OnePlus Nord 2 vs Nord: What’s the rumoured difference?

OnePlus is rumoured to be working on a successor to the OnePlus Nord in the Nord 2. It’s expected to arrive before the end of the summer.

Though nothing is yet official, there are plenty of rumours surrounding the OnePlus Nord 2 to give us a good indication of how it might compare to the OnePlus Nord.

Here is how the OnePlus Nord 2 differs from the original Nord, based on the speculation.

Design

Nord 2: 160 x 73.8 x 8.1mm, plastic?Nord: 158.3 x 73.3 x 8.2mm, 184g, glass and aluminium

Based on the leaks, the OnePlus Nord 2 will offer a slightly different design to the original Nord, taking cues from the OnePlus 9 series instead. It is expected to come with a large rectangular camera housing on the rear, with two prominent camera lenses and one smaller lens.

On the front, the OnePlus Nord 2 appears to have a punch hole camera in the top left corner of its display and an under-display fingerprint sensor is expected. It’s said the Nord 2 will measure 160 x 73.8 x 8.1mm, which is slightly taller than the original Nord.

The original Nord meanwhile, has a pill-shaped camera housing on the rear, with three camera lenses. There is a dual punch hole camera on the front in the top left corner of the display and it too has an under display fingerprint sensor.

There is no official IP rating for the OnePlus Nord, and there isn’t expected to be on the OnePlus Nord 2 either. The Nord has the signature OnePlus alert slider, which the OnePlus Nord 2 is also expected to offer.

Display

Nord 2: 6.43-inch, Full HD+, 90Hz refresh rateNord: 6.44-inch, Full HD+, 90Hz refresh rate

The OnePlus Nord 2 is said to be coming with a 6.43-inch display, offering a Full HD+ resolution, likely to be 2400 x 1080. This would deliver a pixel density of 409ppi. 

It is expected to have an AMOLED panel and it is said to be coming with a 90Hz refresh rate. 

The original Nord meanwhile, has a 6.44-inch display with a Full HD+ resolution of 2400 x 1080, which delivers a pixel density of 411ppi. It offers a 20:9 aspect ratio and it too has a 90Hz refresh rate.

The Nord has a flat display, which the Nord 2 is also expected to offer.

Hardware and specs

Nord 2: MediaTek Dimensity 1200, 8/12GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, 4500mAhNord: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, 8/12GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, 4115mAh

The OnePlus Nord 2 is reported to be coming with the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 processor under its hood – said to have the same performance as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series chips. There’s said to be up to 12GB of RAM support and up to 256GB storage.

In terms of battery, the OnePlus Nord 2 is said to be sporting a 4500mAh cell, which is said to support fast charging, though it is not clear whether this will be 30W or 65W. 

The original OnePlus Nord runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, supported by up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage.

It has a 4115mAh battery capacity and it supports fast charging but not wireless charging.

Cameras

Nord 2: Triple rear (50MP+8MP+2MP), 32MPNord: Quad rear (48MP+8MP+5MP+2MP), dual front (32MP+8MP)

The OnePlus Nord 2 is claimed to come with a triple rear camera that offers a 50-megapixel main camera, along with an 8-megapixel secondary camera and a 2-megapixel third camera. No further details have been reported here.

The Nord 2’s front camera is said to be a 32-megapixel sensor. 

The OnePlus Nord has a quad rear camera comprised of a main sensor, ultra-wide sensor, macro sensor and a depth sensor. The main sensor is 48-megapixels with an aperture of f/1.75, the ultra-wide is 8-megapixels with an aperture of f/2.25 and a field of view of 119-degrees, the depth sensor is 5-megapixels with an aperture of f/2.4 and the marco sensor is 2-megapixels with an aperture of f/2.4. The main sensor offers OIS and EIS.

On the front, the Nord has a dual front camera made up of a 32-megapixel main sensor and an 8-megapixel ultra wide angle sensor.

Conclusion

Based on the speculation, the OnePlus Nord 2 will offer a refreshed design over its predecessor, closer in-line with the company’s flagship offering, whilst also offering a slightly larger battery capacity, and maybe support for faster charging. 

The Nord looks like it will have an extra camera lens on the rear and front compared to the Nord 2 – though this doesn’t automatically translate to better results – and it of course has an older processor. The display, RAM and storage appears to be similar between the Nord and Nord 2 though.

For now, nothing is official regarding the OnePlus Nord 2 so we will update this feature when the official specs are in. You can read all the rumours surrounding the device in our separate feature.