The thing is that the only area where you need an improvement vs 2020 or 2019 flagships is camera module. And his phone ticks some boxes like : AMOLED (always on that for me is mandatory), OIS but the problem is that with only one decent camera it will be hard to compete with 3/4 camera setups.
I still feed that my old 2019 Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro with 5 cameras and 108 mp sensor was a beast and it was way cheaper 3 years ago...strange that with the same monye you just buy average camera setups today.
1) This isn't a flagship, but an upper mid-range phone ("Flagship killer").
2) The Xiaomi you mentioned has a processor that today is in the same performance range as the Snapdragon 480 (2xA76, 8nm Samsung) which is in a couple 250 euro 5G phones, like the Motorola G50, as well as the Dimensity 700, which is in some 200 euro 5G phones. The Nord 2's CPU performance challenges that of SD 888 phones.
3) Xiaomi often offers better hardware to compensate for their software, and they generally offer better hardware than the competition at each price point. In your case, the camera. However, if you have shaky-shaky hands like me, OIS makes more of a difference for picture quality than a bigger sensor, and especially more than "moar megapixels". The OIS is actually the only thing that makes me consider OnePlus' phones.
OnePlus doesn't do "flagship killer" anymore now its namesake phones are at flagship prices. Nord is just their typical mid-range phones to fill in the price segments OnePlus left behind.
I say "flagship killer" in quotes because that's what people have been calling upper-mid-range phones with near-flagship SoC's. This phone is carried by the Dimensity 1200 (Near-SD888 CPU perf., gaming perf. close to SD870).
CDMA is close enough to dead that it shouldn't be a blocker for US sales anymore. Does Mediatek's radio just not support enough RF bands to work well on any major US networks?
Has me wonder if I should have held back on a OnePlus 8 I just got for €380 (including VAT)...
I'm glad OP is back to offering really attractive value deals, that and good LineageOS support has always been their main appeal to me.
Still yearning for a plastic back cover with replaceable batteries... One of the LeEco Le Max 2 in the family got busted out of its "beautifully manufactured" metal case by a dying battery two weeks ago, leaving a rather ugly wreck of a phone I struggled to back up through a shattered display (Bluetooth mouse did the job). It was running LinageOS 18.1 and there were no complaints about it being slow...
Never worn a phone without a nice dull black silicon cover and the only surface that's ever interested me in a phone was the display.
Same. Glass backs are the scam of the XXIth century.
Waiting until some pro-repair company makes an, idk, silicone coated glass-fiber back material that you can just peel out with a hot metal spudger to reveal the battery. Boom, IP68, grippy, no melting plastic, no shattered glass.
The Fairphone is frustrating. I'd have loved to have bought one for my last upgrade, but the SoC is a pile of crap and would have been a significant downgrade from my OnePlus 6. Even something like the Mediatek Helio G90T would be a better option. Living in hope that they finally get that side of things right in time for my next upgrade, so I can finally stop buying disposable junk.
It's not really less efficient, slightly more space used due to walls of the battery. In return you'll get near double the charging speed while not degrading your battery as fast.
I'll freely admit, I'm a OnePlus fan. Started with Samsung (Galaxy i9000), progressed to Galaxy Note (1) and Note 3. Still run both the Note 3 and a OnePlus 1 side by side, both being Snapdragon 800, but the OnePlus 1 having much better storage and a slightly faster SoC still is downright usable, while the Note 3 (the physical home button is actually turning into a liability) lags noticeably, so it's more of backup/emergency/guest device today.
If you're not on the fast track, a OnePlus 1 today is still a very viable phone thanks to LineageOS 18.1! Physically, including the (first) battery (got a spare not yet used) it's really still almost pristine, and one of my kids *really* used it for years with WhatsApp flooding all 64GB of storage (I WhatsNot and TRIMed so now it's back to--YEAH! performance for a 2014 device).
Used a OnePlus 5, which is recycling from one of my kids as he upgrades to a Nord 1. That was the first Android that cured me of my battery anxiety, thanks to its Snapdragon 835, which gave me performance similar to the LeEco 820 devices, but at half the battery consumption. A really great (physically small and light) device, which used a non-mechanical (fingerprint) home button to maximum advantage, until gestures took over to enable full-screen.
With my OnePlus 7 Pro I was happy, until Coporate IT and most of my banking apps took issues to my standard rooting, so I had to add a OnePlus 8 (unrooted) just for that: It sold below €400 so I see it as a benchmark against a Nord 2: Snapdragon 865 vs. Dimension 1200!
CPU wise, the MediaTek might might have a point, but in terms of GPU (I don't game on phones), it may face issues with those who game on mobile.
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sara-windowdeco - Thursday, July 22, 2021 - link
Any word about the number of years of support for security and Android updates?Pahan5 - Thursday, July 22, 2021 - link
2 major updates and 3 years of security updates are guaranteed by OnePlus.RaduR - Thursday, July 22, 2021 - link
The thing is that the only area where you need an improvement vs 2020 or 2019 flagships is camera module. And his phone ticks some boxes like : AMOLED (always on that for me is mandatory), OIS but the problem is that with only one decent camera it will be hard to compete with 3/4 camera setups.I still feed that my old 2019 Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro with 5 cameras and 108 mp sensor was a beast and it was way cheaper 3 years ago...strange that with the same monye you just buy average camera setups today.
