OnePlus Nord 2 5G, a OnePlus device we have been waiting for since the brand made its way into the market, is now available and what we have always associated OnePlus with are good specs and better pricing. Over the years, we saw a jump in the price of smartphones and were wondering if OnePlus is drawing back on its biggest USP. Well, Nord 2 5G seems to have been a good rethinking by the brand in terms of price and specs.
Specifications: OnePlus Nord 2 5G sports a full-HD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and supports HDR10+. OnePlus has used the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 processor to power the Nord 2. You get 6GB, 8GB and 12GB LPDDR4X RAM options with the OnePlus Nord 2, and either 128GB or 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Storage is not expandable on the Nord 2. There is support for dual 5G, 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, and five satellite navigation systems. The OnePlus Nord 2 is a dual-SIM device.
Design: OnePlus Nord 2 5G takes its cues from its family. Looks a lot like the 9 Series. It has a big 6.43-inch display with a hole-punch camera on the top left corner. The panel has thin bezels, and only the chin is slightly thicker. You get a glass back for a premium feel and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection at the front and back. The button placement is quite good, with the power button on the right and the volume buttons on the left of the frame. The device is easy and comfortable to hold. The alert slider, a common sight on most OnePlus smartphones, is on the right just above the power button. The device misses out on a 3.5mm headphone jack. You get a secondary microphone on the top. The USB Type-C port sits at the bottom next to the dual-SIM tray.
I have the Green-Wood for review and what wins my heart is the back of this device. The mat finish nicely finished back. Making it look so distinctive and unique. If you want a device based on looks, get this one. You get your regular camera module is on the top left corner, and packs in three sensors. They are coloured in lighter green with a chrome-looking frame making it feel and look premium.
Software & performance: OnePlus Nord 2 runs OxygenOS 11.3 on top of Android 11. You get Google apps along with a few OnePlus apps and Netflix preinstalled on the device. OnePlus guarantees two years of software updates and three years of security updates with the device.
The device does offer a smooth experience. The default setting is at 90Hz, therefore using the device is a sleek and easy process. Using multiple apps and even using the device for video meetings didn’t lag or crash out at all. Did give the device to a gamer and the response was positive. High graphic games fared well will not result in high loss of battery.
Camera: OnePlus Nord 2 5G has a triple camera setup with a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 primary camera. The primary camera has an f/1.88 aperture and OIS. There’s also an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a 119.7-degree field of view, and a 2-megapixel mono camera.
The primary lens gives you desirable images with no quality loss. You can capture memorable images which look natural. The ultra-wide-angle will capture enough but not up to the mark.
The portrait mode does its job well. Separating the object well from the background keeps the edges crisp.
OnePlus has introduced Nightscape Ultra mode on the Nord 2 to capture better photos in low light. It might take longer to capture an image on the Nightscape Ultra mode, but the results are brighter and better.
You get a 32 MP front camera and the selfies derived are as good as you would have wanted.
Overall, the camera is great in daylight and bright lighting. The Ultra-wide might not be the best but now you have Nightscape Ultra mode making your night and low light photography great.
Video recording tops out at 4K 30fps on the Nord 2.
Battery: The OnePlus Nord 2 weighs 189g and packs in a 4,500mAh battery. To top up the battery quickly, it comes with a Warp Charge 65W charger in the box which can be capable of taking the battery to 58 percent in 15 minutes and 98 percent in 30 minutes.
Verdict: Nord 2 5G is a device for everyone. Well priced with good specification. You get the device at a starting price of Rs 27,999 for the base variant which has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There’s also an 8GB RAM, 128GB storage variant priced at Rs 29,999, while the top-of-the-line option with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is priced at Rs 34,999. Nord 2 is available in blue haze, gray sierra, and green-wood.