OnePlus Nord 3 Leaked Images Suggest Launch Is Coming Up

In 2020, when OnePlus decided to come up with a mid-range smartphone series positioned under its traditional flagship killers, they decided to call this lineup the OnePlus "Nord" series. The first of these devices was the OnePlus Nord, which came to the market in July 2020. It was succeeded by the OnePlus Nord 2 — launched exactly a year later — in July 2021. Fast forward another year, and everyone thought that the third-gen Nord would officially appear in 2022, OnePlus surprised everyone by calling the device the OnePlus Nord 2T 5G instead of OnePlus Nord 3. Nearly two years after the arrival of the OnePlus Nord 2, it seems like its successor — the OnePlus Nord 3 — is finally on its way.

Noted German tech blog WinFuture managed to get hold of what it claims are the press renders. This new mid-range smartphone borrows several styling cues from existing OnePlus devices and appears to come in two color options. WinFuture stopped short of revealing an official launch date for the Nord 3, but indicated that the wait shouldn't be long given that its predecessors have mostly announced in May. 

Interestingly, those familiar with smartphones from OnePlus' parent company OPPO were quick to note that the styling and design cues of the supposed OnePlus Nord 3 borrows heavily from another mid-range device called the OnePlus Ace 2v, which launched in China a few months ago.

Given the striking similarity of the rumored Nord 3 and the OnePlus Ace 2v, it is entirely possible that the fourth-gen "Nord" branded midranger is a rebranded device. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but chances are high the Nord 3 will have the similar specs to the OnePlus Ace 2v. Based on what we know about the Ace 2v, it is likely that the OnePlus Nord will be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset. The phone may also get a 6.74-inch AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate, 500 nits of typical brightness, and HDR10+ support thrown in.

While it may retain a triple camera setup at the rear, OnePlus could make changes to the sensors used on the OnePlus Nord 3. WinFuture has indicated that the Nord 3 could get a 50 MP main camera (in contrast to the 64MP sensor on the Ace 2v). We know very little about the rest of the camera specs, although it is worth noting that the Ace 2v gets an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro camera.

The rest of the hardware specs — including the large 5,000 mAh battery, under-display fingerprint scanner, and fast charging options — could be a straight lift from the OnePlus Ace 2v. While the OnePlus Nord 3 is undoubtedly making it to Asian and European markets, it would be interesting to see if it finally makes it to the U.S. — a chance the three of its predecessors didn't have.