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      OnePlus Nord N10 5G review: An affordable 5G phone with few compromises

      With the Nord N10 5G and N100, OnePlus is increasing its extra inexpensive “Nord” household of telephones after launching its first OnePlus Nord in July. Available in Europe and North America at a later date, the N10 5G prices £329 (US and Australia pricing weren’t launched but, however that converts to roughly $430 and AU$600). This is cheaper than the £379, UK-only OnePlus Nord, and far decrease than the corporate’s most cost-effective flagship mannequin, the OnePlus 8, which is at the moment discounted at $599 and £549 (AU$837 transformed). The Nord N10 5G does lower a couple of corners. For occasion, it has an LCD show as an alternative of OLED, it does not have an in-screen fingerprint sensor, it is powered by a slower processor than any 2020 OnePlus telephone, it is not IP rated for water resistance and it runs the older Android 10 OS. But it nonetheless has some premium options, comparable to 5G, a 90Hz show and a sturdy 4,300-mAh battery, in addition to a couple of retro surprises that no new OnePlus telephones have, like expandable reminiscence and a headphone jack.

      Like90Hz showHeadphone jack5G enabledAffordable worth

      Don’t LikeMacro and low-light images is unimpressive

      If US pricing stays in line with the UK, it’s going to be one of many extra inexpensive 5G telephones out there, touchdown between the $360 LG Ok92 and the $445 Motorola One 5G. Though I do suppose the Pixel 4A 5G and One 5G are price the additional bit of cash (the $500 Pixel telephone, as an illustration, will get the newest software program help from Google, has a superb digicam and a long-lasting battery life), the N10 5G is a best choice in case you’re a fan of OnePlus and wish 5G at an inexpensive worth.
      OnePlus’ Nord N10 5G telephone touts ‘retro’ design touches
      See all images

      N10 5G’s acquainted design touches The N10 5G has a darkish blue, shiny design that appears polished and slick. From afar it does not appear to be a “budget” telephone. But after I first picked it up, I may inform it wasn’t as high-end. It’s heavier and thicker, and its bezels, particularly the underside chin bezel, is wider than the entire telephones OnePlus launched this yr. It additionally does not have the handy toggle swap for silence/vibrate that OnePlus telephones are identified. Nonetheless, it is nonetheless a comparatively enticing gadget, and its rounded edges on the facet is snug to carry. The N10 5G additionally has an LCD show, whereas OnePlus telephones often have AMOLED screens. When seen side-by-side with the Nord, the AMOLED display is a bit brighter and vibrant, with extra distinction. I additionally seen that when viewing the N10 5G from varied angles, the colour shifting was extra noticeable. But these particulars are solely discernible subsequent to a different telephone. By itself, there isn’t a actual situation with the N10 5G’s display, and watching movies and images seemed sharp and clear. Its 90Hz refresh fee makes scrolling via feeds and apps really feel zippy and easy. Lastly, not like a lot of OnePlus’ new telephones, the N10 5G has two issues which might be acquainted however have been lacking from many premium gadgets: a headphone jack for wired headphones and a visual fingerprint sensor on the again of the telephone  that works rapidly. The N10 5G has a fingerprint reader on the again.
      James Martin/CNET
      N10 5G’s has 4 rear cameras, but it surely solely wants two Similar to many OnePlus telephones, the N10 5G has 4 rear cameras, and much like these telephones, it actually solely wants two. The customary and ultra-wide cameras are nice and are those I used essentially the most, however the monochrome digicam is barely helpful if you wish to take black and white images, which I hardly do. And the 2-megapixel macro digicam for closeup pictures takes images that appear to be, effectively, they had been taken with a 2-megapixel digicam. While it did permit me to focus in on an object and get tremendous near it, photos finally seemed washed out and muddy. But once more, the usual and ultra-wide cameras are fairly wonderful. Photos had been sharp with wealthy distinction, and the digicam’s HDR impact is vibrant. The customary digicam defaults to 16-megapixel, however you possibly can shoot on the full 64-megapixel decision. The digicam’s 10x digital zoom can also be respectable, and was capable of seize particulars of faraway objects regardless of being a tad blurrier.  The N10 5G’s low-light mode, referred to as Nightscape, wasn’t very spectacular nevertheless. While taking a photograph of a black bookshelf in close to darkness, I used to be capable of see a couple of extra particulars and guide titles. But the image remained comparatively darkish nonetheless and after I in contrast the identical scene on the OnePlus Nord, the One Plus 8T and the Pixel 5’s Night Mode, all three telephones brightened up the scene so much higher.  This picture taken with the usual digicam is vibrant and clear.
      Lynn La/CNET
      This home was captured with the usual digicam with no zoom.
      Lynn La/CNET
      Zooming 10x on the identical home’s window.
      Lynn La/CNET
      This lake was taken with the N10 5G’s 8-megapixel ultra-wide digicam.
      Lynn La/CNET
      This closeup shot was taken with the telephone’s macro digicam.
      Lynn La/CNET
      The N10 5G’s Nightscape mode brightened up this nonetheless lifetime of a bookshelf a bit.
      Lynn La/CNET
      But in comparison with the Pixel 5’s digicam (which is identical because the Pixel 4A 5G), Google’s Night Sight brightened up the shelf higher.
      Lynn La/CNET
      N10 5G’s battery and efficiency The telephone is provided with a Snapdragon 690 processor. Though on paper that is not as quick or as highly effective because the OnePlus Nord, Motorola One 5G and the Pixel 4A 5G’s Snapdragon 765 chipset, the N10 5G tracked intently with the telephones when it got here to benchmark checks. I additionally did not discover any pace points or laggy habits throughout my time with the telephone.  3DMark Slingshot Unlimited

