TechRadar Verdict
The OnePlus Nord 2 is an exciting addition to the mid-range phone market, with some high-end specs and a great experience so far. Whether this will be the best phone at this price point remains to be seen, but so far it seems like a top choice.
Pros
- +
Strong performance
- +
Fantastic fast charging
- +
A good camera experience
Cons
- -
Only 90Hz screen
- -
Lacklustre design
- -
No IP rating
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Two-minute review
Historically, OnePlus has been about making high-end phones for a lower price than the competition. The same can’t be said for the latest OnePlus 9 series, but the OnePlus Nord 2 is taking on that mantle.
The mid-range phone market is an extremely competitive space, with great options from the Google Pixel 4a to the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, but the OnePlus Nord 2 features specs that allow it to hold its own in that space.
In fact, the OnePlus Nord 2 is one of the very best phones in this segment of the market. It features some impressive specs including a 50MP main rear camera, 65W fast-charging and a 6.43-inch 1080 x 2400 display with a 90Hz refresh rate.
That screen offers a good experience, although some will be disappointed that the company hasn’t stretched to a 120Hz refresh rate here. That said, it offers good picture quality at a suitable size for many people.
One odd quirk is that the company has moved to a MediaTek chipset for the very first time, but it was seemingly the right decision, as we’ve found it offered improved performance when compared to the original OnePlus Nord.
The other highlight of the OnePlus Nord 2 is strong battery life, as we found it would always last a full day of usage even when we were pushing the phone to its limits. If you find it doesn’t, there’s also 65W fast charging that sees your phone go from 0% to full in just 30 minutes.
The OnePlus Nord 2 doesn’t have any game-changing features, but as a total package it offers a top experience that many will enjoy considering its lower price than a lot of other phones right now.
So if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to a flagship, you should consider the OnePlus Nord 2 alongside the tough competition (such as those phones mentioned above) and note that it has a great camera experience, strong battery life and more going for it.
When we say 'cheaper', it's actually got even more affordable since it launched. This is mostly thanks to the Nord 2T coming along as a slight improvement in a few departments.
OnePlus Nord 2 release date and price
The OnePlus Nord 2 isn’t available everywhere you can buy OnePlus phones, as it’s mostly restricted to Europe (including the UK) and India. If you live in the US or Australia, you won’t be able to buy this phone.
It is on sale in the UK now from a variety of retailers, including John Lewis, Amazon, Three and O2.
In the UK, the OnePlus Nord 2 costs £399 (about $550, AU$750) with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. If you want 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage you’ll find the price increases to £469 (about $650, AU$875).
Design
The OnePlus Nord 2 isn’t a big departure from the brand’s first mid-range phone (the original OnePlus Nord), but the design has changed in a couple of ways. This is still a solidly built smartphone, although some may find the design a touch lacklustre.
The rear of the handset is made of glass, and it feels smooth under your finger. The camera elements jut out slightly from the rear of the phone, but that’s a trend you’ll find on most modern smartphones.
The rear of the device is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 while a new camera module design, inspired by the OnePlus 9, sits on the top left.
The OnePlus Nord 2 doesn’t feel particularly big, and it sits in your hand well. It weighs 189 grams, and it’s 8.2mm thick.
The left edge features the volume rocker, and the opposite edge is home to the silence switch (a feature unique to OnePlus phones in the Android space) and the power button. That silence switch allows you to cycle through either a silent mode, a vibrate mode or having your phone on full volume. The bottom edge of the phone features the USB-C port as well as a speaker and the SIM card tray.
It isn’t waterproof - there’s no IP rating here - so we wouldn’t recommend submerging this handset in water.
The phone is available in Gray Sierra, Blue Haze and Green Wood as its three shades. Not all regions will get all three shades though, with Green Wood sadly only designed to be available in India.
We’ve pictured the Blue Haze version of the phone throughout this review. OnePlus has a unique shade with Blue Haze, and while not everyone will like it, between the three available options there should be something suited to most people.
