The OnePlus Nord was a very well-received smartphone from the brand, one which stood out in part thanks to having a lower price than the OnePlus 8 range. However, it didn’t get a global release, landing just in Europe and parts of Asia. In the days following the launch though, OnePlus confirmed that a Nord-branded phone would land in the US this year.
What's more, some sources suggest the phone could be unveiled on October 26, which is today at the time of writing.
While the company hasn't shared any details about this phone, leakers have, painting a picture of a ‘OnePlus Nord Lite’ that should be even more affordable than the standard Nord. In fact, it's now looking like there will be two models - a OnePlus Nord N10, and an even cheaper OnePlus Nord N100.
That said, name of the phone(s) is slightly unclear at this point. Beyond the names above, some leaks suggested that it could be called the OnePlus Aurora, while others refer to it as the Nord Lite, and we've also heard mention of the OnePlus Clover - though that's said to be a codename.
Name aside though we are starting to hear some things about the phone, all of which you'll find below.
Update: Full specs for the OnePlus Nord N100 have leaked, alongside a possible price.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? An even more affordable OnePlus smartphone
- When is it out? Possibly October 26 (today!)
- What will it cost? Even less than the OnePlus Nord
OnePlus Nord Lite release date and price
OnePlus didn’t suggest a timeline for its next phone launch (except “later this year”), but a leak has suggested that the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100 (two phones which look to be OnePlus Nord Lites in all but name) will be unveiled on October 26.
That's today at the time of writing, so we might officially learn about the OnePlus Nord Lite very soon. We'd take this with a pinch of salt given that we're now so close to that supposed launch with no official news, but OnePlus did tease the existence of both phones in a recent tweet.
As for what the OnePlus Nord Lite will cost, one source listed a price in India of Rs 16,000 - 18,000, which, taking the middle value of that, would be roughly $230 / £175 / AU$320. That's substantially less than the £379 / Rs 28,000 (around $480, AU$680) starting price of the OnePlus Nord.
The actual price could be even less than that conversion suggests though, as according to an "insider source", an upcoming OnePlus phone will cost just $200 (roughly £150 / AU$275).
We've also heard more recently that the Nord N100 (the likely cheaper of the two rumored models) will cost just €199 (roughly $235 / £180 / AU$330).
Of course that doesn't help us much with other regions as we wouldn't expect an exact price comparison, but it should mean the new phone is a fair bit cheaper than the OnePlus Nord. That's if any of these leaks are right, but we'd take them with a pinch of salt for now.
Design and display
We don't know much about the design of the OnePlus Nord Lite yet, but if it does indeed launch under that name then it's likely to look similar to the Nord.
However, it's unclear whether the phone will retain the Nord's glass back, as given the likely lower price we wouldn't be surprised if it moves to plastic. The one leaked image we have seen (below) doesn't reveal much but does suggest a different camera block shape.
📷 / 🔵 pic.twitter.com/RnFOB239y8October 21, 2020
As for the screen, that's rumored to be a 6.52-inch 720 x 1560 IPS LCD one. That OnePlus Nord. We've heard that again in specific mention to the OnePlus Nord N100, while the OnePlus Nord N10 is said to have a 6.49-inch FHD+ screen with a 90Hz refresh rate.
Indeed, OnePlus has mentioned that all of its phones from now on will have a high refresh rate too, so if no exception is made for the Nord N100, it could be one of the most affordable phones with a 90Hz panel.
Performance
This is where things get complicated as we have multiple sources claiming multiple different chipsets for the OnePlus Nord Lite. The OnePlus Nord Lite was first rumored to come with a Snapdragon 690 chipset, which was said to bring 5G at an affordable price - even cheaper than the Snapdragon 765G in the standard Nord.
Another source though claims that the Nord Lite might come with an even cheaper chipset like the Snapdragon 662 or the Snapdragon 665, neither of which support 5G.
And since then we've heard talk of an even lower end Snapdragon 460 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage (plus a microSD card slot).
A benchmark though has pointed to 6GB of RAM, so there's some disagreement there too.
Part of the confusion likely comes from the fact that there are probably two phones, with the higher-end OnePlus Nord N10 having one of the mid-range chipset options, probably with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while the Nord N100 probably has the Snapdragon 460 alongside 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
It's also looking like the OnePlus Nord N10 will probably support 5G, while the OnePlus Nord N100 probably won't.
Camera and battery
The OnePlus Nord has a whole lot of cameras, with four on the back and two on the front, and while we don't know for sure what the OnePlus Nord Lite will offer yet, we'd expect the number to drop.
Indeed, one camera rumor suggests there will be three rear cameras - a 13MP main one and then a pair of 2MP ones (likely serving depth and macro purposes). That's been backed up by a more recent leak that specifically refers to the OnePlus Nord N100 as having that combination, along with an 8MP front-facing camera.
That said, reports suggest the pricier OnePlus Nord N10 might actually stick with four rear snappers, including a 64MP main one, an 8MP ultra-wide, and two 2MP ones.
As for battery, recent leaks point to the OnePlus Nord N100 having a 5,000mAh one.
Another source suggests the OnePlus Nord Lite (or one of the two models at least) will have a surprisingly massive 6,000mAh one. That's bigger than the 4,115mAh one in the standard Nord. It's possible that the 6,000mAh battery is headed for the N10 5G, or that only one of these leaks is right.
The same source points to 18W charging, a speed which is looking likely, as a certification on the TUV Rheinland website (a company that manages tech standards) list a new 18W charger from OnePlus.
That would be a significant step down from the 30W charging of the OnePlus Nord, but should still juice the phone up at a reasonable rate.
OnePlus Nord Lite: what we want to see
We're still waiting for OnePlus to announce its next Nord, but here's what we want from it.
1. A super low starting price
With a starting price of £379 (around $480, AU$680) the OnePlus Nord is already fairly affordable, but that's undoubtedly a mid-range price. For the OnePlus Nord Lite we want the price to be significantly lower still, so it can compete with the likes of the Moto G range.
2. A high refresh rate display
OnePlus has always been about the experience as much as raw specifications. So to keep up the feeling of smoothness that the brand's phones are known for, we hope that the OnePlus Nord Lite has a 90Hz display, even if that means switching to an LCD panel.
3. Versatile cameras
When it comes to cameras, the Nord has a whole lot of competition. From the simplicity of the Google Pixel 4a's capable single-lens snapper to the high-resolution quad-camera setups from brands like Redmi and Realme, there are a lot of affordable options for photography fans.
So for the OnePlus Nord Lite, we hope the camera experience isn't diluted too much from the full fat Nord. If OnePlus can deliver lots of cameras at a low price on the Nord Lite, then it could have a seriously tempting phone on its hands.
4. Fast charging
All currently available OnePlus phones charge fast and we don't want that to change for the OnePlus Nord Lite.
Sadly, there's evidence that it might only have 18W charging, rather than the 30W of the Nord, but even that would be reasonable if the price is right.
5. Wide availability
The OnePlus Nord is only available in select parts of the world, and notably isn't available in the US or Australia. For the OnePlus Nord Lite we'd like to see wider availability, with those regions covered as well as the UK - so buyers there have a choice of which Nord to opt for.
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