OnePlus Nord 5G review
OnePlus makes an emphatic return
to the mid-range

OUR VERDICT
OnePlus has
made an emphatic return to the mid-range market with the OnePlus Nord – it's an
affordable smartphone that's packed with features. There's a great screen,
plenty of power, and a set of capable cameras, all wrapped up in a package that
belies its affordable price.
FOR
Affordable
with flagship qualities
Premium
design
Plenty of
camera features
AGAINST
Average
battery life
Limited
notifications space
No IP rating
for water resistance

The difference between 2014 and 2020 however, is that the
market has moved on significantly, and OnePlus is no longer the challenger
brand looking to upset the apple cart. The OnePlus Nord finds itself in a crowded
mid-market filled with equally feature-rich devices, making it tougher for the
phone to stand out.
With rival devices such as the Google Pixel 4a, Poco F2 Pro,
Realme X50 5G, Moto G 5G Plus and Mi Note 10 Lite, there's never been a better
time to be in the market for an affordable flagship device - and it makes the
Nord's job that much harder.
The OnePlus Nord price is eye-catching though, and the
handset offers plenty for your money. OnePlus says the Nord is "pretty
much everything you could ask for", and it's got a point.
There's a sizable display offering a smooth user experience,
enough power under the hood, and plenty of cameras, all wrapped up in a premium
design. It looks good, it feels good in the hand, and it performs superbly.
With so many cameras – OnePlus has possibly gone a little
over the top here – you get a wide range of photography options from portrait
and macro to ultra-wide and nightscape modes, plus 4K video recording at 30fps
with both the front and rear cameras. There's also up to a 10x zoom, plus
slow-motion video recording at 1080p and 240fps.
The negative points on the OnePlus Nord are minor: there's no
headphone jack, no IP rating for dust and water resistance, and no wireless
charging on offer.
The battery life is average – it should see you through a
day, but this is a phone you'll need to be charging every night – and there's
not much room for notification icons across the top of the display, thanks to
the dual selfie cameras.
The bigger point here is, where does the Nord leave the
firm's top-tier handsets? If the OnePlus Nord really is "pretty much
everything you could ask for", why should anyone (especially OnePlus'
price-conscious fans) fork out considerably more cash for the OnePlus 8 or
OnePlus 8 Pro? It'll be interesting to see how the Nord's arrival affects
future sales of the brand's flagship devices.
Should I buy the OnePlus Nord?

Buy it if...
You want an affordable,
all-but-flagship phone
OnePlus burst onto the smartphone scene back in 2014 claiming
that it had a 'flagship killer' in the OnePlus One, but the prices of its
phones have risen over the years to the point where they were no longer
low-costs alternatives, but part of the premium pack. The OnePlus Nord takes
the brand back to its affordable roots, delivering an almost-flagship
experience at a lower price.
You want a 5G phone which
doesn’t break the bank
The OnePlus Nord is one of the cheapest 5G phones available
right now, so even if 5G isn't available in your area just yet, you can be safe
in the knowledge that the Nord will be ready for it when it does arrive. Plus
you get two years of guaranteed Android updates, and three years of security
updates, which all adds up to some nice future-proofing.
You want photography
flexibility
Six cameras may be a little over the top, but it does mean the
OnePlus Nord offers a wide range of photography options, from ultra-wide
cameras on the front and back, a dedicated macro camera and a new night mode,
to slow-motion recording and 4K, 30fps video capture on the main rear and
selfie cameras.
Don’t buy it if…
You want water-resistance
reassurance
Unlike the 8 and 8 Pro, the OnePlus Nord doesn't carry an IP
rating, which means there's no guarantees as to its dust- or water-resistance
abilities. OnePlus says it's dunked the handset in 30cm of water for 30 minutes
without issue, but you'll have to take its word on that.
You get a lot of notifications
The OnePlus Nord has dual front-facing cameras, which is nice
and all, but they do take up extra space on the front of the phone. As these
reside in a punch-hole in the display, it means a chunk of screen real estate
has been lost, chiefly along the notifications bar. If you're lucky enough to
be extremely popular, or just have lots of game notifications switched on, this
may be a problem, as only a handful of icons can be displayed in the remaining
space.
You want a long-lasting battery
The OnePlus Nord battery life isn't bad, but it's also not the
best we've seen. You should be able to get a day of use from a full charge with
moderate activity, but don't expect more than that. This is a phone you'll want
to be recharging each night – and remember, there's no wireless charging
support.
source: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/oneplus-nord