The OnePlus 8 phones launched in April as the flagship OnePlus phones for 2020, but OnePlus has a different aim for the newly unveiled Nord – it wants to give buyers the perfect balance between performance and price, a mid-range phone with no equal.
It's a competitive area of the market right now, with many a manufacturer trying to figure out how to make its phones more affordable without cutting too many corners and delivering handsets that are unappealing.
With its Snapdragon 765G processor, in terms of power the OnePlus Nord is a step below the OnePlus 8 range (featuring the Snapdragon 865), but it's not a drop that many users are likely to notice. That's paired with either 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage, or 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage.
The quad-lens camera features the same 48-MP sensor found in the OnePlus 8 and adds three others: an 8-MP ultrawide, a 2-MP macro and a 5-MP depth sensor. On the front, the 32 MP + 8 MP array includes an ultrawide lens for fitting more into your selfie shots.
In the looks, feel and finish department, the OnePlus Nord can definitely claim to be very close to flagship-level quality. The 6.44-inch, 2,400 x 1,080 pixel AMOLED display has an impressive refresh rate of 90 Hz and very little in the way of bezels (there's a fingerprint sensor hidden underneath the screen).
Add to all that 5G connectivity and Warp Charge 30T fast charging for the 4,100 mAh battery (which OnePlus claims can get the phone from zero battery to 70 percent in just half an hour), and there are a lot of reasons to like this new mid-range handset.
What you don't get is wireless charging and waterproofing, though you might feel like you can live without those features if the price is right. Speaking of price, we don't yet have confirmation of the OnePlus Nord availability in the US, but in the UK it costs £379 (about US$480) for the 8 GB/128 GB model and £469 (about $595) for the 12 GB/256 GB model. The general on-sale date is August 4.
Whether or not you plan to put the Nord on your shopping list, it's another indicator of just how strong the mid-range market has become. There are fewer reasons than ever to spend significant sums on flagship phones when the more affordable ones are this impressive.
As well as introducing its latest smartphone to the world at today's event, OnePlus also showed off the OnePlus Buds, its first truly wireless earbuds and direct rivals to the AirPods from Apple. The earbuds will be sold for $79, bringing a limited amount of noise cancelling and a 30-hour battery life (including several recharges from the carrying case).
Product page: OnePlus Nord