N2 Flip’s miniaturised hinge ensures the phone does not compromise in other areas.
A look inside OPPO’s New Generation Flexion Hinge
Simply put, this newer hinge features fewer parts, sports a cleaner design, and presents a more stable solution. It improves core functionality with a new cam system and 1/4 spindle assembly so it can hold firm between 45° and 110° when folded.
The Flexion Hinge boasts a flexible stainless-steel element that is precision etched and injected with a soft, pliable material. Oppo uses aeronautical high-strength steel at the key bearing position to ensure the hinge delivers high reliability with a tensile and yield strength that is higher by 15% and 25%, respectively, when compared to traditional hinge design.
Meanwhile, the aircraft-grade carbon-fibre reinforced polymer guarantees strength while being lightweight. This creates the perfect amount of flex and firmness, whether you are folding the phone or typing on its display. The Find N2 Flip also uses a new “waterdrop fold” when closed. This waterdrop shape has a larger bending radius and results in a lighter crease and lesser screen deformation when compared to a U-shaped hinge.
Superior Features
The improved, miniaturised hinge on the Find N2 Flip lets OPPO fit a large 3.26-inch cover screen on the front of the phone that accounts for 48.5% of the top half of the device to display more content, including important settings and widgets, notifications, a larger preview screen for photography, and even interactive e-pets
A smaller hinge also makes a high-capacity, fast-charging battery possible. While most flip phones feature between 3500mAh and 3700mAh of power, the Find N2 Flip upgrades that capacity to 4300mAh.
OPPO’s Find N2 Flip features two battery cells with a combined 4300mAh of power and 44W SUPERVOOC flash charging.
The miniaturized hinge does not sacrifice durability either. The phone has been tested up to 4,00,000 folds by TÜV Rheinland – the equivalent of 10 years of use if you open and close the device 100 times a day. It even works perfectly after being folded and unfolded 1,00,000 times at both -20ºC and 50ºC.
But it isn’t just the folding mechanism that gives Find N2 Flip the edge. When shut, the new-generation Flexion Hinge prevents dust and airborne particles from collecting along the crease line.
The Flexion Hinge and unique Reticular Matrix Plate supporting the screen result in the shallowest crease of any folding phone that makes it virtually invisible.
Find N2 Flip’s Reticular Matrix Plate combines with display layers to achieve the perfect fold.
A New Era in Flip Phones
In summary, thanks to its smaller, New Generation Flexion Hinge, the Find N2 Flip enjoys the largest cover screen, highest capacity battery, and fastest charging of any flip phone. It also creates rich cover screen experiences with that extra size. So while the hinge of a flip phone might be a single element, its impact is far-reaching, and thanks to OPPO’s game-changing New Generation Flexion Hinge, Find N2 Flip is a compromise-free breakthrough for the category.
