Without a doubt, one of the most respected Chinese phone-makers in the international market is OnePlus. However, if you’re familiar with the company’s recent track record, you’d know that consistency and unmatched value aren’t exactly a given for the OG “flagship-killer” brand. But! I got a feeling you can scratch that off right now, or rather on July 7 when a phone called “OnePlus Nord 3” is expected to launch, and (quite likely) set a new standard for what a mid-range Android phone looks like in 2023-2024.
In case you aren’t familiar, the Nord series is to OnePlus what the “A” and “SE” series are to Samsung and Apple – in other words, their $300-500 mid-range line of phones. And while the original OnePlus Nord, OnePlus Nord 2, and OnePlus Nord 2T offered good price-performance value, the new OnePlus Nord 3 makes it look like vintage OnePlus is back but this time with a “mid-range killer”, which could take phones like the Pixel 7a and Galaxy A54 by surprise.
Here’s what the best $400-500 Android phone of 2023 might look like, folks! And it’s not made by Samsung or Google. And definitely not by Apple either.
OnePlus Nord 3: The five star hotel of mid-range Android phones puts Pixel 7a and Galaxy A54 to shame with flagship design, display, camera, processor, and software support
Find the $1,000 phone. It’s the one in the middle.
It’s difficult to point out a single feature that stands out in the OnePlus Nord 3, and (thankfully) that’s because OnePlus really is coming in hot this time around. In fact, it might be easier to critique the leaked specs sheet and design of the phone as the weaknesses seem to boil down to a mediocre ultra-wide-angle camera and a lack of wireless charging and official IP rating for water-resistance. And that’s if you care about any of those features, and I don’t. Not at this price point, and considering the rest of the hardware in the Nord 3.
Of course, when talking about mid-range phones, cutting corners is expected but what’s important is to cut the right corners, and I think OnePlus might’ve nailed it here, as most people will find the Nord 3’s feature set incredibly appealing! Bear in mind, the leak we’re working with comes from someone who’s had the phone for a while and even unboxed it on camera, so the specs and features to expect should be pretty accurate…
- OnePlus Nord 3 Display: 6.74-inch AMOLED, refresh rate: 120Hz
- OnePlus Nord 3 Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 9000, RAM: 16GB, Storage: 256GB
- OnePlus Nord 3 Rear camera: 50MP (OIS) + 8MP + 2MP, front camera: 16MP
- OnePlus Nord 3 Battery and charging: 5,000mAh, 80W fast wired charging
- OnePlus Nord 3 Software and updates: Android 13; expected promise of at least 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of security patches
- OnePlus Nord 3 Price: rumored to start at €450-550 in the EU, possibly $450-500 if available in the US
Google Pixel 7a and Samsung’s Galaxy A54 can’t compete with the flagship-grade hardware in the OnePlus Nord 3
OnePlus’ $400-500 mid-ranger looks like a $1,000 flagship!
But let’s put things in perspective by comparing some of the hardware in the OnePlus Nord 3 with the competition from Google and Samsung.
For starters, the 6.7-inch 120Hz display with up to 1,500 nits of the max brightness would make the Nord 3’s panel one of the best mid-range phone screens ever. Like ever ever. The cherry on top? We seem to have incredibly thin display borders all around, which make the Nord 3 look more premium than some $1,000 phones out there. In contrast (and that’s not a comparison), Google’s Pixel 7a boasts a pretty mediocre 90Hz OLED panel, while the Galaxy A54’s 120Hz screen is surrounded by some of the thickest bezels you’ll see in this price range.Moving on to the camera, although it’s safe to assume the OnePlus Nord 3’s 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro cameras won’t wow anyone with great quality, OnePlus has concentrated on the primary 50MP camera, which is the exact same one used in the company’s flagship OnePlus 11. You can check out our OnePlus 11 review for samples but this is indeed a flagship-grade shooter, especially in combination with OnePlus’ expert software processing.
OnePlus Nord 3’s 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro cameras won’t wow anyone with incredible quality but I use my primary camera to take photos 95% of the time anyway, and the 50MP main camera in OnePlus Nord 3 is the same one from the flagship OnePlus 11. I hope the image processing between the two will be consistent as well!
While the OnePlus Nord 3 is expected to be able to charge from 0-100% in about 30 minutes, competing phones from Samsung and Google take twice or four times as long to charge! The Google Pixel 7a takes 2 hours to charge from 0-100%. Let that sink in.,,
Software might no longer be OnePlus’ Achilles’ heel
But wait until you hear about the cherry on top of all the cherries (what?!), and that’s OnePlus’ commitment to better/longer software support! Of course, you should only believe it when you see it but OnePlus has now confirmed that “certain 2023 OnePlus phones” will be getting 4 years of Android OS updates and 5 years of security patches.
It was later made clear that (for now) this policy will apply only to the flagship OnePlus 11 (and newer flagships) but this can mean two things for the mid-range OnePlus Nord 3 – there’s a chance this one might get the same premium treatment for software support but even if it didn’t, 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of security patches seem to be… secured for the Nord 3, which is still awesome.
Sorry, Carl Pei! Nothing can stop the new Android flagship killer – vintageOnePlus is back and the OnePlus Nord 3 proves that
Leaked images reveal the OnePlus Nord 3 is expected to arrive with an 80W charger in the box, which can charge your phone from 0-100% in just about 30 minutes.
It wasn’t long ago when I put together a story about the Xiaomi Poco F5, saying this one could’ve been the best mid-range Android phone if it was available in the US and if it had reliable software support. Somewhat surprisingly, I didn’t have to wait long to find another contender for the best value Android phone of 2023, and it now seems this device might be the OnePlus Nord 3! Again, we’re working with (reliable) leaks here, so just bear that in mind.
The flagship-like design, display, primary camera, processor, and software commitment for the OnePlus Nord 3 suddenly bring back memories of vintage OnePlus – the company Carl Pei left to start Nothing. Which is also the pun in today’s title And no, I’m not proud of it. Or am I?
I’ve said it many times before but it’s really difficult to get excited about a new phone nowadays, and I’ve discovered that what I define as “exciting” lately is phones that bring incredible value. With that in mind, if the stars align, the OnePlus Nord 3 might sneakily turn into one of the most important phones of the year. I’m quite surprised to be saying that considering a phone like the Pixel 7a exists but here we are!
Anyway… My only warm request for OnePlus is to bring the Nord 3 to the US, which would give it the deserved attention to take on the mainstream competition! Again, the OnePlus Nord 3 is launching on July 7, and it’d be a shame if it doesn’t make it to America.
