While OnePlus initially only sold premium grade devices, it has seen great success in the mid range category thanks to its Nord branding. Now, it appears that the company is considering spinning off Nord as a separate brand.

According to TheMobileIndian, the Chinese smartphone maker is planning on expanding its mid range presence in the market even further. It has already launched the Nord CE 2, the Nord CE 2 Lite, and even the latest addition, the Nord 2T recently. And now, a source close to the matter has stated that the next strategy to grow in the mid range segment is by having OnePlus spin off its Nord as an independent brand or possibly even a sub brand.

In other words, this would bring the company in line with other Chinese OEMs like Oppo with Realme, Vivo with iQOO, and Xiaomi with POCO. The source further added that Nord will be treated as a standalone company and will have its own unique branding, stores, and even team. Notably, Nord phones will no longer have OnePlus branding, rather they will carry the words “from OnePlus” or “a OnePlus brand” in come places.

Based on the branding so far, we can expect a branding that uses light blue as its theme color. The sources also stated that the Nord branding will continue to focus on offline channels and to build a strong offline presence thanks to new dedicated showrooms and partnerships with third party stores and other authorized resellers. The Nord branding doesn’t just end with smartphones and will soon encompass TWS earbuds, Bluetooth neckbands, power banks, fitness bands, smartwatches, and much more.

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It appears that OnePlus is on a launch spree. The company recently launched the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G and OnePlus 10R in the Indian markets. Now, a report suggests that the Chinese tech brand is prepping up to bring another Nord series smartphone to the country.

Tipster Mukul Sharma reveals that he has spotted the “OnePlus Nord 3” on the company’s India website. The tipster hasn’t seen any official images or features of the smartphone, but the appearance of the moniker alone suggests that the launch of the OnePlus Nord 3 is imminent.

Alright. The OnePlus Nord 3 is also coming up soon it seems. Have spotted it on the country's Indian website.
Feel free to retweet.#OnePlus #OnePlusNord3 pic.twitter.com/eg9LqWQanK

— Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) May 2, 2022

The Nord series has been a massive success for the company, and that’s why OnePlus is dedicated to adding new smartphones to the series. The company is also rumored to launch the Nord 2T soon.

According to recent reports, OnePlus started private testing of a smartphone code-named Meili and now the appearance of the OnePlus Nord 3 on the company website suggests that Meili could be the same phone.

From what we know so far, the Nord 2 successor might come with a Dimensity 8100 chipset and could feature a 6.7-inch AMOLED display that will deliver a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2412 pixels. The new Nord smartphone is likely to carry support for a 120Hz refresh rate. The handset is said to have the punch-hole camera placed at the top-center position, unlike most OnePlus phones on the market.

The alleged Nord 3 is likely to arrive with a 16-megapixel camera for taking selfies. The back of the phone may feature a Sony IMX766 50-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture. It could be accompanied by an 8-megapixel camera and a 2-megapixel snapper.

The upcoming OnePlus phone is said to be equipped with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The phone’s fuel tank could carry a 4,500mAh battery and an extreme 150W fast charging.

Related:

• OnePlus 10R with 150W fast charging, Dimensity 8100-MAX launched
• OnePlus Meili smartphone reportedly enters private testing in India: Could be a part of…
• OnePlus 10R with 150W fast charging, Dimensity 8100-MAX launched
• OnePlus Nord Buds announced in India with 12.4mm drivers & 30hr battery

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Recently, OnePlus merged with its sister brand OPPO. Hence, changes were expected. In fact, the company has already started using ColorOS.  Now, according to the latest rumor, the brand that was once known for flagship killer phones in India might enter the budget smartphone category.

As per tipster Yogesh Brar, OnePlus might release sub-₹20,000 smartphones in India in the near future. These devices are estimated to hit the market as early as Q4 2021 or Q2 2022. The upcoming affordable handsets from the company will likely use the ‘Nord’ branding.

OnePlus already sells budget phones in some regions. But this will be the first time for India, a market where the brand has been leading in the premium smartphone category for quite some time.

Unlike the premium segment, the budget category in India is too competitive. There are players like Redmi, realme, and even Samsung to some extent. Let’s not forget the Transsion brands (Infinix, TECNO) either.

All these brands offer great hardware at affordable price tags. The software is probably the common problem among these handsets, except for Samsung, which is doing fine.

At present, it’s not known what set of features OnePlus’ budget smartphones for India will offer. We are looking forward to learning more about these devices in the coming days.

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Back in 2020, OnePlus had introduced the Nord series of smartphones that targeted the more budget friendly mid range handsets. Now, a company official has revealed that the company plans on selling around 25 million units of Nord series devices by the end of 2023.

