Oneplus Nord

in the premium segment and some level of aspiration in the affordable segment which it has just rung,” feels Faisal.

Oneplus Nord is launched at a starting price of Rs 24,999 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB storage variant. The 6GB model is only limited to India. The 8GB/128GB and 12GB/256GB models will sell at Rs 27,999 and Rs 29,999, respectively. The basic 6GB/64GB model will be available in September. The other two variants will be available starting August 4.

“We are excited to finally bring a more accessible Oneplus smartphone that confidently stands alongside other products in the Oneplus family,” said Pete Lau, Founder, and CEO of Oneplus on

The Oneplus Nord has a 6.44-inch AMOLED display that offers a 90Hz refresh rate. Nord is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset paired with up to 12GB LPDDR4X RAM, 256GB, and UFS 2.1 storage. The Oneplus Nord runs on Android 10 based on Oxygenos 10.5.

Faisal says, “In the case of Oneplus Nord, there does not seem to be any compromise in quality and experience over which Oneplus has built its reputation over the years. So, its aim of brining equitable experience to the affordable segment seems to have been achieved.”

The ‘affordable’ Nord sports four cameras at the back that include a 48MP Sony IMX586 primary sensor, 8MP ultrawide lens, 5MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro lens. For selfies and video calls, it has a 32MP primary shooter and a secondary 8MP ultra-wide image sensor.

The phone runs on a 4,115mah battery supported by the Warp Charge 30T fast charging technology.

Upasana adds, “Oneplus Nord, the latest affordable offering from Oneplus aims at extending its product line further up to larger masses by bringing similar tech-heavy products at lower price points. Most of the features of Nord resonate with the flagship OP-8 like the number of cameras, megapixels, refresh rate, etc. with a difference in the chipset.”

Pandemic Planning, Is it?

Amit Sharma, Research Analyst, Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, said, “The affordable smartphone segment is one of the largest in India accounting for close to 75% of the market. We do not view the Oneplus move to go back to roots with the Nord as a reaction to the pandemic. Rather, it’s a strategic move to widen the Oneplus user base by catering to the consumer demand in this segment. The Oneplus Nord checks all the specs that one needs, including the dual selfie cameras, and being future 5G ready. All said Indian consumers, have traditionally viewed Oneplus as a Premium Smartphone brand that is synonymous with quality.”

There’s no denying that Oneplus has tried to make Nord a complete package, someone a buyer in that segment will look for otherwise in Xiaomi or Realme smartphones but, there are options available in the market with more or less same features such as Realme X3 and Xiaomi Redmi K20. This Bbk-electronics prodigy has understood the Indian market and its dynamics in the last six years of operations.

“During these unprecedented times of COVID, where economic health of the country is shaken, IDC expects the low and mid-end price segment phones to garner more volumes in comparison to high-end flagship devices. Nord fits decently in the mid-price segment backed up by the brand value of Oneplus which has rather gathered consumer mind share similar to Apple/samsung over the years,” added Upasana.

The bulk sale continues in affordable and entry segment smartphones. The Oneplus now did not want to miss on that front as well but, in doing so it will also kill its own flagship smartphones such as Oneplus 8 series and Oneplus 7, etc. Neha, my colleague, has just purchased Oneplus 8 at a staggering price of Rs