      Note:
      Longer bars point out higher efficiency

      Geekbench v.5.0 single-core

      Note:
      Longer bars point out higher efficiency

      Geekbench v.5.0 multicore

      Note:
      Longer bars point out higher efficiency

      The N10 5G has a beefy 4,300-mAh battery, which is identical capability because the dearer OnePlus 8. Anecdotally, the telephone can simply final a day or two and not using a cost with gentle utilization. At the tip of 1 specific evening, the battery was solely at 70% after I took the telephone out throughout the day to take a bunch of images and browse the web. A preliminary battery check for steady video playback on Airplane mode yielded 16 hours, 30 minutes. For comparability, the OnePlus 8 lasted longer, at almost 19 hours. N10 5G’s software program and interface When OnePlus launched its 8T in October, it additionally up to date the corporate’s OxygenOS interface, refreshing menus and notifications in order that they seemed extra streamlined, trendy and clear. I used to be a fan of it, so it was disappointing to not see it on the N10 5G. This is probably going as a result of the telephone runs the earlier model of Android, Android 10, however even when the N10 5G does not run Android 11 out of the field, it is nonetheless attainable for OnePlus to tweak some elements of the N10 5G’s interface with the newest OxygenOS look. But the N10 5G is anticipated to obtain one OS replace (from Android 10 to Android 11) and a complete of two years of safety updates in line with OnePlus. The N10 5G does nonetheless have helpful software program options, together with a local display recorder, Dark Mode and ZenMode, which is OnePlus’ digital wellbeing app that limits telephone performance if you wish to focus. OnePlus Nord N10 5G spec comparability

      OnePlus Nord N10 5G

      OnePlus Nord

      OnePlus 8

      Google Pixel 4A 5G

      Motorola One 5G

      Display dimension, decision

      6.49-inch LCD; 2,400×1,080 pixels

      6.44-inch AMOLED; 2,400×1,080-pixels

      6.55-inch AMOLED; 1,080×2,400 pixels

      6.2-inch FHD+ OLED; 2,340 x 1,080 pixels

      6.7-inch LCD; 2,520×1,080 pixels

      Pixel density

      405ppi

      408ppi

      402ppi

      413ppi

      409ppi

      Dimensions (Inches)

