The OnePlus Nord has just launched, having been unveiled through the company’s Augmented Reality event thanks to COVID-19 woes. It’s a brand new mid-range smartphone from OnePlus, marking a true successor to the company’s last mid-range smartphone launched way back in 2015 – the OnePlus X. The OnePlus Nord has a pretty decent set of specifications for a rather acceptable price, and you can pick it up in Ireland from OnePlus’ own store. We got the chance to use both the OnePlus Nord and the OnePlus Buds ahead of their launch, and they’ve both been a pleasure to use. The OnePlus Nord starts at €399, while the OnePlus Buds cost €79.
Note: I received the Nord Blue OnePlus Nord (12GB of RAM + 256GB storage) from OnePlus on July 15th, 2020. I have used the device as my daily driver since receiving it. OnePlus did not have any input on the content of this article.
OnePlus Nord Specifications
| Specification | OnePlus Nord |
|---|---|
| Dimensions & Weight |
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| Display |
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| SoC |
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| RAM & Storage |
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| Battery & Charging |
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| Fingerprint sensor | In-display |
| Rear Camera | Photo:
Video:
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| Front Camera |
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| Other Features |
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| Android Version | Android 10 with OxygenOS 10.5 |
Hands-on with the OnePlus Nord and the OnePlus Buds
The OnePlus Nord features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, up to 12GB of RAM, and a bezel-less display. There’s a dual front-facing camera comprised of a wide-angle camera and a regular camera as well. The design is reminiscent of previous OnePlus devices, featuring an imprinted OnePlus logo and a large “OnePlus” at the bottom on the back. There’s also the company’s hallmark alert slider on the side, above the power button.
The OnePlus Nord is indistinguishable from a flagship smartphone, as the chipset contained in it is powerful and 8GB/12GB RAM is plenty for pretty much all smartphone tasks that you can imagine. I often use my phone in place of a laptop, and the OnePlus Nord does the trick for sure. Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter… all of it is handled without a hitch. I’ve been really impressed so far, especially for the starting price of €399.
The OnePlus Buds are comfortable and fit nicely in the ears, though they don’t form a seal. They’re also not noise cancelling, so it might be hard to adjust to these if you’re used to using noise cancelling earphones.
The OnePlus Buds look very similar to Apple’s AirPods, which have set the trend for the majority of the wireless earphone industry in recent years. They’ve got powerful, punchy bass and good audio quality for the price, though the convenience of fast charging and excellent battery life also help too. OnePlus says that each earphone should last you 7 hours of playtime, and the case will also add 23 hours on top of that for a total of 30 hours. OnePlus also says that 10 minutes of charge time will equate to 10 hours of playtime, which seems to be accurate as well.
The OnePlus Nord and the OnePlus Buds can be picked up from OnePlus’ own site, which serves Ireland, along with a potential Three Ireland launch in the future as well.
Buy the OnePlus Nord and the OnePlus Buds
