OnePlus Nord reveal date leaked – and it's coming very soon

OnePlus finally confirmed the existence of the OnePlus Nord in June, prompting a slew of leaks and rumours to roll in for the OnePlus mid-ranger.

The Nord (previously known as the OnePlus Z or OnePlus 8 Lite) is set to be the company’s most affordable entry for the 2020 smartphone market and we can’t wait to see how it compares to other cheap phones coming out this season. Here’s everything we know so far.

OnePlus is marketing the Nord as a more budget-friendly alternative to its flagship OnePlus 8. This means the handsets main competition will come in the form of Apple’s iPhone SE 2 and Google’s yet-to-be-announced Pixel 4a.

This week we heard rumours of a second, even more affordable OnePlus phone along with an apparent complete list of specs.

Scroll down to read up on all the latest leaks and rumours about the OnePlus Nord, including the expected price, specs and a slightly unusual phone launch.

Related: OnePlus 8 Pro review

OnePlus Nord name confirmed

OnePlus has officially revealed the name of its next budget phone, and it isn’t the OnePlus Z or the OnePlus 8 Lite. The OnePlus Nord is open for pre-order in Europe and India, with some Americans able to nab it through a limited beta process. How that beta release will work is yet to be determined.

Little else is known about the Nord right now, but read on to see all the latest rumours and leaks on the OnePlus mid-ranger.

OnePlus Nord release date

• OnePlus Nord will be unveiled on July 21

OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus Nord will be unveiled in “the world’s first AR smartphone launch” on July 21.

The company hasn’t been entirely clear on how an AR phone launch will work (we’re picturing Pokémon Go but with OnePlus Nords instead of Eevees) but OnePlus has been handing Nord AR Cardboards out to select Instagram followers to ensure they get the best experience.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of a July 21 announcement, as an invite to the digital event was leaked just the other week. While its a little later than the July 10 launch we’d been hoping for, the AR release is sure to be interesting and we can’t wait to see what OnePlus has in store.

OnePlus Nord price

• OnePlus Nord will cost less than $500

The OnePlus 8 is currently the cheapest option in the brand’s range, costing £599/$699. As a more budget-friendly option, the OnePlus Nord is sure to undercut this.

TechRadar spoke to Assistant Head of Nord Carl Pei last week, who confirmed that the Nord will be €500 in Europe and less than $500. While he didn’t provide any specifics for the UK, that’s already a lot more affordable the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro.

During an interview with Fast Company back in May, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau revealed that he wanted to return to making great all-rounders at unbelievably low prices. Considering OnePlus was once known for its seriously low-priced handsets it’d be great to see the company try and make this sector it’s own again.

The OnePlus Nord is already open for pre-orders, despite the fact the price has yet to be confirmed. Keen OnePlus fans can reserve themselves a Nord for £20 before completing the order when the phone is officially released. The next pre-order is scheduled for July 15 at 10am CEST, so make sure to check in then if you want to bag yourself one of the initial handsets.

We’ve also seen a glimpse of the retail box for the OnePlus Nord courtesy of the brand’s Instagram page. OnePlus seems to hype up the sturdiness of the box and its ‘sleek new design’. Hopefully, it’s doing this for the humour value, which we can only assume it is.

View this post on Instagram

We know we’ve only got one chance to make a first impression, so we’ve designed OnePlus Nord’s packaging to stand out with a sleek, sturdy new design with OnePlus at its core. Oh, and the phone won’t let you down either. #OnePlusNord

A post shared by @ oneplus.nord on Jul 6, 2020 at 5:17am PDT

OnePlus Nord camera

• OnePlus Nord will feature two front and four rear cameras and is likely to pack OIS

OnePlus confirmed on Instagram that the Nord will boast two front cameras and a rear quad camera setup. The company also revealed the layout of the snappers in a video that brags, “if you don’t like cameras, we’ve really messed up”. The front cameras will be arranged in a horizontal pill shape, while the four on the rear appear to be squeezed into the top left corner in a vertical line.

