Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs OPPO Find N5 Teardown – Slimness vs Durability
I’ve torn down a lot of phones over the years, but foldables? They’re a different kind of engineering beast. Recently, I got my hands on two of the hottest book-style foldables of 2025: the OPPO Find N5 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
After diving into their guts, I couldn’t help but line them up side-by-side to see which one actually pushes the limits in design, repairability, and tech innovation. This isn’t just a spec sheet comparison, it’s a teardown-level look at what makes each one tick… or fold.
Full disclosure: OPPO sent me the Find N5 for a sponsored teardown. No script, no sugarcoating, just me, a screwdriver, and a mild fear of breaking something worth more than my car. The Galaxy Z Fold 7? That one I hunted down and paid for just to see how it stacks up.
So, grab your imaginary toolkit and let’s dive into the battle of thinness, hinges, batteries, and beyond.
Size and Slimness
OPPO Find N5: Measures 4.21 mm when unfolded and 8.93 mm folded. It’s essentially the thickness of a USB-C port, and when you hold it, the ultra-light feel combined with the slim profile makes it seem almost unreal. OPPO clearly engineered every internal layer to shave off fractions of a millimeter.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Comes in at 4.2 mm unfolded and 8.9 mm folded. Yes, that’s just 0.01 mm thinner unfolded and 0.03 mm thinner folded than OPPO. On paper, it’s technically slimmer, but the difference is so microscopic you’d need a micrometer to notice. Where Samsung feels bulkier is in the hand, due to weight distribution and the slightly beefier hinge assembly.
Verdict: Samsung takes the crown for literal thinness, but only by a hair so fine you might think it’s dust on your caliper. In real-world use, they’re basically twins in thickness, the real difference is how that thinness feels.
Hinge Engineering
OPPO Find N5 – The titanium alloy hinge here is no joke. Grade 5 titanium, 3D-printed for precise tolerances, and claimed to be 36% stronger while being 26% lighter than the N4’s hinge. The flex feels smooth with minimal resistance, and the crease visibility is reduced thanks to a tighter folding radius.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 – “Armor Flex” hinge built from Samsung’s Armor Aluminum blend. It’s 43% lighter and 27% thinner than the Z Fold 6 hinge, but still larger than OPPO’s. More moving parts, more dust protection, and better longevity but that comes with added thickness.
Battery Layout & Charging Tech
OPPO Find N5 – Uses dual silicon–carbon batteries (totaling 5600 mAh). This chemistry, borrowed from EVs, packs more energy in less space, charges at 80W wired and 50W wireless, and runs cooler under load. The batteries are split evenly, with ultra-thin cell layers bonded to stainless steel plates for rigidity.
Winner: OPPO, no contest. It’s future battery tech you can hold.
Internal Layout & Component Design
OPPO Find N5 – Extremely dense. The mainboard is stacked like a double-decker bus, with shielding acting as both heat spreaders and structural supports. The antenna modules are paper-thin. Speakers are smaller than Samsung’s but still surprisingly loud. OPPO clearly prioritized space efficiency above all else.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 – Much of the same here, the motherboard is not stacked and as a result is much thinner. The sub board is larger than Oppo’s and is connected via ribbon cables. The speakers are slightly larger, bigger vibration motor, and a more accessible camera module design. Both look quite similar on the inside, although the Oppo seems to have more space for the larger battery.
Repairability
OPPO Find N5 – Adhesive is present but not brutal. The outer display is quite difficult to remove. The back panel came off without excessive heat, and the internal screws are standard. Batteries are thin and require careful prying, but at least the glue isn’t excessive. Not incredibly easy to repair.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 – Much tougher. The outer screen removal is a glue-fest, made worse by camera bump overlap. Samsung’s battery pull-tabs help… until they don’t (alcohol always works better). The hinge section is adhesive-heavy and a puzzle of fragile cables. It’s very difficult to perform any repairs on this device, especially if it requires removing the outer display.
Verdict: OPPO is slightly more repair-friendly, but both will make you earn your repair badge.
Durability & Water Resistance
OPPO Find N5 – IPX9 rating, meaning it can handle high-pressure water jets. Multiple glue types seal the hinge and frame. This is impressive for something so thin, but drop resistance is still questionable due to the lack of thicker structural walls.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 – IPX8. Fully submersible in fresh water up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. Samsung’s thicker hinge and armour frame make it more drop-resistant than OPPO’s ultra-slim body.
Verdict: OPPO wins on water resistance numbers, but Samsung likely survives more everyday abuse.
Teardown Comparison Table
| Feature | OPPO Find N5 | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thickness (Unfolded / Folded) | 4.21 mm / 8.93 mm | 4.2 mm / 8.9 mm | Tie (practically identical) |
| Weight | Ultra-light | Heavier | OPPO |
| Hinge Material | Grade 5 titanium, 3D printed | Armor Aluminum blend | Tie |
| Crease Visibility | Minimal | Moderate | OPPO |
| Battery | Silicon–carbon / 5600 mAh | Lithium-Ion / ~4400 mAh | OPPO |
| Charging Speed | 80W wired / 50W wireless | 25W wired / 15W wireless | OPPO |
| Speaker Size & Audio | Smaller but loud | Larger, richer sound | Samsung |
| Internal Layout | Ultra-dense, space-optimized | More open, modular, easier to access | Samsung (for Board repair), OPPO (for space efficiency) |
| Repair Friendliness | Mild adhesive, standard screws, careful battery removal | Glue-heavy, complex hinge, tricky battery | OPPO |
| Water Resistance | IPX9 | IPX8 | OPPO |
| Drop Durability | Lower | Higher | Samsung |
Final Verdict
OPPO Find N5 – The risk-taker. Thinner, lighter, with bleeding-edge battery tech, higher water resistance, and slightly better repair access. But that thinness comes at the cost of drop protection.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 – The workhorse. More robust, proven hinge durability, better speakers, and a safer bet if you’re prone to drops.
TL;DR: OPPO is the tech flex. Samsung is the safe bet. If you want bragging rights at a foldable fan meetup, OPPO’s your phone. If you want one, you can drop or dunk. Don’t count on easy or cheap repairs for this device, though; the same could be said about the Oppo phone as well.
And if OPPO goes any thinner next year, we might have to start measuring it in printer paper sheets instead of millimetres.
Final Thoughts – The Foldable That’s Right for You
Overall, these comparisons don’t crown a single “best” foldable, just two very different takes on the same idea. If you prefer bleeding-edge thinness and wild new tech, the OPPO Find N5 is your playground. If you’d rather stick with proven durability and a design you can trust, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 won’t let you down. At the end of the day, you can buy whichever fits your style… or whichever you won’t accidentally sit on.
See you in the next article!
