The OnePlus Nord N20 5G is a new cheap phone with solid specs

A OnePlus Nord N20 5G from the back, held in someone's hands
(Image credit: OnePlus)

The OnePlus Nord line just keeps on getting bigger, with the latest addition being the newly announced OnePlus Nord N20 5G.

For now, this phone is only headed to the US, and is initially just available through T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile, where it will be sold starting on April 28 and cost $11.75 a month for 24 months, for a total of $282 (around £215 / AU$380).

While its predecessor - the OnePlus Nord N10 5G – also made it to the UK, OnePlus has confirmed to TechRadar that the N20 5G won't be coming to the UK or Europe - though that doesn't rule out other regions such as India, where OnePlus has a big following.

What the OnePlus Nord N20 5G is definitely set to do is become available beyond T-Mobile, as from “early summer” it will be sold unlocked by other retailers.

So what does your $282 get you? Well, the OnePlus Nord N20 5G has a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen, a mid-range Snapdragon 695 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a microSD card slot, a 4,500mAh battery with 33W charging, and a triple-lens camera, with a 64MP main sensor joined by monochrome and macro cameras.

The OnePlus Nord N20 5G also has 5G and an in-screen fingerprint scanner, but only a 60Hz refresh rate. As a result, it feels a bit behind the times there, especially as the Nord N10 5G has a 90Hz panel – albeit an LCD rather than AMOLED one.

Its Android version is also slightly behind, being Android 11 (overlaid with the company’s OxygenOS).


A OnePlus Nord N20 5G from front and back, against a dark background

(Image credit: OnePlus)

Analysis: how the Nord N20 5G fits in

You might be wondering where the OnePlus Nord N20 fits in the wider Nord lineup, and the answer is above the OnePlus Nord N200 5G but below the OnePlus Nord 2 5G.

However, the OnePlus Nord 2 5G isn’t available in the US, so the Nord N20 5G will be top of the line in the country where it’s set to be sold.

Of course, while it sits high in the Nord lineup, this is still very much a mid-range handset, with the OnePlus 10 Pro offering far better specs at a far higher price.

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.