It looks like OnePlus is going big on the camera here. Carl Pei retweeted a tweet stating the OnePlus Nord would would include a camera system with OIS (optical image stabilisation), though other details weren’t disclosed.

Flagship camera incoming https://t.co/dWaGlrRmEz

— Carl Pei (@getpeid) July 6, 2020

Related: Best camera phones

In the past, OnePlus cameras have not performed quite as well as the rest of the package, relatively speaking, but it seems promising that this device appears to share a bigger camera set-up than the OnePlus 8. Overall, we found that camera set-up to be good for a mid-ranger, so we reckon it’s likely that the OnePlus Nord will perform well given its price point even though there might be better snappers out there for your money.

Our best look at the phone comes from the ‘Dear Past’ video below. We’ve also pulled out a screenshot for the best view of the back. The video teases the long camera sensor on the back and the dual selfie camera on the front.

OnePlus Nord chipset, 5G and specs

OnePlus has had a strong history of releasing phones with the very-best internals available. All its flagship phones so far have boasted the very latest chipsets from Qualcomm and it was one of the first to introduce 5G in 2019 with the 5G version of the OnePlus 7T Pro. Even when it was a brand that solely focused on ‘budget’ devices they would still be equipped with internals that were, at the time, far more common on higher-priced models.

With the OnePlus Nord, things are a little different. In the same TechRadar interview we mentioned above, Car Pei revealed the Nord will be powered by the Snapdragon 765G. This is a supremely popular chipset currently and you’ll find it in phones like the LG Velvet and Moto Edge. The headline feature of this chipset though is the 5G modem, which means the Nord will match the 8 and 8 Pro in offering support for the 5G data networks.

Sorry Guys It's Snapdragon 690 5G Processor. https://t.co/SoLa9gqQhD

— Abhishek Yadav (@yabhishekhd) July 11, 2020

A recent Geekbench listing (via Abhishek Yadav) describes a OnePlus phone with a clock speed of 1.71GHz and 6GB RAM to the Nord’s previously listed 1.8GHz clock speed and 12GB RAM. Tom’s Guide has noted that this could be the Snapdragon 690 5G chipset. As Pei has already confirmed that the Nord will be powered by the 765G, we wonder whether this could be a sign of a pared-down Nord Lite or another entry into OnePlus’ affordable line up.

In terms of RAM, the Nord could ship with a whopping 12GB of it if benchmark data is to be believed. We wouldn’t be surprised if there was an 8GB option too, as this has been OnePlus way for previous launches.

Said by a tipster to come from a virtual Nord training presentation, this lines up quite well with what we already know (save for the phone imagery, which is an obvious placeholder). Let the debunking begin! pic.twitter.com/pA5N4oxJOF

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 9, 2020

A recent leak (via Evan Blass) supposedly shows off pretty much the entire spec sheet. The tipster claims the info comes from a virtual Nord training presentation and it does appear to fit well with what we already know.

Specs from this leak include 8GB and 12GB RAM options that would confirm the previous benchmark tests, along with 128GB and 256GB storage.

The leak also lists more details for the camera setup, including an ultra wide lens and a macro lens. The phone will reportedly be packed with a 4,115mAh battery and warp charging. As far as design is concerned, the handset is rumoured to come in Blue Marble, Gray Onyx and Gray Ash colour variations.

OnePlus Nord screen

The OnePlus Nord is reputed to have a 6.4-inch AMOLED display, which will include an under-display fingerprint scanner for secure unlocking. Agarwal adds that the screen will have a 90Hz refresh rate, which would represent quite the coup for a handset at this price point; this enhanced specification should ensure smoother scrolling that matches last year’s OnePlus 7T Pro flagship.

As seen in the images further up the page, this screen appears to be flat rather than curved around the edges, which many customers will see as a plus point due to its practicality, rather than the premium feature that curved displays can sometimes be perceived to be.

 

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