We subjected the Oppo Find N2 to our rigorous SBMARK audio test suite to measure its performance both when recording sound using its built-in microphones, and when playing audio through its speakers.
In this review, we’ll analyze how it performed in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key audio specs include:
- Blow from below, left and right
- No audio jack output
Reproduction
Pros
- Good tonal rendering
- Pleasant tonal balance, even at maximum volume
- Good speaker placement helps avoid clipping
Against
- Stereo only when opened vertically
- Insufficient depth coverage
- Minimum volume level too low
Registration
Pros
- Excellent and natural timbre yield
- Excellent range and localizability
Against
- Inconsistent bass output when recording loud content, such as concerts
- The signal-to-noise ratio could be better in urban scenarios, the background noise is quite intrusive
With a SBMARK audio score of 135, the Oppo Find N2 proved to be a very good performer in our tests. In playback, the sound signature was very pleasant, even at maximum volume, but the dual stereophony was lacking (stereo output horizontally AND portrait orientation) meant that the Oppo couldn’t really stand out. Playback performance was very good overall when listening to music or watching movies, but it was also good enough for gaming.
Recording results were excellent, especially with the main camera. Performance was slightly less good for the front facing camera and recorder app, but still very good. Recording quality remained good at high sound pressure levels, for example when recording concerts. A wide stereo soundstage rendering also produced an immersive experience.
Trial summary
Learn about SBMARK audio tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone audio reviews, SBMARK engineers perform a series of objective tests and undertake more than 20 hours of perceptual evaluation under controlled laboratory conditions.
(For more details on our playback protocol, click here; for more details on our recording protocol, click here.)
The following section compiles the key elements of our extensive testing and analysis performed in the SBMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations in the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
How the audio playback score is composed
SBMARK engineers test playback through smartphone speakers, the performance of which is evaluated in our labs and under real-life conditions, using apps and preset settings.
On playback, the Find N2 offered a decent tonal balance, with quite natural and pleasant highs, quite good mids, and lows that had a nice roundness. Dynamic playing performance was satisfying, with sharp attack and good bass accuracy along with a powerful punch. For our spatial tests, the device was evaluated in what could be considered a vertical orientation, considering the particular placement of its speakers. In this orientation, the amplitude was decent overall, but could have been better for a device the size of the N2 when opened. Distance rendering was accurate and individual sound sources were easy to spot in the soundstage, although it lacked depth and could therefore be perceived as slightly shallow.
The volume pitch distribution was measured as fairly uniform. Maximum volume was average, and our experts found minimum volume to be slightly too low, limiting the intelligibility of some highly dynamic content such as classical music. In terms of audio artifacts, perceptual evaluation and measurements alike showed some bass distortion at maximum volume. We also found it impossible to realistically occlude the speakers when the Oppo was open, making the device a great option for gaming.
Hear about the playback performance of the smartphone tested in this comparison with some of its competitors:
Recordings of smartphones playing some of our songs at 60 LAeq in an anechoic environment via 2 microphones in AB configuration, at 30 cm
Here’s how the Oppo Find N2 fares in playback use cases compared to its competitors:
Playback of use case scores
The Timbre score represents how well a phone reproduces sound across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, mids, treble, tonal balance, and volume dependency. It is the most important attribute for reproduction.
Frequency response of music reproduction
A 1/12-octave frequency response graph, which measures the loudness of each frequency emitted by your smartphone as it reproduces a pure sine wave in an anechoic environment.
The Dynamics Score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as how accurately a bass note or impact sound of drums is played.
Secondary attributes for spatial testing include pinpointing the location of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance, and amplitude.
The volume score represents the overall volume of a smartphone and how smoothly the volume increases and decreases based on user input.
Here are some sound pressure levels (SPL) measured while playing our sample recordings of hip-hop and classical music at maximum volume:
| hip-hop | Classic | |
| Oppo Find N2 | 70.8 dBA | 67.2 dBA |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 | 71.1 dBA | 67.3 dBA |
| Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 | 72.2 dBA | 67.9 dBA |
The following graph shows the gradual changes in volume from minimum to maximum. We expect these changes to be consistent across the range, so that all volume steps match user expectations:
Music volume consistency
This line graph shows the relative loudness of the playback versus the user selected volume step, measured at several volume steps with correlated pink noise in an anechoic box recorded 0.20 meter on axis.
