OnePlus Nord 2 5G: all you need to know

After weeks of teasing, OnePlus has finally officially introduced us to the OnePlus Nord 2 5G. The new smartphone from OnePlus features a lot of changes and improvements from its predecessor, including a new camera setup, a new display, and a powerful new processor. At the launch event, OnePlus also unveiled the premium OnePlus Buds Pro.

When will the OnePlus Nord 2 5G be available?

You can pre-order the OnePlus Nord 2 now, and it will be available from July 28th in Europe, including the UK, and July 26th in India. Unfortunately, the OnePlus Nord 2 5G will not be available for sale in North America.

How much will the OnePlus Nord 2 5G cost?

The OnePlus Nord 2 5G 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model will cost €399 in Europe and £399 in the United Kingdom. In the UK, you can buy it directly from OnePlus, or from Amazon UK.

UK: 8GB RAM and 128GB storage will cost £399
UK: 12GB RAM and 256GB storage will cost £469
EU: 8GB RAM and 128GB storage will cost €399
EU: 12GB RAM and 256GB storage will cost €499

Design

The design of the Nord 2 5G looks very similar to the OnePlus 9 flagship series. It has a similar camera layout, a near bezel-less display, and an overall very similar design. The Nord 2 5G is currently available in two color options — Gray Sierra and Haze Blue in Europe and the UK. But India will receive an exclusive Green Woods variant.

The Nord 2’s dimensions are the following: H 159.12mm x W 73.31mm x T 8.25 and it weighs 189 grams.

The display is a massive 6.43-inch Fluid AMOLED panel that comes with 90Hz refresh rate and is HDR 10+ certified. Both the front and back of the device are protected by Gorilla Glass 5, so that’ll not only provide a more premium feel in the hand but also protect it from accidental scratches and scuffs.

One of the main downsides of choosing the OnePlus Nord 2 5G is the lack of IP certificates. Unfortunately, it costs way too much for companies to certify their devices and include such protections, so OnePlus has decided to avoid it this time as well.

Power & Connection

OnePlus has teased us with the chipset and configurations long before the Nord 2 was even released. The new midrange smartphone is powered by the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 1200 AI chipset and has RAM configurations of 6/8GB and 12GB. As for storage, there are 128GB and 256GB options available to choose from. It’s also great to see OnePlus include the faster UFC 3.1 storage option that provides faster transfer speeds than the previous 2.X versions.

The Nord 2 is the first OnePlus smartphone to feature a MediaTek chipset, which also supports 5G. There’s also WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC on-board, but wireless charging isn’t available. Speaking of charging, the Nord 2 include the 65W Warp Charge technology that’s also used in its flagship series, so charging the 4,500 mAh battery should only take 30 minutes, according to OnePlus. The phone also has a USB Type-C 2.0 port, with support for USB OTG. On paper, the Nord 2 should have an excellent battery life and it should last a full workday quite easily.

Camera

The camera setup on the Nord 2 series is very similar to what you can find on the OnePlus 9 flagship series, not just looks-wise, but also features-wise. It has a 50MP f/1.9 primary camera with PDAF and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), an 8MP f/2.3 119-degree ultrawide sensor, and a 2MP f/2.4 macro camera. There is also a Dual-LED flash next to the cameras. The selfie camera on the front is a Sony IMX615 sensor that has 32MP. It has an EIS built-in and an f/2.45 aperture.

The cameras also feature a number of AI enhancements, which are powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 AI chipset. The enhancements improve automatic photo calibration upon taking a picture, and the videos also get stability, brightness, contrast, and other improvements to ensure it stays well balanced, clear, and sharp.

Video can be recorded up to 4K resolution and 30fps. There’s also support for 1080p video content at 30/60/240fps and it also has gyro-electronic image stabilization to ensure the content is stabilized.

How long is the OnePlus Nord 2 5G supported with Android OS updates and Security patches?

The Nord 2 is released with Android 11 and OxygenOS 11.3. OnePlus has confirmed the Nord 2 5G will receive at least two Android OS updates and three years of security patches. This means the Nord 2 5G will be receiving the next two Android software updates, and receive security patches until 2024.