Launching alongside the long-rumoured N10 5G, the OnePlus Nord N100 is the company’s most affordable phone to date, even undercutting 2015’s OnePlus X – OnePlus’ first-ever attempt at a mid-range device.
The focus of the Nord N100 seems to be as a means to bring the company’s exceptional OxygenOS user interface down to a more affordable price point. The question then is whether the more modest hardware of the N100 can still deliver a high-quality user experience, as we’ve come to expect from the brand.
When does the OnePlus Nord N100 launch?
As rumours predicted, OnePlus announced both the OnePlus Nord N100 and the Nord N10 5G simultaneously on 26 October.
While the N100 is already on sale in the UK and Europe, it’s not yet available in the US – though it will be soon (unlike the original Nord), coming out there on 15 January.
Tipster Mukul Sharma (via 91mobiles) has also spotted what appear to be Geekbench results of Asia-specific variants of both the N100 and N10 5G (named ‘OnePlus BE2013’ and ‘OnePlus BE2029′, respectively, but it’s unclear which Asian regions such variants are destined to launch in and whether or not that includes India; one of OnePlus’ biggest markets.
How much does the OnePlus Nord N100 cost?
At £179/€199/$179, the Nord N100 undercuts the £200 OnePlus X to land the title of the company’s most affordable phone ever.
As such, it’ll have to face up against the likes of its doppelgänger, the Oppo A53, as well as entries in our Best Budget Phone chart; like the fresh-faced Realme 7 and Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 9.
UK retailers include John Lewis, Amazon, OnePlus.com and Three, while in the US it’s a T-Mobile carrier exclusive, though it’s also available direct from OnePlus or other online retailers. We’re also be tracking the best N100 deals and prices separately here.
What features does the OnePlus Nord N100 offer?
For the price, you forgo 5G, as on its launch sibling, but the phone still packs a promising Snapdragon 400 series processor to keep its big-screened user experience ticking over, as well as a sizeable 5000mAh battery and a triple-camera setup.
OnePlus Nord N100 specs:
- 6.52in 20:9 90Hz HD+ IPS LCD w/ Gorilla Glass 3
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB storage
- microSD expandability up to 256GB
- Rear cameras:
- 13Mp main sensor
- 2Mp macro sensor
- 2Mp monochrome sensor
- 8Mp front-facing hole-punch camera
- Android 10 w/ OxygenOS 10.5
- Rear fingerprint sensor
- Dual stereo speakers
- 5000mAh battery
- 18W fast charging
- Bluetooth 5.0
- USB-C
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- 164.9 x 75.1 x 8.49mm
- 188 grams
- Colours: Midnight Frost
No mention of NFC is a bit of a disappointment on first impressions but dual stereo speakers and expandable memory are surprising inclusions for both the price and the brand respectively.
It was more recently revealed by OnePlus that both the N10 5G and N100 would only be receiving one major OS update in their lifetimes (to Android 11) and only two years of security updates – that’s one less than the company’s flagship devices (and the original Nord), which makes both phones a harder recommend for those considering them as long-term devices.
We gave our initial impressions of both the N100 and its N10 sibling on our podcast, Fast Charge, so watch that right here if you want to know what we think: