OnePlus is going back to its roots with the launch of its OnePlus Nord line, focusing on creating a complete device at an affordable price. The first device in that series will be out soon, and thanks to OnePlus co-founder Pete Lau, we now know how cheap it will be. You’ll also be able to reserve your own order soon, but you may have a hard time landing on the first wave.
“Nord will be our first product under $ 500 in recent years,” Lau said during the first part of a documentary series OnePlus began posting on the OnePlusLiteZThing Instagram page on June 30.
And while there are plenty of details about the device that OnePlus has yet to confirm, the company still allows a small number of customers to preorder one tomorrow (July 1). Specifically, 100 pre-orders will be released, according to the Android Authority, who saw the announcement in the Instagram story OnePlusLiteZThing.
The under $ 500 segment has become an increasingly competitive arena for phone makers, who are finally responding to calls from more affordable high-end phone customers.
Google set the stage last year, with the $ 399 Pixel 3a and $ 479 Pixel 3a XL. Apple has brought that torch with the second-generation iPhone SE for $ 399. And Samsung’s Galaxy A series has put the Galaxy S design and elaborate multi-lens image stacks within reach of budget-conscious buyers.
With this upcoming Nord device, OnePlus will seek to offer something different than the fray. Although OnePlus has acknowledged the existence of the Nord, the company has yet to reveal any details about the phone, so all we have to follow in terms of design and specs are rumors.
Those rumors suggest that the first OnePlus Nord product will be powered by a Snapdragon 765 chipset, which offers 5G connectivity despite lacking any grunt compared to the flagship 865 chipset that’s inside the $ 899 OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. The exact number of camera lenses is still unclear, but you can expect several of them, perhaps in the front and rear. And the screen is expected to measure 6.4 inches from corner to corner, although it is not yet known whether the OnePlus 8’s 90Hz refresh rate will hit the cheapest device.
We will probably learn all these details soon. The first documentary episode of OnePlus ends with the phrase “Our journey continues on July 7.” That means the next episode may drop, or maybe the OnePlus Nord will be fully revealed on that date or even start shipping. Mark your calendars, friends.