In an interview with BGR.in Navnit Nakra, Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of India Sales, OnePlus India, confirmed the company’s 25 million sales goal. The senior executive added that “Offering the signature Nord experience across price categories, we project that by the end of 2023, the accumulated sales volume of the OnePlus Nord product line will reach 25 million units globally.”

As of right now, the Chinese smartphone maker has launched two models of the Nord phones, namely Nord CE 5G and the new Nord 2 5G. The official also added that this series has seen an overwhelmingly positive reception by Indian consumers, stating that “Nord brought the highest open sales day in OnePlus history, and witnessed a tremendous reception from the community.” Notably, Amazon India also recently revealed a list of its top-selling smartphones during its Prime Day sales. In this list, the Nord 2 5G and Nord CE 5G were two of the top-selling models on the popular e-commerce platform.

Furthermore, Nakra also revealed that the company has big plans ahead, while the brand seeks to grow its Nord lineup alongside its flagship series. The ‘big plan’ involves developing 5G technology for its global audience. Nakra said that “5G is a top priority in our product strategy. We identified the need for it early on and have continued to remain the first movers in 5G R&D development. We have invested an amount of 30 million US Dollars to scale up 5G research and remain committed to that.”

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OnePlus isn’t just planning on pushing out new midrange models following the success of the Nord last year but is also striving to push out fresh updates to the original model. The tech giant has now rolled out a new update for the first-gen Nord smartphone.

The update ushers in the OS version Oxygen 11.1.4.4 and brings some improvements to the device such as improved battery life and a couple of bug fixes. The changelog for the update shows that the device comes with a reduction in power consumption in specific areas. It also fixes the issue of delayed notifications. The new update equally fixes the overheating issue in certain scenarios. In addition, the new update brings the June 2021 security patch.

Owers of the OnePlus Nord owners have started receiving the update via OTA push but to avoid bricking their smartphones, it is important that users ensure that their phone’s battery has up to 30% of battery power before commencing the update. It is also required that there is a minimum of 3GB RAM space available before starting the update.

This is the second time the Nord smartphone is receiving a new update since May. In the month of May, OnePlus provided an OTA update for the device which arrived as OxygenOS 11.1.1.3. The update brings an upgrade to the security patch and several new fixes.

Since the vanilla Nord’s launch last year, the Chinese tech giant went on to release a number of mid-range models such as the Nord N100, Nord N10. This year, the company has already unveiled the Nord CE 5G and Nord N200 5G. The Nord 2 5G is expected to join the fray later this month.

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(source)

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OnePlus introduced the budget-friendly OnePlus Nord back in July. A recent interview of OnePlus founder Pete Lau also indicated that more Nord smartphones will launch in the future with powerful cameras. Accordingly, there were leaks about an alleged OnePlus Nord SE mid-range smartphone. However, contrary to early leaks, a Phonearena report now says that it’s more of an artistic change.

According to the report, Nord SE is just a Special Edition of the OG OnePlus Nord. Precisely, OnePlus will design it in partnership with designer Joshua Vides. For the unaware, he is a graphic artist popular for creating everyday objects in monochromatic hand-drawn illustrations.

Further, he is also known for collaborations with Italy’s Luxury Fashion brand Fendi. Anyway, the Nord SE will only have aesthetic changes like a revamped rear panel and custom wallpapers as per the report. This primarily means that Nord SE will share most of the specs from the predecessor.

That said, this is contradictory to the earlier report that said Nord SE will have improvements in specs like a 4,500mAh battery, 65W Warp Charging. Besides, the previous report also mentioned that SE will be available in India and Europe. But we aren’t sure how OnePlus would position the Special Edition device in markets like India given that Nord has already occupied the ₹25-30K segment.

EDITOR’S PICK: OnePlus reassures bimonthly security updates for OnePlus 8/8 Pro and OnePlus Nord

Coming back, tipster Max Jambor has additionally supported this claim. In fact, he has tweeted a picture of an OnePlus logo. It has monochrome textures similar to Joshua Vides’ designs and the text says “Nord SE- Same but looks different”.

Nord SE – same but looks different pic.twitter.com/qAjzO1Rmh1

— Max Jambor (@MaxJmb) December 21, 2020

In any case, if these reports are true, Nord SE will feature a 6.4-inch AMOLED display, Snapdragon 765G SoC, quad rear-camera setup, 4,115mAh battery with 30W fast charging.

Having said that, OnePlus hasn’t confirmed anything yet, and let’s wait for official news to assert this. Nevertheless, the special edition Nord is rumored to launch in March of 2021 alongside the OnePlus 9 series’ event.

UP NEXT: OnePlus 9 new leak reveals 50MP triple camera setup

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OnePlus recently announced the budget Nord N10 5G, and N100 in the US, and EU. And, a report by Android Central claimed that the devices won’t make the cut to countries like India. Now, one of the devices has hit Singapore’s IMDA certification suggesting an imminent launch.

