After the launch of the OnePlus Nord in mid-2020, we had been listening to a couple of new specced-down model that introduced among the high features to a decrease value. Initially we thought this could be referred to as the OnePlus Nord Lite; now it appears it is really the OnePlus Nord SE.
Make no mistake, it is probably the OnePlus Nord SE is the Nord Lite in all however title, and SE is a standard suffix utilized by brands like Apple and Xiaomi to indicate a finances model of an even bigger phone.
The OnePlus Nord SE is a definite thing from the OnePlus N10 5G and N100, that are, admittedly, super-affordable members of the Nord line, similar to the SE. The distinction is that we’re anticipating the Nord SE to have much more in common with the unique Nord.
OnePlus has spent the last few years giving us more top-end choices, so the brand new Nord line is an intriguing change of tempo for the corporate, and we’re to see where it goes in 2021. Possibly the OnePlus 9 will not end up being the finest OnePlus phone of next year.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? A specced-down OnePlus Nord
- When is it out? Sometime in 2021
- What will it cost? Less than £379 / €399 (around $480, AU$680)
OnePlus Nord SE release date and worth
The main OnePlus Nord SE leak we have heard factors to the phone popping out within the ‘first quarter’ of 2021, so January to March, although it additionally says the phone will come alongside the OnePlus 9. That is somewhat sooner than we had been anticipating OnePlus’ flagship to come back.
Nonetheless, it is a fairly broad leak for now, so we’ll have to attend till next year to get a greater image of when the phone will value.
So what about worth? The OnePlus Nord value £379 / €399 (around $480, AU$680), so we might count on the SE to be cheaper, probably extra so than the Nord N10 5G too, which value £329 (around $430 / AU$595). It is value pointing out the Nord did not come to the US, and the N10 5G is claimed to sooner or later but hasn’t been launched there yet. So a US release isn’t assured.
The Nord N100 costs £179 within the UK (which converts to about $230, AU$330), once more with a US launch mooted however not confirmed, however we might count on the Nord SE to value a little more than that.
Leaks and rumors
We heard loads of OnePlus Nord Lite rumors, however all of them turned out to be concerning the N10 5G and N100 – it doesn’t seem the OnePlus Nord SE was mentioned by any of them. That leaves only one leak that is explicitly about the upcoming phone.
The large leak details a few factors of the OnePlus Nord SE. Apparently, it would have 65W quick charging, a 4,500mAh battery and an AMOLED display. Does that make the phone sound suspiciously just like the Realme 7 Pro, which has all these specs, and comes from Realme which is owned by the identical firm as OnePlus? Sure, it does.
OnePlus Nord SE: what we want to see
This is what we need to see from the OnePlus Nord SE, which was initially our OnePlus Nord Lite wish-list till we discovered that wasn’t the title of the phone.
1. A super low starting worth
With a beginning worth of £379 (around $480, AU$680) the OnePlus Nord is already pretty affordable, however that is undoubtedly a mid-range worth. For the OnePlus Nord SE we would like the worth to be considerably lower still, so it can compete with the likes of the Moto G vary.
2. A high refresh rate display
OnePlus has all the time been concerning the expertise as a lot as uncooked specs. So to maintain up the sensation of smoothness that the model’s phones are recognized for, we hope that the OnePlus Nord SE has a 90Hz display, even when which means switching to an LCD panel.
3. Versatile cameras
Relating to cameras, the Nord has an entire lot of competitors. From the simplicity of the Google Pixel 4a’s succesful single-lens snapper to the high-resolution quad-camera setups from manufacturers like Redmi and Realme, there are quite a lot of reasonably priced choices for pictures followers.
So for the OnePlus Nord SE, we hope the camera expertise is not diluted an excessive amount of from the complete fats Nord. If OnePlus can ship plenty of cameras at a low worth on the Nord Lite, then it might have a severely tempting phone on its fingers.
4. Quick charging
All presently available OnePlus phones charge quick and we don’t need that to change for the OnePlus Nord SE.
There’s evidence the SE could have 65W charging which would be absolutely nice, but let’s wait to see first.
5. Wide availability
The OnePlus Nord is only available in choose parts of the world, and notably is not available within the US or Australia. For the OnePlus Nord SE we might like to see wider availability, with these areas coated in addition to the UK – so consumers there have a choice of which Nord to go for.