As expected, OnePlus is bringing a new budget smartphone to North America. The OnePlus Nord N200 5G will be available starting June 25, 2021 for $240.
For a budget phone, the OnePlus Nord N200 5G seems to have decent specs including 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a 5,000 mAh battery. It also has a few features you don’t often find on flagships these days, including a microSD card reader and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
But the main thing setting this phone apart from others in its price range is the display: the OnePlus Nord N200 5G has a 6.49 inch, 2400 x 1080 pixel LCD display with a 90 Hz refresh rate.
While the display might not be quite as vivid as the 90 Hz AMOLED screen on the OnePlus Nord CE 5G that launched in Europe and India recently, the North American model also costs substantially less than that phone (which sells for the equivalent of $420). That said, the Nord CE 5G also has more memory and storage, a faster processor, and better cameras than its the N200 5G.
Here’s a run-down of specs for the two phones:
| OnePlus Nord N200 5G | OnePlus Nord CE 5G | |
| Display | 6.49 inch, 2400 x 1080 pixel LCD 90 Hz | 6.43 inch, 2400 x 1080 pixel AMOLED 90Hz |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G | Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G |
| RAM | 4GB | 6GB/8GB/12GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 64GB UFS 2.1 | 128GB/256GB UFS 2.1 |
| Cameras (rear) | 13MP primary 2MP macro 2MP depth | 64MP primary (f/1.79) 8MP ultra-wide (119 degree, f/2.25) 2MP monochrome (f/2.4) |
| Camera (front) | 16MP | 16MP |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh | 4,500 mAh |
| Charging | 18W fast charging | Warp Charge 30T Plus |
| Ports | USB-C 3.5mm audio | USB-C 3.5mm audio Dual nano SIM |
| Security | Side-mounted fingerprint reader | In-display fingerprint sensor |
| Software | Android 11-based OxygenOS 11 | Android 11-based OxygenOS 11 |
| Dimensions | 163.1 x 74.9 x 8.3mm | 159.2 x 73.5 x 7.9mm |
| Weight | 189 grams | 170 grams |
| Availability | North America | Europe and India |
| Price | $240 | £299 (8GB/128GB) |
While the Snapdragon 480 is a processor designed for budget phones, it does bring support for features including 5G networks, triple cameras and high screen refresh rates to low-end phones. With an Adreno 619 GPU, the chip also brings a big boost in graphics performance to Qualcomm’s entry-level smartphone processors.
via xda-developers and Engadget
Who comes up with stupid phones like this? 90Hz screen – no need because gaming with a lame Snapdragon 480 is not fun, so 90 Hz just chews up the battery. 5G, no need – mobile data is too expensive to use and is capped at dumb low levels. If possible I will turn off 5G to save battery life.
Why can’t they put a MicroSD slot and a headphone jack in their top of the line phones? What a dumb company. “Never settle” indeed
It has a microSDXC slot and a 3.5mm jack. See: https://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_nord_n200_5g-10961.php
The Nord N200 5G sounded like a great phone with a nice, large capacity battery but I refuse to buy a phablet with a 6.49-inch screen. Plus, I don’t use a phone for intense gaming or watching videos so I don’t need a 90Hz screen, either.
It’s a shame that they can’t make smaller mid-range phones or low-end phones with more storage and better batteries. I believe there’s a sweet spot and an untapped market that is being overlooked or ignored by these companies.