OnePlus Nord N30 5G review: Better than ever

OnePlus is again with one other glorious entry into the Nord collection. OnePlus began as a model dedicated to delivering high quality merchandise at a low value and the Nord collection has channeled that motto all through the years.This 12 months, OnePlus is launching the Nord N30 with the most recent model of OxygenOS — the OnePlus Nord N20 was a whole launch behind — plus it mounted the problems with RCS connectivity, used a brighter show with a better refresh charge, and even mounted the occasional stuttering points we noticed on the N20. They even partially mounted the USB port points I had with the N20, though, it is nonetheless annoying to cope with.But OnePlus’s largest downside is an sudden one. This would simply be the perfect low cost Android cellphone in its value class if it weren’t for the existence of the Pixel 6a, which just lately acquired a everlasting value discount to $299. Given how a lot better that cellphone is in substantial methods — digital camera high quality, show high quality, and efficiency — meaning OnePlus has critical competitors this 12 months that it merely did not have final 12 months.Is it nonetheless price shopping for? Our OnePlus Nord N30 5G assessment will let you know.OnePlus Nord N30 5G: Price and availability(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)The OnePlus Nord N30 is a North America-exclusive machine accessible within the U.S. and Canada on June 15, 2023. OnePlus sells one mannequin of the Nord N30 5G that ships in Chromatic Gray with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage.OnePlus sells the Nord N30 on OnePlus.com, Amazon, and Best Buy unlocked for $299.99 USD / $379.99 CAD. At launch, Best Buy is providing a killer deal at $199, making it a no brainer to select the Nord N30 as your subsequent reasonably priced improve.If you’d relatively undergo your provider, U.S. prospects can decide it up at Metro by T-Mobile for $279.99 or get it even cheaper at T-Mobile for $264.Today’s greatest OnePlus Nord N30 5G offersOnePlus Nord N30 5G: What I beloved(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)It’s humorous that I’m going to start this section speaking about efficiency as a result of that is precisely how the subsequent part begins. Regardless, it is actually price mentioning simply how briskly and clean the OnePlus Nord N30 5G is throughout on a regular basis duties.Yes, it is the identical Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor as final 12 months’s cellphone however, as OnePlus identified to us, the OxygenOS 13.1 model that ships with the cellphone has “30% less app lag” than earlier OxygenOS releases. You do not see this sort of distinction on a flagship just like the OnePlus 11 as a result of these processors can brute drive by duties however a lower-power processor just like the Snapdragon 695 wants all the assistance it may get.Image 1 of 5(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)Daily efficiency is nice and charging is out-of-this-world quick.But having a comparatively low-power processor — when in comparison with flagship telephones, no less than — additionally signifies that the cellphone sips battery relatively than drinks it outright. The Nord N30 has a 500mAh bigger battery than the N20 and I used to be capable of get two days price of use out of a single cost.Better but, OnePlus improved the charging velocity of the Nord N30 even over the N20’s velocity and consists of the brick within the field. 10 minutes of charging acquired me from 10% to 45%, and one other 20 minutes almost utterly crammed the battery up. That’s charging velocity that’ll are available clutch, little doubt.Swipe to scroll horizontallyCategoryOnePlus Nord N30 5GOperating systemAndroid 13, OxygenOS 13.1Display6.72-inch 120Hz LCDRow 2 – Cell 0 1080 x 2400 (20:9, 391 PPI)ChipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 695 CPURow 4 – Cell 0 Qualcomm Adreno 619 GPURAM8GB LPDDR4xStorage128GB/256GB UFS 2.2MicroSD slot✔️Rear digital camera 1108MP, f/1.75, 0.64μm@108MP / 1.92μm@12MP, 1080p @ 30 FPS, 720p @ 120 FPS, no OISRear digital camera 22MP, macro lensRear digital camera 32MP, depth lensFront digital camera16MP, f/2.4, 1080p @ 30 FPSConnectivity5G sub-6, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1NFC✔️AudioStereo audio system, noise cancellationBattery5,000mAhCharging50W SUPERVOOC ultra-fast chargingPortsUSB Type-C, 3.5mmWater resistanceIP54SecuritySide-mounted fingerprint sensor, face unlock (single digital camera)ColoursChromatic GrayDimensions165.5mm tall x 76mm broad x 8.33mm thinWeight195gPrice$299And, as I stated earlier than, total efficiency continues to be nice. I used to be capable of play The Division Resurgence with no issues on the Nord N30. The recreation auto-selected decrease element settings but it surely nonetheless performed at a strong 30fps with no noticeable stutters or slowdown. That’s nice information for cell players.(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)Seeing the N30 launch with the most recent model of OxygenOS is a large enchancment over the N20. That one launched with Android 11/OxygenOS 11, which suggests it could by no means see a correct latest launch so long as it was round. Not so for the Nord N30, which is able to see as much as Android 14/OxygenOS 14 adopted by two further years of safety updates past that.OxygenOS 13 accommodates all the good options that customers have come to like — even when it seems and acts nothing just like the previous OxygenOS individuals flocked to OnePlus for — and that is nice to see on a budget-priced cellphone. Everything from nice multitasking with floating home windows to the stunning Zen Mode is right here and works nice.Build high quality has been improved over final 12 months’s N20. It’s additionally acquired the most recent OxygenOS model, in contrast to the N20.While some could lament the truth that it is a greater cellphone than the N20, the construct high quality has improved during the last 12 months. The again does not give or flex the way in which it did on the N20, and the shiny end makes it seem like a dearer cellphone than it’s, even when it’s a fingerprint magnet. It’s all nonetheless plastic, although, so do not get too excited.Image 1 of 4(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)OnePlus swapped out final 12 months’s 60Hz AMOLED show for a 120Hz LCD show this 12 months. That means it is each acquired higher and worse picture high quality. Better as a result of it is a sooner refresh charge that feels liquid clean. Plus, the LCD show is extraordinarily eye-friendly. At excessive brightness it barely sparkles in any respect and, even when it does, it does so at a charge that is extraordinarily excessive (over 20,000Hz), which is a plus for PWM-sensitive individuals like me.The draw back is that it is an inexpensive LCD which suggests it seems like an inexpensive show. Everything has this hazy look to it and it by no means feels completely sharp. There’s a purpose OEMs are switching to AMOLED en masse and lots of it has to do with picture high quality.Image 1 of 3(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)Lastly, the Nord N30’s front-facing digital camera was at all times glorious, even in low gentle. While the cameras on the again aren’t nearly as good because the Pixel 6a’s digital camera, the front-facing digital camera sometimes produced higher photos than Google’s cellphone.That’s saying fairly a bit, particularly if you’re in harsh lighting circumstances just like the cavern I took a selfie in above.OnePlus Nord N30 5G: What could possibly be improved(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)The OnePlus Nord N30 makes use of the identical chipset that the Nord N20 did. While that is nice for battery effectivity and on a regular basis use, it means the cellphone’s efficiency considerably falls behind the present champion on the $300 vary: the Pixel 6a. That cellphone makes use of the Google Tensor, a chip Google makes use of in all of its telephones.To put it plainly, the Pixel 6a is no less than twice as quick. In some instances, like with the 3DMark suite of exams, the Pixel 6a was 5 instances as quick because the Nord N30. While numbers can generally be foolish to check, the framerate distinction between the Nord N30 and Pixel 6a is staggering on the Wild Life Original Unlimited check: 7.23 FPS on the Nord N30 — a very unplayable quantity — versus 41.73 FPS on the Pixel 6a.That is legitimately the distinction between one thing being playable or not and, within the Nord N30’s case, the numbers aren’t in its favor.The Pixel 6a is as much as 5 instances as quick because the Nord N30 regardless of being the identical value.If you are a cell gamer and use among the finest Android gaming controllers — notably a USB-C mannequin just like the GameSir X2 I take advantage of — know that you’re going to must allow USB OTG each single time you wish to plug your controller in. This is an enchancment over the Nord N20 which did not help controllers or OTG performance in any respect on launch, but it surely’s annoying to should flip a swap each time I wish to plug my controller in.