      6.4 x 2.94 x 0.35 in

      6.23 x 2.88 x 0.32 in

      6.3 x 2.8 x 0.31 in

      6.1 x 2.9 x 0.3 in

      6.61 x 2.91 x 0.35 in

      Dimensions (Millimeters)

      163 x 74.7 x 8.95 mm

      158.3 x 73.3 x 8.2mm

      160 x 72.9 x 8.0 mm

      153.9 x 74 x 8.2 mm (Sub-6 solely) 153.9 x 74 x 8.5 mm (mmWave + Sub-6)

      168 x 74 x 9 mm

      Weight (Ounces, Grams)

      6.7 oz; 190g

      6.49 oz; 184g

      6.35 oz; 180g

      5.93 oz; 168g (Sub-6 solely) 6.03 oz; 171g (mmWave + Sub-6)

      7.41 oz; 210g

      Mobile software program

      Android 10

      Android 10

      Android 10

      Android 11

      Android 10

      Camera

      64-megapixel (customary), 8-megapixel (ultra-wide), 2-megapixel (macro), 2-megapixel (monochrome)

      48-megapixel (customary), 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 2-megapixel (macro), 5-megapixel (depth-sensing)

      48-megapixel (customary), 16-megapixel (ultra-wide), 2-megapixel (macro)

      12.2-megapixel (customary), 16-megapixel (ultra-wide)

      48-megapixel (major), 5-megapixel (macro), 8-megapixel (ultra-wide), 2-megapixel (depth digicam)

      Front-facing digicam

      16-megapixel

      32-megapixel (customary), 8-megapixel (wide-angle)

      16-megapixel

      8-megapixel

      16-megapixel (major), 8-megapixel (ultra-wide)

      Video seize

      4K

      4K

      4K

      4K

      NA

      Processor

      Qualcomm Snapdragon 690

      Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G

      Qualcomm Snapdragon 865

      Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G

      Qualcomm Snapdragon 765

      Storage

      128GB

      128GB, 256GB

      128GB, 256GB

      128GB

      128GB

      RAM

      6GB

      8GB, 12GB

      8GB, 12GB

      6GB

      4GB

      Expandable storage

      Up to 512GB

      No

      No

      No

      Up to 1TB

      Battery

      4,300mAh

      4,115mAh

      4,300mAh

      3,800mAh

      5,000mAh

      Fingerprint sensor

      Back

      In-screen

      In-screen

      Rear

      Side

      Connector

      UCB-C

      USB-C

      USB-C

      USB-C

      USB-C

      Headphone jack

      Yes

      No

      No

      Yes

      Yes

      Special options

      5G enabled, 90Hz show, Warp Charge

      5G enabled, 90Hz refresh fee, Warp Charge

      5G enabled; Warp Charge; 90Hz refresh fee

      5G enabled; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); quick charging

      5G enabled; 90Hz show; TurboPower charging; Macro digicam ring flash; HDR 10

      Price off-contract (USD)

      Converted from UK: $430

      Converted from UK: $495 (8GB RAM/128GB), $612 (12GB RAM/256GB)

      $599 (8GB RAM/128GB), $699 (12GB RAM/256GB)

      $499

      $450

      Price (GBP)

      £329

      £379 (8GB RAM/128GB), £469 (12GB RAM/256GB)

      £549 (8GB RAM/128GB), £599 (12GB RAM/256GB)

      £499

      Converted from US: £342

      Price (AUD)

      Converted from UK: AU$600

      Converted from UK: AU$690 (8GB RAM/128GB), AU$855 (12GB RAM/256GB)

      Converted from UK: AU$1,000 (8GB RAM/128GB), AU$1,092 (12GB RAM/256GB)

      AU$799

      Converted from US: AU$620

      Discover the newest information and finest evaluations in smartphones and carriers from CNET’s cellular specialists.

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