Tuesday, 30 June 2020

OnePlus Z or OnePlus Nord release date, price, leaks

The OnePlus Nord price and name are confirmed

OnePlus Nord

The OnePlus 8 Pro (Image credit: Future)OnePlus has a new, affordable phone and it's called the OnePlus Nord. We don't have a concrete release schedule yet, but we do know its price and name, and it's likely it won't be too long until we hear more about the phone.The new OnePlus Nord phone has a lower price tag than the OnePlus 8, addressing the concern many had about that device in its big price hikes up from the OnePlus 7 series, but it's no budget device either.While there was much speculation over the name - with OnePlus Z, OnePlus 8 Lite and OnePlus Nord all being rumored, the latter has now been officially confirmed as the name for the upcoming affordable smartphone.So when is this enigmatic OnePlus phone coming, and what will it look like? Well, there are various leaks surrounding the OnePlus Nord and we've compiled all the information below. We've also come up with a small wish-list on what we want to see.Latest news: The new, affordable OnePlus phone is confirmed to be called the OnePlus Nord and we also now know the OnePlus Nord price.

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? An affordable (not cheap) OnePlus smartphone
  • When is it out? Possibly July 10, limited pre-orders July 1
  • How much will it cost? Under $500 (around £410, AU$730)

OnePlus Nord release date and price

  • OnePlus Nord price: confirmed to be "below $500"
  • OnePlus Nord pre-orders: limited pre-orders available from July 1
  • OnePlus Nord release date: rumored for July 10
The OnePlus Nord release date is yet to be confirmed, but it's close. The firm has confirmed that it will open OnePlus Nord pre-orders at 9am BST (4am EDT / 1am PDT) on July 1, but there's a catch - only 100 units will be available to pre-order.
No further details about the pre-order have been revealed just yet, but we'll update this article once we know more. If past OnePlus sales events are anything to go by, that stock could disappear in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.As for when the OnePlus Nord release date will be for general sale, a recent rumor points to July 10That's backed up by a tease from OnePlus itself that included the word 'July', and an earlier leak that pointed to the same month.
What we do know is the OnePlus Nord price. OnePlus has confirmed it will be "below $500".
That makes the OnePlus Nord comfortably cheaper than the OnePlus 8, which starts at $699 / £599 (about AU$1,100) - which is good, as OnePlus has been teasing the 'affordable' handset for a while now.
We wouldn't be surprised if "below $500" translates to $499, rather than an even lower price tag - but you could always keep your fingers crossed for something cheaper.

OnePlus Nord name

It is official, the affordable OnePlus smartphone is called the OnePlus Nord.
After several months of rumors surrounding a trio of names - OnePlus 8 Lite, OnePlus Z and, most recently, OnePlus Nord - it was the more bizarre of the three which ended up being the real deal.
It's not clear why OnePlus chose the Nord name, or how well it will translate across different countries and languages around the world, but we now have a name to put to the gaping void where the face of the phone should be, only OnePlus hasn't actually shown us it yet.

OnePlus Nord leaks and rumors

OnePlus Nord leak
The leaked OnePlus Nord render (Image credit: @OnLeaks / 91mobiles)
OnePlus Nord render gave us an idea of the phone, and it actually showed a phone that doesn’t look all that different from the main OnePlus 8 series, with a ‘punch-hole’ cut-out central to the top of the display, rear cameras in a bump to the left of the device, and seemingly no 3.5mm headphone jack.
We've also seen live hands-on pictures of the phone, that generally seem to back that render. The screen is flat, which is a change from the other OnePlus 8 devices, but the picture didn't show the back of the phone.
Just before the OnePlus 8 announcement a huge leak laid bare all three phones, including the Lite device. This leak said the Nord will have a 6.4-inch screen, 48MP + 16MP + 12MP rear camera combination, 16MP front camera, 4,000mAh battery, and Mediatek 1000 chipset. 
It’s worth noting, however, that leak got the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro wrong in a few ways, so take the information with a huge pinch of salt. In addition, a separate leak suggested the OnePlus Nord will actually have a Snapdragon 765G chipset, which is a bit better but doesn't come with 5G baked in.
One of the latest spec leaks also points to a Snapdragon 765 chipset, along with 6GB of RAM, a triple-lens rear camera with 64MP, 16MP, and 2MP sensors, a 16MP front-facing camera in a punch-hole, a 6.55-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, 128GB of storage, an in-screen fingerprint scanner,and a 4,300mAh battery with 30W fast charging. 
Having said that, another leaker has said these specs are wrong, so we'd take them with a serious side of salt, especially as there's some disagreement on what specs the OnePlus Nord will have.
Indeed, an even more recent specs leak has said that the OnePlus Nord will have a dual-lens front-facing camera with a 32MP main sensor and an 8MP wide-angle one, both in a cut-out in the top left corner of the screen.
surprise tease of the phone on a talk show suggested it will have three rear cameras, though, so it seems this part of the leaks could be correct.
That said, another trusted leaker has put out a teaser that suggests we may see the OnePlus Nord have four rear cameras. We'd still expect it to have three cameras, but exactly what to expect for the rear shooter is currently unclear.
Finally, a benchmark test listing for what seems to be the OnePlus Nord suggests it could have as much as 12GB RAM, which is a surprising amount for what we imagined to be an affordable phone. The same listing suggests the phone will have 5G connectivity and a Snapdragon 765G chipset, as previously mentioned.

OnePlus Nord: what we want to see

Here we've compiled everything we want to see in the OnePlus Nord, when it comes out.
OnePlus 8 Pro
The OnePlus 8 Pro's rear cameras (Image credit: Future)

1. Triple camera combo

If a smartphone has a main, ultra-wide and telephoto lens, it gives you versatility to take photos in a range of different situations. However, most budget smartphones lack the telephoto camera instead favoring a macro or depth-sensing snapper, meaning they aren’t great for long-range pictures.
We’d like to see the OnePlus Nord come with these three cameras, so the device is great for photography in a range of situations. It’s unlikely, since the base OnePlus 8 missed this combo, but we can dream.
OnePlus 8
OnePlus 8 had a 90Hz screen (Image credit: Future)

2. A 90Hz display

While new top-end and even mid-range smartphones are starting to pack displays with 90Hz or even 120Hz displays, affordable devices are rather late to this party, and it’d be no surprise if the OnePlus Nord had a 'standard' 60Hz screen. 
However, as people who have used 90Hz or even 120Hz screens will attest, they can be great to use, as it makes scrolling content smoother whether that’s on social media or swiping between menus.
The OnePlus 8 had a 90Hz display so the Nord won't beat that, but we'd love the affordable phone to match it, especially as currently almost all affordable phones have 60Hz displays.
OnePlus 8 Pro
OnePlus 8 Pro was a 5G phone (Image credit: TechRadar)

3. 5G connectivity

Like with high-refresh-rate screens, there are no 5G phones on the market at time of writing that are truly 'affordable', as even the 5G phones with the lowest price tags are actually mid-ranged in price, and with only okay specs too.
For the plenty of people looking to get 5G connections without having to spend loads of money, a 5G OnePlus Nord would be great - 5G contracts tend to be expensive enough as it is without the handset being pricey too. 
Until the launch of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite later in 2020, OnePlus would have a monopoly on the affordable 5G phone market if the Lite had the connectivity.
  • These are the best OnePlus phones you can buy

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