OnePlus Nord: Now with Google Duo, Phone and Messages pre-installed

When OnePlus launches its latest offering on Tuesday at 7:30 PM (IST), it is slated to be the world’s first smartphone launch through Augmented Reality. What would be of greater interest to OnePlus die-hards that it will be the first OnePlus phone after the 5T (launched in February 2018) that would be priced under USD 500 (INR 37,500 approx).

But the feature that has everyone talking is that the Nord comes with Google Duo, Phone and Message apps pre-installed instead of its own SMS and dealer apps. One Plus released a video on Instagram confirming this, saying this would ensure the ‘smoothest Android experience’. The switch means that many OnePlus fans might miss the serious spam filtration capabilities that OnePlus’ own messaging app provided. What it also means is that the OnePlus Nord will be RCS (Rich Communication Services) compatible. This may interest users in the US when the phone hits that market.

OnePlus has confirmed that Nord will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset which comes with 5G support and is paired with the OxygenOS 10 operating system based on Android 10. ‘Leaks’ suggest the OnePlus Nord is likely to come with a 6.44-inch AMOLED panel running at a refresh rate of 90Hz. The phone is expected to be available in two variants, with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and storage of 128GB or 256GB. The OnePlus Nord is likely to be powered with 4,115 mAh battery with 30W fast-charging support via the USB Type-C port.

OnePlus Nord will reportedly come with a quad-camera set-up that houses a 48-megapixel Sony IMX 586 sensor with an f/1.75 lens and Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS) support. It will also boast an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens with 119 field-of-view (FOV), a 5-megapixel macro lens with an f/2.4 aperture, and 2-megapixel depth sensor unit.

Industry watchers say priced right the Nord would help OnePlus return to the ‘Affordable Premium’ or medium-priced smartphone segment.