OnePlus reviews its best mid-range with a new top-of-the-range phone: the OnePlus Nord 2. Beautiful, well-designed and powerful hardware on paper and promising to bring the benefits of OxygenOS into the tightest pockets. Will the brand achieve what it has set for itself? We scanned the phone to verify it.
Getting a phone that stands out is tough, it’s not in vain that there are some really good mobile reps of the year. The high end tends to attract more attention, but it’s the mid-range that triumphs in stores. And in 2020, there was a smartphone that monopolized reviews and also sales: the OnePlus North; it was therefore time to revalidate the bet this 2021. Let’s see how the game went to OnePlus.
OnePlus Nord 2 tech. Sheet
OnePlus Nord 2 5G
Filter
6.43 inch AMOLED
FullHD + (2400 x 1080px), 410 dpi
Refresh to 90 Hz
Processor
MediaTek dimension 1200
RAM
8/12 GB
Storage
128/256 GB
Rear camera
Main: 50 megapixels (1.0m, 6P, OIS) f / 1.88
Angular: 8 megapixels (EIS, 119.7º) f / 2.25
Monochrome: 2 megapixel f / 2.46 2X
Front camera
32 megapixels f / 2.45
Software
Android 11
OxygenOS 11.3
Dimensions and weight
158.9 x 73.2 x 8.25 mm
189 grams
Drums
4,500 mAh
65 watt fast charge
Connectivity and sound
Dual 5G / 4G
Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ax, 2.4G / 5G, 2 * 2 MIMO
GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, NavIC
Bluetooth 5.2 (aptX, aptX HD, LDAC and AAC)
Others
On-screen fingerprint reader
Stereo sound
Cursor button for sound modes
Price
8 GB + 128 GB: 399 euros
12 GB + 256 GB: 499 euros
OnePlus Nord 2 5G with 8GB RAM and 128GB ROM with Triple Camera and 65W Warp Charge – 2 Year Warranty – Gray Sierra
Excellent build, not very tall and with a screen at the height of the high end
As soon as we take the OnePlus Nord 2 out of the box, we realize the care that the brand has taken in its construction. The body retains the original Nord plastic, as well as the double-sided glass. And it offers a very sober size in accordance with current Android trends: its 6.43-inch screen makes it a very handy mobile phone without losing multimedia enjoyment capabilities.
Rear face with the photographic module dominating the design (very similar to the OnePlus 9), glass with curved edges, smooth outline with the power button and “Alert slider” on the right side, volume buttons on the left (at finger height right) and lower edge where are the USB C, the tray for dual nano SIM (there is no extension by SD) and the output of the main external speaker (the secondary is located on the earpiece phone). The OnePlus Nord 2 does not have a headphone jack, this penalizes you; no matter how common it is.
We have already said that the screen is not too big, but that does not mean that the performance is lost: high quality Fluid AMOLED panel and well calibrated in temperature and saturation (it cannot be over-personalized, there is only a choice between sRGB and DP3 mode), refresh rate up to 90Hz, excellent contrast and decent viewing angles.
The maximum screen brightness is high, the minimum brightness could be lower (the panel is annoying in total darkness), the resolution is usual in the range (FHD + and 409 DPI), good sharpness and with the feel obvious fluidity. Many: the answer is excellent. And the optical fingerprint reader under the screen does not behave badly (it can be improved).
The OnePlus Nord 2 average performs at a high level in all sections, also in sound. Its dual stereo speaker produces great power without excessive distortion (the volume is high), it is penalized by the absence of a 3.5 mm jack, the audio via a wired headset is of very good quality (USB C adapter essential, you don’t need DAC), includes software audio enhancements (Dirac Real HD sound with seven band EQ) and the bluetooth codec list is superb. AAC, aptX (normal, HD, Adaptive and TWS +), LDAC and LDHC. We found the wireless audio to be good, although worse than cable (audio enhancements are not available with Bluetooth).
Power is a hallmark, so is its software
The OnePlus Nord 2 makes a void for Qualcomm to mount a MediaTek Dimensity 1200. The SoC struck us as more than solvent, it’s even likely to chew up high-end graphics in games like Genshin Impact or PUBG. We didn’t notice any overheating, at least with regular use (long squeezing the hardware in games causes the heat to go up without it feeling overly excessive). And the phone is very smooth at all times.
The experience with the OnePlus Nord 2 has been very positive as we analyzed it. It’s surprising how well the software moves, how fast the phone responds, and how they go from switching between apps on startup. Nobody will say that it is a mid-range according to its performance: without knowing how the software adapted to the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 will evolve, the OnePlus Nord 2 is placed at the high-end level.
From left to right, Geekbench 5, 3D Mark Slingshot and PCMark Work 3.0
Here are the usual benchmarks applied to the OnePlus Nord 2.
