It has been rumoured and leaked for quite a while and then OnePlus themselves started talking about it, further building the hype. Overnight at an AR launch the OnePlus Nord became official, with what promises to be another beast in the mid-range market.
OnePlus have moved into the ultrapremium smartphone market in the last couple of years, leaving nothing for the mid-range, the more affordable range. The Nord fits that gaping hole with some modern mid-range specs. It is powered by a mid-range Snapdragon 765G chipset, has a 6.44-inch 1080P 90Hz display with a punch hole for the selfie camera.
Memory-wise it arrives in three different configurations, 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 12GB/256GB which is interesting that they offer three variations with the upper one having as much RAM as their flagships. The battery is a 4,115mAh battery with support for their Warp Charge 30T fast charging.
The camera’s on mid-range phones is usually the main place we see the differences between them and the premium and ultra-premium market. To alleviate any major differences OnePlus have included a quad rear camera setup — 48MP Sony IMX586 main lens, 8MP wide-angled lens, 5MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro sensor and a dual front-facing camera setup — 32MP Sony IMX616 and an 8MP wide-angled lens.
Still present is the alert slider, something which I’m very surprised other manufacturers haven’t copied — the ability to easily slide between the three alert settings (which are customisable) is a great idea and something I use a lot on any OnePlus smartphones I use.
The Nord will also support 5G with the bands listed below showing that both the European and Indian models supporting the Australian N78 5G band.
| Specification | OnePlus Nord |
|---|---|
| Dimensions & Weight |
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| Display |
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| SoC |
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| RAM & Storage |
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| Battery & Charging |
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| Fingerprint sensor | In-display |
| Rear Camera | Photo:
Video:
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| Front Camera |
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| Other Features |
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| Android Version | Android 10 with Oxygen OS with support for 2 years of software updates and 3 years of security updates |
The OnePlus Nord will be available in India, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and throughout most of Europe from August 4. It comes in two colour variations, Blue Marble and Grey Onyx. Pricing ranges from €399/£379 for the 8GB/128GB model in Europe (~AU$650) to €499/£469 for the 12GB/256GB model (~AU$800). The 6GB/64GB model will also be available in India with Indian pricing ranging from ₹24,999 for the 6GB/64GB version to ₹29,999 for the 12GB/256GB model.
As per usual if you want one here in Australia you will have to import it — I dare say by the time you pay the added grey market importers costs the phone will no longer be a mid-range device. If you really want a OnePlus smartphone though and prefer mid-range prices then this is one you will want to check out.
Let us know below if you are considering purchasing the OnePlus Nord.
I’m watching this one as a potential move up from a Pixel 1. I’m less fussed over 5G connectivity for now, so which of the Indian or European models LTE band sets is a better fit for Australian networks?
Apart from 5G, It is worth to get my 6T to be replaced by this one?
I LOVED my 6T but it was lost travelling. I understand why you’d think twice before replacing it.
I’d have to say yes — I loved my 6T as well — imported a Star Wars version from India. This though is an upgrade in every sense of the word. In saying that wait until the pricing for grey market importers is announced because it may well be more cost effective to just go for the 8 Pro
What a shame we cannot officially purchase OnePlus in Australia. Really hoping this will change in the near future.
They promised after the 5 soft launch they’d start sales in the Australian regfion again once they have best experience for Aussies.
Don’t worry, i am constantly badgering and reminding them we are here. They see the device activations happening here though. T hey know that even though they don’t sell directly here the phones are popular here. everyone needs to keep badgering them on social media channels
This is really annoying having to buy it outright.
If you want to use it in Australia, you’re still going to have to purchase a premium plan with Telstra/Optus which subsidise the price of the phones they sell/lease. But these providers don’t usually on-sell their 5G network rights to cheaper virtual providers (eg Aldi, Kogan), so you’re hamstrung with getting the full benefit.
Perhaps Voda/TPG may be slightly cheaper.
we can only hope so mate. We suspect that will be the case — they will want to shake up the marketplace.