OnePlus’ new Nord phone, the N20 5G, will be available April 28, exclusively from T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile, the company announced today.
The device is a sequel to the Nord N10 5G, one of two affordable 5G phones OnePlus sold for under $400 last year.
Specs —
The Nord N20 5G has a thinner and flatter body than last year’s N10 and N100, with what looks like a matte finish and three cameras on the back. It evokes the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 flat edges (and harkens back to flat-edge OnePlus X), and at least in the photos, looks a fair bit classier than the super reflective, glossy finishes of OnePlus phones from 2021.
The front screen is a 6.43-inch, FHD+, AMOLED display with an in-display fingerprint reader. That’s a feature that’s normally reserved for flagships like the OnePlus 10 Pro or Galaxy S22 Ultra, but it does come with a trade-off — the Nord N20 5G only has a 60Hz refresh rate.
The Nord N20 5G with a Snapdragon 695 chip, 6GB of RAM, and a 4,500 mAh battery (with support for 33W fast charging). That’s the same amount of RAM as last year’s N10, but it should still help with demanding gaming and photography use-cases.
OnePlus opted for a 64-megapixel main camera along with monochrome and macro lenses, a simpler setup than the camera array it shipped on N10, though it remains to be seen if it will offer better camera performance.
What is a Nord? —
Some of the shine has come off OnePlus in the last few years. There’s a sense the company lost some of its consumer-first identity as it became more closely aligned with its sister brand Oppo, and its mid-range phone releases from 2021 lacked the bang-for-your buck power of the original Nord.
It will be interesting to see where the Nord N20 5G ultimately lands when it launches on April 28. The N20 5G will be available for $282 exclusively from T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile. You can check T-Mobile’s website for additional deals on the new Nord and other OnePlus phones.
Stay tuned for Input’s review of the new Nord coming soon.
