On December 15, OPPO released the flagship OPPO Find N2 and the vertically folded Find N2 Flip. In the subsequent media group visit, OPPO officials answered some curious questions. The following is the record of the visit.

Media: One question is about hinges. I have used all folding screens before. I thought that the flatness of this hinge would not improve any more, but I have achieved a long-term use of large and small folding, which can almost feel the same flatness as the first day. I want to hear from you about how the hinge can overcome these seemingly impossible points and achieve such flatness, especially on the small fold.

Li Mingyang: Because OPPO has been in the folding field for a long time, we started the research and development of technology many years ago. In fact, crease control is one of the most important qualities of folding. We have spent a lot of time. We have more than 240 patents in the field of creases and hinges.

How can we make this small fold more flat? There are several core technologies. The first is the second generation hinge. We have many core technologies in this hinge itself, which will make it more flat.

The second technology is that there is actually a layer of supporting steel plate under the screen. One of the core technologies in this layer of material itself is H-Pattern reticulated structure. Different proportions and depths of this technology affect the flatness of the whole screen. This technology is leading in the industry. It is completely designed and simulated by us, and we communicate with the best manufacturers in China.

The third is that our screen surface has a layer of ultra-thin glass called UTG technology, which is also one of the earliest manufacturers of folding screen phones. Thanks to these three technologies, creases are relatively well done at this stage.

Media: With so many patents and self research of our technology, other manufacturers want to achieve such a flatness. At least in this scheme, can't they be the same as us?

Li Mingyang: Many manufacturers are making folding screens and want to solve this problem. We can only say that we started earlier. We also hope that other manufacturers can make very smooth things, because only when everyone promotes and improves each other can the products of this category become better and better, but it may take a little time for everyone to start earlier, We hope that we can master the core technology ourselves.

Media: I have two questions. The first one is that the folding screen crease is very small, but after a long time of use, the crease will gradually become larger and can be felt. Will the crease still be so small after we use it for a long time? The second is the sub screen, which is displayed in the form of plug-in cards. Will this be open to all applications in the future? If open, will the development cost be higher? Will all functions of the entire Color OS system be displayed in this sub screen?

Li Mingyang: I answered the first question. We take creases seriously. Our attitude towards making products is either not to do it, or to do it best. According to our internal test, there is no essential change after 400000 times, that is, the shape of the crease, especially the depth and width.

Zhou Yibao: Let me answer the second question. As for the Filp sub screen, first of all, our internal definition is that it is not a small phone. This is our first principle. We first say what is not, then what is. It is not a small mobile phone, and of course it is not a simple notification bar. What we want to show in it is that we find that users use their mobile phones to turn on the screen a lot every day, even more than 400 times at most. But many operations are trivial. For example, I just light up the screen to see a time, read a notice or answer a WeChat message, even answer a phone call, and even build a calculator.

We want these users to go out of the way and display some core information and operations. We want to help users on the outer screen. Some operations that can be completed on the outer screen without expanding the large screen will be placed on the secondary screen. For example, with 30 seconds as the boundary, we found that the user lights up the screen more than 400 times every day. If we calculate based on 30 seconds of screen rest, the user has about 40% of the time to complete the operation in 30 seconds. Our distinction between large and small screens is in this place.

From this logic, we will not make it a full-featured OS system, but we will never make it look like a watch dial or a notice bar with several cards. We will continue to enrich its experience and applications, such as cooperation with Xiaohongshu and Meiyan camera. Because we found that the outer screen can help users to use and go. When they are bored, they can brush. It is beautiful, easy to use, and fun. This is our definition of it at that time.

Media: Will this secondary screen be open to other third-party applications? Because I only see little red books now. What about other software like dithering or takeaway?

Zhou Yibao: This integrated ubiquitous service, such as Didi Taxi, Gaode Map, and take away information will be displayed. We will cooperate with the mainstream three parties in the form of one-on-one in-depth customization. In the future, we will continue to explore whether we will open the interface. At present, it is mainly in-depth collaborative customization.

Media: My question is related to the wireless charging of Find N2. Why does Find N2 cut down the wireless charging compared with the previous generation when the screen and hinge weight are reduced?

Zhou Yibao: I believe many users will ask this question.

