Why OnePlus Nord is NOT an Overhyped Smartphone - My Thoughts

A Brief about OnePlus Nord Launch

When Chinese maker OnePlus shared a new blue and black-colored picture on all its social media channels in June 2020, it went viral. Everybody starts talking about it, and the Indian tech community got excited about the same.

OnePlus has grabbed more eyeballs from all parts of the world than it would otherwise get on his new product launch.

Finally, the company announced July 21 as the confirmed date to launch its upper mid-range smartphone- OnePlus Nord. As the date start coming close, the company gears up for the same and started teasing the fans with some confirmed features and specs. It was what the company called the world’s first AR smartphone launch.

• Because of the company’s excitement about the smartphone, several tech YouTubers and reviewers started calling this as an overhyped smartphone and launch event.
• They even pointed out that OnePlus Nord didn’t have anything special at all.

In this article, I will share my personal opinion and explain why I believe it’s not an overhyped smartphone:

OnePlus Nord Full Specifications

Before we move ahead, let’s first take a look at the smartphone’s full specs below:

• DISPLAY: 6.44-inches AMOLED, HDR10+ certified display, 1080 x 2400 resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 90Hz refresh rate (408 PPI)
• STORAGE: 6/64 GB | 8/128 GB | 12/256 GB storage variants, UFS 2.1, No expandable
• PROCESSOR: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G (7 nm), Adreno 620
• OS: Android 10, OxygenOS 10.5.4
• CAMERA:
  • REAR: Quad-camera setup,
    • 48 MP (f/1.8) wide, PDAF, OIS
    • 8 MP (f/2.3), 119-degrees (ultrawide)
    • 5 MP (f/2.4), (depth)
    • 2 MP (f/2.4), (macro)
    • Dual-LED flash, HDR
    • Video: 4K @30fps, 1080p @30/60/240fps, gyro-EIS
  • FRONT: Dual punch-hole camera setup,
    • 32 MP (f/2.5) wide
    • 8 MP (f/2.5), 105-degrees (ultrawide),
    • HDR
    • Video: 4K @30/60fps, 1080p @30/60fps
• BATTERY: 4,115mAh battery, Fast Charging 30W (70% in 30 mints)
• SENSORS: Fingerprint (in-display), gyroscope, proximity, compass
• CONNECTIVITY: Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 5.1, aptX HD, GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, NavIC
• COLORS: Blue Marble, Gray Onyx

Top Features of OnePlus Nord

The latest offering from OnePlus, the OnePlus Nord, features 6.44-inches FHD+ AMOLED Display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The display is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and comes with an aspect ratio of 20:9, which makes the smartphone easy to hold and carry out.

The Snapdragon 765G Octa-core SoC powers the OnePlus Nord, and packs in Adreno 620 to give you smooth gaming experience. It comes in three storage variants, viz. 6 GB 64 GB, 8 GB 128 GB, and 12 GB 256 GB storage.

It runs on the Android 10-based OxygenOS 10.5.4. For those unaware, OxygenOS is the cleanest and probably the fastest third-party skin on Android 10. To the rear, the smartphone sports vertically placed a quad-camera array.

The primary camera is 48 MP (f/1.8), that also features OIS and PDAF. There’s an 8 MP (f/2.3) 119-degree ultrawide, a 5 MP (f/2.4) depth sensors, and a 2 MP (f/2.4) macro lens.

For locking and unlocking the phone, there’s an in-display fingerprint sensor that works fast as expected. For selfies and webinar requirements, there are dual cameras at the front.

The cameras are placed in the top-left corner of the smartphone inside the punch-hole. It has 32 MP (f/2.5) wide, and an 8 MP (f/2.5) ultrawide sensor. You can capture amazing selfies and record videos up to 4K @60fps.

OnePlus Nord is backed by a decent 4,115mAh battery that supports 30W fast charging. The good thing is that you’re getting the OnePlus’ 30W Warp Charger in the box. It comes in two solid colors, Blue Marble and Gray Onyx.

Why I think OnePlus Nord is Not an Overhyped Smartphone

Now, let’s dive into the question that I raised in the beginning. Here are my honest thoughts about the smartphone.

Many people called the OnePlus Nord an overhyped smartphone. This statement can only true if it has been said by a person who doesn’t know anything about the brand or OnePlus smartphones. I have been following the brand for the past four years. And in that time, I’ve observed and learned a lot about it.

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To truly understand why I don’t call OnePlus Nord an overhyped smartphone, we need to step back a bit. If we take the graph of OnePlus brand in India since, we will notice that they’re gradually increasing the price of their device year by year, model by model.

Starting from being a flagship killer, upper premium flagship, to becoming a premium brand, OnePlus has been increasing the price of the smartphones aggressively. And by doing this, they’re leaving a part of the OnePlus fans that once trusted them to launch the products at a comparatively high price.

OnePlus Nord is priced at Rs 24,999 (6/64 GB), Rs 27,999 (8/128 GB), and Rs 29,999 (12/256 GB) storage variants.

Now, with the new OnePlus Nord, the company seems to be returning to its roots, offering smartphones between the ranges of Rs 20-30,000. The OnePlus Nord starts at Rs 24,999 for the base variants of 6/64 GB and goes up to Rs 29,999.

The OnePlus 8 Pro, the company’s last smartphone, starts from Rs 54,999. So, in a way, OnePlus wants to take back the customers they’ve lost in the storm of smartphone competitions.

Promoting a new product that is launching at such an affordable rate is something that no company will miss. Also, OnePlus Nord is a 5G-compatible smartphone. Offering a phone with futuristic technology at the price cap of Rs 25,000 deserves to be noticed.

Further, it has some features that few of the flagship and smartphones in this price range don’t have, such as 4K video a@60fps from the front camera, in-display fingerprint sensor, etc. Therefore, keep all these things in mind; I don’t think OnePlus Nord is an overhyped smartphone. Do let me know what you think of OnePlus Nord in the comments below.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2020 Nikhil Sharma

Comments

Nikhil Sharma (author) from India on August 15, 2020:

Hi, Liz. Yes, I can understand this might be new to you. But thanks for dropping by and reading my article. It's great to know that now you'll be keeping an eye on these. You can follow Twitter accounts of all leading smartphone brands to keep yourself updated with the new and upcoming launches. Thanks for your thoughts, Liz.

Nikhil Sharma (author) from India on August 15, 2020:

Hi, Liza.

I know this is something out of your field and subject, but even after that, I really appreciate you for not only reading the hub but also leaving your honest comment. I'm glad to know that you found with this article, you get to know OnePlus Nord smartphone. I'm a smartphone enthusiast and I can spend hours talking and discussing about them with anyone.

And yes, with one of your recent articles about activities to do in the summertime, I get to know that you and your husband are iPhone users. Thank you so much, Liza, once again for taking the interest and googling about the smartphone to see how does it look. Yes, I'm confident about my knowledge of smartphones. I will keep sharing such articles in the future as well. Stay tuned!

Liz Westwood from UK on August 13, 2020:

This is completely new to me. Now that I am aware of it from your detailed article, I shall keep an eye out for it.

Liza from Malaysia + US on August 12, 2020:

I didn't know so much about OnePlus Nord's smartphone until I read your article. My husband and I are avid iPhone users. Usually, we don't pay attention to other smartphones on the market. However, it's interesting to know stuff like this, Nikhil. I googled the phone's image. Judging from the look and the specs, I agree with your review. Plus, you have been following the smartphone for a while. So, I trust you have the best knowledge about it. Thank you for sharing!