The artifact score measures the extent to which the sound is affected by various types of distortion. The higher the score, the less noticeable sound disturbances are. Distortion can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the speakers.
Playback Total Harmonic Distortion (maximum volume)
This graph shows total harmonic distortion and noise over the audible frequency range.
It represents the distortion and noise of the device playing our test signal (0 dB Fs, Sweep Sine in an anechoic box at 40cm) at the device’s maximum volume.
How the score of the audio recording is composed
SBMARK engineers test recording by evaluating recorded files on reference audio equipment. These recordings are made in our laboratories and under real-life conditions, using apps and default settings.
The Oppo Find N2 performed very well in recording. The tone was excellent, with the tonal balance featuring a bright, natural sounding with plenty of warmth. The highs were rich and well rendered, while the midrange offered a natural, pleasing body, with great clarity and precision in its upper region. Bass was natural but somewhat inconsistent at high SPLs. The device also offered good dynamic performance, thanks to an accurate and precise envelope rendering.
Stereo width was very good in all use cases, making for an immersive soundstage. That said, given the large size of the device, our experts expected even more. The distance rendering was very realistic and the good localizability allowed easy identification of individual sound sources. The recording volume was quite high and unwanted audio artifacts were fairly well under control, with only slight distortion and compression noted at high SPLs. The tonal balance of the background was realistic and natural, resulting in a clear rendering, however the background tended to be a bit noisy compared to the main signal in urban environments, resulting in a less good signal-to-noise ratio.
Here’s how the Oppo Find N2 fares in recording use cases compared to its competitors:
Use case scoring
The Timbre Score represents how well a phone captures sounds across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, mids, treble, and tonal balance. It is the most important attribute for registration.
Video frequency response of life
A 1/12-octave frequency response graph, which measures the loudness of each frequency captured by your smartphone while recording a pure sine wave in an anechoic environment.
The Dynamics Score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as how accurately plosives in a voice (p, t, k, for example) are reproduced. The score also considers the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), such as how loud the lead voice is compared to the background noise.
Secondary attributes for spatial testing include locating a specific sound’s location, positional balance, distance, and amplitude on recorded audio files.
Registration directness
Smartphone directivity graph while recording test signals using the camera app, with the main camera. It represents the acoustic energy (in dB) on the angle of incidence of the sound source. (Normalized to 0° angle, in front of the device.)
The loudness score represents how loud audio is normalized on recorded files and how well the device handles noisy environments, such as electronic concerts, while recording.
Here are the sound levels recorded in the audio and video files, measured in LUFS (Loudness Unit Full Scale); for reference, we expect volume levels to be above -24 LUFS for recorded content:
| Encounter | Videos life | Selfie videos | Memorandum | |
| Oppo Find N2 | -25 LUFS | -21.3 LUFS | -19.1 LUFS | -18.3 LUFS |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 | -25.8 LUFS | -21.6 LUFS | -22.7 LUFS | -21 LUFS |
| Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 | -25.3 LUFS | -22.8 LUFS | -19.7 LUFS | -20.8 LUFS |
The Artifacts score measures the extent to which recorded sounds are affected by various types of distortions. The higher the score, the less noticeable sound disturbances are. Distortions can occur due to in-device sound processing and microphone quality, as well as user handling, such as how the phone is held.
In this audio comparison, you can hear how this smartphone handles wind noise compared to its competitors:
matrix(3) {
[“Oppo Find N2”]=> string(60) “resources/Oppo/FindN2V2.1/OppoFindN2_MicrophoneArtifacts.m4a”
[“Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4”]=> string(69) “resources/Oppo/FindN2V2.1/SamsungGalaxyZFold4_MicrophoneArtifacts.m4a”
[“Xiaomi MIX Fold 2”]=> string(64) “resources/Oppo/FindN2V2.1/XiaomiMIXFold2_MicrophoneArtifacts.m4a” }
Recordings of a voice sample with slight background noise, facing a 5 m/s turbulent wind
Background evaluates how smoothly various sounds around a voice blend into the video recording file. For example, when recording a speech at an event, the background shouldn’t interfere with the main vocal, but should provide context of your surroundings.
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