OnePlus have signalled all year that they were set to release a “lite” version of the OnePlus 8 this year. With them stepping into the premium and ultra-premium market that left a gap in the mid-range and as such the new “lite” phone, known as the OnePlus Nord, was created.
We saw early leaks but the phone failed to materialise when they announced the OnePlus 8 series. Rumoured have increased in the last few weeks with OnePlus themselves starting their own Nord/Lite/Z Instagram account.
Always ones to attempt to get out in front of the leaks more details have been revealed in the last day. The rumoured chipset driving the phone, the Snapdragon 765G, has been confirmed by not only Qualcomm but also OnePlus CEO, Pete Lau. The 5G-enabled processor will arrive in the OnePlus Nord before it arrives in the Pixel 5 later this year (although rumours have also suggested that the Pixel 5 will house the standard SD765 chipset).
Qualcomm congratulated OnePlus on the Nord in a now-deleted tweet followed by Pete Lau confirming it in an interview with Techradar where he said “The OnePlus Nord uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G chipset”. It does not get any clearer than that.
Mr Lau revealed little else about the device but did say they think they have the right ingredients for a successful mid-range smartphone:
based on our understanding of what makes a great phone, I think this is it. A great camera, a really fast, smooth and fluid experience, and a device made by somebody you trust to make a good phone. That’s the entire concept behind the first product, the OnePlus Nord.
So where will the OnePlus Nord be available? A leak by Ishan Agarwal overnight suggests that the new mid-ranger form OnePlus will be available throughout most of Europe and India:
Of course, India too but these are the regions except India and these regions will be able to pre-order the #OnePlusNord
— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) June 30, 2020
The OnePlus Nord is expected to be announced next week with sales commencing on July 15 and will retail for around US$500 (~AU$650). For those looking to import an affordable OnePlus smartphone this could definitely be a device worth looking at. The 5G version *should* work on Australian 5G networks but that needs to be confirmed at launch.
It’s good to see OnePlus offering a more affordable smartphone. Now if only they stopped ignoring the Australian market.