(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)On the digital camera aspect of issues, whereas this digital camera usually could be fairly good for this value class, it simply is not wherever nearly as good because the Pixel 6a’s digital camera. Even with that fancy-sounding 108MP sensor, the ultimate high quality simply does not match up with Google’s standard-setting Pixel. Now, that does not imply the standard is unhealthy by any means.I took it in every single place with me — as you may anticipate from a cellphone assessment — and it did a reasonably first rate job of capturing the second more often than not. Heck, I even took it in an especially darkish cavern right here in Western North Carolina and it took glorious footage that acquired very near matching the Pixel 6a’s high quality.But there have been too many instances when the digital camera struggled for me to name it actually good. Any time there’s lots of backlighting — solar pouring in by home windows, vivid patio lighting behind somebody’s face — I ended up with a photograph that regarded prefer it got here from an inexpensive cellphone.Image 1 of 10(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)The one benefit OnePlus has is in what it calls “3X lossless zoom.” No, that does not imply it has a telephoto lens on the again. It means OnePlus crops the picture from the massive 108mp sensor and nonetheless finally ends up with a higher-megapixel picture than what the Pixel 6a can do.The downside is, even with all that stated, the Pixel 6a nonetheless managed to seize a barely higher picture every time.I’d additionally say the Nord N30’s macro digital camera is a bonus over the Pixel 6a however, in actuality, it is not. You can use it to rise up shut and private with objects (4cm away) and nonetheless seize an in-focus photograph however, at 2MP, the ultimate high quality of the picture means it is actually not price utilizing. Plus, it’s important to manually swap to the macro mode simply to make use of it which is at all times annoying.OnePlus Nord N30 5G: Competition(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)If it is not already apparent at this level, the Google Pixel 6a is OnePlus’s greatest competitors. It outperforms the Nord N30 in each single approach, from gaming to on a regular basis use, and the digital camera handily wins over the Nord N30 in almost each state of affairs. It’s slated to get extra Android updates over the lifetime of the cellphone than the Nord N30. Plus, the show is far smoother at 120Hz, whereas the Pixel 6a is caught at 60Hz.But it is also acquired worse battery life, expenses slower, and has a show that is not as pleasant to PWM-sensitive people. While the final half is definitely a distinct segment difficulty that few of us have, the primary two are definitely issues that may have an effect on anybody. Plus, if you happen to actually should have them, the Nord N30 affords a 3.5mm audio jack and help for microSD playing cards — one other factor the Pixel 6a doesn’t.The Moto G Power 5G (2023) is one other strong contender at this value vary and affords a barely sooner processor than what’s within the Nord N30. It’s additionally acquired a greater digital camera than the Nord. Likewise, an identical 120Hz LCD panel is used on the cellphone and it additionally makes use of a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Plus, it will get day+ battery life just like the Nord N30. But it does not have NFC and the charging is abysmally sluggish, particularly in comparison with the Nord N30.OnePlus Nord N30 5G: Should you purchase it?(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)You should purchase this if…You want a high quality cellphone underneath $300.You want nice battery life and ultra-fast charging.You like further software program options to mess around with.You should not purchase this if…You want the perfect digital camera in its value class.You want the perfect efficiency in its value class.If it weren’t for the truth that Google completely lowered the value of the Pixel 6a to $299, it could be a no brainer to suggest the OnePlus Nord N30. It’s higher than final 12 months’s N20 in nearly each approach — digital camera and a few show high quality points however — and, but, OnePlus did not elevate the value in any respect. In reality, it is a tiny bit cheaper than the N20 was at launch as long as you purchase it at T-Mobile (or get a deal).And that is actually the one difficulty right here. Without the Pixel 6a within the image, the Nord N30 could be the perfect cellphone in its class. Even with that stated, the Nord N30 has higher battery life, expenses a lot sooner, and has a show with a better refresh charge that is friendlier on the eyes than the Pixel 6a’s show.So if these issues are extra necessary to you than having the perfect digital camera and almost double the efficiency — one thing the Pixel 6a affords — then the Nord N30 is the cellphone for you.OnePlus Nord N30 5G: Price Comparison