The OnePlus Nord 2 can handle almost everything you throw at it, and harks back to older OnePlus flagships. In the mid-range segment, the Nord successor is the first phone to be launched after the company’s announcement to integrate with Oppo.
The phone runs on OxygenOS 11.3, based on Android 11. The Nord 2 comes with a 6.43-inch AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate. It comes with the MediaTek Dimensity 1200-AI processor, with OnePlus moving away from Qualcomm. The performance is smooth, and it doesn't lag while multitasking as well.
The phone comes equipped with a 4500mAh dual-cell battery, and sustains a regular day’s worth of use with juice to spare. Even if it doesn’t, the Warp Charge 65 it comes with charges it to 100% in roughly 30 minutes, and is incredibly useful. Unlike the Nord CE and like other recent phones from OnePlus, the Nord 2 does not come with a 3.5 mm headphone jack, but it does pack in a solid stereo speaker. For average daily use, the speakers don’t disappoint even if you turn it up all the way.
The OnePlus Nord 2 5G starts at Rs. 27,999 for its 6 + 128 GB variant, and the 8 + 128 GB version is priced at Rs 29,999. The most expensive of the lot is the 12 + 256 GB variant, priced at Rs 34,999. The phone’s colour options are Blue Haze, Gray Sierra, and Green Wood. The Blue Haze has a glass cover with a glossy finish at the back, and the Gray Sierra has a matte finish.
We got the 12 + 256 GB model to review in Green Wood (exclusive to India), which has a textured PU leather back, and is both resistant to smudges and fingerprints. The phone offered a comfortable grip and was easy to use with one hand, and one may almost wish for the Green Wood variant to be offered in premium OnePlus phones as well. The phone has a premium feel, and curved edges offer a comfortable grip.
Coming to the camera, the OnePlus Nord 2 packs a 50 MP AI triple camera with a Sony IMX766 sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide camera along with a 32MP selfie camera with a Sony IMX615 sensor. Shots in daytime are crisp and clear with colour that is natural. The Nightscape mode takes roughly four seconds to shoot but captures good details and very little noise. In portrait mode, the phone allows you to control the level of bokeh. Details, however, aren’t perfect when switched to the ultra-wide mode. In addition, the Nord 2 selfie mode captures detail well, but come in with some disturbing AI smarts as well, which allow users to smoothen details, thin their face, make their eyes bigger, nose smaller, a more slender chin and an overall smaller face — leading to almost comic results.
In video capabilities, it shoots in 4K, and has options such as time-lapse and slo-mo, and also allows dual-view, which shoots in split screen with both the front and back cameras recording simultaneously.
The OnePlus Nord 2 5G will receive two years of major Android updates and three years of security.
All in all, the phone is a solid all-rounder. While it may lag behind its competitors in a few aspect, it is a jack of all trades. It’s not a flagship killer — especially as the brand’s flagships get pricier — but the phone is perfect for everyday use, and a welcome return to OnePlus’s strong suit.