OPPO Find N5 Foldable Phone Launched in UAE and GCC
OPPO, the global smart device brand, has announced the launch of its latest flagship foldable smartphone, the OPPO Find N5, in the UAE and GCC region.
The company revealed that the Find N5 combines a thin and light design with the largest inner display in any book-style foldable. It also features long-lasting battery life and advanced AI-powered performance.
According to Lay Ren, President of OPPO MENA, this launch marks a key milestone in OPPO's commitment to the Middle East. He reported that the Find N5 aligns with the region's demand for innovation and premium experiences.
OPPO Find N5 is just 8.93mm thick and weighs only 229g. It is the world's thinnest book-style foldable when closed. The device offers a secure grip with contoured metal and flat sides. Its design is highlighted by the signature Cosmos Ring and an aircraft-grade fiber back.
The device is available in two color variants: Cosmic Black : Frosted black finish with matte black metal frame
: Frosted black finish with matte black metal frame Misty White: Light-catching layered back with a silver frame
OPPO reported that Find N5 is the world's first IPX9-rated foldable, built to withstand high-pressure water jets and extreme temperatures.
The new Titanium Flexion Hinge is 26% smaller and 36% more rigid than the previous version. Made from Grade 5 titanium alloy and Ultra-High Strength Steel, the hinge offers industry-leading durability. The device has also received TÜV Rheinland Reliable Folding Certification.
When unfolded, Find N5 features an 8.12-inch inner display, the largest in its category. The 6.62-inch outer display supports comfortable one-handed use. Both screens support OPPO Pen, enabling productivity and creativity. The displays deliver: Over 400PPI clarity
1–120Hz refresh rate
2000+ nits peak brightness
OPPO noted that Find N5 is the first smartphone to earn TÜV Rheinland's Minimized Crease Certification.
Powering the device is a 5600mAh Silicon-Carbon Battery, offering the best battery life among foldables. With 10% silicon content in a 2.1mm slim battery, the device supports 80W SUPERVOOC wired charging and 50W AIRVOOC wireless charging. When paired with the magnetic case, wireless charging becomes faster and more convenient.
The Find N5 is the first foldable to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, offering a 45% boost in AI performance. It includes hardware-level security for data protection.
Photography is enhanced through the Hasselblad Master Camera System. This includes an ultra-wide camera, wide primary camera with 2x zoom, and a 50MP periscope lens with 70mm focal length. Features such as Hasselblad Portrait Mode, Master Mode, and Dolby Vision 4K/60fps video elevate imaging performance.
The device runs on Android 15 and ColorOS 15, offering five years of security updates. OPPO also introduced smart features such as: Boundless View for three-app multitasking
for three-app multitasking Dual-screen translation via Interpreter Mode
via Interpreter Mode AI tools like AI Summary, AI Speak, AI Writer, and AI Eraser
Circle to Search with Google and Gemini app integration are included.
Additionally, O+ Connect allows seamless file transfer and remote Mac access. Touch to Share enables instant sharing with iOS and iPadOS devices.
The OPPO Find N5 is now available across the UAE and GCC with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, priced at AED 7,999.
From May 16 to May 22, customers who pre-order will receive free OPPO Enco X3i earbuds and a one-year screen protection plan worth AED 2,499. After the pre-order period, all purchases will continue to include the Enco X3i earbuds.
OPPO confirmed that Find N5 buyers will benefit from International Warranty Service. This includes repair and upgrade support in official sales regions. Devices out of warranty or with non-covered damage can have parts like the screen, battery, or mainboard replaced for a fee.
