Technologies

Oppo’s New Folding Phone Is the Lightest One I’ve Ever Carried

Oppo’s Find N2’s squarish shape makes it more portable.

When I think of foldable phones, I picture a large device that’s too cumbersome to carry around. Oppo’s latest foldable phone, the Find N2, is beginning to change my mind.

The Chinese company’s new phone, announced Wednesday, is the lightest foldable device you can find — even compared to its biggest rival, the Galaxy Z Fold 4. It’s also the shortest foldable I’ve ever used.

Foldable phones seem to be inherently chunky, which is one of their major shortcomings, but Oppo has made impressive progress with the Find N2. It’s 42 grams (42!) lighter than its predecessor, the Find N. Oppo credits its upgraded «Flexion» hinge with helping create a lightweight phone. Oppo says it reduced the number of components required to build the hinge and introduced materials like carbon fiber and a «high-strength alloy» used in the aviation industry.

Apart from its practical size, the Find N2 includes all the trappings of a 2022 foldable flagship. It has a powerful Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, two equally responsive displays, fast charging and solid cameras. However, there’s no official IP rating for water- and dust-resistance, and you probably won’t be able to buy this phone, even if you’re interested. The Find N2 is currently earmarked for a China-only release. Oppo has also launched a new flip phone, similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 4, however, and it’s expected to receive an international release in the coming months. There was no pricing available for the Find N2 at the time of this writing.

The Find N2 is a shortie

The Find N2’s design is similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4’s in that it’s a book-style foldable phone. However, one key difference is that the Find N2 feels much more compact. The Find N2 is almost 1 inch shorter than the Z Fold 4. Think iPhone 13 Mini in terms of height, but backed with double the thickness. It also has a different aspect ratio of 17.7:9. This means when you unfold the Find N2, it morphs into a squarish screen as opposed to the more rectangular display seen on the Z Fold 4.

The Find N2 is the lightest commercially available foldable phone. At 233 grams, the Find N2 is 30 grams lighter than the Z Fold 4. It also weighs less than the iPhone 14 Pro Max by a few grams. This lightweight design makes it easier to deal with the inherent heft of a foldable phone.

All these qualities make for a more portable foldable phone. I feel more comfortable storing it in my pocket without worrying that it might fall or stick out. This square-like screen also makes the Find N2 stand out from Samsung and Huawei’s competing devices despite the many similarities between these phones.

The Find N2 has a nearly creaseless display

Oppo admits the Find N2’s main display has a crease, but it’s hardly discernible. In my short time with the Find N2, I hardly ever saw or felt the crease. In fact, I needed to maneuver the screen to just that right angle (in a bright room) to see it. While a completely creaseless phone is ideal, the Find N2’s didn’t bother me at all. As for durability, Oppo says the Find N2 has been tested up to 400,000 folds.

The Find N’s inner screen measures 7.1 inches and offers a 120Hz refresh rate Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a 7.6-inch inner display. The Find N2 also has a 5.5-inch AMOLED outer screen, which might feel short if you’re used to taller phones.

The Find N2 has a triple-lens rear camera

The Find N2 has a polished Hasselblad-branded camera module. There are three rear cameras: a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel ultrawide and a 32-megapixel telephoto lens. In general, the Find N2 took impressively bright photos even in low-light environments. It was also great to have a telephoto camera capable of a 2x optical zoom, which is 1x less than the Z Fold. There is also support for 10-bit RAW and full manual control with Hasselblad interface elements.

Like its foldable rival from Samsung, the Find N2 has an amusing feature that lets you use the cover screen as a viewfinder for taking selfies with the rear camera. That’s a big deal because front-facing cameras are usually lower quality than the main cameras on the back of the phone.

Oppo’s Find N2 also has a feature called FlexForm Mode, which moves the app you’re using to the top of the screen while displaying the controls at the bottom when the phone is half open. This allows you to place the camera on a surface — say a table — and capture a subject from a top-down angle. In my case, I used it to take pictures of my dog sleeping on the floor and ended up getting some cool images from a lower angle. I wouldn’t have been able to capture that shot as easily with a regular, non-folding phone. Samsung’s foldable phones also have a similar software option called Flex Mode.

I haven’t thoroughly tested the Find N2, but Oppo’s second foldable phone impressed me during the short time I spent with it. The Find N2 has a refreshingly compact design for a foldable, two sharp screens, dependable cameras, and fast charging. With its shorter design, the Find N2 proves it’s possible to design a phone with a tablet-sized screen that’s still portable. The squarish shape also differentiates the Find N2 from its main Android rival, the Galaxy Z Fold 4. It’s a shame the Find N2 will only be available in China — at least for now.

Technologies

Nintendo’s Pokemon Legends: Z-A Is a Hit. Just Ask My Kid

Pokemon Legends: Z-A has sucked my family in, and I can’t get my Switch controller back from my son.

I’d love to tell you all about Pokemon Legends: Z-A, arriving this week, and what it’s been like to play on the Nintendo Switch 2. I can mostly do that — but for most of the past five days, it hasn’t really been me playing. What started as co-playing together quickly turned into my kid taking over completely as he got hooked. And honestly, I’d say that’s a good sign.

Nintendo makes a lot of Pokemon games, too many for me to keep track of. But Legends Z-A is the first that’s Switch 2-optimized, although you can play on original Switches, too. I can’t tell you what that’s like, though — my early review access limited me to playing Pokemon Legends: Z-A on the Switch 2 only at home. I was doubtful about how much a city-based game would truly feel like a must-have experience, but so far it’s already become one of my favorite Pokemon games ever.

