OnePlus Nord N20 5G Hits Budget Market In USA

OnePlus recently confirmed that the budget-centric Nord N20 5G smartphone will make its way to the United States at some point in April, and now it is back with more details about the model's availability. The company says its Nord N20 5G will go on sale in North America starting on April 28. Interestingly, OnePlus' press release notes that the phone will be available exclusively via T-Mobile and its Metro brand, which is quite disappointing. It is unclear if the phone will eventually make it to other carriers, but for now, eager folks waiting to get their hands on the upcoming budget handset are out of luck if they don't want to switch carriers.

The OnePlus Nord N20 features a 6.43-inch AMOLED screen, which the company touts as a standout feature in the segment. OnePlus claims that no rival smartphone brand offers an AMOLED display in the same price bracket. However, that statement only stands true for the North American market, as the Asian markets are saturated with phones from fellow Chinese brands that offer high-refresh-rate OLED panels at an even lower asking price. Talking about refresh rates, the AMOLED panel on Nord N20 5G is capped at a standard 60 Hz, a sacrifice OnePlus had to make to keep the asking price in check. 

As for the rest of the specifications, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 695 powers the phone ticking alongside 6GB of RAM. There's 128GB of onboard storage, but it can be expanded all the way up to 512GB. OnePlus hasn't shared if there will be more storage configurations on the table. Coming to the imaging department, a 64-megapixel main camera leads the charge on the OnePlus Nord N20 5G; it sits alongside a macro camera and a monochrome shooter, eschewing the more popular ultrawide-angle camera or a telephoto lens. 

A 4,500mAh battery keeps the lights on, with support for 33W fast charging in tow. OnePlus says half an hour of charging will provide enough juice for a full day of usage — and, if the OnePlus 10 Pro is any indication, the 33W power brick will come bundled in the retail package. The latest OnePlus offering comes equipped with an in-display fingerprint sensor for handling biometric authentication. While 5G support is definitely a welcome addition, the Nord N20 5G is still lingering on a dated version of Oxygen OS built on top of Android 11. 

But as a saving grace, the design is at least easy on the eyes, thanks to a slim profile without an ugly camera bump and flattened sides a la the iPhone 12 quartet. As of now, the company hasn't shared a timeline regarding an Android 12 update window for its affordable phone. OnePlus is preparing to launch a new model called the OnePlus 10R with support for 150W fast charging support, as well, but that is unlikely to hit the shelves in North America.