OnePlus Nord mid-range smartphone is official, at ~ $ 450

After weeks of teasing, OnePlus has finally fully announced all the details of its mid-range smartphone, the OnePlus Nord. Yes, it is called “Nord”, named after the word “North” in various European languages. OnePlus has leaked almost every detail of the phone prior to launch, except for the price, which in Europe is € 399, or ~ $ 456.

For that price, you get a 90Hz display that measures 6.44 inches with a resolution of 2400 × 1080. The display is also flat, a great update on the distorted and curvy displays you see on most flagships. There is a Snapdragon 765G, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage and a 4100mAh battery. There’s also a more expensive SKU that upgrades it to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

For the rear cameras, you get the same 48MP main sensor as the OnePlus 8, plus an 8MP wide-angle lens, 2MP macro lens, and 5MP depth sensor. The front looks like a Samsung Galaxy S10 + with dual front cameras in an oval cutout. In addition to the main 32MB selfie camera, you get a second 8MP wide-angle camera. That’s six cameras on what is supposed to be a budget phone.

There is no water resistance, or at least there is no official IP rating. OnePlus says there are still some rubber stamps around the phone that provide some protection against water, but it’s hard to know how much without proper testing. The phone has a USB-C port, NFC, an on-screen optical fingerprint reader, a single speaker on the bottom, and OnePlus’ 30W Warp Charging, which the company says will take the phone from “70% empty to just half an hour. ” The phone runs Android 10 and comes with two years of major operating system updates and three years of security updates; Although, like other OnePlus phones, they will not be monthly.

The Nord is not launching in the United States at the moment and is instead limited to Europe and India. It is difficult to know what is happening with the United States. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau mentioned that the company is “looking to bring more affordable smartphones to North America in the near future,” and in today’s press release, OnePlus says, “Fifty North American users will have the opportunity to experience OnePlus. Nord through a limited beta program. ” Why does the company want feedback from North American consumers?

India is one of the most successful OnePlus markets, and the Nord price there is extremely aggressive. Europe gets the 8GB / 128GB version for € 399 ($ ​​456) and the 12GB / 256GB version for € 499 ($ ​​571), and the UK price breaks down at £ 379 ($ 480) and £ 469 ($ 594). The Nord in India is much cheaper, running ₹ 27,999 for the entry-level version ($ 375) and ₹ 29,999 ($ ​​401) for the version with more RAM and storage. Those are $ 81 and $ 170 cheaper than their European counterparts, with the RAM upgrade and storage running at a whopping $ 25 in India. There’s even an exclusive, cheaper setup for India – a version with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for $ 24,999 or $ 335. This is so unfair.

Any mid-range Android phone will have a difficult time against the iPhone SE that launched earlier this year. Apple’s $ 400 mid-range has the same A13 Bionic SoC as larger iPhones, which means it’s faster than even the most expensive Android phones, at a fraction of the price. While the benchmarks are top-notch, it will run them on a small 4.7-inch, 60Hz display with a very dated design thanks to the huge bezels. By spending a lot on the screen, at least OnePlus has some sort of argument here, with a much bigger, smoother, faster screen and a more modern design. The iPhone SE is also much more expensive in Europe than it is in the US It runs € 499, or $ 571, so OnePlus really undermines Apple.

The Nord ships via oneplus.com on August 4.