Love it or hate it for how it has affected the OnePlus brand image and “never settle” mantra, the mid-range Nord family is the undeniable gift that keeps on giving incredible value at very reasonable prices around the world.
In the space of under two years, we’ve seen more solid Nord-branded contenders for the titles of best budget and affordable phones than this writer can count on the fingers of one hand, and possibly the greatest device of the bunch is reportedly getting even better as we speak.
Curiously following in the footsteps of its 2020 predecessor rather than going the other way around, last year’s Nord 2 5G is currently receiving a stable over-the-air Android 12 update with a confusing beta tag. Given that OnePlus itself has yet to confirm the rollout and publish an official changelog on the company’s forums, it’s entirely possible this is in fact still a beta update pushed to the masses by mistake.
But with the open beta program kicked off a little over a month ago, the opposite scenario feels far more likely, meaning you’re probably looking at a finished goodie pack tipping the scales at close to 5GB (!!!) while mistakenly carrying the aforementioned beta tag.
Either way, the update can be downloaded and installed only in India at the time of this writing (by both beta testers and “regular” OnePlus Nord 2 5G users), although that’s far from unusual for the company, which undoubtedly plans to spread the love to other regions before long.
Generally described as smooth and unproblematic, at least for now, the first major OS update for this Android 11-released handset is already presenting a number of bugs for a few early adopters, which is also (unfortunately) not unusual for a stable OnePlus OTA delivery.
Some of Google’s best Android 12 tweaks and features are of course sprinkled with proprietary OxygenOS 12 enhancements and optimizations on top here to form a lengthy list of changes and add-ons shared with the world by multiple happy (and not so happy) Nord 2 owners. Here it is in all its splendor:
- Newly added Smart Battery Engine, a feature that prolongs battery life based on smart algorithms and biomimetic self-restoration technology;
- Optimized AI System Booster to 2.1 for your system to run smoothly even when the load is high;
- Optimized desktop icons with improved textures, by using a design inspired by brand-new materials and uniting lights and layers;
- Optimized Extra HD, a feature that can significantly enhance image and video resolutions.
Dark mode
- Support for three adjustable levels, bringing a more personalized and comfortable user experience.
Shelf
- Additional style options for Cards, making data contents more visual and easier to read;
- Newly added access to OnePlus Scout in Shelf, allowing you to search multiple contents on your phone, including Apps, Settings, Media Data, etc;
- Newly added OnePlus Watch Card in Shelf, to easily glance at your health status.
Work Life Balance
- The feature is now available to all users, allowing you to effortlessly switch between Work and Life mode via quick settings;
- WLB 2.0 supports automatic Work/Life mode switching, based on specific locations, Wi-Fi network, and time, also bringing customized App notification profiles according to the personalization.
Gallery
- You can now switch between different layouts with a two-finger pinch gesture, intelligently recognizing the best-quality pictures, and cropping the thumbnail based on the content, making the gallery layout more pleasing.
Canvas AOD
- New diverse styles of lines and colors, for a more personalized lock screen experience with inspiring visuals;
- Optimized software algorithm and improved face recognition to better identify the features and skin color of different figures.
Games
- HyperBoost end-to-end frame rate stabilizer added.
