What you need to know
- OnePlus has unveiled the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100, with both phones aimed at the budget segment.
- The Nord N10 5G offers 5G connectivity for under $400, and the Nord N100 will debut for under $200.
- Both phones feature rear-mounted fingerprint sensors, a MicroSD slot, and run OxygenOS 10.5 based on Android 10 out of the box.
- OnePlus will be launching both phones in North America in the coming weeks.
OnePlus introduced the Nord earlier this year to make its devices more accessible to a wider audience, and that bet paid off. The Nord is the company's best-selling phone of 2020, and while OnePlus didn't release the Nord in the U.S., it mentioned at the time that it would launch another model in the Nord series in the U.S. later in the year.
We're now seeing that materialize with the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100. The two phones slot in at a lower price point than the original Nord, and because OnePlus is targeting the budget segment, it is making a few compromises on the hardware side of things. Both the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 feature a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor — unlike the in-screen module on the regular Nord — and they're the first OnePlus phones to feature a MicroSD card slot.
OnePlus Nord N10 5G: Specs, pricing, and release date
As we revealed over a month ago, the Nord N10 5G features a 6.49-inch FHD+ display with 90Hz refresh rate, and the device is powered by a Snapdragon 690 chipset that offers 5G connectivity.
The base version of the Nord N10 5G has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and an intriguing addition is the MicroSD slot. OnePlus was vehemently against the use of MicroSD cards on its phones, stating that the format wasn't as fast as eMMC or UFS storage modules. But with the Nord N10 5G positioned at the budget segment, OnePlus is adding the ability to expand storage.
The Nord N10 5G makes 5G that much more accessible in the U.S.
In a similar vein, the Nord N10 5G ditches the in-screen fingerprint module for a rear-mounted sensor. The design itself feels in line with the regular Nord, but the rectangular camera housing gives the phone a distinct Samsung vibe. Oh, and you also get stereo sound here.
The Nord N10 5G is the first OnePlus phone to offer a 64MP camera at the back. That 64MP lens is joined by a wide-angle module with 119-degree field of view, and a macro and monochrome lenses. Unlike the regular Nord, there's a single 16MP camera at the front. The Nord N10 5G has a 4300mAh battery and comes with the 30W Warp Charge 30T fast charging standard.
The Nord N10 5G is available in a single Midnight Ice color option, and the phone is going up for sale in the UK for £329 ($430) — just £50 less than the Snapdragon 765G-powered Nord. Unlike the regular Nord, the Nord N10 5G will make its debut in North America, but at this point, OnePlus hasn't revealed pricing information. The phone is likely to debut at $329 in the U.S., and it should be available before the end of the year.
OnePlus Nord N100: Specs, pricing, and release date
The Nord N100 sees OnePlus focusing on the entry-level segment for the first time. As we highlighted back in August, the Nord N100 has a 6.52-inch HD+ IPS LCD display and is powered by the Snapdragon 460 platform.
The phone comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, has a MicroSD slot, 13MP primary camera at the back with dedicated 2MP macro and portrait lenses, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and a 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging.
The Nord N100 goes up against entry-level Motorola and Nokia phones in the U.S.
The Nord N100 will be available starting at just £179 ($233) in the UK, and like the Nord N10 5G, U.S. availability will be revealed at a later date. The phone is available in a single Midnight Frost color variant. Here's how the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 stack up against the Nord.
Both the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 come with OxygenOS 10.5 based on Android 10 out of the box. OnePlus introduced OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11 last month and is now rolling out the stable release to the OnePlus 8 series, so it is disappointing to see that the budget Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 don't include the latest version of the skin.
The OnePlus 8T came with OxygenOS 11 out of the box, and OnePlus is going against its own ethos of delivering the latest software experience by bundling OxygenOS 10.5 on its latest phones. While the software situation isn't ideal, the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 make OnePlus much more accessible to a mainstream audience. It's interesting that OnePlus isn't releasing either phone in India, with the regular Nord the only option for customers interested in a OnePlus phone in the mid-range segment.
We'll have much more to share — including U.S. pricing and availability — in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, what are your thoughts on the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100?
This mid-range phone has it all
The Nord continues to be a solid option, offering a vibrant 90Hz AMOLED panel, reliable hardware with 5G connectivity, all-day battery life, and a 48MP camera that takes great shots. Combine that with clean software and you get a great overall package.
