OnePlus Nord 2 CE's Existence Is A Confusing Proposition

OnePlus' direction with its new Nord brand hasn't been the easiest to decipher and divine. Now running three distinct device lines, it almost feels like the company is throwing everything it can at a wall to see which ones stick. A few months back, it launched no less than three phones under that name, including the somewhat odd OnePlus Nord CE. In the next month or two, the company might expand that family, but this OnePlus "Ivan" doesn't seem to be offering much over what the first "Core Edition" phone already did.

Based on leaks provided by 91mobiles, the biggest difference between the first and second Nord CE generations is the processor. Whereas this year's model sported a well-known Snapdragon 750G 5G, the Nord 2 CE is rumored to use a MediaTek Dimensity 900. This would be the second OnePlus phone with a MediaTek 5G processor after the OnePlus Nord 2, perhaps cementing the Nord line's use of that particular chipset over Qualcomm's equivalents.

Other than that, there are only a few differences noted in this OnePlus "Ivan" leak. The same 6.4-inch 90Hz Fluid AMOLED display is on top, as well as the same 64MP main camera and 16MP front camera. The battery is the same 4,500 mAh capacity, but this time supporting 65W fast charging.

There is one small change in the phone's design, but it might not be something that fans will like. OnePlus' phones have been praised for their Alert Slider, the company's take on the iPhone's Ring/Silent switch. This might be gone from the OnePlus Nord 2 CE, unfortunately, but nothing's set in stone yet.

There is also no word on whether the 3.5mm headphone jack will remain, though its removal would be quite ironic. One of the highlights of the first OnePlus Nord CE is the return of that audio output port, but OnePlus, like many other manufacturers, isn't shying away from removing it after initially ridiculing others for the exact same thing. The OnePlus Nord 2 5G doesn't have a headphone jack, but the cheaper Nord N200 5G does.

At this point, only OnePlus really understands its overall strategy for the Nord line, but these disappointing rumors about the next phone under that brand aren't doing it any favors. The OnePlus "Ivan," a.k.a. the Nord 2 CE, is expected to launch around January or February in India with a price tag of at least 24,000 INR (roughly $320). That might be more affordable than the first Nord CE, at least when it first launched in June.