OnePlus Nord 2: Everything you need to know

OnePlus started out as the “flagship killer” company. However, over the years the brand has put less emphasis on the “killer” aspect and instead just delivered premium flagships — complete with premium prices. The Nord line — and the 2021 OnePlus Nord 2, in particular — see the company wading into once-familiar waters.

To be clear, the Nord 2 is definitely not going to be an adequate replacement for a OnePlus 9 Pro. However, the specs, design, and features should satiate budget-conscious buyers who don’t want to make too many spec sacrifices.

Below, you’ll find everything we know about the OnePlus Nord 2! Be sure to bookmark this page, as we will update it with new information as it comes.

See also: A history of every OnePlus phone so far

OnePlus officially revealed the OnePlus Nord 2 on July 22, 2021. It became the third Nord-branded phone of 2021, behind the OnePlus Nord N200 and OnePlus Nord CE.

Like the original Nord, the Nord 2 will not land in all of OnePlus’ usual markets. Instead, the phone will only be available in the United Kingdom, Europe, and India. OnePlus fans in the United States will be left without a premium mid-ranger for the time being. Buyers in that market will need to make a tough choice between the flagship OnePlus 9 or the budget Nord N200.

The Nord 2 will be available from OnePlus.com on July 28 and will start at £399 (~$543) in the UK and €419 ($494) in Europe. That would be for the model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. A more premium 12/256GB version will cost you £469 (~$639) or €519 (~$611). In India, the phone starts at Rs. 27,999 (~$375) for an India-exclusive model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage. Stepping up to the 8/128GB variant will cost you Rs. 29,999 (~$402), while the top-of-the-line 12/256GB version will be available for Rs. 34,999 (~$470). 

The rest of the specs are all pretty good for a phone in this price range. It has a decent camera system, plenty of RAM and internal storage, Wi-Fi 6 support, a large battery, and a crisp 90Hz AMOLED display. It also has the usual OnePlus design elements and its popular Oxygen OS 11 skin.

However, the Nord 2 will face a lot of competition in its price bracket. Buyers who aren’t already locked to OnePlus will have plenty of options that could deliver great specs at equal or even lower pricing. See our “Alternatives” section further down for more.

Raw specs aren’t everything when it comes to a great phone. However, they are a very important piece of the puzzle. Check out the OnePlus Nord 2 specs below.

The main imaging sensor is a 50MP Sony IMX766. That’s the same sensor you’ll find underneath the wide-angle lens of the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro. That results in some decent imagery, although not as good as what we’ve seen in those more premium phones.

On the front, you’ll find a 32MP Sony IMX615 sensor. The original Nord had two cameras up front, so this might seem like a downgrade, but this one sensor is much better than either of those in the original Nord. Interestingly, this is the largest-ever selfie sensor in a OnePlus device.

Outside of hardware, there are some highlights to note. The rear and front cameras support Nightscape which should allow some decent low-light performance. The rear main sensor also supports optical image stabilization which will be a boon to folks who like to shoot video.

There’s a 4,500mAh battery inside the OnePlus Nord 2. That’s the same capacity battery in the more expensive OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro.

During our time with the Nord 2, we saw good battery life. However, we only saw it when we didn’t have the high-performance mode active. With that turned on, the Dimensity 1200 chewed through the battery with little abandon. If you want even somewhat decent battery life, you should avoid turning the performance mode on.

See also: OnePlus’ Warp Charge 65 is how to do proprietary charging in 2021

Thankfully, you’ll find a 65W charging brick in the box with the OnePlus Nord 2. That’s a fast enough charger to bring your phone from empty to full in just over 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging support with the Nord 2. You’ll need to bump up to at least the OnePlus 9 for that feature. In India, however, the OnePlus 9 Pro is the only model equipped with wireless charging support.

The MediaTek Dimensity 1200 inside the Nord 2 is not an off-the-shelf model. Instead, OnePlus and MediaTek worked together to incorporate additional AI technology into the chipset. That means it should do all the things you expect from a D1200, but also more.

In our benchmark tests, we found the Nord 2 handily beat out the original Nord when it comes to raw processing power:

Keep in mind, though, that processing power isn’t the be-all-end-all for smartphones. For example, the D1200 is great at power efficiency, but when you turn on the phone’s high-performance mode, battery life suffers considerably. In other words, the processor is capable of great feats, but it won’t last you very long if you push it.

Additionally, we found the OnePlus Nord 2 gets quite hot when performing processor-intensive tasks. Once again, this was incredibly apparent with high-performance mode active. With that on, the phone gets hot enough that it’s uncomfortable to hold.

The bottom line here is that the phone is capable of being a performance beast, but its power is unsustainable in real-world applications.

Although OnePlus hasn’t confirmed as much, its past statements heavily suggest that this phone is the first to incorporate Oppo’s Color OS as a codebase. This is something that will come to all current OnePlus phones when Android 12 launches. OnePlus contends that this will make updates faster and more stable.

However, that doesn’t seem to have affected OnePlus’ update promise for this device. The OnePlus Nord 2 will get the standard two years of Android upgrades (Android 12 and Android 13) and three years of security patches. This fails to match Samsung’s promise for its own mid-rangers.

There are some notable differences between the original OnePlus Nord and the OnePlus Nord 2. However, the phones are still quite similar in a lot of ways. With that in mind, OnePlus Nord owners might want to think a while before upgrading.

Here are the major differences between the two phones. Do note that these aren’t all the differences, but just the highlights:

• Processor: The MediaTek Dimensity 1200 is a superior chipset to the original Nord’s Snapdragon 765G. However, that’s only when it comes to raw performance. The D1200 is more powerful, yes, but the SD765G is more stable and better at controlling heat and battery consumption.
• Cameras: The original Nord had a quad-camera on the rear and a dual-cam selfie system. The Nord 2 drops lenses on both ends with three on the back and one upfront. However, the quality of those lenses/sensors goes up, which may allow it to deliver superior performance.
• Power: The battery in the OnePlus Nord 2 is 385mAh larger than the one in the Nord. It also charges at 65W, which is more than twice as fast as the 30W of the original Nord.

Other than those items, last year’s Nord is very similar to this year’s. The phones are almost exactly the same size, have very similar displays, and have similar RAM/storage configurations. Even the Blue Marble color seen above is very close to the Blue Haze you see on this year’s Nord 2.

Check out a few OnePlus Nord 2 alternatives you should consider below.

• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G (£399): Samsung’s 2021 mid-range offering is pretty great. It starts at the same price as the Nord 2 and surpasses it in a few areas, including a faster display refresh rate (120Hz), a superior primary camera sensor, and a far better update promise. However, you’ll lose out on 65W charging and the chipset performance will certainly be weaker.
• Poco F3 (£339): If raw processing power is your core concern, the Poco F3 should be on your radar. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 inside could handily go up against the Nord 2’s Dimensity 1200. There are even a couple of other perks, including a 120Hz display refresh rate and a slightly bigger battery — not to mention a lower price. You’ll need to sacrifice some other perks though, such as 65W charging, the Nord 2’s superior camera system, and the