OnePlus Nord Hands-On

A couple of months ago, we got our hands on the OnePlus 8 that sport flagship specs at a competitive price. This time, OnePlus is repeating that strategy in the mid-range segment with the OnePlus Nord. It packs a Full HD+ Fluid AMOLED 90Hz display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset coupled with up to 12GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and 5G connectivity. Check out our initial thoughts below.

The OnePlus Nord almost has the same features as the OnePlus 8 but in a more affordable package. For the aesthetics, it’s got a glossy glass back in Blue Marble color, but it is also available in Gray Onyx. At this point, we can already say that it’s a pretty device.

Upfront, it packs a massive 6.44-inch FHD+ 90Hz Fluid AMOLED display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 or 408ppi with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for extra protection. Since this is an AMOLED display, colors are vibrant with deep blacks and great contrast, which is perfect for watching videos. Bezels are thin but with a slightly thicker chin. Situated on the top left corner of the display is the dualselfie camera. The optical fingerprint scanner is located under the screen.

Found on the left side of the OnePlus Nord is its volume rockers.

The power and OnePlus’s signature 3-way sound profile key for Silent, Vibration, and Ring.

Below the device are the loudspeaker, USB Type-C port, microphone, and a dual-SIM card tray. There’s no support for microSD cards but there’s 5G connectivity. And finally, located at the top is the noise-canceling microphone.

At the back of the Nord are its quad-rear cameras consisting of a 48MP primary, 8MP ultra-wide, 5MP depth, and a 2MP macro lens. For selfies, we got a dual- front-facing camera consisting of 32MP primary shooter and an 8MP ultra-wide.

Check out these sample shots:

Powering the OnePlus Nord is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset coupled with an Adreno 620 GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. For software, it’s got the Android 10 skinned with OxygenOS 10, which is close to stock Android with a few tweaks.

For battery, it’s got a sizable 4,115mAh battery support for 30W Warp Charge 30T.

The local version of the OnePlus Nord is the 8GB + 128GB variant which is priced at PHP 21,990USD 375INR 31,767EUR 357CNY 2,729 and is available in all DigitalWalker stores nationwide. OnePlus released other memory configurations for the Nord, including a 12GB + 256GB model, but there’s no word yet if it will be available in the Philippines.

So far, the OnePlus Nord looks like a compelling device due to its price and specs. We’ll know more about its performance in our full review, so stay tuned for that.

OnePlus Nord specs:
6.44-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) 90Hz Fluid AMOLED display, 408ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G 2.4GHz octa-core CPU
Adreno 620 GPU
6GB RAM + 64GB UFS 2.1
8GB RAM + 128GB UFS 2.1
12GB RAM + 256GB UFS 2.1
Quad-rear cameras:
48MP F1.8, OIS (main)
8MP F2.3 (ultra-wide)
5MP F2.4 (depth)
2MP F2.4 (macro)
Dual-front cameras:
32MP F2.4 (main)
8MP F2.5 (ultra-wide)
Dual-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.1
Dual-band GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, SBAS, NavIC
NFC
USB Type-C
Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
Android 10 (Oxygen OS 10.5)
4,115mAh battery w/ 30W Warp Charge 30T
158.3 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm
184 g
Gray Onyx, Blue Marble