I tried Oppo's 'creaseless' new foldable – are Samsung's days numbered?

I've been testing the best folding phones since the very conception of foldables. And while the likes of Motorola's classic Razr kicked off the clamshell revolution, it's the more recent book-like foldables that continue to innovate.

Behold: Oppo's 2026 folding flagship, the Find N6, which is the first folding phone to really drive forward progress in the minimisation of the dreaded 'crease' that's been such a user pain point for many years now.

I've had the Find N6 in my possession for a number of weeks now, where I've been able to prod this "zero feel" crease – that's how Oppo likes to reference it – and gauge just how far it's progressed in this section of the market.

It's also had me wondering, what with the rumours of Apple's supposed incoming iPhone Fold, and Samsung's eighth round in its well-established Galaxy Z Fold series, whether Oppo has done enough to make you forget about the competition.

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On the one hand, yes, as you can see from my gallery of images above, the presence of a crease is so significantly reduced that it's a huge leap forward. How has this been achieved? As I detail in my separate '3D liquid printing' feature, it's an innovative solution.

In summary: for each Find N6 produced, Oppo laser-scans the hinge section to create a relief map; this is then used to apply a polymer to the areas that require it, before it's hardened with UV light. This is repeated 20 times per product to deliver an unfolded display that feels flat across its entire surface.

However, on the other hand, no, because the chances are that you'll never be able to buy a Find N6. Oppo's decision has been to retain it for Asia-Pacific markets, so outside of China, Malaysia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, you're not going to see general availability.

So while the technology is enough for me to forget other brands' inferior present solutions, the fact is that actual availability will still see those makers remain the most prominent. Samsung's grip on the foldables market, therefore, is unlikely to remain thoroughly challenged.

Besides, rumour has it that the incoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 may deploy a similarly "zero feel" crease all of its own. Whether that'll come to fruition, we'll have to wait and see, but expect a summertime launch cycle for that rumoured device – July may slip to August, though, based on the Galaxy S26 Ultra launch cycle.

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Apple, on the other hand, is effectively a newcomer to the foldables game. So any verdict on the iPhone Fold is nothing more than conjecture. It could be a step beyond where market demand even exists – something it knows all too well, given low Vision Pro sales – and therefore a project that could still end up shelved after an iteration or two.

What certainly hasn't been shelved is Oppo's increasing dominance in the foldables space. While the Find N6 is now official, you won't see full specifications and proper reviews of the product for another week; when those drop en masse, I suspect there'll be a lot of impressed creators, influencers and journalists singing its praises.

I've been half tempted to move into the Find N6 as my daily phone, as it is an international handset, using Oppo's ColorOS as its base over Android, with all the access points I require. But without that critical availability factor, any such review isn't going to serve you, dear British readers, beyond the frustration that you'll not be able to buy one.

As a closing note, one final point I must make is that, while Oppo has negated the feel of the 'crease', the visibility of it isn't 100% mitigated. And my other bugbear of folding phones, that fingerprints on foldable surfaces are exaggerated and an increased annoyance, remains a pertinent ongoing issue.

That aside, however, as an upgrade to the Oppo Find N5, the Find N6 looks like a big jump forward. Enjoy my pictures of the Stellar Titanium version (I call that "silver", really), much as I wish I had the eye-catching Blossom Orange in my possession instead.