First, at the earliest time, we had the idea of continuing wireless charging, but in the process of doing it later, we found that we needed to make the best choice under limited conditions, and it was our starting point at that time to achieve a very extreme state of weight. Including thinning and weight loss, we will naturally go to the direction of weight loss when we make priority choices. The wireless charging coil charges about 2.7g to 3g, which has a great impact on the weight.

Secondly, we think that there are still some problems in wireless charging, such as poor experience, difficulty in improving power, inconvenient placement of charging seats, and difficulty in alignment. We are also thinking about how to further improve the experience. At present, magnetic charging is a better solution, but it does have an impact on weight.

Media: I remember when Pete said that the hinge cost was $100 in the last generation of folding screen. Is there any change in the cost of N2 hinge released today? Has the supplier changed?

Zhou Yibao: At that time, the first problem to be solved when making folding machines was to make the best creases. At that time, there was no restriction on any cost, no restriction on any material process and technology, so the cost was very high. In fact, the cost of customized parts is closely related to the quantity. At the beginning, the quantity of customized parts is not very large, so the cost is relatively high;

Li Mingyang: In the second generation, we used a new hinge design to make it narrower and lighter. New processes and materials have also been adopted, which will make greater breakthroughs than that of the first generation. Many of our high-strength MIM materials are used in aerospace to reduce the cost of these parts. In this generation, our volume is expected to be a little more, and there will be some decline in general, but there is no essential change.

With regard to supply chain technology, in fact, the first thing we focus on when OPPO makes products is that we want to give users a good thing, such as the creases just mentioned, including this generation's flagship light. In order to do a good job of this product, we did not consider the cost at the beginning. We wanted to do a good job of the product and make the user experience better. At this time, we would choose the most top suppliers in the industry, and we can make the best product only through mutual cooperation. We should be among the best, and the suppliers we choose are also among the best. In this process, we found that the level of the whole industry is gradually improving, and then the maturity of the whole industry will become better and more complete.

Media: Remember that OPPO disclosed the scroll screen product, but it is still a concept machine. What is its progress now?

Li Mingyang: We have iterated for several generations on the basis of the concept machine, but we feel that there is still a little distance from the value of the product that users want, so we are still making progress gingerly, as if walking on thin ice. We hope that our product will be amazing when it comes out.

Media: What are OPPO's considerations for the introduction of folding products?

Zhou Yibao : We are developing small folding and large folding at the same time. OPPO has always adhered to the development principle that the new value of the product minus the friction must be greater than zero, so that the product has long-term vitality. So when we did the small folding, we had already iterated for three or four generations. This was the first time for us to show it, but it was not the first time we did it.

In fact, at this time last year, a product was ready to be launched, but at that time, the battery had reached more than 3900 but less than 4000, so Pete decided to cut it off and said that if he could not achieve 4000mAh, he would not be allowed to talk about this project with him. Because we think that it is not good if the mobile phone has natural defects, and people hate the point of battery life, we attach great importance to this point.

Media: Is the motor size reduced because of weight?

Zhou Yibao: The motor was repeatedly compared between the two models at that time. The other motor was indeed 1.5 grams heavier than the current motor, but after we reduced the whole machine, the vibration effect of this motor was also quite good.

Media: Why is Tianji 9000+chip used for small folding?

Li Mingyang: The reason for choosing Tianji 9000+is the endurance. We have a joint team with core suppliers to tackle key problems, which is just for the purpose of continuity. According to the current comprehensive measurement, the power consumption and energy efficiency ratio are in line with the user's expectations.

Today is the first time to show the small fold, but in fact, at this time last year, we had a product inside. The battery has reached more than 3900 but less than 4000, and Pete cut it decisively. He said that if he could not reach 4000, he would not be allowed to talk about this project with him. Because we think that if you take a mobile phone for users, it has such a natural defect. Because we have also seen the feedback of some friends' products in the market, everyone hates this point, so we attach great importance to this point.

We chose Tianji 9000+because we have a joint team with our core suppliers this time to tackle key problems together, just for the sake of this continuity. Because of the progress of hinge technology, we have saved a lot of space inside the fuselage to have a 4300mA battery. In addition, we have set up a team with MTK to tackle key problems. The 0.001 DAU keeps cutting corners. The current endurance effect, in general, is in line with our users' expectations. We hope that all media teachers and users can experience our hard work and work results after receiving it.

Media: N2 has made great contributions to weight control on hinges and screens, but the size of N2 remains relatively small. Why not put the advantage of weight control on a larger screen? If the size is larger and the weight is lower, wouldn't it be more advantageous?

