OnePlus Nord 2T Review by Gadgetshieldz: Tweaked Nord 2
As mentioned in our recent article, we expected the latest phone in the OnePlus Nord lineup, OnePlus Nord 2T, to come up by mid-July tops, and it’s already here!
OnePlus Nord 2T was launched on 1st July this year and came out for sales on 5th July. And now, we’ve finally got the device hands-on and here’s our review for the same!
But before we get to the review, we would like to list some basic, understandable technical specs.
Specs
Price
- Starting from ₹28,999
Processor
- CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 1300 with 1 x Cortex-A78 (3 GHz), 3 x Cortex-A78 (2.6 GHz) and 4 x Cortex-A55 (2 GHz)
- GPU: Arm Mali-G77 MC9
- HyperEngine 5.0
Software
- Oxygen OS 12 based on Android 12
Storage & RAM
- 8 GB LPDDR4X RAM + UFS 3.1 128 GB ROM
- 12 GB LPDDR4X RAM + UFS 3.1 256 GB ROM
Display
- 6.43″ AMOLED FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) display
- 90 Hz Refresh Rate
- sRGB, Display P3 and HDR10+ supported
Audio
- Dual Stereo Speakers
- Noise cancellation support
Camera
Rear Camera
- 50 MP Main Camera with Sony IMX766 sensor & OIS + 8 MP Ultrawide Camera with 120° FOV & EIS+ 2 MP Mono Camera
- 4k, 1080p and 720p recording at 30 fps, 1080p and 720p recording at 60 fps
- Super-slow motion: 1080p video at 120 fps/480 fps, 720p video at 240 fps/960 fps
- Time lapse in 1080p and 720p
Front Camera
- 32 MP camera with Sony IMX615 sensor
- 1080p & 720p video recording at 30 fps
- Time-lapse mode
Connectivity
- 5G compatible- 11 bands
- Bluetooth 5.2
- WiFi 6
- NFC enabled
Battery & Charging
- 4500 mAh Battery
- 80W SUPERVOOC Charging
Design
- Dimensions: 159.1 mm x 73.2 mm x 8.2 mm
- Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Screen
- Weight: 190 gms
- Dual-SIM
- Sandstone textured back like OnePlus One
- Alert slider present
- Available in shades of Gray Shadow and Jade Fog
Detailed Review
Performance & Battery Life
In terms of performance, it’s pretty much like the OnePlus Nord 2, as the performance specs are exactly the same except for the HyperEngine 5.0, which focuses on gaming performance enhancement. You’ll find subtle yet insignificant changes when you compare the benchmark scores or AnTuTu scores of the Dimensity 1200 chip and Dimensity 1300 chip.
However, CPU throttling is better than how it’s in OnePlus Nord 2, thus, saving the phone from overheating beyond the limit. It does not impact the phone’s performance much.
We tried to play Genshin Impact in the highest setting and noticed a few stutters. We chose this game as Genshin Impact is a heavily graphical game and requires a heavily optimised phone if you want to play without any stutters.
The battery life is good. You can use your phone for a whole day or even more if you are a casual user. If you do frequent gaming and use your phone for photography or videography, you might need to plug in for a quick charge for a few minutes in the middle of your day.
80W SUPERVOOC Charger charges your phone from 0-100% in just 35 minutes, but it’s not a significant improvement from the 65W charger. The charging difference is only for 5 minutes.
Software & Storage
OnePlus Nord 2T runs on OxygenOS 12.1 based on Android 12.1, which is great because it’s the latest Android 12. Irrespective of the fact that OxygenOS is now merging slowly into ColorOS, the software is doing just fine. There is no bloatware and no spammy notifications present at all. Moreover, you’ll also get two years of major OS updates and three years of security updates.
OnePlus Nord 2T has LPDDR4X type of RAM, which works fast and is well-optimised, but is still a bit of a bummer. “Why?” you ask? Because for a similar price point, you can get phones with LPDDR5 RAM, which is even faster. RAM variants are the usual 8 GB and 12 GB models with UFS 3.1 storage options of 128 GB and 256 GB, respectively.
