Date of release, price, news, and leaks for the OnePlus Nord 2
Date of release, price, news, and leaks for the OnePlus Nord 2
After months of rumors and leaks, OnePlus has officially confirmed the existence of the OnePlus Nord 2, the first true successor to 2020's OnePlus Nord.
We've been anticipating this for some time, but each time the company shows off something else, such as the OnePlus 9, Nord N10 5G, Nord CE 5G, or OnePlus 9R.
The original Nord was OnePlus' return to the 'flagship-killer' market segment that helped establish the company, and we're hoping the Nord 2 is a refinement of the original.
We later discovered the phone was the first in a new line from OnePlus, with the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 following later in 2020, with additional line members confirmed for this year. Although the OnePlus Nord 2 has not been officially confirmed, a mention on a OnePlus Stadia page effectively confirmed its existence.
OnePlus Nord 2 release date and price
What do we know about the availability of the OnePlus Nord 2? Not a lot. Thus far, the only credible rumor comes from Android Central, which claims the phone will launch in Q2 of this year (meaning sometime between April and June).
Beyond that, all we have is precedent, which is a shaky foundation for judgment given that this is a new phone line.
Given that the OnePlus Nord launched in August 2020, an August 2021 launch for the Nord 2 is certainly possible, but the company may not wait that long. The phone retailed for £379 / €399 (approximately $480, AU$680), and we may see a similar price for the successor.
That said, a leak suggests a price of CNY 2,000, or roughly $310 / £220 / AU$400, so while those conversions will be inaccurate, the Nord 2 may be slightly less expensive than the original Nord.
Design and display
OnLeaks (a reputable leaker) has shared several renders purporting to show the OnePlus Nord 2.
They show a phone that looks very similar to the OnePlus 9 Pro, with a similar camera design on the back (though without the Hasselblad branding) and an all-screen front with a punch-hole camera in the top left corner.
Additionally, you can see the brand's signature alert slider, and the phone appears to measure around 160 x 73.8 x 8.1mm.
Additionally, OnLeaks stated that the OnePlus Nord 2 will feature a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and an embedded fingerprint scanner.
Having said that, we've heard elsewhere that the Nord 2 may feature a 6.55-inch Super AMOLED display, so there is some disagreement there. According to the source of this leak, the screen is apparently flat and the phone has a glass back and a metal frame.
Camera and battery
According to a leak, the OnePlus Nord 2 will feature a triple-lens camera setup that includes a 50MP primary camera (using the same sensor as the OnePlus 9 Pro's ultra-wide), an 8MP secondary camera, and a 2MP tertiary camera. If we had to guess, the 8MP sensor is either ultra-wide or telephoto, while the 2MP sensor is either a depth sensor, black and white, or macro camera.
Meanwhile, another source indicates a 50MP main camera, a 16MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP black and white camera, indicating some minor differences.
That's one fewer camera on the back than the original Nord, but the quality may well be improved. In addition, it appears as though there will be one fewer camera on the front, with only a single 32MP sensor mentioned in these leaks. Also, the renders we've seen (above) correspond to these camera numbers.
Regarding the battery, we've heard that it may be 4,500mAh, which would be slightly larger than the 4,115mAh battery found in the original Nord, while another source confirmed that it can charge at 65W.
Specs and features
OnePlus has confirmed that the Nord 2 5G will be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200-AI chipset, a company-exclusive 5G chip that should provide some AI benefits.
Rumors suggested the Dimensity 1200 would be used - that is, a version without AI tweaks that is used in a few phones - and it was listed alongside other possible specifications obtained by OnLeaks, including 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage or 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Another rumor mentioned the Dimensity 1200 chipset, claiming that the only difference between the OnePlus Nord 2 and the Realme X9 Pro is a flat screen (another rumored handset).
