In early 2014, a package landed on my desk. Inside was a phone from a company I knew very little about at the time, which came with the company’s bold claim of “Never settle”, and a self-conferred “Badge Killer” label. The OnePlus One had arrived.
I was skeptical, but using the phone changed my mind. In our review, we said, “The OnePlus One’s performance / price ratio is one of the most impressive we’ve seen on a smartphone. […] we cannot see a better or cheaper alternative. “
What followed was a procession of affordable flagships, improving with each generation as OnePlus went from 2 to 3 to 5 (there was no OnePlus 4); however, not all of the changes were welcomed by the company’s growing fan base.
OnePlus began rolling out ‘T’ models, starting with the OnePlus 3T, which came six months after a flagship new generation with minimal updates, and each new phone tended to be priced higher than the previous one.
As prices for OnePlus phones continued to rise, the ‘flagship killer’ was becoming just another flagship manufacturer. Its latest generation of phones, the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, are excellent high-end devices, but they are also the most expensive in the company to date.
The OnePlus vocal community began to express their frustrations at increasing prices. OnePlus had started out as underdog, taking over an industry that continually pushed prices up, and fans feared OnePlus had lost its way.
Now OnePlus wants to set the record straight. It is launching a new line of affordable phones, the first of which is the OnePlus Nord.
We sat down with Carl Pei, the Assistant Manager for OnePlus Nord, for an exclusive talk about the new phone and what it means for consumers and fans of the brand.
Because right now?
This is not the first time that OnePlus has launched a more affordable device right after a flagship phone. In 2015, three months after the arrival of the OnePlus 2, it launched the cheapest OnePlus X.
However, that phone failed to gain traction and was suspended just seven months later. As Pei admits, “[the OnePlus X] It was excellent in its own right, but it’s not a great product for that target audience of tech experts. “
Five years later, and OnePlus is venturing back into mid-range territory. You have seen growth in your audience (and prices) at the time, and you are confident that you are now in the right place, technology-wise, to make your new offering a success.
“We have been looking at the mid-range smartphone market for a while,” says Pei.
“It’s just that we feel the technology wasn’t really there to be able to create a mid-range product that also lives up to our ‘Never Settle’ philosophy. But we’re pretty sure this time the OnePlus Nord will do just that. “
Comparisons will be made between the Nord and the X, and it’s understandable, but OnePlus insists that this is a new chapter for the company, rather than a nostalgic journey.
In a media message on June 23, 2020, OnePlus founder and CEO Pete Lau said: “To be clear, this is not a reactionary attempt to ‘get back to our roots’, as some people have speculated.
“And since our ‘roots’ are really in creating the best flagship smartphones, I see this part of our strategy as a major extension of the OnePlus value proposition.”
Whether or not you agree with Lau’s comments, OnePlus is clear that it is looking to continue its flagship offering alongside a more affordable range of new products, starting with OnePlus Nord.
How much?
With a growing audience, OnePlus now has more people to please, and its current high-end offerings have put a price on some fans, something they have had no qualms about communicating to OnePlus.
“Other consumers need a OnePlus product at a more affordable price,” continues Pei. “I’m sure you have seen the comments online, people have been asking [for a more affordable phone] During the last years “.
Lau separately confirmed to TechRadar that the OnePlus Nord price will be € 500 in Europe, and OnePlus later confirmed that the Nord price would come “below $ 500” (around £ 410 / AU $ 730), which Go head-to-head with the new iPhone SE, as well as devices from Chinese rivals, including Honor 20 Pro, Oppo Reno 2, and Xiaomi Mi Note 10.
Lau also revealed, in a post on the OnePlus Forum, that OnePlus Nord would reach Europe and India first, while “a select number of users in North America will also have the opportunity to experience the new device through a highly beta program. limited after launch. ”
What’s on offer?
Now that we know the OnePlus Nord name, how long will it delay and where will it be available first, what does this affordable phone really offer?
The OnePlus Nord comes down to three things; camera, user experience and OnePlus quality
“For us, this product really comes down to three things,” explains Pei. “The first is the camera […] the second is our user experience […] and I think the third part is OnePlus quality. “
One of the main reasons Pei believes OnePlus Nord will be able to compete in a crowded mid-range market is its flagship camera offering.
