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Issue 2: Better late than never

I'm not off to a great start, I'll admit

Author

Oliver Haslam
May 05, 2025

Welcome to Pixel Fun #2, and yes, I know that it was supposed to have been with you weeks ago.

As some of you may know, we unfortunately lost my father after a short hospital stay in mid-April, and that has obviously taken priority in recent weeks. It also came a little under two years after we lost my mother, so it’s been difficult, especially as an only child.

Thankfully, I have an amazing wife who has helped me deal with things (and dealt with my moods!), and my friends have helped out in numerous ways. Thanks to any of you reading this, I appreciate everything you’ve done.

Mum, Dad, and me at my wedding in 2011

I also want to call out the e-commerce team at CNET for sending over a care package. They didn’t have to do that, especially for what I semi-affectionately call “freelance scum” like me.

Anyway, I know that you didn’t subscribe to a newsletter to hear about my family life, but I did want to try and explain why the wheels fell off after just one issue. The rest of this one will be a mix of what I had in drafts before everything happened and some new additions here and there to try and make it more relevant.

Normal service will resume very soon. I can’t promise it’ll be next week because of everything, but I’ll certainly try.

📰 Oppo Find N5: My first time with a foldable

I’ve seen folding phones before, of course, but I’ve never had the opportunity to really spend any quality time with one. That all changed when I unboxed the Oppo Find N5 recently, and I think it’s the perfect model to break my foldable duck. Not least, because it’s stunning.

The Oppo Find N5. It’s a phone that bends

First, the specs.

The Find N5 comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, more than a whole lot of laptops — including, until recently, the iconic MacBook Air. It’s powered by Qualcomm’s super-fast Snapdragon 8 Elite with a 7-core CPU.

In terms of displays, its outer display comes in at 6.62 inches while the foldable internal display measures 8.12 inches. That isn’t all that far off the iPad mini, albeit at a wildly different aspect ratio. Those displays also have a maximum 120Hz refresh rate (much smoother than the iPad mini, by the way) and look very good.

But this phone’s most standout feature is the fact that it’s about as thick as my iPhone 15 Pro Max when closed. Open it, and I’m not sure how it doesn’t crumple under its own weight. It’s impossibly thin.

One thing that has often put me off the foldable form factor is its thickness when closed. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold measures 10.5mm. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 comes in at 12.1mm.

The Oppo Find N5? A mind-bending 8.92mm. The iPhone 15 Pro Max measures 8.25mm, for comparison. I can’t make this point strongly enough — the Find N5 is unfathomably thin.

As a result, it feels like a normal phone when it’s closed. That’s a huge deal. If and when Apple makes a foldable iPhone, this is what it will need to compete with.

To say I’m impressed is an understatement, but it does still run Android. And, dare I say it, in the few days I’ve been using the Find N5, even that’s been OK so far. But I haven’t moved into the phone full-time, so that might change. Time will tell.

What I will say is that Michael Fisher (of MrMobile fame) has long told us all that foldables are here to stay. And having spent some real time with a good one, I think I might have to agree. After almost two decades of slabs of glass surrounded by metal or plastic, phones are getting boring. The Find N5 is anything but. An antidote to the overly familiar. Already, I know I won’t want to give this thing back when Oppo comes calling.

I’ll keep everyone posted as I use the phone more over the next couple of weeks, but it’s looking like a real winner so far. The only bad thing I have to say about it? Android Auto isn’t a patch on Apple CarPlay.

Keep your eyes peeled for a proper review and more thoughts coming to AppleInsider soon. I’ll link to it here when it’s live, too.

🎮️ What I’ve been playing

When I first wrote this draft, I was neck-deep in Avowed, a game that I absolutely adore. It’s an action RPG, which is right in my wheelhouse. There was Atomfall, too, which is a similar kind of game but set in the north of the UK and loosely based on the very real Windscale fire of 1957.

Both games were played on a combination of the Xbox Series X and Nvidia’s GeForce Now service, thanks to the wonder that is Game Pass Ultimate. I’ll probably focus on that a bit more in the next newsletter, because it’s in the middle of a real purple patch right now with a stellar run of releases in recent weeks.

But as much as I was enjoying Avowed and Atomfall, everything changed when Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and made it available immediately. And the nostalgia kicked in.

Oblivion via GeForce Now

I first played Oblivion on the Xbox 360 almost 20 years ago, and it was my first foray into the action RPG category. I couldn’t get enough of it, and I dare not wonder how many hours I lost in that open world. It opened the door to the Fallout games for me, and if you fast-forward to a few weeks ago, it’s the reason I was playing Avowed and Atomfall in the first place.

Somewhat ironically, it’s now the reason I’m not playing them, too. This remaster is almost a remake, given the huge graphical overhaul and tweaks to the gameplay and menus that the original game has undergone. And I can’t stop playing it.

Again, I’ve been playing on the Xbox Series X and GeForce Now, and it’s been one of the few ways I’ve been able to switch off a bit these last couple of weeks. And because it’s on Game Pass, there’s a good chance you already have it.

If you do, play it. But maybe book a couple of weeks off work first.

🗞️ What I’ve been reading

This is where I’ll be sharing links of interesting stories and whatnot that I’ve come across, although it’s unfortunately slim pickings for obvious reasons right now.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t any, though.

✍️ What I’ve been writing

For obvious reasons, I haven’t really written an awful lot. That’ll be changing very soon, so look out for reviews of some earbuds, a pair of desktop speakers, and a huge 49-inch monitor soon.

If you’re looking for something to read, may I point you in the direction of some of my recent reviews?

🖥️ What I’ve been using

I’ve had a few things arrive in the mail for testing and/or review over the last couple of weeks, although I haven’t necessarily put them all through their paces just yet.

The Oppo Find N5 is perhaps the most notable thing that I’ve had in my hands of late, and a review is coming. I’ve been playing with a new Thunderbolt 5 dock (review coming!) and some new earbuds, but I’ll talk about those more when the reviews are live.

💸 Deals you shouldn’t miss

Some of the best deals on tech and more that I’ve come across this week.

⏭️ Until next week

And with that, we wrap up the second issue of Pixel Fun. I’m still fleshing things out and finding a format that I like, so expect tweaks here and there. As things settle down and get back into some form of normality, I’m expecting to flesh some of these sections out as well. If you have any ideas or thoughts on what works and what doesn't, shout up. I’m always looking for feedback — especially if it’s good!

Fingers crossed, watch out for Pixel Fun #3 in your Inbox next week!

Thanks for reading.

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