OnePlus shows off its sub-$500 smartphone, the OnePlus Nord

  • The back apparently comes in gray and light blue.
  • A strategically lit front shot, which doesn’t show much detail other than the two front cameras.
  • This is technically a rejected prototype design, but I think that’s mostly in reference to the rear-camera design. The front design looks like a match for the previous picture.

OnePlus has shown off the design of its upcoming midrange smartphone, the OnePlus Nord. YouTuber Marques Brownlee interviewed OnePlus’ Global Director Carl Pei and showed off a few glimpses of the upcoming device.

Like the rumors indicated, the front of the device features two selfie cameras in an oval-shaped cutout. The phone’s appearance is reminiscent of a Samsung Galaxy S10+ but with the hole punch on the opposite side of the display. The back camera block follows the same design language as earlier OnePlus phones by putting everything in a vertical strip, but on the Nord, the camera assembly is in the corner of the phone instead of centered in the middle like previous devices.

We now know most of the big points of the OnePlus Nord, thanks to OnePlus’ constant, iterative leaking. Previously, the company said the phone would be under $500, feature a Snapdragon 765G SoC, and come with a “flagship camera.” Rumors previously pointed toward a 90Hz display, and today’s conversation hinted at that, with Pei saying, “When it comes to displays, [the cost is] a lot about volume, so now that 90Hz displays have become really common, that drives the volume up and the price down.” Pei went onto say, “We spent a lot on this display to ensure smooth scrolling, but we think it’s worth it.”

The phone is shaping up to be a pretty great-looking offering, but it won’t launch in the United States at first. The official explanation is from OnePlus CEO Pete Lau is that “we are going to start relatively small with this new product line by first introducing it in Europe and India. But don’t worry, we’re also looking to bring more affordable smartphones to North America in the near future as well.”

The phone’s unveiling, to the extent there’s anything left to unveil, is July 21.

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Listing image by Marques Brownlee

https://arstechnica.com/?p=1691684