OnePlus surprised users earlier this year when it announced that it doesn’t plan to launch any foldables in the near future, while Oppo launched the Find N5 as the successor to the Oppo Find N3 (also known as the OnePlus Open globally). The company didn’t announce a clamshell-style foldable at its previous launch event, and reports preceding the launch of the Oppo Find N5 even indicated that the company may have stopped all work on foldables altogether — these claims were soon disproved. Now, a publication has leaked the purported schematics of the successor to Find N3 Flip, with a slightly different take on its design.
Schematics for the purported Oppo Find N5 Flip were recently published by XpertPick. The leaked schematics come from a listing on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) website and shows what appears to be a very familiar design that resembles an upgraded Find N3 Flip. The leaked images include both 3D CAD renders and blueprint-like schematics, indicating that such a device could be in the works.
Schematics showing the alleged Oppo Find N5 Flip’s design
Photo Credit: Xpertpick
The renders show the alleged Oppo Find N5 Flip from various angles. While the overall clamshell form factor appears very familiar, it is easy to notice the new camera layout. It still comprises three cameras, but they are now laid out vertically in a strip, unlike the circular layout on the Find N3 Flip model.
This new camera layout also makes way for a bigger display. The cover display appears a lot larger (as is the trend with recent clamshell-style foldable phones) and takes up all the remaining space on the front face of the clamshell. Also present is a three-stage alert slider, which also made it to the previous Find N3 Flip model.
It’s worth noting that even if such a device has appeared on a patent website, it is not an indication that such a device will see the light of day. Just like various patent filings from brands like Samsung and even Apple, not all of these designs end up making their way to consumers.
Oppo could very much be working on a clamshell foldable, and this could be the final design, but nothing can be confirmed until the brand starts teasing us from official channels. So, do take the above information with a grain of salt.
Meanwhile, there’s plenty of news about Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 7 foldable. It isn’t expected to get a major redesign this year as per recent reports, but it is likely to debut with an interesting processor.