Google Pixel Fold will be a larger version of the Oppo Find N2
It’s no secret at this point that a Google Pixel Fold is in the works, and all signs point to the hardware being pretty similar to the Oppo Find N2. Is that the correct choice? Personally, I have mixed feelings.
What we know about the design of the Pixel Fold
The Google Pixel Fold has gone through a lot of work behind the scenes, but at this point we have a pretty clear picture of what could arrive as early as May 2023.
Related: The third time’s a charm: everything we know about the Google Pixel Fold
As it stands today, we know that the Pixel Fold will have a design that looks like a mix of the original Oppo Find N and the existing Pixel 7 series. But great thing to consider is its size.
It looks like the Google Pixel Fold will measure in at 139.7 x 158.7 x 5.7mm when unfolded. For comparison, the Oppo Find N2 measures 132.2 x 140.5 x 7.4mm when unfolded, and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 measures 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3mm when unfolded. Based on that alone, Google’s first foldable will be lengthbeing considerably wider than the Fold 4 and only slightly taller than the Oppo Find N2.
Pixel Fold is a bigger Find N2
When you look at them side by side, it’s pretty clear what we’re getting: the Pixel Fold is basically bigger. oppo find n2. To illustrate, we put together a quick 3D model showing the dimensions of each phone, side by side.
The Pixel Fold is the widest of the bunch by far, being almost 20mm (~0.78 inches) wider than the Oppo Find N2, which is already 10mm (~0.4 inches) wider than the Galaxy Z Fold. 4. The Pixel Fold Thankfully, though, it won’t be as wide as the Surface Duo 2, which measures 184.5mm when opened.
This is definitely notable as it presents a totally different experience compared to Samsung’s fourth-gen foldable. For one thing, you’ll have a lot more screen real estate. While the Fold 4 isn’t exactly small with its 7.6-inch screen, the almost square shape isn’t always ideal. It’s not two phones side by side, but 80% of two phones. The wider aspect ratio opted for by Oppo, and soon Google, allows apps to fully breathe even in split-screen modes.
But it may not all be perfect.
Potential issues this Pixel Fold design could face
A consensus that has formed by many around foldable smartphones to date has been that Samsung’s aspect ratio, while not terrible, may not be the “right” design for a foldable phone. The almost boxy interior leads to a super tall and narrow outer screen that can be hard to get used to, while apps on the inner screen don’t always display a tablet-focused interface because the operating system is considered to be in a “portrait” ” orientation. It is a valid criticism and one that Samsung has worked on over time.
The switch from Galaxy Z Fold 3 to Galaxy Z Fold 4 I wasn’t older by any means, but it saw Samsung adjust its aspect ratios to offer a slightly wider outer screen and a shorter but wider inner screen. It has led to many more apps, but still not all, to be treated as tablet apps.
The Oppo Find N2, meanwhile, has a super wide internal screen that always activates the tablet’s interfaces, with an external screen that is small and about the same width as an average smartphone. But in active use, I have a hard time considering the experience in Oppo’s form factor. better than what you get in the Galaxy Z Fold series. There are pros and cons all around, and I’m a little concerned that the Pixel Fold has some of the same issues.
For example, the YouTube app is a dramatically better experience on Oppo’s device. Every page in Find N2 is optimized for tablets and shows a lot more content, whereas in Fold 4, you get an expanded phone interface that can really only show one video at a time in search or recommendation.
YouTube on Oppo Find N2 (L) and Galaxy Z Fold 4 (R)
But on the other hand, there is the Reddit app. The official Reddit app has numerous quirks and issues, but one thing that completely broke the experience in Find N2 for me was that videos are forced full screen and the wide aspect ratio breaks all controls. Trying to view comments on a post with a video is impossible, but it works fine on the Fold 4.
Then you have the big current trend of vertical videos. Foldables are well-suited to content consumption, but these vertical videos will be wasted on the wider, tablet-like folding screens. In Find N2, more space is wasted with TikTok-style videos (Instagram Reels in my case), where you can see the extra screen height in Fold 4 in this case.
However, much of these two examples boil down to simple optimization. TikTok itself, for example, has made great strides in improving its folding design.
Instagram Reels on Oppo Find N2 (L) and Galaxy Z Fold 4 (R)
There are other downsides to the wider aspect ratio. In Find N2 there is much less space for content when you are writing. Gmail provides a great example here, with little space available to display the content you’re typing after accounting for the keyboard and the /to/subject fields.
Gmail on Oppo Find N2 (L) and Galaxy Z Fold 4 (R)
Of course, the Google Pixel Fold could overcome a lot of the Find N2’s problems just because of its size. The Pixel will be a much bigger phone than the one Oppo has been working on, and that alone could fix a lot of my app complaints.
There is also that clear benefit in multitasking. Apps just have more room to breathe in the width of the Find N2’s screen. It’s a minor difference, but it could actually be better on the larger screen of the Pixel Fold.
Chrome and YouTube on Oppo Find N2 (L) and Galaxy Z Fold 4 (R)
But at the same time, a larger version of the Oppo Find N2 has the potential to be physically cumbersome. An open foldable in this form factor is almost always a two-handed experience. But I’ve found over time that Samsung’s form factor is a bit more forgiving in that regard. It’s a device I can hold and do some basic navigation with one hand, maybe scrolling through a recipe while I’m cooking or flipping from a video to an article. The Find N2 is a little more difficult to use in the same way because, with one hand, I can barely reach the center of the screen. It’s a minor point, definitely, but one that could be made quite a bit worse by using the same form factor in a larger size in the Pixel Fold.
No one has perfected it yet.
It’s all a matter of preference, really. Find N2 is better in some apps while Fold 4 is better in others. Each aspect ratio has its advantages and disadvantages. But after using these two phones and their predecessors, I still come to the same conclusion. At this exact moment, I think Samsung’s form factor is better suited to handle the transition from traditional phones to foldables.
This could change over time, and the Google Pixel Fold could play a huge role in that. Google’s Pixel devices aren’t the best-selling smartphones, but they help developers drive optimization of apps and experiences for the general public; that could come at the expense of early adopters of the Pixel Fold being a little less satisfied with the app experience on their phones.
What do you think? Would you prefer a Pixel Fold that copies the design of the Oppo Find N or one more similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4?
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