OnePlus Nord 2 vs. OnePlus Nord: what's new?

OnePlus Nord 2 vs. OnePlus Nord: what'southward new?

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

With the release of the excellent OnePlus Nord 2, it was inevitable that the latest OnePlus midrange model would exist compared to last yr's OnePlus Nord. Both phones remain excellent value devices for the price, but unsurprisingly the more recent phone is probably the best 1 for almost users.

Still, the upgrades that make the Nord ii the superior phone are not as straightforward as you might think. OnePlus made some big changes under the 90Hz screen which may have endangered the all-circular excellence of the telephone, but fortunately for the company, it paid off.

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It tin can be argued that some of the more than unique aspects of the first Nord and its cheaper price mean that you shouldn't ignore the older model. It'll have a very specific kind of user who'll want to utilize the original Nord instead of the Nord 2 though, especially since the less expensive Nord CE offers similar features to the commencement phone.

Our OnePlus Nord 2 vs. OnePlus Nord confront-off looks at where the differences and similarities lie. Hopefully this volition aid you determine which Nord is the all-time for you.

OnePlus Nord two vs. OnePlus Nord: Specs

	OnePlus Nord	OnePlus Nord 2
Display	6.44-inch AMOLED, FHD	6.43-inch AMOLED, FHD
Refresh rate	90Hz/60Hz (stock-still)	90Hz/60Hz (stock-still)
Rear cameras	48MP wide (ƒ/i.75); 8MP ultrawide; 5MP depth (ƒ/2.four); 2MP macro (ƒ/ii.4)	50MP main (f/1.88), 8MP ultrawide (f/2.25), 2MP mono (f/2.5)
Front camera(s)	32MP (ƒ/2.45) and 8MP ultrawide (ƒ/two.45)	32MP selfie (f2.45)
Chipset	Snapdragon 765G	MediaTek Dimensity 1200-AI
RAM	8GB, 12GB	8GB, 12GB
Storage	128GB, 256GB	128GB, 256GB
Battery	4,115 mAh	four,500 mAh
Charging	30W wired	65W wired
Size	half dozen.23 x 2.88 x 0.32 inches (158.3 ten 73.3 10 8.2 mm)	half dozen.25 ten two.88 ten 0.32 inches (158.9 x 73.2 x 8.25 mm)
Weight	half dozen.49 ounces (184 grams)	six.67 ounches (189g)

OnePlus Nord 2 vs. OnePlus Nord: Cost and availability

The original OnePlus Nord started at £379, with the more luxurious 12GB/256GB model costing £469. Both of these are now discounted however, and can be picked up for around £329 and £419, respectively.

The Nord ii costs a footling more than the Nord did terminal year. The base 8GB/128GB version costs £399, while the 12GB/256GB edition is the aforementioned as before at £469.

OnePlus Nord review — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

OnePlus Nord two vs. OnePlus Nord: Design and display

From the front both, phones expect almost identical, with the only difference being the front photographic camera notch. The old Nord has two cameras in a double punch-pigsty notch, while the new Nord 2 uses a single dial-hole with just i sensor.

OnePlus Nord 2 review — (Paradigm credit: Tom's Guide)

The bodies of both phones are the same 6.four-inch size, give or take a few fractions of an inch. The phones offer very similar colors too, with both coming in slightly different shades of gray and turquoise blue.

OnePlus has used pretty much the same screen on both phones too. The displays are 6.four-inch, FHD AMOLED panels with 90Hz fixed refresh rates. There are some software improvements on the Nord 2, however. The new phone features AI Color Heave and AI Resolution Boost for more colorful and more detailed video, and Smart Ambient Display, which purports to improve the readability of the screen when you're in brilliant light.

OnePlus as well has the OnePlus Nord ii Pac-Homo Edition, which adds in a glow-in-the-dark back that'south been inspired by Pac-Man; information technology also gets Pac-Man influenced software features.

OnePlus Nord 2 vs. OnePlus Nord: Cameras

Cameras are the area where the two phones differ the nearly. The OnePlus Nord features half-dozen cameras, while the Nord ii offers a more than pedestrian 4.

On the dorsum of the 2020 Nord, you get a 48MP main sensor, an 8MP ultrawide sensor, a 5MP depth sensor for improved portrait fashion images and a 2MP macro sensor for extreme close-ups. The Nord 2 has a 50MP principal sensor, an 8MP ultrawide sensor and a 2MP mono sensor for better black-and-white shots.

The first Nord used a 32MP selfie photographic camera and an 8MP ultrawide photographic camera on the front, but this has been trimmed downwardly to a unmarried 32MP photographic camera on the Nord 2.

OnePlus Nord 2 vs. OnePlus Nord: Operation

The silicon inside the two Nords is dissimilar in a number of ways. The first Nord used a Snapdragon 765G, a mid-tier chip from Qualcomm. The Nord 2 however uses a Dimensity 1200-AI, a customized scrap from MediaTek that is more powerful than the 765G'south successor, the 780G.

Both phones offering identical RAM/storage options. The bones model has 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, while the more expensive model has 12GB RAM and 256GB RAM. Both options are fairly generous for this price point, and aid provide the phones with a lot of performance for the price. The Nord 2 is plain the more powerful.

OnePlus Nord 2 vs. OnePlus Nord: 5G

No thing which Nord you wait at from this duo, they both offer 5G, thanks to modems built onto the chipsets. The only consequence is compatibility.

Since both phones are intended for sale in Europe and Bharat, they don't offer compatibility with American 5G networks, neither sub-6GHz nor mmWave. That could prove disappointing for travelers to the U.S., or if you make the bold decision of importing a Nord or Nord two from overseas.

OnePlus Nord 2 vs. OnePlus Nord: Battery and charging

The first Nord offered impressive charging specs. Its 4,115 mAh battery lasted a long time on a unmarried charge, and with a 30W power brick included in the box it filled up again

The Nord 2 surpasses on all fronts. Its battery is a dual-cell 4,500 mAh model, which allows it to use OnePlus' top-tier 65W charging system. While we've been unable to pit the two phones against one some other in this respect, the specs would suggest that the Nord 2 is much better when information technology comes to charging speed.

OnePlus Nord 2 vs. OnePlus Nord: Software

OnePlus uses its OxygenOS version of stock Android on both Nords. The Nord shipped with Android 10, simply has since been upgraded to Android 11. The Nord 2 comes with Android xi out of the box.

OnePlus' recently revised software update policy ways both the Nord and Nord 2 become 2 years of Android updates and three of security updates. Of course that means the newer OnePlus Nord 2 will concluding longer since we're already a year into the life of the start Nord.

OnePlus Nord two vs. OnePlus Nord: bottom line

Overall, this OnePlus Nord ii vs. OnePlus Nord face up-off reveals a pretty standard generational deviation. The latest phone offers benefits for performance, bombardment, charging and photography in at least some circumstances. The areas where little has changed, such equally the display or the pattern, may be a little disappointing but don't detract from the Nord 2's overall value.

In that location aren't a huge number of reasons to become for the older model. The unlike set of cameras, including the unusual front ultrawide lens, might pique the interest of unconventional selfie takers.

Fifty-fifty and so, last year's Nord can at present exist found at a cheaper price. But given the improvements with the Nord 2, it still might be worth paying upwards for a new telephone.

Richard is a Tom's Guide staff writer based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, gaming, sound and whatsoever else people demand advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Annals and Artistic Bloq. When non at work, he's likely thinking nearly how to brew the perfect loving cup of specialty coffee.