OnePlus Nord 2 vs OnePlus 9: What’s the rumoured difference?
OnePlus is rumoured to be announcing a successor to the affordable OnePlus Nord in the form of the Nord 2. While no official details have been revealed as yet, there are plenty of rumours surrounding the device, indicating what it might offer and how it could fit into the OnePlus line up.
We’ve put the rumoured specifications of the OnePlus Nord 2 up against the OnePlus 9 to help you work out which OnePlus device might be right for you, and whether you should wait for the Nord 2.
OnePlus Nord 2 vs Nord: What’s the rumoured difference?
Design
Nord 2: 160 x 73.8 x 8.1mm, plastic?9: 160 x 74.2 x 8.7mm, 192g
The OnePlus Nord 2 is expected to look very similar to the OnePlus 9. Based on the leaked images of the device, there will be a rectangular camera housing on the rear with two larger prominent lenses and one smaller lens below with the flash adjacent to the smaller lens.
An alert slider and power button are expected on the right edge, while the volume rocker is expected on the left. A punch hole singular front camera is expected to be positioned in the top left corner of the flat display and no official IP rating is expected. Materials haven’t been leaked yet, but we suspect a plastic back is likely, if not a plastic frame too.
The OnePlus 9 has a rectangular camera housing on the rear and looks pretty much how the Nord 2 is expected to look but its third lens sits centrally below the other lenses in the housing on the rear, with the flash positioned higher up and Hasselblad branding also included. The housing also appears to be slightly wider than the Nord 2.
The alert slider, power button and volume rocker are all in the same position as the Nord 2’s are said to be, and there is a single punch hole camera in the top left of the flat display again. There is no official IP rating on the 9, though it has a glass rear and a plastic frame.
In terms of physical size, it looks like the Nord 2 will be almost identical to the OnePlus 9, though fractionally narrower and slimmer.
Display
Nord 2: 6.43-inch, Full HD+ (411ppi), 90Hz refresh rate9: 6.55-inch, Full HD+ (402ppi), 120Hz
The OnePlus Nord 2 is rumoured to be coming with a 6.43-inch AMOLED display with a Full HD+ resolution that is expected to be 2400 x 1080, resulting in a pixel density of 409ppi.
The OnePlus 9 meanwhile, has a 6.55-inch display, making it slightly larger than what is expected for the OnePlus Nord 2, despite rumours suggesting they are the same size. It has a Full HD+ resolution, with a pixel density of 402ppi.
The OnePlus 9 has a refresh rate of 120Hz, while the OnePlus Nord 2 is said to be coming with a 90Hz refresh rate. There is an under-display fingerprint sensor on the OnePlus 9, which the Nord 2 is also expected to offer.
Hardware and specs
Nord 2: MediaTek Dimensity 1200, 8/12GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, 4500mAh9: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, 8/12GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, 4500mAh
According to reports, the OnePlus Nord 2 will run on the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset, which is said to be similar in performance to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series. It’s said it will be supported by up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage.
There’s claimed to be a 4500mAh battery capacity under the hood, with support for fast charging, though it is not clear whether it will offer 30W or 65W.
The OnePlus 9 runs on the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, supported by up to 12GB RAM and up to 256GB of storage. It has a 4500mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging, and support for wireless charging too. The Nord 2 is not expected to offer the latter.
Cameras
Nord 2: Triple rear (50MP+8MP+2MP), 32MP9: Triple camera (48MP main + 50MP ultra wide + 2MP mono), 16MP front, Hasselblad partnership
The OnePlus Nord 2 is rumoured to be coming with a triple rear camera, consisting of a 50-megapixel main sensor, an 8-megapixel secondary sensor and a 2-megapixel sensor, though that’s currently all the information detailed in leaks.
The OnePlus 9 also has a triple camera, made up of a 48-megapixel main camera with f/1.8 aperture, a 50-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera with f/2.4 aperture and a 2-megapixel monochrome sensor. It also has Hasselblad tuning on board.
The Nord 2 is said to have a 32-megapixel front camera, while the 9 comes with a 16-megapixel front camera.
Conclusion
Based on the speculation, the OnePlus Nord 2 and the OnePlus 9 will share a number of similarities, including design, RAM and storage options, battery cacacities and possibly even performance, depending on how the MediaTek processor compares to the Snapdragon.
It looks like the OnePlus 9 will have the slightly bigger display, with a faster refresh rate, whilst also offering wireless charging as a feature. It’s likely to be the camera department that offers the real differences between these two models though.
The OnePlus 9 starts at £629 in the UK, while we’d expect the Nord 2 to be under £400 so there’s that to consider too. Of course nothing is official yet, so things could change.
