What you need to know
- The OnePlus Nord N20 will have a Full HD AMOLED display, the company confirmed.
- It will also support SuperVooc fast charging and use an in-display fingerprint sensor.
- Previous rumors suggest it will use the Snapdragon 695 and rear triple-camera module with 48MP primary sensor.
OnePlus has affirmed to PC Mag that the upcoming OnePlus Nord N20 will have a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display instead of an LCD. The vast majority of cheap Android phones use LCD, which gives the Nord N20 an edge for color fidelity and efficiency.
OnePlus COO Kinder Liu spoke with the publication, saying that this display "offers low power consumption as well as better contrast, more vivid colors, and a wider color gamut than what is currently on sale in the North America affordable device market."
Its predecessor, the Nord N10 5G, had a 6.49-inch FHD+ LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate. So while the N20 display will look better, it'll also scroll less smoothly than its predecessor at 60Hz. Liu apparently implied to PC Mag that it's a choice between AMOLED or 90Hz at this price point.
So far, we've heard of one other mainstream budget phone sporting an AMOLED in 2022: the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G, which has a 90Hz AMOLED display. But it won't sell in the United States. It'll be interesting to see if other budget phones will begin to prioritize AMOLED over refresh rates in the future.
Launching later this month for an unannounced price, the OnePlus Nord N20 has big sales shoes to fill. Liu says OnePlus sold "2.5 million Nord phones in the US" in 2021, and the N20 could make similar waves with U.S. carriers.
The Nord N20 will also have an in-display fingerprint sensor. Many budget phones default to a rear or side fingerprint sensor to save money, making this a rare perk as well.
Liu confirmed it will support SuperVOOC, though obviously not the new 150W charging standard announced this year. The U.S. phone should hit 30W, which would beat flagships like the Galaxy S22 and Pixel 6 in recharging speed.
Leaked Nord N20 specs last year suggested the phone will have a 48MP rear sensor with two 2MP sticker cameras; compared to the quad-camera N10 with a 48MP main sensor and 8MP ultrawide, it may get a camera downgrade. But Liu didn't confirm this news.
The same leak suggested the phone will sport the Snapdragon 695, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB, matching the Nord N10. According to Qualcomm, the 695 offers a 15% CPU boost and 30% GPU boost over the 690 found in the N10. Plus, it adds mmWave 5G support.
Whatever the Nord N20 costs, it could number among the best budget Android phones of 2022.