“We have seen that [the] the camera is probably the most widely used feature of a smartphone, “he says.” It’s the number one use case, so if we wanted to create a great product, the camera had to be great.
“With OnePlus Nord we are bringing a flagship camera to the mid-range price range, which I think consumers will be really excited about.”
For now, we don’t know what the camera hardware will be, but it’s not the company’s only focus. OnePlus has found that consumers are fans of its Oxygen OS interface and the range of optimization and customization it allows.
Speaking about the OnePlus Nord user experience aspect, Pei notes that “it’s not just the hardware, but also how we optimize the software, the animations, to make sure that each part flows smoothly.”
The third point is the design, and what Pei describes as “OnePlus quality”. OnePlus is trusting the power of its brand to attract consumers to its affordable phone, promising the same high standards as its flagship line.
“We wanted to bring out a mid-range smartphone that really lives up to OnePlus quality,” he explains. “All testing is done exactly to the flagship standard, so when consumers buy a OnePlus product at a more reasonable price, they can expect exactly the same rigorous quality testing that all of our flagship phones undergo.”
An independent and dedicated team has been created within OnePlus to focus solely on the new mid-range product line, which Pei says will allow the company to get “every little detail right, like we did on the flagship. [phones].
“This attention to detail will be something that will really set us apart,” he continues, “and there are countless little stories about the things we’ve done, the adjustments we’ve made.”
“I don’t think any of them are worth mentioning or talking about, but the hope is when the consumer gets the phone, [while] They may not know every little thing we have done to build this product, they will surely feel it. “
The driving force
Pei is not yet revealing the details of the cameras, software, or design, but it did reveal what will drive the user experience at OnePlus Nord.
OnePlus Nord uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G chipset
The phone will come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G chipset, and it’s this piece of technology that has unlocked the potential of an affordable OnePlus device without the company making too many compromises; don’t forget that ‘Nettle Settle’ mantra.
While not Qualcomm’s flagship chip, the 765G sits between the flagship 8 series and mid-range 6 series, and contains many of the features of the high-end chipset. We found that the 765G performed well in our LG Velvet review, which should bode well for the OnePlus Nord.
The OnePlus Nord is a 5G phone
The inclusion of the 765G chipset means that the Nord will also be 5G-enabled, allowing users to take advantage of the next-generation network if they live in a coverage area.
Pei believes that the inclusion of 5G in the mid-range Nord “is more about peace of mind, it’s more about the future,” rather than offering cutting-edge technology to early adopters who are generally drawn to flagship devices.
It is for consumers who know that 5G is coming and know that it has not yet been fully implemented, but they want the security of knowing that if they buy the Nord they will be ready by the time 5G becomes widely available.
What’s next
Does OnePlus have the right ingredients for mid-range success? As expected, Pei believes so, saying “based on our understanding of what a great phone does, I think this is it.
“A great camera, a really fast, smooth and fluid experience, and a device made by someone you trust to make a good phone. That’s the whole concept behind the first product, the OnePlus Nord.”
OnePlus is talking about a good game, and the OnePlus Nord price launches it at an exciting point in the market; And it also makes it cheaper than the OnePlus 8 series, providing a clear distinction between the ranges.
It remains to be seen whether the Nord takes off or not. We’ve seen a lot of interest in our reports on the OnePlus 8 Lite and OnePlus Z rumors, suggesting there is consumer interest in an affordable OnePlus smartphone, but that doesn’t guarantee sales.
We’ll have to wait for more details to be removed from the OnePlus Nord, and until we have the phone for review, before we can properly comment on this new address for the brand.
However, OnePlus does not stop there. As we have already mentioned, Lau has hinted at affordable devices destined for North America later, and in May of this year, during an interview with Fast Company, he also revealed that OnePlus is looking to diversify its product ranges to create its own ecosystem along the lines of Manzana.
The firm already produces its own range of Bullets headphones, launched the OnePlus TV in India, and it looks like there will be even more from the firm in the near future. The affordable OnePlus Nord is just the beginning.
