OnePlus has recently announced the launch of its latest mid-range smartphone, the OnePlus Nord. The smartphone is another attempt from the company to capture the mid-range segment.
OnePlus has not been successful in this price segment. The brand introduced the OnePlus X a few years back for the Indian market and it was a failed product. Since then, it has only focused on the mid-premium segment with its flagship series. OnePlus was once considered as the flagship killer as it used to provide rock-solid smartphones at dirt cheap price as compared to other flagships out there.
However, slowly and after each launch, OnePlus increased the price of its smartphone, which resulted in a gap in the mid-range segment, from which it started. So, to fill up this gap, the company decided to launch the OnePlus Nord smartphone. The phone comes loaded with a host of interesting features and it seems to be a decent option. But, should you really consider buying the latest OnePlus Nord smartphone? Let’s find out.
Should you buy OnePlus Nord for its price?
The OnePlus Nord comes with a price tag of Rs 24,999 for the 6GB RAM + 64GB internal storage, Rs 27,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB internal storage and Rs 29,999 for the 12GB RAM + 256GB internal storage. The base variant is priced at Rs 25,000, which seems to be a decent option in this segment. However, for Rs 27,999 you are getting a much better option with Realme X3 SuperZoom. The smartphone comes with better features and specs as compared to the OnePlus Nord. For the same price, you can also get the Redmi K20 Pro smartphone, which still offers better specs as compared to the OnePlus Nord.
Should you buy OnePlus Nord for its design?
The OnePlus Nord comes with a glass finish at the back panel and it is available in two options: Blue Marble and Gray Onyx. The phone comes with a matte finish at the back, while the front sports a dual punch-hole cutout. That said, the smartphone is not a unique offering from OnePlus. If you compare it with Realme X3 SuperZoom, you will find out that both the phones look eerily similar to each other. The position of the rear camera and the punch-hole position is exactly the same. The phones are identical because they are born from the same factory!
Should you buy OnePlus Nord for its display?
The OnePlus Nord comes loaded with a similar kind of display, which is also found in its flagship series. The company has added a 6.44-inch Full HD+ Fluid AMOLED Display with a screen resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. The smartphone comes with a 90Hz Refresh Rate and up to 180Hz screen sampling rate. That said, the AMOLED screen is good for everyday use or for watching movies and playing games. However, if you are looking for a 90Hz refresh rate or higher than Realme X3 SuperZoom is better as it comes with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Should you buy OnePlus Nord for its hardware and software?
The phone is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 5G processor along with Adreno 620 GPU. It is loaded with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. It is loaded with a 4000mAh battery and it comes with Wrap Charge 30T 30W fast charging support. In terms of software, the OnePlus Nord is loaded with Android 10 with OxygenOS running on top of it.
Although the latest OnePlus Nord comes with a new 5G Chipset from Qualcomm, the 5G in the name is not meant for India. The 5G dream is far from reality and it is not expected to be available in the next two or three years. So, 5G smartphones will still work like normal 4G smartphones. That said, the OnePlus Nord does offer the latest Qualcomm mid-range chipset, but competition is offering much better value.
We have Realme X3 SuperZoom that is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor. The chipset is much more powerful than the Snapdragon 765 5G chipset. Furthermore, the phone also comes with a better battery backup with 4300mAh battery and it features a similar 30W fast charging support. Another case is of the Redmi K20 Pro. The Redmi K20 Pro is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor along with Adreno 640 GPU, which is also a better chipset than Snapdragon 765.
Coming to the software, OnePlus has a good track record of rolling out timely updates to its flagship smartphones. The user interface is also smooth and fast as compared to other UIs present in this price segment.
Should you buy OnePlus Nord for its cameras?
OnePlus Nord is loaded with a quad-camera setup with a combination of a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor with f/1.75 aperture, OIS, 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, 5-megapixel sensor and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. For the front, there will be a dual-camera setup with a combination of 32-megapixel selfie along with 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens with 105-degree field-of-view.
The smartphone comes with a decent camera setup for both front and back, however, once again, you are getting better specs with Realme X3 SuperZoom. The smartphone from Realme offers up to 60x digital zoom, a feature that is not common in this price range. Realme is also offering a superior 64MP primary camera as compared to the one present in OnePlus Nord smartphone. The selfie cameras are identical because they are born from the same factory!
Redmi K20 Pro also offers some good camera setup. The smartphone comes with a pop-up selfie camera, meaning that you get full-screen experience without any notch or punch-hole.
Should you buy OnePlus Nord?
So, should you buy the OnePlus Nord smartphone? The answer is No. Although the smartphone comes loaded with interesting specifications, you get plenty of more options that provide you with better specs, better design language, better refresh rate, better processor, better camera and better battery life. The Realme X3 SuperZoom turns out to be a superior smartphone as compared to the OnePlus Nord, while the Redmi K20 Pro is yet another option that gives you a better price to specs ratio as compared to the OnePlus Nord.