OnePlus stealth-drops the Nord N30 5G, its new budget smartphone
Without any sort of formal announcement or tease, OnePlus recently revealed its next mid-range device for the US: the Nord N30 5G, a direct successor to the Nord N20 5G.
Although the new model still runs on a Snapdragon 695 chipset, the Nord N30 5G introduces a variety of hardware upgrades. The processing unit is paired up with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. It runs on the company’s proprietary OxygenOS software which, itself, is “based on Android 13”.
On the front is a 6.72-inch (about 170 millimeters) LCD display with Full HD Plus resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels) and a 120Hz refresh rate. Additionally, there’s a punch hole at the top center of the screen for the 16MP (megapixel) selfie lens.
Slight differences
Looking in the back, you’ll find the three-camera system led by a 108MP lens with f/1.7 aperture, backed up by a two-megapixel depth lens and a two-megapixel macro lens. Users will be able to shoot videos up to 1080p resolution (1920×1080 pixels) at 30 FPS. It is good to see the rear camera system getting an upgrade. If you read our review of the Nord N20 5G, you’ll find that while we liked the phone, the camera left a lot to be desired.
Other notable features include a 5000mAh battery supporting 50W SuperVOOC for fast charging, a fingerprint scanner on the side, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The last entry may not seem like a big deal, but with so many smartphones nowadays eschewing a physical audio jack, we thought it was worth pointing out.
Availability
If any of this rings a bell, that’s because the Nord N30 5G is nearly identical to the Nord CE 3 Lite with a few differences.
For example, the Nord CE 3 Lite comes with noise cancellation whereas the Nord N30 doesn’t. The battery on the Nord CE 3 Lite supports 67W SuperVOOC meaning its fast charging capabilities are a bit better. The Nord N30, however, does come with a few extra features not present on its cousin such as Screen Flash for better-illuminated selfies and Face Unlock allowing facial recognition on the device.
You can pre-order the Nord N30 5G right now for $299 – the exact same price point as the N20 5G – on OnePlus’ website. It will only be available in one color: Chromatic Gray. No word if there will ever be a Pastel Lime green like with Nord CE 3 Lite. We reached out to OnePlus asking if there are plans to increase the color options and for clarification on software patches. Another online report states the Nord N30 5G will get just “one major Android update.”
This story will be updated at a later time.
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