From the beginning, OnePlus has positioned its midrange lineup of Nord telephones as a inexpensive, totally separate lineup to its flagship gadgets. But with the Nord 2, which comes as a direct successor to the unique Nord launched final yr, the road between the 2 appears blurrier than ever.

While the unique Nord had its personal character, reminiscent of a novel design and unique options like an ultrawide selfie digital camera, the Nord 2 feels extra like a stripped down flagship. It’s bought a really related digital camera bump to the OnePlus 9, for instance, and though the particular sensors are completely different, its cameras fill the identical capabilities. But all of the core necessities are nonetheless there: a vibrant excessive refresh fee display screen, good battery life, and easy-to-use software program.

A extra reasonably priced, non-flagship beginning value means it’s laborious to argue with these tradeoffs. The OnePlus Nord 2 prices £399 / €399 for its 8GB RAM / 128GB storage mannequin, rising to £469 / €499 for a 12GB RAM / 256GB storage model. (OnePlus isn’t promoting the Nord 2 within the US, however these costs roughly convert to $470 and $588, respectively.) For this evaluate, I’ve been utilizing the 12GB mannequin.

With its 6.43-inch show, the OnePlus Nord 2 is a hair smaller than the OnePlus 9 (which has a 6.55-inch show), however in any other case it is a very similar-looking gadget. There’s an oblong digital camera bump on the again containing three cameras, a hole-punch cutout for the selfie digital camera on the highest left on the entrance, and a USB-C port on the underside (however sadly, no headphone jack). Biometrics are dealt with through a handy guide a rough in-display fingerprint sensor, and there’s a bodily slider to modify between silent and vibrate on the precise of the telephone.

You’ll discover Gorilla Glass on the back and front of the telephone, however since its body is plastic you would possibly wish to use a case if you happen to’re significantly nervous in regards to the body’s end sporting off. Otherwise I didn’t discover the telephone flexing any greater than a typical aluminum framed telephone. Like the unique Nord, the Nord 2 doesn’t have an official IP ranking for mud or water resistance.

Oh, and that is additionally a 5G telephone: you get sub-6GHz help, however no mmWave. Given the latter high-speed, low-range community kind has barely started to roll out within the Nord 2’s launch markets, it’s not one thing many individuals are prone to miss.

The most notable signal that this isn’t a flagship OnePlus gadget is its processor, which is a MediaTek Dimensity 1200-AI fairly than one in all Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 888 chips. Considering MediaTek is a model extra generally related to price range gadgets, I used to be apprehensive about its inclusion on the OnePlus Nord 2, however I got here away pleasantly shocked by efficiency general. Yes, you miss out on Qualcomm-exclusive options like prime quality AptX Bluetooth audio, however in any other case switching between apps was hitch-free, and the processors’ GPU fortunately made the a lot of the telephone’s clean 90Hz show whereas scrolling by even a comparatively graphically intensive Twitter feed (which, as compared, stuttered on the unique Nord). I observed the telephone being barely gradual to get up on a few events, nevertheless, however general efficiency was on a par with, if not barely higher than the unique Nord in on a regular basis utilization.

The Nord 2’s 1080p display screen is mostly laborious to fault. It does the whole lot nicely that you simply’d anticipate from an OLED show. Whites are crisp and vivid, colours are punchy, and blacks are, nicely, black. Its 90Hz refresh fee is technically a step down from the 120Hz panel that you simply’ll discover on telephones just like the OnePlus 9, however in apply I didn’t discover a downgrade.

As a bonus, this time across the Nord 2’s display screen is definitely flanked by stereo audio system (one downward-firing and one from the telephone’s earpiece), versus the unique Nord, which solely ever performed media audio out of its downward-facing speaker. You’ll nonetheless wish to use headphones for correct listening, however the audio system’ quantity meant I had no bother listening to podcasts performed out of the telephone’s audio system whereas cooking.

I bought a little bit beneath 5 hours of screen-on day out of the Nord 2’s 4,500mAh battery, simply sufficient to final by a full day with a little bit to spare. But I used to be extra impressed by the inclusion of Warp Charge 65 fast-charging right here. When charging from zero, I hit 89 p.c after a half hour, and 99 p.c after 35 minutes, which felt remarkably fast. You have to make use of one in all OnePlus’ proprietary chargers and the cable it comes with to get these speeds, however at the least you get each within the field. The Nord 2 doesn’t help wi-fi charging, which isn’t totally stunning at this value.