Li Mingyang: In fact, it is easy to make the mobile phone bigger and thinner in terms of weight control from a technical point of view. The reason why we choose this screen size based on N2 is that our first generation gold size is very suitable for many users after using it.

This time, we have made many technological breakthroughs in light weight. First, the hinge just mentioned. This generation of hinges has narrowed and become lighter compared with the previous generation. There are many breakthroughs in core technologies. For 10g hinge, we selected many aerospace grade materials. One of our doctors turned over the entire aerospace grade materials for the purpose of reducing thinning, and finally selected these materials.

The second is the black gold carbon fiber support plate used on the screen. Because this material is the same type of material used in many top military aircraft, we spent a lot of effort to solve the civil problem, so we finally reduced the cost of 10 grams, but the cost of 10 grams was 24 dollars.

Therefore, in terms of weight reduction, we should be down-to-earth and put the best technology in the industry on top to achieve this goal.

Zhou Yibao: I responded to the relationship between size and weight. First of all, we attach great importance to the data of folding screen, that is, how much is the utilization rate of large screen, for example, 5% or 10% is better than using a straight board machine, because its large screen is of little value to users. But the large screen of Find N accounts for 30% of the duration of the bright screen, which is about three times the industry average. In fact, users feel the value brought by the large screen.

Second, we asked many Find N users what they would like to integrate and improve in the next generation product upgrade. Among the things that users most want to integrate, the size and feel are the most mentioned by users; The most important thing to improve is that the user mentioned thickness, weight, refresh rate, and charging rate. Therefore, according to the user's needs, we continue to pull up its new value and reduce its friction.

Media: Will the new hinges and screens have a big increase in maintenance costs?

Li Mingyang: OPPO's pursuit of quality has always been high in the industry. Our internal slogan is "unremitting progress, step by step". Our quality must be the first in the industry. The maintenance cost has not increased, on the contrary, it has greatly decreased.

Media: What is our expectation for the sales volume of the whole folding mobile phone market next year?

Li Mingyang: In fact, the whole Android market, especially the domestic market, has experienced some decline, but the sales of the entire folding screen has increased rapidly. When we make products, sales volume is not our first goal. We think it is a natural result. We hope that we can really give users a good product, form a positive reputation, and even recommend it to their friends. We value this very much.

Media: Before, some small folding screen mobile phones from manufacturers generally had screen wear problems. For example, after one year of use, the experience was not so good. I wonder whether OPPO has made any optimization in this regard?

Li Mingyang: We are very concerned about quality, user experience and reputation. The problem you just mentioned, our internal testing and feedback from all our internal quality control systems, does not exist.

Our second generation hinge has raised the folding times of 200000 times to 400000 times, which is equivalent to 11 years of bending based on 100 times a day. At the same time, we have experienced the double tests of high temperature and low temperature, and the highest temperature is 50 degrees, and the lowest temperature is minus 20 degrees. There is no problem with 100000 times of bending. We hope to dispel users' doubts through some extreme experiments.

Media: The two products, Find N and Filp, are obviously different in color matching. Filp feels that the color is brighter. Does Find N distinguish and point boys from girls?

Zhou Yibao: The ratio of male and female users of folding mobile phones is 7:3. There are more male users. When we make this color selection, there are two colors that are obviously more neutral and male, such as leather, plain black and turquoise. These two colors are more neutral and male. There is also a white one for female users, which has a very silky touch.

The small fold is half male and half female. It will be a little more gender neutral. The color biased products here will be more suitable for female users. It will have a tendency.

Media: Folding screen mobile phones still have some problems that are difficult to overcome, such as waterproof and dustproof. Cold weather challenges the screen. For example, will the extremely cold weather in northern China also have some impact on the quality and life of the folding screen? What have we done in terms of technology? What breakthroughs are there in the future?

Li Mingyang: I think this problem is very good. It is also a problem that we pay great attention to in our internal product manufacturing. For example, the extremely cold weather just mentioned, in fact, our company's products can really pass the quality standard under the extremely cold weather. Because we have received such cases before, our previous generation of people took our folding screen to ski, and found that many of the straight board machines could not be operated, but we could use them as usual, which is our quality pursuit.