The new tip comes from Mukul Sharma who posted the information on his Twitter account. We personally verified Singapore’s IMDA database and found that the device has a model number “BE2029” and marketing name “N10”. Now, if you recall, a similar device hit the Geekbench listing back in July. It had the model number “BE2028” and Snapdragon 690 5G which is present on the Nord N10 5G.

This further confirms that the device with model number BE2029 is indeed the Nord N10.  And it could just be another model number for Singapore. That said, this also strongly hints that the OnePlus might launch it in some countries of Asia although we won’t place our bet on the Indian launch just yet.

OnePlus Nord N10 5G Specifications

OnePlus Nord N10 5G features a 6.49-inch FHD+ LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Under the hood, it is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G SoC and is paired with 6GB RAM, 128GB storage.

At the back, it has four cameras. The primary lens is a 64MP sensor, while other sensors include an 8MP ultra-wide and two 2MP sensors. Upfront, we have a 16MP sensor tucked under punch-hole for selfies. Other features include MicroSD slot, 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, rear fingerprint sensor, 3.5mm headphone jack.

The device has a 4,300mAh  battery with support for Warp Charge 30T via USB-C port. Sadly, it runs OxygenOS 10.5 based on Android 10 and not Android 11 out of the box. The device retails for £329/€329 (~$429) and comes in single Midnight Ice Blue color. We will have to wait and see how OnePlus markets these devices in Asia.

UP NEXT: OnePlus’ next budget-friendly device Nord SE tipped to launch in Q1 2021

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If you’ve been following OnePlus since its inception, you’d see that the company has grown steadily, step by step, over the past few years. OnePlus started off its journey as a startup focused on a single flagship smartphone in a year. But within three years of its formation, the company changed the strategy to two flagship smartphones in 12 months. And a year later, in 2017, OnePlus released a special edition model – the OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition, in addition to the regular OnePlus 5 and 5T.

In 2018, the company partnered with the British Motor Racing company, McLaren for the special McLaren edition of the OnePlus 6T. And in the following year, i.e. within six years of its inception, OnePlus released a total of six smartphones in 12 months including the OnePlus 7 duo, 7T duo, 7 Pro 5G, and the 7T Pro McLaren Edition. Finally, in 2020, OnePlus hit another key milestone with the launch of the Verizon branded OnePlus 8 (OnePlus phones were previously exclusive to carrier T-Mobile in the US). It also started selling directly through Amazon US this year.

As you can see already, OnePlus has been gradually expanding its operations ever since its inception. But after a period of slow and restrained growth, it looks like the Chinese smartphone maker is all set to spread its wings this year. In the past few months, OnePlus has launched a set of premium QLED Q series TVs along with a number of cheaper LED TVs in the Y and U series lineup.

But what’s next for OnePlus?

OnePlus was already the number one premium brand in India by the end of 2018 and for the entire 2019 with a YoY growth of 28%, capturing one-third of India’s premium segment. According to Counterpoint, OnePlus was also one of the top 5 premium smartphone makers in most of the global smartphone markets (except for Latin America and China) in Q1 2020.

So can it further grow in the premium smartphone segment?

Compared to the record-breaking shipments registered by phones in the budget category, the premium and ultra-premium segments where the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro belong to respectively don’t pull those kinds of numbers. The sales in this segment would further decline due to the ongoing pandemic as consumers are restricting nonessential purchases.

So, for a smartphone maker that’s completely focused on the premium segment, a cheaper and affordable mid-range smartphone was inevitable.

Increasing Prices created a void in the Affordable Smartphone Segment

The first OnePlus smartphone, the OnePlus One was priced at just $300. The next couple of iterations, the OnePlus 2 and the OnePlus 3 were still priced under $400 (Rs. 30,000). If you remember, the OnePlus 3 series was the one to bring the company into the spotlight globally with an invite-free sales strategy. And the phone offered flagship specs for an unbeatable $400 price tag!

But if you look at the latest OnePlus 8 and the 8 Pro models, the cheapest variant starts at $700! In India, the same base variant starts at Rs. 44,999.

So, OnePlus, which traditionally sold phones in the sub-$400 price segment, has no product catering to the price segment where it started off – leaving a subset of its fanbase disappointed.

Lite Variants are the New Trend in the Market

OnePlus’ strategy to release the Nord series is in line with the current trend. The two other brands focused on the premium segment – Apple and Google have tweaked their strategies recently.

Both these brands have released a mid-range, affordable model in the market in the past 12 months – a deviation from their traditional focus on the premium segment. And the mid-range models from both these brands have done exceptionally well.

