After months of teasing and leaks, the OnePlus Nord has finally arrived. The OnePlus budget phone may be priced mid-range, but it has solid hardware behind it. It already reminds us of Apple’s recent iPhone SE, which also offers great performance on a lower-cost phone. But which phone is right for you? Find out in our OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE comparison.
See also: The best cheap phones you can buy today
OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE
specs
| OnePlus Nord | iPhone SE (2020) | |
|---|---|---|
| Monitor | 6.44-inch AMOLED fluid 2,400 x 1,080 20: 9 aspect ratio 90Hz refresh rate On-screen fingerprint sensor Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
Retina 4.7-inch HD 1,334 x 750 Touch ID via start button |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G Adreno 620 |
A13 Bionic |
| RAM | LPDDR4X 8GB / 12GB | 3GB RAM |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB UFS 2.1 | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB |
| Cameras | Later: – Main 48MP (f / 1.75, 0.8µm) – 8MP ultra wide (f / 2.25, 119 degrees) – 5MP depth (f / 2.4) – 2MP macro (f / 2.4) Front: |
Later: 12MP sensor with f / 1.8 aperture Front: 7MP sensor |
| Battery | 4,115mAh Warp 30T load (5V / 6A) No wireless charging |
1821 mAh Fast charge 18W Qi wireless charging |
| IP classification | None | IP67 |
| software | OxygenOS 10.5 Android 10 |
iOS 13 |
| Colors | Gray onyx Blue marble |
Black, white, red product |
| Dimensions and weight | 158.3 x 73.3 x 8.2mm 184g |
138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm 148g |
Characteristics
The iPhone SE has the same design and display as the much older iPhone 8. You can expect a 4.7-inch, 720p LCD panel with some large bezels on the top and bottom. There’s also the old Touch ID home button on the bottom and an aluminum chassis. In contrast, the OnePlus Nord has a large 6.44-inch AMOLED Fluid display, with a 90Hz refresh rate, very slim bezels, 1080p resolution, and an on-screen fingerprint reader. It has plastic rails on the side, with glass on the back, with an additional coating for a better grip in the hand.
The iPhone SE comes in three colors (black, white, product red), while the OnePlus Nord has two color options (onyx gray and blue marble).
Our initial verdict: OnePlus Nord practical: new beginnings feel familiar
OnePlus Nord has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G 5G processor inside. It’s not the fastest mobile chip available, but it should be quite powerful for most tasks, plus get 5G support. The iPhone SE has Apple’s latest Bionic A13 processor inside it, which is perhaps the most powerful mobile chip currently for sale. Unfortunately, you’re not getting any 5G support from the iPhone SE.
All iPhone SE models come with just 3GB of RAM. You can also buy the Nord with 8GB or 12GB of RAM (or 6GB in India). Both iPhone SE and Nord are sold with 64GB (Exclusive India for the Nord), 128GB or 256GB of on-board storage. The OnePlus Nord also comes with a dual SIM card slot. The iPhone SE has a high IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, but the Nord lacks that rating.
The iPhone SE has the same 12MP rear sensor and the same 7MP front camera as the iPhone 8. However, because it has the new A13 processor, cameras can still produce stellar images through post-processing. It also supports portrait mode and video capture with a resolution of up to 4K at 60fps.
Related: Apple iPhone Buying Guide: Which iPhone is Right for You?
The OnePlus Nord flies the iPhone SE, at least in terms of the number of camera sensors. There are four on the back, starting with a 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a 119-degree field of view, a 2MP macro camera, and a 5MP depth sensor. This phone is capable of taking videos in super slow motion at 240 fps. Up front, there’s a large 32MP primary sensor and an 8MP secondary ultra-wide selfie camera with a 105-degree field of view. The built-in camera app supports a number of features, including a version of night mode, which iPhone SE lacks.
The OnePlus Nord has a large 4,115 mAh battery and supports 30W fast charge. Based on other phones like the LG Velvet that have similar battery sizes and the same processor, you should expect to use the Nord all day on a single charge. The iPhone SE has a much smaller 1,821mAh, and even with the phone’s smaller size and A13 processor, this probably won’t go as far as the Nord’s largest cell. A great feature of the iPhone SE’s battery is that it supports Qi-based wireless charging, which Nord doesn’t support.
Price
OnePlus Nord will be sold in India, Europe and the UK. Here’s a quick look at the prices of all three versions of the phone:
- OnePlus Nord with 6 GB of RAM + 64 GB of storage: 24,999 rupees (exclusive to India)
- OnePlus Nord with 8 GB of RAM + 128 GB of storage: £ 379 / € 399 / Rs 27,999
- OnePlus Nord with 12 GB of RAM + 256 GB of storage: £ 469 / € 499 / Rs 29,999
Meanwhile, the iPhone SE 2020 comes in three models, all available in India, Europe, and the UK:
- iPhone SE with 3 GB of RAM + 64 GB of storage: £ 419 / € 499 / 42,500 rupees
- iPhone SE with 3GB RAM + 128GB storage: £ 469 / € 549 / Rs 47,800
- iPhone SE with 3 GB of RAM + 256 GB of storage: £ 569 / € 669 / Rs 58,300
OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE: Which one should you buy?
We still have to put the OnePlus Nord through a complete overhaul and our extensive set of tests, but the first signs are that it’s a very attractive option if you want a budget Android phone. It doesn’t contain top-notch silicon, but the Snapdragon 765G SoC has so far proven to be pretty fast for anything other than a high-end game. We also hope OnePlus has made some adjustments to get the best out of the Qualcomm processor.
Likewise, the battery and charging, storage options, 1080p AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, and all six cameras in all round out what is a comprehensive package for a phone under $ 500.
OnePlus Nord and iPhone SE have similar price tags, but take different approaches to make a great budget phone.
Meanwhile, the iPhone SE seems to make more sacrifices to bring a select number of standard features to a cheap phone. The battery is minuscule by 2020 standards, there is only one camera, and the smaller 720p screen is very stomach-friendly, but the blazingly fast A13 Bionic is a big help for Apple’s cheaper iPhone. That single camera has already shown that it can produce amazing snapshots, while OnePlus has a history of struggling with smartphone photography. Add the water resistance rating and wireless charging and you get a great OnePlus Nord alternative.
Software is also a great differentiator. OnePlus Nord runs OxygenOS, which is one of the most popular Android skins out there. Meanwhile, the iPhone SE runs on Apple’s iOS platform. Both are great in their own right, but Apple’s walled garden software approach doesn’t suit everyone. If you want a customizable operating system, OnePlus Nord should be the best option.
See also: 8 things iOS does better than Android
However, it’s worth remembering that Apple does a much better job of updating its phones to the latest version of iOS many years after the launch of a device. OnePlus is one of the best Android OEMs for long-term software support, but it has only guaranteed two years of updates.
In this case, it all depends on what you want to get out of your phone. If you’re looking for a smaller phone that still has a fast processor, the promise of several years of software updates, and one that can take solid pictures, the iPhone SE is a must check. However, if you want a phone with a bigger screen, better battery life, and a little bit cheaper, you should definitely consider the OnePlus Nord.
Of course, we’ll revisit this comparison once we’ve had more time with OnePlus Nord to see which phone really stands out.
OnePlus Nord
After years of launching only top-notch flagships, OnePlus is back in the mid-range category with OnePlus Nord. It cuts some corners, but we think a lot of people will really like this phone, especially due to its £ 379 price tag.
iPhone SE IPhone 11 power in an iPhone 8 body.
The iPhone SE offers the power of the latest and greatest from Apple, for less than half the cost.
That’s our first look at the OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE. Which one are you considering?
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