Wereweeb - Thursday, July 22, 2021 - link
1) This isn't a flagship, but an upper mid-range phone ("Flagship killer").2) The Xiaomi you mentioned has a processor that today is in the same performance range as the Snapdragon 480 (2xA76, 8nm Samsung) which is in a couple 250 euro 5G phones, like the Motorola G50, as well as the Dimensity 700, which is in some 200 euro 5G phones. The Nord 2's CPU performance challenges that of SD 888 phones.
3) Xiaomi often offers better hardware to compensate for their software, and they generally offer better hardware than the competition at each price point. In your case, the camera. However, if you have shaky-shaky hands like me, OIS makes more of a difference for picture quality than a bigger sensor, and especially more than "moar megapixels". The OIS is actually the only thing that makes me consider OnePlus' phones.
wr3zzz - Thursday, July 22, 2021 - link
OnePlus doesn't do "flagship killer" anymore now its namesake phones are at flagship prices. Nord is just their typical mid-range phones to fill in the price segments OnePlus left behind.Wereweeb - Friday, July 23, 2021 - link
I say "flagship killer" in quotes because that's what people have been calling upper-mid-range phones with near-flagship SoC's. This phone is carried by the Dimensity 1200 (Near-SD888 CPU perf., gaming perf. close to SD870).R0H1T - Thursday, July 22, 2021 - link
The presentation clearly mentioned UFS 3.1 Andrei 🧐DanNeely - Thursday, July 22, 2021 - link
CDMA is close enough to dead that it shouldn't be a blocker for US sales anymore. Does Mediatek's radio just not support enough RF bands to work well on any major US networks?abufrejoval - Thursday, July 22, 2021 - link
Has me wonder if I should have held back on a OnePlus 8 I just got for €380 (including VAT)...I'm glad OP is back to offering really attractive value deals, that and good LineageOS support has always been their main appeal to me.
Still yearning for a plastic back cover with replaceable batteries... One of the LeEco Le Max 2 in the family got busted out of its "beautifully manufactured" metal case by a dying battery two weeks ago, leaving a rather ugly wreck of a phone I struggled to back up through a shattered display (Bluetooth mouse did the job). It was running LinageOS 18.1 and there were no complaints about it being slow...
Never worn a phone without a nice dull black silicon cover and the only surface that's ever interested me in a phone was the display.
Wereweeb - Friday, July 23, 2021 - link
Same. Glass backs are the scam of the XXIth century.Waiting until some pro-repair company makes an, idk, silicone coated glass-fiber back material that you can just peel out with a hot metal spudger to reveal the battery. Boom, IP68, grippy, no melting plastic, no shattered glass.
Wereweeb - Friday, July 23, 2021 - link
Unfortunately smartphones are either not competitive or not profitable when producing at low volume, as the Pinephone and Fairphone reveal.Spunjji - Monday, July 26, 2021 - link
The Fairphone is frustrating. I'd have loved to have bought one for my last upgrade, but the SoC is a pile of crap and would have been a significant downgrade from my OnePlus 6. Even something like the Mediatek Helio G90T would be a better option. Living in hope that they finally get that side of things right in time for my next upgrade, so I can finally stop buying disposable junk.GC2:CS - Monday, July 26, 2021 - link
Is it a general rule that dual battery phones are less efficient ?Are there other examples other than OP9Pro ? Mi 11 Ultra ? If I remember even some iPhones did this for no reason.
What are the benefits if it is less efficient ?
RSAUser - Monday, August 2, 2021 - link
It's not really less efficient, slightly more space used due to walls of the battery.In return you'll get near double the charging speed while not degrading your battery as fast.
abufrejoval - Monday, August 2, 2021 - link
I'd love to see a comparison to say a OnePlus 8!I'll freely admit, I'm a OnePlus fan. Started with Samsung (Galaxy i9000), progressed to Galaxy Note (1) and Note 3. Still run both the Note 3 and a OnePlus 1 side by side, both being Snapdragon 800, but the OnePlus 1 having much better storage and a slightly faster SoC still is downright usable, while the Note 3 (the physical home button is actually turning into a liability) lags noticeably, so it's more of backup/emergency/guest device today.
If you're not on the fast track, a OnePlus 1 today is still a very viable phone thanks to LineageOS 18.1! Physically, including the (first) battery (got a spare not yet used) it's really still almost pristine, and one of my kids *really* used it for years with WhatsApp flooding all 64GB of storage (I WhatsNot and TRIMed so now it's back to--YEAH! performance for a 2014 device).
Used a OnePlus 5, which is recycling from one of my kids as he upgrades to a Nord 1. That was the first Android that cured me of my battery anxiety, thanks to its Snapdragon 835, which gave me performance similar to the LeEco 820 devices, but at half the battery consumption. A really great (physically small and light) device, which used a non-mechanical (fingerprint) home button to maximum advantage, until gestures took over to enable full-screen.
With my OnePlus 7 Pro I was happy, until Coporate IT and most of my banking apps took issues to my standard rooting, so I had to add a OnePlus 8 (unrooted) just for that: It sold below €400 so I see it as a benchmark against a Nord 2: Snapdragon 865 vs. Dimension 1200!
CPU wise, the MediaTek might might have a point, but in terms of GPU (I don't game on phones), it may face issues with those who game on mobile.
Andrew090John - Monday, August 9, 2021 - link
Have been hearing a lot about this device and hope it comes to the US market soon. The Dimensity 1200 chipset looks good at low cost.AhdElizabeth - Monday, November 8, 2021 - link
hope this beautiful phone will be available in my country soonhttps://slope2.online