What you need to know
- OnePlus launches its new Nord N300 5G in North America, exclusively with T-Mobile.
- The phone features a new design, HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate, and 33W wired charging.
- The phone retails for under $250 and will be available on November 3.
OnePlus is trying to carve out a space for itself in the North American budget market and has done a decent job so far with its Nord lineup. Now, the company is launching its latest affordable device, the Nord N300 5G, although it is making some interesting choices to keep its price down.
The latest Nord is the first OnePlus phone to sport a MediaTek chipset in the United States. MediaTek is not widely used among flagship phones in the region but is making its way into more budget Android phones. The phone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 810, a middle-of-the-road 5G chipset launched in 2021.
Interestingly, OnePlus has done away with the hole-punch display of the previous Nord N devices, opting for a V-shaped notch instead and making the phone look much more "budget" than its predecessors (it harkens back to the OnePlus 6T). Even more interesting is the decision to downgrade the display resolution from FHD+ on the OnePlus Nord N200 5G to HD+ on the N300, although it does retain the 90Hz refresh rate.
Fortunately, the rear at least looks a little more interesting thanks to the large rectangular camera housing, which is where you'll find the 48MP primary sensor and 2MP depth sensor. That's one camera fewer than its predecessor, but the primary sensor features more than 3x the resolution, which is a nice upgrade.
If none of that sounds particularly appealing, OnePlus also managed to upgrade the charging spec, allowing users to top up the 5,000mAh battery much faster thanks to the 33W wired charging. It's a far cry from the company's flagship phones like the OnePlus 10T, but it's still faster than Samsung or Google flagship phones. Plus, the charger comes in the box.
Rounding off the specs is 64GB of expandable storage and 4GB of RAM.
OnePlus notes that in 2021, the N series "sold over 2.5 million devices in the United States," with the popular N200 5G projected to hit 1.5 million sales by the end of 2022. The company no doubt hopes to capture similar numbers with its latest affordable phone. However, it's unclear if the tradeoffs made here make the Nord N300 5G worth looking at over its predecessor.
The Nord N300 5G retails for $228 and will be available at T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile on November 3.
