Are you ready to welcome yet another Nord-branded mid-ranger from OnePlus to the global smartphone market? No, we’re not talking about the recently released (with little fanfare) N30 5G. And alas, we’re probably not talking about a device officially headed to the US this time around.
Instead, the Nord 3 depicted today in super-high-quality and presumably 100 percent legit “official marketing renders” by WinFuture’s Roland Quandt in a new German language report (translated here) is almost certainly designed primarily with the old continent in mind (minus Germany).
The reasonably powerful, arguably good-looking, and presumably relatively affordable 6.74-inch handset is likely to be unveiled extremely soon in European markets where the OnePlus brand is not banned, obviously following in the footsteps of 2021’s 6.43-inch Nord 2 5G.
Given that inexplicably lengthy pause between product launches, you probably won’t be shocked to hear that most key Nord 2 specs will be seriously upgraded. The larger AMOLED Nord 3 screen is expected to jump from 90 to 120Hz refresh rate technology, for instance, while a decidedly impressive (for the mid-range smartphone class) MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor should run the overall performance show.
For the time being, we don’t have a variant or pricing breakdown, but the most advanced OnePlus Nord 3 5G configuration could also pack as much as 16 gigs of RAM and 256GB internal storage space. Then there’s a battery bumped up from 4,500 to 5,000mAh capacity and from 65 to 80W speeds, while the triple rear-facing camera setup is… weirdly tipped to go unchanged, at least in terms of sensors and megapixel counts at 50 + 8 + 2MP.
That’s probably because OnePlus had to make some compromises somewhere to hit a reasonable price point, and judging from today’s leaked press-friendly renders, the design is as premium as you expect. The Nord 3 doesn’t look groundbreaking or “special” in any way, especially if you’re familiar with the China-only OnePlus Ace 2V.
But the razor-thin screen bezels, smoothly rounded corners, relatively slender frame, and particularly the alert slider on the side (it’s alive!) give this bad boy an overall air of elegance and a distinct personality that very few other budget phones right now can legitimately boast. Such a shame OnePlus is (likely) not thinking of giving the Nord 3 a truly global stage to shine on.