The Nord 2 runs on OxygenOS 11.3 out of the field, which is notable for being the primary model of OnePlus’ software program to mirror its integration with Oppo’s ColorOS, as XDA Developers reported. But regardless of the under-the-hood modifications, the telephone didn’t really feel radically completely different in on a regular basis utilization. I discovered a number of modifications within the Settings menu, although, the place a number of controls have been renamed and shifted positions barely. It meant I struggled initially to seek out OnePlus’ customary display screen calibration choices, for instance, however they’re nonetheless there in a barely completely different sub-menu. It bodes nicely for the way forward for OxygenOS, which continues to be an uncluttered tackle Android that I principally recognize for its capacity to maintain out of my method. In phrases of ongoing help, the corporate guarantees you get two main Android updates and three years of safety updates with the Nord 2, although it declined to say how common these safety updates can be.

Around the again of the Nord 2, you’ll discover three rear cameras. Its primary digital camera makes use of a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor (which OnePlus beforehand used for the ultrawide cameras on the 9 and the 9 Pro), which is flanked by a a lot lower-resolution pair of cameras: an 8-megapixel ultrawide and a 2-megapixel monochrome sensor of questionable utility. On its entrance there’s a 32-megapixel selfie digital camera, nevertheless it’s not paired with an ultrawide digital camera this time round, which makes me, personally, a little bit unhappy.

I typically favored the pictures I bought out of the Nord 2, and OIS on the principle sensor means it’s simple to get constantly sharp pictures each time you hit the shutter button. That mentioned, they undoubtedly have OnePlus’ sometimes punchy look, which prioritizes vibrancy over accuracy. It’s most evident once you take a look at panorama {photograph} pictures: I can promise you the grass within the pictures beneath was a lot much less inexperienced and far more yellow in actuality. Edges additionally are likely to have a barely over-sharpened look to them.

At night time, the Nord 2’s customary images mode routinely takes images which are nearly as vivid because the Google Pixel’s Night Sight mode, and if you happen to head into the telephone’s devoted Nightscape Ultra mode you get images that nearly seem like they have been taken in daylight have been it not for the way washed out they seem. In its customary images mode, this brightness hides the truth that low-light pictures aren’t significantly detailed, like within the picture beneath of an condo block the place the dividing traces between picket slats have been smoothed out of existence. You’ll be capable of make out your mates if you happen to {photograph} them in a dimly lit bar, however their pores and skin would possibly come out trying a little bit clean and plasticine-y within the course of.

Oddly, this vibrancy doesn’t carry over to the ultrawide digital camera, the place pictures appear far more muted and arguably extra color-accurate as compared. There’s additionally much less element due to the decrease decision sensor.

Grid View

When it involves individuals, the OnePlus Nord 2 can’t appear to withstand the temptation to brighten pores and skin tones, increase shadows, and make the whole lot look a little bit flat. Even with its beautification mode turned off, I nonetheless bought the impression the Nord 2 was avoiding exhibiting me each final wrinkle and pore in my face. To its credit score, the impact means you may barely inform I took the pictures beneath whereas sweating my method by a horrid UK heatwave, however I believe the general pictures find yourself trying blander in consequence. It’s the same story with the telephone’s selfie digital camera, though that is partially offset by the additional element from defaulting to 32-megapixel pictures, whereas the principle digital camera on the rear defaults to round 12.

OnePlus’ continued insistence on together with low-resolution monochrome sensors on the backs of its telephones is baffling. The black and white images choice that makes use of it’s nonetheless buried all the best way on the finish of the digital camera’s checklist of filters, and even when you go to the difficulty of utilizing it, I’ve but to note any distinction it makes in comparison with a software-based filter. You may even cowl up the monochrome sensor on the Nord 2 when you take a black and white shot, and the telephone seemingly continues on unperturbed.

But complaints in regards to the simply ignorable monochrome sensor apart, I believe the Nord 2’s cameras get plenty of issues proper if you happen to share its choice for vivid, colourful pictures. OIS on the principle digital camera means it’s comparatively simple to get crisp pictures, and you can do quite a bit worse at this value level.

A month in the past, OnePlus introduced the so-called Nord CE or “Core Edition,” an reasonably priced telephone which was pitched as providing the important options of a OnePlus smartphone with none additional bloat. But the extra I take advantage of the OnePlus Nord 2, the extra I believe that that is the telephone that matches that description far more precisely.

From its display screen, to its cameras, its processor, and its software program, the Nord 2 seems like a flagship telephone stripped of any pointless options. There’s no Hasselblad-branded cameras, only a fairly specced set of sensors. There’s no flagship Qualcomm chipset, however as an alternative you get a processor that has no bother dealing with the day-to-day duties of a contemporary smartphone. No wi-fi charging, however quick wired charging that greater than makes up for it.

All of this provides as much as a compelling gadget if you happen to’re trying to spend between £400 and £500 and also you’re in a market when OnePlus is definitely promoting the Nord 2. A stripped down flagship it might be, nevertheless it’s laborious to argue with what’s been left.

Photography by Jon Porter / The Verge