Multimedia experience
The display of the Nord 2T is exactly the same as OnePlus Nord 2, with an FHD+ 90 Hz AMOLED Display. The capped touch sampling rate is 180 Hz which is a bit of a bummer for gamers out there because, for gaming, such a low sampling rate does not cut it. Moreover, you can find phones with a higher sampling rate around a similar price point.
The phone has HDR10+ certification, ensuring you can stream any video content in high resolution. It also has Display P3 and sRGB support that make colours look rich, vibrant and uniform at every angle.
This phone has Dirac-supported dual-speakers, which is decent for the price range. Dirac drivers ensure high-quality audio but tend to have lower-quality comparatively when the volume is increased to a loud level. However, it does not impact the quality much, so you can still enjoy a qualitative audio experience.
Camera
Rear Camera
The rear camera of the OnePlus Nord 2T has not changed much in photography compared to Nord 2. It does not necessarily mean that it’s a bad thing per se because OnePlus Nord 2 had some really great shooters.
Like its previous edition, you can click some good photos in daylight or in any well-lit area from the primary camera, and from the same camera, night mode photos are just as clear as daylight photos. Ultrawide pictures are not the best. The 2 MP mono camera is bare of any use.
Videography from Nord 2T’s rear camera has not changed at all. You still don’t get 4k at 60 fps from any of the cameras, which is a little disappointing because, at this price, 4k recording at 60 fps is available on many phones. Weirdly enough, the stabilisation is worse than how it was in Nord 2. The details and clarity are all fine. However, without a gimbal, you can’t shoot a smooth video.
Front camera
The 32 MP front camera can take good pictures with mostly natural complexion and colour tones in well-lit surroundings. However, we can’t assure the same for low-light conditions.
You can click detailed videos in 1080p at 30 fps with better stabilisation.
Connectivity
Here’s where you’ll find a good improvement. The numbers of 5G bands have been increased now, which is good, given the current situation of the ongoing 5G network auction in India.
Other than that, you’ve got the same WiFi 6 and NFC.
Design
The design of the Nord 2T pays homage to the OnePlus One, which had a black, sandstone glass texture. It’s a very nostalgic feeling for many OnePlus fans supporting OnePlus from the start. Also, most people were concerned about The Iconic Alert Slider, and this phone has it!
The camera module is not very attractive, but yes, all over, the design has a very premium feel.
Verdict
Our final verdict this time is an easy one. OnePlus Nord 2T is nothing but a slightly improvised OnePlus Nord 2 which came out last year. Despite some adverse situations where we got news of the OnePlus Nord 2 blowing up because of overheating due to the hot Indian climate, OnePlus Nord 2 was a very hit phone. It got even more popular after they released a limited edition of Nord 2: The PAC-MAN edition.
And yes, Nord 2 was a pretty good phone, so it’s not bad that OnePlus launched a similar phone. It’s definitely not a bad deal because you can buy a slightly better version of the OnePlus Nord 2, i.e., the OnePlus Nord 2T, at a lesser price.
But it’s still a bit of a bummer because when you expect a phone to launch after a year in the same lineup, you expect more updates than the previous edition. Not stating that there are no updates at all, but these ‘updates’ are the bare minimum because they are present in every Android phone launching these days.
However, as we end this review on a good note, we want to make it loud and clear that we absolutely loved the design, except for the camera module. Not only does it feel like OnePlus and premium, but it is also very nostalgic and reminiscing. It’s only present in the black shade, though. But you can find the Alert Slider in all variants of this phone!
However, if the OnePlus Nord 2T design does not appeal to you, we’re here to give you options; ourOnePlus Nord 2T skins! You can customise it however you like, wherever you like. And if you have got the green shade one, you can keep it exactly as it is by adding a layer of full body and screen protection; our OnePlus Nord 2T Screen Guards/ Full Body protectors.