OnePlus Nord 2 OnePlus 8T ASUS Zenfone 8 Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Huawei p40 pro
iPhone 12 Pro
PROCESSOR
Dimension 1200
Snapdragon 865
Snapdragon 888
Snapdragon 888
Exynos 2100
Kirin 990
Apple A14 Bionic
RAM
12 GB
12 GB
16 GB
12 GB
12 GB
8 GB
6 GB
GEEKBENCH 5 (SINGLE / MULTI)
806/2 623
892/3 194
1,031 / 3,538
1,127 / 3,663
991/3272
943/2 527
1,614 / 4,148
3D BRAND
6,843
8,925
(Maximized)
(Maximized)
9 226
8,726
–
PCMARK WORK
8 282
9,304
11,113
11 691
14,043
9,476
–
We come to the software section. And no surprises: OxygenOS is one of the flagship of the OnePlus Nord 2. Android 11, version 11.3 of the layer and a detail that cannot be seen with the naked eye: this mobile is the first to integrate OxygenOS on ColorOS, OPPO Layer (The Nord 2 runs OPPO’s own applications even if the system closes them). The fluidity is constant, it lacks bloatware beyond Google apps, the cleanliness of the layer is notorious and so are its customization options. The OnePlus Nord 2 claims its software.
With the battery, the OnePlus Nord 2 sees its rating drop without dropping excessively: the autonomy is largely sufficient for a day; with an average of six and eight hours of screen time, even with heavy use. The background consumption is not high. The 4,500 mAh does not cause battery problems as long as games with a high graphics load are not abused.
While the battery remains in a decent average and no show off, the OnePlus Nord 2’s fast charging stands out with notoriety: its 65W charges the phone in three blinks. A little over half an hour to go from zero to one hundred, here are the charging times with the Warp Charge 65 charger included in the box:
5 minutes charge: 23% battery. 10 minutes charge: 44% battery. 15 minute charge: 65% battery. 20 minutes charge: 81% battery. 25 minutes charge: 90% of the battery
Total: 33 min.
Good photographic performance for the price of the OnePlus Nord 2
OnePlus attempted to take a leap in photographic quality in 2021 by partnering with Hasselblad for the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. This in the Premium range, of course, because our protagonist receives nothing from Hasselblad, at least in a remarkable way. He maintains a certain warm tendency in the treatment, a detail that we perceive in his older brothers.
At the specification level, the OnePlus Nord 2 equips a triple rear camera with a Sony IMX766 50 megapixel main sensor that includes optical image stabilization (OIS), f / 9 aperture and 1/1 sensor size. , 56 inches. This main camera is accompanied by an 8 megapixel sensor with a wide angle lens, a width of 119º and an aperture of f / 2.3. The rear photographic casting is completed by a 2 megapixel monochrome sensor with f / 2.4 aperture. Its usefulness is almost zero.
The photographic performance of the OnePlus Nord 2 is of a very good level. During the day there are no major problems with automatic filming: lots of details, sufficiently bright shots, HDR works correctly and maintains a certain tendency to heat in color temperature, it can also overexpose when shooting. using touch focus.
The level of detail is good despite showing some loss of sharpness when applying a medium zoom (this is more evident in dark shots). As usual, the wide-angle camera loses its capabilities, especially in detail: watercolors even in broad daylight and some lens distortion at the ends.
The OnePlus Nord 2 offers portrait mode (good cropping, although a little artificial), night mode (often in automatic it obtains better results), it can film at 50 megapixels from the rear sensor, it has a expert (with RAW option), it includes fun filters and relevant AI to detect scenes (could be improved).
During the day he has no problem even if he often overexposes (and with the hot tendency of the white balance). Enough foreground detail and decisive auto HDR (maybe too much).
Night mode in the Oneplus Nord 2. The mobile takes its time to take the various shots and takes a uniformly lit photo, although with a white balance that is too warm. The loss of detail is notorious.
Portrait mode with the rear camera applies a large crop to the outlines, but keeps the silhouette superimposed on the scene. The rear bokeh is better done.
Portrait mode with the front camera of the Oneplus Nord 2 (32 megapixels, f / 2.5). The results can be greatly improved, both in terms of detail and white balance. The crop is good, but it looks glued to the scene rather than out of focus.
Here are some examples of cameras taken with the Oneplus Nord in different situations.
Oneplus Nord 2, the opinion of Xataka Android
It is impossible not to be attracted by the Oneplus Nord 2, its excellent hardware and software level, coupled with its attractive exterior design, make it the main target for recommendation. It is true that by price there are more powerful mobiles (in the line is the Realme GT, for example), but that does not make matters worse. The Oneplus Nord 2 does not disappoint.
The OnePlus Nord 2 and two of its official cases
The mobile is extremely fluid, the chosen SoC is not a problem (at least now, we will see future updates), the screen remains in the right dimensions to make the Oneplus Nord 2 very manageable, the sound is up to par and photography, while not bad, should be more proficient. Processing will definitely improve with future updates.
Content, powerful, loaded with features, with a very attractive design and even with fast and insane loading. What more could you ask for?
For the 399 euros available to the basic Oneplus Nord 2, you can’t ask for more or less: it has everything to convince even the most seasoned users. Especially them: OxygenOS is still one of the best layers in Android.
8.8
Design8.75
Screen8.50
Performances9
Camera8
Software9.50
Autonomy9
For
Very handy for the current trend of mobiles. Fast charging is VERY fast. Excellent fluidity at all times.
Vs
Photography needs to be improved, especially in processing. We would have liked more autonomy. Not having a 3.5mm jack or SD card is a penalty in this range.
OnePlus Nord 2 5G with 8GB RAM and 128GB ROM with Triple Camera and 65W Warp Charge – 2 Year Warranty – Gray Sierra
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