OnePlus has finally taken the wrap off from its latest mid-range offering, the OnePlus Nord. The smartphone comes loaded with some interesting specifications including the latest Snapdragon 765 5G Processor along with 90Hz AMOLED display, quad rear cameras and more.
With this, OnePlus is once again trying to target the mid-range segment, which it miserably failed with the OnePlus X. The company has made sure to add the right amount of hardware and more. However, this time, the competition is quite tough. Realme recently introduced Realme X3 SuperZoom, while iQOO has its maiden smartphone, the iQOO 3 5G. So, can the OnePlus Nord be able to defeat these Titans of mid-range? Let’s find out.
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 SuperZoom vs iQOO 3: Display
Starting with OnePlus Nord, the smartphone comes with a 6.44-inch Full HD+ Fluid AMOLED Display with a screen Resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. The phone comes with a 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz screen sampling rate.
The Realme X3 SuperZoom features a 6.6-inch Full HD+ LCD display with a refresh rate of 120Hz, up to 480 nits brightness and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. iQOO 3, on the other hand, is loaded with a 6.44-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels along with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection. Although the smartphone does not have a higher refresh rate, it features a 180Hz response rate. That said, Realme X3 SuperZoom turns out to be a better option as it delivers a much higher screen refresh rate as compared to the OnePlus Nord.
Winner: Realme X3 SuperZoom.
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 SuperZoom vs iQOO 3: Hardware
On the hardware front, the OnePlus Nord is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 5G processor along with Adreno 620 GPU. The phone is backed by up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
The Realme X3 Super Zoom is powered by a Snapdragon 855+ processor along with Adreno 640 GPU. The phone is backed by up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. iQOO 3 is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor along with Adreno 650 GPU. The phone is backed by up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
The answer is quite clear here as iQOO 3 takes the unprecedented lead as it is loaded with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, making it one of the cheapest flagship smartphones with the flagship Qualcomm chipset. The Realme X3 SuperZoom takes the second position as it offers another Snapdragon 800 series processor, which surely offers better performance as compared to the Snapdragon 765 present in the OnePlus Nord.
Winner: iQOO 3
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 SuperZoom vs iQOO 3: Rear Camera
In terms of optics, the OnePlus Nord is loaded with a quad-camera setup with a combination of 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.
The Realme X3 Super Zoom also features a quad-camera setup with a 64-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, 8-megapixel periscope lens with 60X digital zoom, 5X optical zoom, an 8-megapixel sensor with a Wide-Angle f/2.3 lens and 119-degree field of view and a 2-megapixel sensor with an f/2.4 macro lens.
The iQOO 3 smartphone comes with a combination of 48-megapixel primary lens with f/1.79 aperture, a 13-megapixel telephoto lens with f/2.46 Aperture and 20x digital zoom, 13-megapixel wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture and a 2-megapixel bokeh camera.
That said, Realme once again emerged as the clear winner as the camera specs are better than the rest of the two smartphones. Furthermore, the major highlight of the Realme X3 SuperZoom is the periscope lens that offers 60X Digital Zoom and it also features a better 64-megapixel primary lens, while the iQOO 3 and OnePlus Nord are loaded with 48MP primary cameras. However, coming to iQOO 3 and OnePlus Nord, both of them offer some comparable performance, however, the former has an advantage of 20X digital zoom, which is not present in the OnePlus Nord.
Winner: Realme X3 SuperZoom
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 SuperZoom vs iQOO 3: Front Camera
The OnePlus Nord comes with a dual-front camera with a combination of 32-megapixel selfie along with 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens with 105-degree field-of-view. The Realme X3 SuperZoom also features a dual-camera setup with a combination of a 32-megapixel camera with Sony IMX616 sensor, f/2.5 aperture and, 8-megapixel camera 105° ultra-wide sensor with f/2.2 aperture. iQOO 3 comes with a 16-megapixel Samsung S5K39PSP04-FGX9 sensor with f/2.45 aperture.
The competition is tough between Realme X3 SuperZoom and OnePlus Nord as both the smartphones offer a similar camera setup for the front. The iQOO 3 is left behind with single-camera setup.
Winner: Tie
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 SuperZoom vs iQOO 3: Software
The OnePlus Nord is loaded with OxygenOS running on Android 10. The Realme X3 SuperZoom runs on RealmeUI based on Android 10, while iQOO 3 also comes with Android 10 with its custom iQOO UI running on top of it. All the UI comes with its fair share of hits and misses and at the end of the day, it all boils down to the user preference. But her we would like to point out that Oxygen OS is a clearer UI without any add on like preloaded apps.
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 SuperZoom vs iQOO 3: Battery
OnePlus Nord is loaded with a 4115mAh battery with Wrap Charge 30T Fast charging support. Realme X3 SuperZoom packs a 4,200mAh battery with 30W Dart charge fast charging. The iQOO 3 is juiced up by a 4,400mAh battery with 55W Super FlashCharge technology. That said, the iQOO 3 is the clear winner as it offers much better battery capacity and the 55W fast charging solution is better than the 30W charging present in both the smartphones. So, this round goes to iQOO 3, while the Realme X3 SuperZoom came at second position with its slightly better battery capacity. OnePlus Nord, as usual, is at the last position.
Winner: iQOO 3
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 SuperZoom vs iQOO 3: Price
The OnePlus Nord comes with a starting 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 Realme X3 SuperZoom is available at a price tag of Rs 32,999 for the 12GB RAM + 256GB internal storage, while the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage option is priced at Rs 27,999. Moving on, the iQOO 3 8GB RAM + 128GB storage option is priced at Rs 34,990, while the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage option is priced at Rs 37,990.
That said, OnePlus is currently offering the base variant at a cheaper price tag as compared to both the variants, however, both the phones come with much better specifications as compared to the OnePlus Nord.
OnePlus Nord vs Realme X3 SuperZoom vs iQOO 3: Conclusion
The OnePlus Nord seems to be an interesting option in this price range, but you are actually getting much better options. The Realme X3 SuperZoom has more arsenal as compared to the OnePlus Nord smartphone. The X3 SuperZoom offers you a superior refresh rate along with much better processor, cameras and slightly better battery backup.
iQOO 3 is also an interesting option to consider. Although the smartphone is slightly priced higher than the top model of OnePlus Nord, you are getting a much better deal with iQOO 3. You get the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor along with gaming-centric features and much better fast charging technology.