OnePlus Nord 2 Leak Might Sound Disappointing To Some

Although it doesn't reach the top 5 in terms of numbers, OnePlus is arguably one of the more well-known brands in the smartphone market, particularly among Android phones. Its mix of specs and price continues to enchant some consumers, even though those prices continue to climb every year. It launched the OnePlus Nord to balance the scales and the mid-range phone received the same warm welcome in markets where it was made available. Its successor, however, might give some fans pause as it switches out the most important component from Qualcomm to MediaTek.

You could almost say that OnePlus has been, so far, a Qualcomm shop, with all its phones powered by one Snapdragon or another. That's true even for the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100, budget phones that, in another time or place, would have used a MediaTek processor known for being more affordable than Qualcomm's equivalent. That chain might finally be broken if Android Central's insider tip comes to pass.

The OnePlus Nord 2 will allegedly use a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 instead of whatever Snapdragon 7-series Qualcomm will have this year. On paper, this is quite an upgrade from the first OnePlus Nord's Snapdragon 765G as the Dimensity 1200 is the company's top-tier 5G processor. On paper, it would be racing against a Snapdragon 8-series instead.

In practice, it remains to be seen how well the Dimensity 1200 will perform. MediaTek hasn't exactly been known for its raw performance and more for its balance of price and power. That said, offering 5G at higher clock speeds will benefit buyers' pockets as well.

The bigger winner here is perhaps MediaTek, who is able to bag yet another big player in the smartphone market. While Qualcomm retains its grip on the high-end premium market as always, MediaTek's 5G Dimensity chips are slowly gnawing away at its share, even with 5G-capable Snapdragon 6-series processors available.