Ever since the release of the OnePlus One back in 2014, OnePlus has strived to merge affordability with performance. The pursuit of providing performance at an affordable price got them the tag “Flagship Killer”. Over the years the company also slowly ventured into the highly competitive mid-range and entry-level budget market with their Nord and N series respectively. As the Q2 of 2022 approaches, there has been a buzzing rumor about the OnePlus Nord N20, the entry-level budget device from OnePlus this year. Here is everything that is known so far about the device.
Leaks and Rumours of OnePlus NORD N20 5G
The global launch date of the OnePlus Nord N20 is not known yet. The supposed release date in the US is slated to be on the 28th of April with T-Mobile being the exclusive carrier of the device in North America.
Design and Build Quality
The N series devices have been the bare entry-level devices from OnePlus. So expectedly, there are a lot of cut corners and it all starts with the build. The build quality of the device itself is pretty solid. But the device is made of plastic on the back and the frame with a glass front. The front of the device is protected with Gorilla Glass 3 which brings better protection for the front compared to the previous iterations. Overall, the device and its build quality are acceptable considering the price.
The design of the device echoes the iPhone 12 with its boxed edges and the vertical camera module. The buttons and port selection are as usual with the retained 3.5 mm headphone jack and the standard Type-C port. The sim slot will include a hybrid setup for the second sim or a micro SDXC.
There is also an under-display fingerprint scanner on the device. This was a pleasant surprise considering that OnePlus is bringing the under-display fingerprint tech even to the budget segment devices. However, it’s not all happy and good. The fan-favorite alert slider is absent this year as well. It’s apparent that going forward, OnePlus will not include the alert slider in the budget devices.
Display
Other than the design, the display has the biggest upgrade here. The OnePlus N10 featured an IPS LCD panel. Now the choice of LCD panel in the budget segment is understandable but it doesn’t compete with the AMOLED panels in any way. Fast forward to the Nord N20, and OnePlus has gone with an FHD+ AMOLED panel.
This is the same panel found on the OnePlus 7 so the quality is uncompromised here. The blacks look deep with high contrast. OnePlus AMOLED panels are calibrated on warm tones. But users can easily change the tone as per their liking from the display settings. The panel does not support HDR 10+ content nor does it have a high refresh rate. But that is acceptable considering the aggressive price of the device.
Camera
The OnePlus Nord N20 features a triple camera setup. There is a 48 MP f/2.8 wide-angle main sensor. There is an additional 8 MP as well as 2 MP ultrawide and depth sensor respectively. The sensor housing on the main lens and the ultrawide one has been designed to be significantly larger compared to the depth sensor. The vertically aligned sensors bring that distinct iPhone 12 look to the N20.
Speaking of the camera performance, the main sensor delivers more than enough. The sensor can capture a great number of details on the subject all the while preserving the dynamic range. The portrait mode works better on the N20 than it did on the N10 and the edge detection seems more on point here. There are certain exposure issues as the lens might struggle while moving fast from low light to brightly lit areas.
The OnePlus dedicated night mode is back here and this alone gives the camera a perfect advantage over its market competitors. The high exposure in dimly lit environments eliminates grains and noises drastically. The videography of the N20 is rated at 1080P at 30 fps max. considering the capable sensor, OnePlus could’ve definitely pushed for at least 60 fps but the processor limits the ability here.
Processor and Performance
The OnePlus Nord N20 5G features the mid-range Snapdragon 695 5G processor based on the 6 Nm architecture. The 600 series have mainly been the entry-level processor from Snapdragon replacing the 400 series. On top of that, using the octa-core processor with 2 2.2 GHz Kryo 660 Gold and 6 1.7 GHz Kryo 660 Silver chip design means the performance of the device will be near the mid-range category than entry-level ones.
And the performance shows in UI and daily usage. The phone absolutely blazes through simple tasks like navigation, browsing social media, or consuming content. The processor also performs fairly well in gaming. Graphics intensive 3D titles like Asphalt 9 and Call of Duty see a few frame drops here and there at max settings. But the main problem here is that the device gets heated very fast. So it’s better to stick to 2D games here.
.
The global launch will feature the Oxygen OS from OnePlus on top of Android 11. This is a letdown considering most devices launching in Q2 are already coming with Android 12. Other than that, it’s a decent-performing device, not too fast, not too slow either.
Battery and Charging Time
The exact battery capacity of the OnePlus Nord N20 is not known yet. But given how the device resembles the entry-level market with a not-so-powerful processor, it is expected that the battery will range between 4500 to 5000 mAh. There will be a 30 W wired fast charge included with the device.
OnePlus NORD N20 5G Official Price in Bangladesh
The OnePlus Nord N20 5G has not yet been officially announced in Bangladesh. However, the device will go on sale in the USA for 282 dollars exclusively through T-Mobile. That roughly brings the price in Bangladesh to around 24,381 BDT (1 USD = 86.46 BDT). However, the price may change depending on the tax, supply, and company policy.
Verdict
The OnePlus Nord N20 5G is an incremental update on the entry-level device from OnePlus. Even though it’s a year-on-year release, it still brings noticeable developments in the processor, camera, and display departments. The device isn’t a gaming phone in any way, so heavy users shouldn’t go for this device. Rather it’s aimed at people looking for a casual device at an affordable price.