I’ll let my son tell you. He’s gotten deep into the trading card game and has played most of the recent Pokemon titles over the past year, and he says this is his favorite so far. When I asked him why, he said it’s because the game completely rethinks how battles work. The quick, real-time system feels more immediate and far less sluggish than in past Pokemon games. Plus, he’s loving the story… and honestly, so am I.

A city full of surprises

My son loves the «peculiar» storyline, the fast-paced battles (which he now wants in every Pokemon game) and the constant sense of surprise while exploring Lumiose City.

All of Pokemon Legends: Z-A (at least from what I’ve seen in my 10-plus hours so far) takes place entirely within Lumiose City — a Paris-like metropolis where the CEO of a company called Quasartico Inc. is planning to rebuild everything into a new world where Pokemon and humans can better coexist. The setup reminded me of the Detective Pikachu movie during my demo a few weeks ago, and it turns out my instincts were right.

Pokemon roam in wild zones within the city, occasionally spilling into urban areas, while mysterious rogue «Mega Evolution» Pokemon have begun appearing and threatening the city’s calm. There’s clearly a deeper mystery at play, and while I’m still uncovering it, I won’t spoil anything here.

The game seems to mostly involve a journey to level up in rank from Z to A by battling various Pokemon trainers, but that’s not the whole story. There’s a group of friends you hang out with at a local hotel, along with research missions you have to carry out. Side quests are everywhere. The city, though it can feel a bit sparse at times, stretches all the way up to its rooftops, where all sorts of hidden spots are waiting to be discovered. It feels like a living maze, and one I’m still navigating.

And the city’s always changing, too. Wild zones keep multiplying, and from day to night the city’s dynamics shift. Battles take place at night, with trainers gathering in new pop-up spots each time. It’s not as lively as I’d hoped — this isn’t Grand Theft Pokemon — but the cozy, vibrant world still makes me daydream about what a real-life Universal Pokemon theme park could someday look like.

The Pokemon shine

I keep reminding myself to take extra time to discover and level up my Pokemon. At least that’s what my son’s telling me to do. He loves how many Pokemon can become Mega Evolved in this game, and how much fun the battle moves are to pull off. I’m happy he’s happy. I thought I’d get lost in the RPG aspects of the game, but I think the real-time Pokemon battles put me in a looser state of mind, more able to explore and not feel locked down into systems and rulesets. Swapping Pokemon battle moves and reassigning them to buttons is easy, too.

The stronger focus on trainer battles — and the sheer variety of Pokemon capable of mega evolving — gives the game more of that classic, Pokemon-centered energy than Pokemon Legends: Arceus ever did. I found myself more excited to see how different Pokemon looked and behaved than to uncover new realms to explore. After all, for all of Lumiose City’s secrets, you’re spending a lot more time roaming one massive location than in any other Pokemon game I can remember. Thankfully, the visual upgrades on the Switch 2 make those Pokemon look fantastic in battle.

I do want to spend more time in Lumiose City, though, and can’t help but wonder if this is a glimpse of how all Pokemon games will keep evolving. It’s hard to say, since Legends games like Z-A and Arceus have been more experimental than the rest of the series. But, like Arceus, Z-A is now one of my favorite Pokemon games on Switch. And on Switch 2, it plays smoother and feels better than any Pokemon game ever has before.

Technologies

iPhone 17 Preorders Spike and Overall Phone Sales Aren’t Slowing Down Despite Tariffs

Global smartphone shipments saw a notable increase in the third quarter of 2025. Plus, preorders for Apple’s new iPhone 17 beat out the iPhone 16.

Despite tariffs and market uncertainty, global smartphone shipments increased 2.6% in the third quarter of 2025, compared to the same time last year, according to the International Data Corporation. Additionally, preorders for the iPhone 17, which launched last month, outpaced last year’s iPhone 16.

These increased sales include premium phones like the latest iPhones and Samsung foldables, suggesting yet again that pricier phones still sell in periods of economic strain. It’s a remarkable achievement, says IDC senior research director Nabila Popal, citing shrewd financing options as the reason people keep buying these high-end phones, which cost anywhere from $800 to nearly $2,000.

«[Phone makers] have mastered the art of innovation not only in hardware and software to entice upgrades but also in removing purchase friction. They have flawlessly combined cutting-edge devices with innovative financing models and aggressive trade-in programs that make the upgrading decision a ‘no-brainer’ for consumers,» Popal said in an IDC press release.

Apple sold 58.6 million iPhones this quarter, an increase of 2.9% over the same period in 2024, with more preorders for the iPhone 17 series than its predecessor. But Samsung wasn’t far behind, with its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 selling better than all of the company’s prior foldables. The company still reigns atop the phone market with 61.4 million phones sold, representing 19% of the market in the third quarter of this year — an increase of 6.3% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, Apple lands slightly behind Samsung with 18.2% market share this quarter.

The other phone makers trailing Apple and Samsung are, in order: Xiaomi, with 13.5% of the market; Transsion, with 9%; and Vivo with 8.9%. The remaining companies in the phones industry, from Chinese stalwarts like Oppo and Honor to Motorola and Google, make up the remaining 31.4% of the market for the quarter. All told, 322.7 million phones were sold, up from 314.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, according to IDC.

IDC’s findings for the third quarter continue the small but steady growth of phone sales over the year, including a modest 1% increase in the preceding three months — which includes the April deadline when President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs. In the second quarter, IDC cited midrange devices like Samsung’s Galaxy A36 and other phones that started incorporating AI. But even persistent tariffs haven’t slowed down people’s appetites for pricier phones in the third quarter.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.