Display
The OnePlus Nord 2 features a 6.43-inch 1080 x 2400 resolution AMOLED display with around 409 pixels per inch and a 90Hz refresh rate. That means the image will be smoother than some other phones around this price, but it won’t be as slick as the screen you’d find on the OnePlus 9 Pro or some other top android phones.
That may be a touch frustrating for anyone moving from a 120Hz phone, but that’s a rare scenario. It’s likely your current handset has a 60Hz screen, and in that case you’ll notice this bump in refresh rate even though it won’t be the absolute top experience.
Otherwise, the display on the OnePlus Nord 2 is a great experience, and it includes a good in-screen fingerprint scanner. We found this to work quickly, and this isn’t always a feature you’ll find on phones at this price point.
The device sports slim bezels on the sides and a thicker bezel on the top and the bottom. On the top left, you also get the camera cutout which blends nicely, and you will hardly notice it once you start using the device. The viewing angles are good, but the outdoor readability is just average.
The AMOLED screen is flat, and it’s very similar to the one we’ve seen on the original Nord. But, OnePlus has worked on MediaTek’s open resource architecture (DORA) and it has added some AI-centric features like AI Resolution Boost, and AI Color Boost, which brings up more vibrant colors.
This works well and you can see the difference while playing videos. OnePlus says that AI Color Boost is compatible with YouTube, MX Player, and VLC, while the AI Resolution Boost is compatible with YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram.
The OnePlus Nord 2 also supports HDR playback and additionally supports HD streaming on apps like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.
Camera
The rear of the OnePlus Nord 2 features three camera elements, with the main focus being the 50MP Sony IMX766 primary sensor with an aperture of f/1.88 and optical image stabilization (OIS).
The same sensor is also seen on the OnePlus 9 Pro’s ultra-wide camera. This is followed by an 8MP ultra-wide lens (f/2.25), and a 2MP mono lens (f/2.4). For selfies, the Nord 2 sports a 32MP single-lens camera, which might seem like a downgrade from the dual selfie cameras on the Nord, but OnePlus has used a better sensor here 一 the Sony IMX615, which is quite impressive.
The OnePlus Nord 2 has a very capable main camera that not only shines in the daylight, but offers excellent performance in low-light with night mode as well. The main camera can shoot images without much noise and produces excellent colors.
The saturation level, dynamic range, and white balance are all on point. The HDR mode does a great job as well here and we’d urge you to take images with HDR on so that all images are eye-popping and of course, social media-worthy.
The Nord 2 uses AI technology to recognize 22 different scenes automatically such as food, indoor or animals, and adjusts the color and contrast level to suit. You also get AI video enhancement for video recording, which improves color and contrast in recordings.
While the Nord 2’s daylight performance is very good, it takes a huge leap when it comes to low-light scenarios. With night mode features turned on, the Nord 2 captures excellent images without losing much detail, and retaining colors and highlights.
While the images still bring a bit of noise, this is by far the best low light performance we’ve seen around this price. Overall, the night mode is worth checking out if you are getting the device. It is also worth mentioning that the night mode takes about five seconds to capture the photo, but the wait is worth it as you can see from the images in this review.
Not only that, but the phone also captures surprisingly good images with 2x and 5x digital zoom 一 while it misses out on a macro sensor, the 5x zoom did help capture some decent close-ups.
The 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera brings a broader view and it does a good job during the daytime but struggles with details and color at night. Lastly, the 2MP mono lens can take black and white pictures which are best served in the day 一 but, we don’t see you using this feature very often.
Selfies are handled by a 32MP Sony IMX615 - that’s the biggest front camera sensor on any OnePlus phone yet - and we found the results to be satisfactory. You can also choose how much bokeh you need with a slider.
Lastly, in terms of video shooting, the OnePlus Nord 2 can go up to 4K at 30fps, though the chipset is capable of handling 4K at 60fps. In terms of quality, the phone did perform well and the OIS made the whole process smooth and enjoyable.
In a nutshell, the OnePlus Nord 2 has a great set of cameras that offer excellent all-around performance 一 day, night, selfies, and videos. If you’re looking for a versatile shooter, this could be it.