The second is dust prevention. Dust prevention is the most important quality hazard of the folding screen. The proportion of maintenance caused by dust prevention is relatively high. N2 has made great progress in dust prevention this time. We have made a lot of optimization for the path of dust prevention, so our overall ability has improved a lot.

In fact, the proportion of damage caused by waterproof in the folding machine is not very high. In fact, we have waterproof technology, but it will bring some sacrifices, such as making the whole machine appear wider and thicker. This is the problem of final product selection, but there is such accumulation and precipitation from the technical level.

Media: With regard to innovation, the environment should have changed a bit. In the past, it was relatively homogeneous. Now, it seems that each company has its own direction?

Li Mingyang: In fact, you are quite right. We have noticed that there is a term called volume, which is a special volume for Chinese mobile phone manufacturers. But in fact, we see another phenomenon. In fact, everyone wants to have something better. Like the Olympic sports spirit, he always pursues the best.

From this perspective, we think that it does not mean that the industry has done well, but that the industry has not done enough to innovate or meet the needs of users, which is why we want to fold up and take a new form. In a sense, it is to solve the problems of users at a higher level. So our understanding is that innovation is not stopped, but not enough. We should seek some breakthroughs as soon as possible. The desire of users to pursue new things and better things has never changed.

Media: What else do you think about the coexistence of folding screen mobile phones and rectilinear mobile phones in the future? In the whole folding screen market, how about the proportions of several different ways?

Zhou Yibao: As for the folding screen and the straight mobile phone, we think they will coexist for a long time. There is a very interesting analogy. For example, the straight mobile phone is a family car, and the big folding is an SUV. It has more space to sit down more people. Because it is convenient for everyone to work, the screen is larger, and the office efficiency is higher. It is some experience that the straight board machine cannot get. For small folding, we tend to compare it to mini cooper and 911 sports car. It is very fashionable and enjoys the feeling of life dreamer. It is to meet the needs of different users. We believe that the needs of users must be very diverse. In the long run, it is actually a product created specifically for oneself, rather than a product that can solve everyone, starting from the needs of users.

For the future development of folding screen, we can refer to the overseas situation of our friends. The number of mobile phones with folding screen shipped overseas has reached ten million. The ratio of small folding and large folding is 2:1. Of course, in China, the overall number of large folds will be much more than that of small folds. I believe that in the future, we will gradually move towards a ratio of 1:1. There are a lot of very professional prediction agencies, who all predict that the global mobile phone market with folding screen will exceed 50 million by 2025 and 2026, which is a more long-term prediction.

Media: The first is about the stylus. This folding screen supports the stylus, but there is no portable storage. What's your consideration? Second, the folding screen itself is a flexible screen. Will touching it with a stylus affect the life of the screen?

Li Mingyang: The pen itself represents a precise operation. Technically, the pen does not damage the screen. Because we have strict writing tests, it is just how powerful the pen is when it is stuck on the screen. We have a set of strict quality control standards. In addition, there is a layer of glass on the surface of our screen. In fact, although it is very thin, it has substantially improved the performance of pen writing, so there is no need to worry about this place.

The second problem is the storage. This time we failed to achieve effective storage, because it is impossible to do so in the current form and design level. We cannot sacrifice the battery capacity to put the pen in, which may be more costly for users. This is a trade-off.

Media: The small fold has a function of pushing and showing on the outside screen. Why is this function not adapted to the large fold?

Zhou Yibao: This core point lies in our definition of "push to show". We want to push this code outside. It is similar to the concept of a small window, which does not overlap with the inner screen. It is a waiting state.

But for large screens, split screens can solve this problem. For example, I can push a code while chatting. I can display this code on the outer screen on the small screen, but for large screens, I can split screens directly. There is no need to take more steps. It is also difficult for users to remember various functions and gestures, We hope that users can solve problems in daily life with the simplest and shortest operation path and the most familiar operation methods. So after the final experience, we think the split screen experience may be more in line with the user's intuition.

Media: With regard to production, the first generation of products sold well last year, and there was a shortage. After the second generation of products came out this year, including small folding products, is there any shortage expected to happen again at OPPO? Did OPPO expand its production capacity in folding screens this year, and significantly improve its production capacity?

The second problem is that folding screen has made great progress in hinge and screen, including considerable shipment and sales. I want to ask whether the yield rate of the production end has been significantly improved in the past year or two years? Because the main problem of the previous product is that the yield rate is relatively low. Thank you for these two problems.