The brand reaffirmed its customer-first approach by offering ongoing software updates and access to certified service centers.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
7 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
UAE secures top spot in global AI talent rankings
The UAE has been ranked among the world's top 20 nations for artificial intelligence (AI) talent density, alongside Saudi Arabia, in the latest Global AI Competitiveness Index published by the International Finance Forum (IFF) and Deep Knowledge Group (DKG). With 0.7 per cent of the global AI talent pool, the UAE has outpaced countries such as Italy and Russia — affirming its growing stature as a global innovation powerhouse. While much of the spotlight has been on Saudi Arabia's ambitious AI push, the UAE's AI ecosystem has quietly gained strength through long-term strategic investments, visionary policymaking, and global partnerships that position it at the forefront of AI development and governance. The UAE's focus on AI began with the launch of the UAE Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, which aimed to integrate AI across key sectors including education, healthcare, transport, and space. The country was among the first in the world to appoint a Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence in 2017, and today it continues to expand AI readiness through initiatives such as the Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) — a graduate-level, research-centric university that is already attracting global talent and publishing cutting-edge research. MBZUAI is currently ranked among the world's top 50 institutions in AI research output, and is collaborating with global tech giants including IBM, NVIDIA, and BCG to foster research in machine learning, robotics, computer vision, and AI ethics. 'The UAE's ecosystem is built not just on infrastructure, but on a vision of ethical AI, global cooperation, and a diversified economy driven by knowledge and innovation,' said Dr. Eric Xing, President of MBZUAI. The IFF report underscores the UAE's growing influence in global AI competitiveness by evaluating not only talent density but also the nation's institutional and innovation performance. The UAE ranked well above many traditional tech economies in per capita AI talent and research productivity, due in part to its business-friendly environment, tax-free salaries, and quality of life — factors that attract leading scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs from around the world. The report's co-author Dmitry Kaminskiy of Deep Knowledge Group remarked: 'Saudi Arabia and the UAE's strategic focus on AI, coupled with visionary investments in talent and infrastructure, is setting the stage for a tectonic shift in global AI leadership.' According to the UAE's Ministry of Economy, the nation aims to increase the AI sector's contribution to GDP by up to 14 per cent by 2030 — translating to over $100 billion in economic output. Much of this is being driven by AI applications in logistics, government services, fintech, and smart city solutions, especially in hubs like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Dubai Future Foundation, for instance, is pioneering large-scale AI use cases in government and urban mobility through its Dubai AI Roadmap. Similarly, Abu Dhabi's Hub71 and its partnership with global VCs and accelerators has made the UAE one of the fastest-growing AI startup ecosystems in the region. As per data from Crunchbase and Startup Genome, AI-focused startups in the UAE raised more than $1.3 billion in venture capital in 2024 alone, with projections pointing to a 25 per cent increase in funding in 2025. While Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in infrastructure-led projects like NEOM — where over 30 per cent of its $500 billion budget is earmarked for AI-powered technologies — the UAE's strength lies in policy innovation and ecosystem-building. This complementary approach is helping the broader Gulf region gain momentum as a global AI innovation corridor. 'The UAE provides a unique balance of global accessibility, talent development, and future-ready governance,' noted Professor Patrick Glauner, IFF AI committee coordinator. 'Its neutral diplomatic positioning and strong ties with both Western and Eastern tech partners make it a magnet for cross-border AI collaboration.' At the heart of this transformation is the battle for AI talent. The UAE's efforts in creating AI labs, reskilling programmes like the National Program for Coders, and special visas for AI professionals are enhancing its ability to attract and retain global talent.
Khaleej Times
8 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Big Tech may be breaking the bank for AI, but investors love it
Big Tech is spending more than ever on artificial intelligence - but the returns are rising too, and investors are buying in. AI played a bigger role in driving demand across internet search, digital advertising and cloud computing in the April-June quarter, powering revenue growth at technology giants Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and Alphabet . Betting that momentum will sustain, Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon are ramping up spending to ease capacity shortages that have limited their ability to meet soaring AI services demand, even after several quarters of multi-billion-dollar outlays. The results offer the clearest sign yet that AI is emerging as a primary growth engine, although the monetization journey is still in its early days, investors and analysts said. The upbeat commentary underscores how surging demand for the new technology is shielding the tech giants from tariff-driven economic uncertainty hobbling other sectors. "As