The OnePlus Nord N20 5G is a mid-range Android smartphone.Image: OnePlus
Now that we’ve taken a look at the flagship smartphones of 2022, such as the Samsung Galaxy S22 and OnePlus 10 Pro, we can turn our attention to the upcoming new mid-range phones.
OnePlus has announced its next mid-range smartphone, the OnePus Nord N20. It has an impressive list of specs, including a 6.43-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display, a 4500 mAh battery, and an in-display fingerprint reader.
Inside, the Nord N20 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, 6GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of storage. As for the rear camera system, there’s a 64-MP main camera, a monochrome lens, and a macro lens.
It will be interesting to see how these cameras compare to current mid-range devices – especially the Samsung Galaxy A53 and the excellent Pixel 5a. I’m also curious to see if OnePlus can replicate the speed and power of its flagship line of in-display fingerprint readers with Qualcomm’s updated mid-range chips.
The appeal of the latest batch of mid-range smartphones is that they pack some of the better features of high-end smartphones at extremely low prices. According to the specs list, OnePlus also brings 33W fast charging to the Nord N20. Fast charging is one of the advantages of using a OnePlus device, especially if you tend to charge and sprint.
A closer look at the OnePlus Nord N20 5G.Image: OnePlus
My biggest concern with the OnePlus Nord N20 5G is how OnePlus will maintain its software updates. The OnePlus Nord N20 uses Oxygen OS, which is nice and has unique features like Game Mode. But according to the spec sheet, the Nord N20 will ship with Android 11 instead of the latest Android 12. There’s no mention of when the device will receive the software update. This is troubling, considering that Samsung, Google, and even Motorola have clear software update policies related to midrange devices.
The OnePlus Nord N20 5G starts at $282 and will be available in the US via T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile starting April 28. That’s cheaper than mid-range Google and Samsung variants that cost around $450. OnePlus says the price point is “accessible.” There will also be an “open market variant” later this year.
4/19 Update: We’ve updated this article with T-Mobile’s pricing.
