The Oppo Find N3, for the first time ever, is making its way to the global market alongside the clamshell Find N3 Flip. Now sporting a taller display with a more sophisticated Hasselblad-branded triple camera system, the foldable phone is poised to take on the mainstream foldable market.

However, priced at RM7,999 in Malaysia, the Find N3 is priced higher than its main competition on our shores. But while I’m not certain if the tablet-like foldable phone has what it takes to take on the best mainstream options in the market now – not until a full review – it does seem like a very promising device in my brief time testing the Find N3.

First, specifications. The biggest change the Find N3 brings from last year’s Find N2 is certainly the taller 6.3-inch FHD+ OLED cover screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 20:9 aspect ratio, so it doesn’t look quite as chunky anymore. Thanks to the taller dimension of the foldable phone, the inner primary screen is also bigger now. More specifically, it’s a 7.8-inch 2440 x 2268 LTPO OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Another upgrade is the Find N3’s triple camera system. The Hasselblad-branded camera configuration is now made up of a 48MP primary shooter, a 48MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 64MP telephoto lens that can do 3x optical zoom or 6x “in-sensor” zoom. If you’ve always wanted a farther-reaching camera on a foldable phone, the Find N3 offers just that.

Other specifications of the Find N3 include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of internal storage, a 20MP selfie camera on the inner screen, as well as a 4,805mAh battery with support for 67W fast charging. The phone’s Flexion Hinge is said to be quite durable too, being able to withstand up to one million folds, as Oppo puts it.

Speaking of the Find N3’s hinge, I’m very impressed with it. Not only does it feel very smooth, it also has a nice “snap” when I’m closing and opening the phone. If Oppo says the Flexion Hinge can withstand up to one million folds, I’m inclined to take the company’s word for it – this is a really, really nice hinge.

Aside from that, the crease on the Find N3’s primary screen remains as minimal as ever. Yes, you can still feel the crease if you run your finger over the display. But visibility wise, especially in normal use, you really have to be looking for the crease to actually notice it. In my opinion, Oppo has one of the least visible creases in the foldable game now.

I also love how the Find N3 feels in its folded state. While it’s quite a bit thicker than a regular bar phone – it measures 11.7mm when folded – the width and height of the phone, thanks to the 20:9 cover screen, makes for a very natural phone to hold in my hands for long periods of time. It also helps that it weighs 245g (239g for the leather version), which makes it one of the more lightweight foldable phones in the market.

The two displays of the Find N3 are equally good too. Not only does both of them feature a 120Hz refresh rate, they also have a peak brightness of 2,800 nits, which is really bright. In a market where most foldable phones have different screen qualities on the inside and outside, it’s great to see Oppo going for a more streamlined, consistent approach.

In terms of performance, the Find N3’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset feels fast and responsive, as every flagship smartphone should be. While I didn’t get to really put the performance of the foldable phone through its paces with some demanding mobile games like Genshin Impact – or even Honkai: Star Rail – I’m sure it will be able to deliver a great gaming experience.

Lastly, there’s the Hasselblad triple camera system of the Find N3. In my short time photographing with the phone, it does feel quite capable, especially in the context of a foldable phone. After all, phones in this particular segment don’t have the most sophisticated camera setup, and the Find N3’s combination of a 48MP primary camera with a 48MP ultra-wide shooter and a 64MP telephoto lens that can do 6x hybrid zoom…is quite a big selling point.

As far as first impressions go, I’m more than excited to review the Oppo Find N3. I do think it has the potential to be a really good foldable phone that could give its competitors – mainly the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 – a run for their money. However, it does have a number of hurdles to clear.

For one, retailing at RM7,999 for the sole 16GB + 512GB model puts it at a higher price point than the aforementioned Galaxy Z Fold 5. Samsung’s offering starts at RM6,799 for the 12GB + 256GB variant, going up to RM7,299 and RM8,299 for the 12GB + 512GB and 12GB + 1TB configurations respectively.

Aside from sheer value for money, the Find N3 also lacks some key features (to me) for a flagship smartphone, such as its lack of water resistance. For a phone that sits at this price point, it’s not unrealistic to expect, say, for it to have an IPX8 rating like the (more affordable) Z Fold 5.

Nonetheless, I’ll reserve judgment on the Find N3 until I have the foldable in for review. I’m looking forward to see how it’ll perform as a daily driver, especially when it comes to software refinement. That is the ongoing challenge for tablet-like folding phones, in my opinion.