companies like Alphabet and Meta race to deliver on the promise of AI, capital expenditures are shockingly high and will remain elevated for the foreseeable future," said Debra Aho Williamson, founder and chief analyst at Sonata Insights. But if their core businesses remain strong, "it will buy them more time with investors and provide confidence that the billions being spent on infrastructure, talent and other tech-related expenses will be worthwhile," she added. Microsoft shares rose 4% on Thursday, with the Windows maker crossing $4 trillion in market value - a milestone only chip giant Nvidia had reached before it. Meta was up even more, rising 11.3% adding around $200 billion to its market value of about $1.75 trillion. Amazon slipped 7% after-market, after rising 1.7% in regular trading, on disappointing cloud computing results. All the companies have faced intense scrutiny from investors over their ballooning capital expenditures, which were expected to total $330 billion this year before the latest earnings. And until a few days ago, the Magnificent Seven stocks were also trailing the SP 500 in year-to-date performance. SILENCING DOUBTS Microsoft said on Wednesday it would spend a record $30 billion in the current quarter, after better-than-expected sales and an above-estimate forecast for its Azure cloud computing business showcased the growing returns on its massive AI bets. The prediction puts Microsoft on track to potentially outspend its rivals over the next year. It came after Google-parent Alphabet beat revenue expectations and raised its spending forecast by $10 billion to $85 billion for the year. Microsoft also disclosed for the first time the dollar figure for Azure sales and the number of users for its Copilot AI tools, whose adoption has long been a concern for investors. It said Azure generated more than $75 billion in sales in its last fiscal year, while Copilot tools had over 100 million users. Overall, around 800 million customers use AI tools peppered across Microsoft's sprawling software empire. "It's the kind of result that quickly silences any doubts about cloud or AI demand," said Josh Gilbert, market analyst at eToro. "Microsoft is more than justifying its spending." Amazon, for its part, said it expected second-half spending roughly at the same clip as its second-quarter total of $31.4 billion, suggesting it would spend around $118 billion for the full year. Analysts had projected about $100 billion. Other AI companies have also attracted a clutch of users. Alphabet said last week its Gemini AI assistant app has more than 450 million monthly active users. OpenAI's ChatGPT, the application credited with kicking off the generative AI frenzy, has around 500 million weekly active users. Meta, meanwhile, raised the bottom end of its annual capital expenditure forecast by $2 billion, to a range of between $66 billion and $72 billion. It also said that costs driven by its efforts to catch up in Silicon Valley's intensifying AI race would push 2026 expense growth rate above 2025's pace. Better-than-expected sales growth in the April-June period and an above-estimate revenue forecast for the current quarter, however, assured investors that strength in the social media giant's core advertising business can support the massive outlays. "The big boys are back," said Brian Mulberry, portfolio manager at Zacks Investment Management, which holds shares in all three major U.S. cloud providers. "This simply proves the Magnificent Seven is still magnificent at this moment in time."
Khaleej Times
9 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Rapid advances in AI pose opportunity and risk for startups
Rapid advances in artificial intelligence and blockchain technology are forcing policymakers around the world to catch up. From debates over AI ethics and data privacy to new frameworks for crypto assets, the rules of the game are being written in real time. For startups, this creates both enormous opportunity and significant risk. Get it right, and you might set the global standard. Get it wrong, and you could face costly pivots or worse, regulatory dead ends. 'Sometimes compliance is a moat. Other times, it's just good hygiene. My advice: Assess your risk honestly,' Saksham Kukreja, co-founder of Bitgrit, told Khaleej Times. With years of experience building at the intersection of AI and blockchain, Kukreja has guided his company through complex global regulations and recently led Bitgrit to establish the first licensed entity for tokenizing AI assets under ADGM. Excerpts from an interview: Why has regulatory engagement been a key part of your strategy? Is it required for all startups in emerging tech? For us, regulatory engagement was never optional. Building at the intersection of AI and Web3 means facing questions about data privacy, model ownership, and public trust from day one. Customers want to know their information is safe, developers care about their IP, and token holders want real governance not just promises. That's why at Bitgrit, we chose a path that was slower but more sustainable: we set up a regulated DLT Foundation instead of launching as an unregistered protocol. It was never just about ticking boxes but about proving that there are real standards and accountability behind what we're building. That approach helped us win clients like NASA and SoftBank and attracted over 40,000 AI developers. People want to participate in ecosystems that feel legitimate and durable. But this isn't the only way. If you're building a low-risk SaaS tool or an internal product, you might not need deep regulatory engagement. But the closer your tech comes to people's data, money, or infrastructure, the more essential that engagement becomes. Sometimes compliance is a