Li Mingyang:

The first is the improvement of supply chain and expansion of production capacity.

Second, under the same technology, the yield is better from generation to generation, which is our internal basic working logic. For example, if the screen or some key devices do not change much, they must be better from generation to generation.

If it has many new things, for example, this time we have paid a lot of new technologies, new materials, new manufacturing processes for light, and this time the N2Filp sub screen. At the beginning, the sub screen fitting yield is zero, but there is no yield, and none of them can be made, no matter how much investment is made. But this process is being improved step by step by our engineers. At this stage, its yield rate is only about 25%. In fact, it seems very simple to show a beautiful thing, but the process behind it is to overcome bit by bit, and the process is extremely painful.

Media: The product line of OPPO folding screen is becoming more and more abundant, including the scroll screen mentioned just now. I want to ask what is the biggest challenge the team is facing at present? In addition, is there a co branding plan behind the OPPO small folding screen?

Li Mingyang: We think the biggest challenge is whether we can make products that surprise or satisfy us. Not only us, I think everyone in our industry is thinking about this every day. This is the question that everyone in our team is thinking about every day, how to make our products better and how to make our users more satisfied.

Zhou Yibao: The second question is about the joint branding plan, which has been under consideration, but has not yet been completely finalized.

Media: The design problem is that the back of the previous generation of Find uses one-piece curved glass, which has a strong sense of delicacy. This time we have replaced it with a combination of metal and glass. I want to ask the reason for this design change? Is it because the thickness of the camera module is relatively thick and the curvature is relatively large after the change of the camera module, which is a problem of the production process?

Li Mingyang: It is not a question of production process, but a question of design selectivity, because we think that the product itself is strongly related to our design scheme. Our designer has such thoughts that he needs some elements to highlight his design intent, so we chose such a process, which has nothing to do with the camera module, not the process, It is purely a design problem.

Media: OPPO's Filp external screen interaction is developed based on the existing Android ecosystem. Other manufacturers' external screens are directly based on the Android ecosystem and can run all Android applications. I don't know whether Filp needs to make its own adaptation or develop based on the Android ecosystem. Other applications can also run on Android?

Zhou Yibao: Our definition of the external screen is not a small phone, but an external screen card based on Android ecology. We hope to bring light interaction and experience to users, so that daily trivial things can be completed on the external screen, namely, the behavior of "use and go".

If it is an immersive experience, users will definitely use a large screen, because there is no reason for users to experience a function with a small screen instead of a large screen. We also don't think that the outer screen will definitely go in the direction of full function. I think this direction is wrong.

Media: When the OPPO Pad was released, there was an OPPO Pencil. This time, there was an OPPO Pen. Will the two products be merged? I feel a bit confused.

Zhou Yibao: Its experience will become more and more consistent, because we will find that after the big screen, it's more productive. It's better to have a pen experience, just to say that the two pens are slightly different, OPPO Pencil is a pen that supports writing on the hard screen. Our pen is specially made for the flexible screen. This pen can be compatible with the hard screen and the flexible screen. However, the pen that can only be written on the hard screen cannot be written on the flexible screen at present. There is such a slight difference. In addition, we will continue to upgrade the experience of the pen on OTA.

Media: We have observed that many users choose folding screen products. In addition to efficient split screen experience, they also pay much attention to the improvement of audio and video entertainment. So we would like to ask Yibao to introduce how the optimization of Find N2 is progressing in mainstream game scenarios. Is there any data that can be shared with us?

Zhou Yibao: Among Find N users, the most popular game is called Jin Cancan. This game is played more frequently by everyone, including King Glory and Chicken Eating. We have specially cooperated with King Glory to make adaptations, but it can't be completely similar to our 11:10 square screen. For example, we can display more content and less content on the tablet, which is contrary to the original intention of game fairness. So we also understand the consideration of the game manufacturer, so we have developed a compatibility mode jointly with the game manufacturer, that is, we can also achieve a full screen display of the game in the case of a square screen, without missing information, and can display at the ratio of 16:9 to facilitate the user's game experience, as we currently do. And we are continuously promoting more games, including continuous optimization of frame rate and power consumption. We have a special team for games.

Media: OPPO launched the first mobile phone with folding screen last year, which is a golden ratio. This year it has continued. The form of small folding screen is really stable now. After almost a year of explosive development, has there been any consensus now?

Li Mingyang.