After months of speculations, leaks, anticipation, and weeks for teasers, OnePlus has finally launched its latest smartphone, OnePlus Nord. The company just shared the details regarding the launch on the global stage. Nord is the first affordable sub Rs 30,000 smartphone that the company has launched in 4 years. The company has claimed that the new device marks a new beginning for the company. This device is also a way for the company to reclaim its roots of making somewhat affordable smartphones. It also confirmed that Nord is not really a one-time experiment. Instead, it is a permanent addition that will offer more options to OnePlus fans. Also Read – OnePlus Nord, Buds launch at 7:30PM today in India: How to watch the event and what to expect
OnePlus shared the information around different variants and availability beyond specifications and pricing. As per the launch, the company offering multiple RAM and internal storage variants with some India-specific options. These include, 6GB RAM with 64GB storage, 8GB RAM with 128GB, and 12GB RAM with 256GB storage. The base variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage is priced at Rs 24,999. Beyond this, the 8GB RAM variant is priced at Rs 27,999 and the 12GB RAM is priced at Rs 29,999. OnePlus has already conducted several rounds of pre-orders in India and Europe before the launch. However, the device will go on sale from August 4, 2020 (the base model will launch in September). Also Read – OnePlus Nord design details out with two color options; Indian version spotted on Geekbench
Interested users can head to Amazon India or OnePlus.in to place their pre-orders for Nord. Beyond the usual price, the company has also teamed up with Amazon India, Reliance Jio, and American Express for some launch offers. These offers include benefits worth Rs 6,000 for Jio users and Rs 2,000 off on the purchase for America Express Card users and no-cost EMI offers. One can also use the exchange offers available on Amazon.in and OnePlus.in to further push down the price of the device. As per the launch, I got my hands on the much-anticipated smartphone days before the launch. Here is my first impression of the OnePlus Nord. Also Read – OnePlus Nord design revealed by the company; goes on pre-order today on Amazon India
Premium design on OnePlus Nord
The first thing that anyone will notice about OnePlus Nord is obviously the design. OnePlus has tried its best to offer a premium, top-of-the-line design in the mid-range segment. In fact, the design feels far better in the plastic and glass than the renders. We got the Marble Blue variant. Inspecting the past options, this may just be the best color options that OnePlus has offered in quite some time. The company has added Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back to prevent any damage.
Beyond the glass front and back, we also get a color-coordinated plastic frame with metal finish on the sides. The rest of the aspects including the button placement is identical to past and current OnePlus devices. Talking about the rear and front camera setup design, we have already seen such designs in multiple smartphones across brands. Overall, the device feels premium and fresh along with that hint of familiarity.
Why does Nord matter to you, and OnePlus?
After you ready about the design, I am sure some may be confused. One may even think that why do we need a new smartphone series if nothing is new or unique. Considering the hype, and marketing associated with Nord, it is easy to think that the company transformed the design to opt for something experimental and revolutionary. However, the goal here is to try something that already works, but in the mid-range. Beyond the design, there are two more aspects or segments that make Nord stand out. These include the Camera and the vale.
Camera
With a total of six cameras on the smartphone and impressive Sony sensors powering the primary cameras, this section is expected to be strong. The company wants to ensure that smartphone users have enough options while capturing an image. We took the camera for a brief spin and the initial results are good. However, we still need to test the camera setups properly before sharing anything.
That value
The second thing that is obvious and likely the primary reason for the presence of Nord is value. The smartphone maker gradually slipped into the flagship smartphone segment leaving the enthusiast crowd without a proper option. As mentioned above, the company wants to go back to its roots with the help of Nord.
OnePlus Nord specifications
We already know the headline features for the Nord as part of pre-launch teasers. However, now that the device is here, there are the final specifications for OnePlus Nord. The smartphone will feature a 6.44-inch FluidAMOLED display along with a 90Hz refresh rate, 20:9 aspect ratio, and FHD+ resolution. It features a 2,400×1,080 pixels resolution. We also get Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back for protection. As previously noted, Nord will run on Snapdragon 765G SoC with an Octa-core CPU and Adreno 620 GPU.
We have already mentioned the RAM and storage options above. To reiterate, the device will feature up to 12GB LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB UFS 2.1 storage. Speaking of variants, the company is also offering the device in two color options including Blue Marble, and Gray Onyx. Like any other supported OnePlus device, we get Android 10-based OxygenOS 10.5 out of the box. We get a quad-camera setup and a dual-camera setup on the front. The rear camera features a 48-megapixel primary camera with a Sony IMX586 sensor along with EIS and OIS support. We also get an ultra-wide-angle lens with an 8-megapixel sensor, 2-megapixel macro sensor, and 5-megapixel depth camera.
The rear camera also features a dual-LED flash unit along with support for 4K video at 30fps. We also get a Slow motion video recording with 1080p at 240fps and a built-in video editor. On the front, we get a 32-megapixel primary camera with a Sony IMX616 sensor and 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. The company has added 4K at 60fps video along with a face unlock feature on the front. Other features include 5G, in-display fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C port, dual nano-SIM slot, alert-slider, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, GPS with NavIC, and Wi-Fi. The device runs on a 4,115mAh battery with Warp Charge 30T support.
First Impressions
OnePlus seems to have done it again with Nord, albeit after a mind-numbing blitz of promotions and marketing. The best part about the device is that the hardware seems to back the claims as well as the design. Beyond this, the starting price of Rs 24,999 makes it a compelling offering. This concludes our first impressions of the OnePlus Nord. It is worth noting that we need to properly test the device and put it through its paces. Stay tuned for our comprehensive review for the OnePlus Nord next week.