The iPhone SE is expected to drive 15 million units in sales for Apple this year. The Pixel 3a duo also helped Google ship more units in 2019. In fact, Google shipped more devices than OnePlus for the first time last year, even though the flagship Pixel 3 sales were lower than its predecessor. So this growth has to be attributed to the cheaper, more affordable Pixel 3a models.

When big brands like Apple and Google, which were premium-only for the past few years, have launched affordable models to drive more sales from the mid-range segment, it was only natural for OnePlus to follow suit.

Mid-Range Phones are exceptionally good this year!

If a premium brand was looking to launch a mid-range smartphone, for a cheaper price tag, 2020 would probably be a good year.

Why?

Because of the Snapdragon 765G.

The new chipset from Qualcomm comes delivers flagship-like experience in the mid-range market. You get premium features on an upper mid-range chip like an integrated 5G modem, the latest 7nm manufacturing process, 120Hz display support, Wi-Fi 6, Quick Charge 4+, and 4K 30 fps video recording.

This means, even though the Snapdragon 765G is cheaper than the flagship Snapdragon 865, you don’t have to sacrifice on the premium features. This is also what OnePlus’ founder Carl Pei mentioned in the interview with Android Authority last week.

He said, “We wanted to do the right thing for the consumer, and we really believe that putting this 765G processor here is the right thing for a product at this price point. It can now deliver the experience we wanted to deliver.”

For a fan base that’s not ready to ‘Settle’, the Snapdragon 765G is a competent processor to power the OnePlus Nord.

OnePlus needs to rope in More Users into its Ecosystem

OnePlus is no longer just a smartphone maker. It’s a headset and TV manufacturer as well, and in the coming years, its likely to diversify its product portfolio with wearables and smart products.

With a cheaper device like the OnePlus Nord, it will be able to sell more units and get the OnePlus experience in the hands of more users. With this, OnePlus wants users to be hooked to its OxygenOS ecosystem. After all, if you like a particular ecosystem, you are likely going to experiment with its other products too. For example, if you are a OnePlus smartphone user, you are likely to check out and get the brand’s TV lineup as well for a seamless experience. This is exactly what Xiaomi has been doing for the past few years in China and India.

So it all makes sense why OnePlus is going after the mid-range segment this year. All we know so far is that the phone will feature Snapdragon 765G, dual punch-hole cameras, and 48MP quad-cameras with OIS at the back.

OnePlus Nord faces Stiff Competition

While launching the mid-range OnePlus Nord makes perfect sense, whether it’ll be a successful launch is a different story altogether. The OnePlus Nord is all set to face stiff competition in the sub-$500 segment in India as well as Europe. There are a lot of competitive devices in this price range like the Mi 10 lite, Mi Note 10, Realme X2 Pro, and even the Poco F2 Pro (€499) with the flagship Snapdragon 865. So it won’t be an easy road for the brand’s new mid-ranger.

But history reveals that OnePlus has had a sound product strategy so far and it’s very likely that they have a solid plan in place for an important device like the OnePlus Nord too.

We’ll know soon!

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OnePlus‘ much-anticipated affordable Nord smartphone is expected to be unveiled on July 21 in a virtual launch event. Ahead of the launch, details of the smartphone have continued to make the rounds. The latest that we came across is a store listing for the OnePlus Nord with the specs and price in tow.

The device was listed by Romanian retailer evoMAG.ro and it carries a price tag of RON 2,300 (around €475/$535). The price looks doubtful especially when we take into account the fact that the company has hinted that the price will be under $500. Also, the product image is an inaccurate render with a single central selfie camera. Latest details show that the OnePlus Nord will feature an extended punch-hole design at the top left corner which will be able to take two camera sensors. The rear design isn’t also the correct representation of the Nord which will have a quad-camera setup.

Thus, it is safe to say this is just a listing for clout and can’t be relied upon to know the price of the Nord in Europe.

As a reminder, the OnePlus Nord is expected to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor which will usher in 5G connectivity.  The processor will be paired with 6GB of RAM and there will be 128GB of internal storage onboard. The phone will also pack a 4300mAh battery.

Just recently, popular tipster Ishan Argawal tweeted that the Nord will come with OIS. In addition, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei chipped in that the camera will be of “flagship-level”. According to Android Authority, citing an OnePlus insider, the Nord will feature a quad-camera setup at the rear aspect which will include a 48MP main sensor as against 64MP previously rumoured. Other sensors are an 8MP wide-angle lens, 5MP macro module, and a 2MP portrait lens. At the front, the selfie setup consists of a 32MP and 8MP twin camera layout.

There is hardly any doubt that the OnePlus Nord is an interesting product to watch out for.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi launches the WalkingPad S1 with a more compact design on Indiegogo

(source)

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