moat. Other times, it's just good hygiene. My advice: Assess your risk honestly. If the future of your company could hinge on a single policy change, build relationships with regulators early. For us, it was the difference between being a flash in the pan and building something that lasts. With technology evolving so quickly, do you think policymakers can realistically keep up with the pace of innovation in AI and Web3? Honestly, keeping up is nearly impossible. Startups move at sprint speed - we build, ship, and iterate in weeks. Policymakers are marathoners. Their job is to protect the public and keep the rules clear, so they have to pace themselves. The danger is that this inertia can sometimes push entire industries to pack up and leave for friendlier ground. I saw this up close in Bitgrit's early days, when friends in crypto moved their projects to other jurisdictions with clearer rules, sometimes overnight. But not all regulators operate the same. The best don't try to outpace innovation; instead, they set broad, flexible frameworks and invite builders into the conversation. I've had candid discussions with policymakers in several countries, and the ones making real progress are those who bring founders, engineers, even sceptics into the room and ask the tough questions early. As an example, last year Bitgrit was invited to the DLT foundation roundtable at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, where the agenda was less about defending the status quo and more about finding practical ground. That's when regulation works: when it's co-created, not imposed. The fastest path forward isn't expecting policymakers to outpace innovation, but to build open channels so industry and regulators can adapt together. That's how rules get written that actually work on both sides of the table. What has been the biggest regulatory hurdle you've faced as an AI and Web3 founder? How did you overcome it? In 2021, we launched a token out of Japan after months of legal prep, thinking we were finally ready to go global. That confidence vanished almost overnight. The tax rules were so unclear that, if we were to raise $5 million, our liability could have been calculated on the total market cap, which for us meant a tax bill approaching $500 million, on money we didn't even have. It made no practical sense. I remember one meeting where I had to use Monopoly money just to explain to a regulator the difference between 'circulating supply' and 'total supply.' But the guidance didn't change, and we realized we could lose the entire company to a rule that had nothing to do with reality. That's when I knew we had to look elsewhere. The turning point came when we joined Hub71 in Abu Dhabi. Beyond incentives to expand in the middle east, it gave us direct access to ADGM that was much more open to listen to our situation. That partnership ultimately led to Bitgrit becoming the first company in the world to get a license for tokenizing AI assets under a DLT Foundation at ADGM. We're now collaborating with ADGM and Japan's FSA, on a policy research paper to help others avoid the chaos we faced. My advice: If the rules don't make sense, don't wait around hoping they'll change for you. Cut your losses early, learn fast, and find the place where you can actually build. For founders just starting out, what are the most common misconceptions about regulation, and what advice do you wish you had received early on? One big misconception is that regulators are just there to say 'no.' In my experience, engaging early, well before launch, can actually speed things up. We started informal conversations with ADGM months before we shipped anything, and that helped us get feedback, solve issues in advance, and build trust. Good regulators aren't roadblocks; they want innovative companies, as long as you play by the rules. The other trap is underestimating how long compliance really takes. Our legal review for Bitgrit took six months, which was longer than our engineering sprint. Translating AI governance into legal language felt like explaining quantum physics in court, but it paid off. If you're doing something new, plan for it, and don't expect shortcuts. Most importantly, don't treat compliance as a chore. The requirements to add things like audit trails or stronger privacy features ended up making our platform stronger and more appealing to big clients. And never forget where you're regulated matters as much as what you're building. We moved to Abu Dhabi because the rules were clear and the ecosystem was supportive and that choice changed our trajectory. Looking ahead, what policy trends or regulatory shifts do you think will most impact the next generation of AI and Web3 founders? For AI, formal governance is arriving quickly. New laws like the EU's AI Act will require startups to prioritize risk assessments, transparency, and accountability from day one. Standards around data use, explainability, and model audits are about to become the norm. On the Web3 front, regulations are moving toward clearer definitions for digital assets and more unified rules across regions. Legislation such as Europe's MiCA is shaping global standards, and more countries are experimenting with frameworks for DAOs and tokenized assets. Another important shift is increased international cooperation, with regulators now sharing best practices and sometimes collaborating on cross-border pilot projects. For founders, this means higher expectations for transparency and ethics, but also more clarity and consistency. The next generation of startups will need to adapt quickly, stay informed, and be proactive in engaging with policymakers. Those who lean into the policy conversation will be best positioned to shape and succeed in the future landscape.
