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OnePlus Nord 20 5G: Setting New Standards In The Mid-Range Segment

Creating a budget smartphone isn't a complex task, but crafting a great budget phone is the real challenge. Manufacturers need to carefully select and combine affordable components to achieve a winning combination that offers a good balance of performance, quality, and affordability.

OnePlus has managed to excel in this aspect with the Nord N20 5G. This phone stands out as a noteworthy example of a budget smartphone. Its 6.43-inch AMOLED display, rapid 33W charging, and distinctive design give it a competitive edge in a crowded industry. The specifications alone make the phone an excellent value for budget-conscious consumers.

Design Elegance In The Nord 20

High-quality hardware can make a significant impact on the appeal of a smartphone. When a phone feels good in your hand, it's easy to overlook its affordability. In the case of the Nord N20 by OnePlus, they are relying on a refined and matte-coated design that resembles the sleekness of an iPhone 14.

The phone showcases a strong and smooth plastic build. What sets it apart is its matte finish, making it less slippery compared to glossy-backed devices, while also doing an excellent job of concealing fingerprints and smudges. Furthermore, its slim profile, measuring just 7.5 mm in thickness, positions it among the slimmest smartphones available.

The flat edges contribute to the device's premium appearance and also enhance the grip. With a width of 2.9 inches, the Nord N20 is comfortable to hold without any uncomfortable edges digging into your hand. One of the advantages of plastic phones is their lighter weight, and the Nord N20 is impressively lightweight at just 6.1 ounces.

It's important to note that the N20 doesn't include a protective case in the package. Additionally, the device holds an "IP52" rating, signifying its resistance to rain, though this rating might not be widely recognized.

The OnePlus Nord N20 offers practical features such as a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microSD card slot, a USB-C port for added convenience. The tactile feedback from the power and volume buttons adds to the overall positive user experience.

One of the prominent features of the N20 is found right within its display, and that's the in-display fingerprint sensor. What makes it particularly impressive is its effectiveness. This sensor is not only fast but also dependable, performing well even when your fingers are wet or when you're using it in bright sunlight outdoors.

The OnePlus N20 5G’s Screen Display

The OnePlus N20 5G has an impressive feature with its 6.43-inch 1080p OLED display, although it sticks to a standard 60Hz refresh rate. It's essential to acknowledge that pricier phones often combine high-contrast OLED screens with faster refresh rates, but striking this balance in a budget phone is challenging, if not impossible at the moment. In contrast, brands like Samsung and Motorola have opted for lower-contrast LCD screens that offer the smoother experience of a 90Hz refresh rate. However, OnePlus took a different approach with the N20 by prioritizing the OLED display over a faster refresh rate.

The variance in refresh rates becomes apparent mainly if you're transitioning from a phone equipped with a high refresh rate screen. In such cases, animations might appear slightly less smooth compared to the fluid motion of a 90 Hz or 120 Hz display. Nonetheless, this OLED panel enhances the overall visual experience compared to a subpar LCD. It presents more vibrant colors, making video content more enjoyable. Additionally, the 1080p resolution is a step above the norm in the budget phone category, where 720p resolutions are more common. With a screen of this size, the higher resolution is crucial for maintaining sharp and clear image quality.

A Closer Look At The Camera Excellence Of OnePlus N20

The N20 features a trio of camera lenses, with the 64MP main shooter and 2MP macro lens sporting eye-catching gold-colored rings. In contrast, a much smaller 2MP monochrome lens is somewhat overshadowed, positioned alongside the dual-tone flash. All these camera elements are effortlessly integrated into the satin back cover, creating a design that's both sophisticated and somewhat polarizing.

The primary camera is a 64-megapixel standard wide lens with an aperture of f/1.8, while the module just below it houses a 2-megapixel macro camera – the type often seen on many budget smartphones. There's also a smaller 2-megapixel monochrome sensor, which is arguably less useful than the small macro camera.

The positive aspect is that the 64-megapixel main camera performs well. It captures pleasing outdoor images in good lighting conditions, offering well-balanced exposures and colors that strike a balance between the warmth of Google's Pixel phones and the vibrancy of Samsung's Galaxy devices. Impressively, the 2x digital zoom on this camera delivers sharp details in good lighting.

However, indoor shots in less favorable lighting can sometimes appear overly bright, a characteristic shared with other OnePlus phones. The night mode, while effective, can sometimes exaggerate color saturation to a point where it seems artificial. As for the macro camera, it's consistent with the limited utility of most smartphone macro lenses, with a low resolution.

Disappointingly, video recording maxes out at 1080p resolution, while 4K has become the standard for high-quality video. Nevertheless, the 1080p clips are decent, even though slightly noisy in low-light conditions. There's a noticeable crop in the footage, but this comes with the advantage of reasonably effective electronic image stabilization.

Performance and Software: OnePlus Nord N20's Distinctive Approach

The OnePlus Nord N20 is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset, comprising two powerful 2.21GHz ARM Cortex A78 cores and six efficient 1.8GHz ARM Cortex-A55 cores. It offers a configuration of 6GB of RAM and ample 128GB of storage. Additionally, the presence of a microSD card slot allows for additional storage expansion, supporting up to 512 GB.

In terms of benchmark results, the N20 doesn't particularly stand out. Its Geekbench multi-core score, while decent at 1,982, exceeds that of the Samsung Galaxy A53 (1,826). However, in the application-centric PCMark Work benchmark, the A53 excels, scoring a significantly higher 11,675 compared to the N20's 7,650. The N20's performance remains quite solid for typical applications, unless you venture into high-end gaming where it may face limitations.

Setting aside the hardware performance, the high-tech sensation’s OxygenOS 11 Android skin deserves special mention, ranking second only to Google's Pixel devices in terms of user experience. This interface prioritizes speed and user-friendliness, featuring clean and easily recognizable icons, along with a highly legible font. It ensures remarkably swift scrolling and fluid app transitions. However, the smooth transitions enhance the N20's perceived speed, outshining certain Samsung competitors, despite what the benchmark scores might suggest. Moreover, OnePlus commits to providing three years of security updates, which means this handset is poised to remain secure and reliable for several years to come.

Satisfying Battery Life For Most Users

The OnePlus Nord 20 5G has a substantial 4500mAh battery and supports the impressive 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging technology. This means that you can recharge your phone from 0% to 50% in just half an hour, ensuring quick top-ups when you're in a hurry.

In terms of battery life, the OnePlus Nord 20 5G generally performs quite well, easily lasting throughout a full day of moderate usage on a single charge. However, if you happen to be a heavy user who relies heavily on your smartphone, you may find yourself needing to recharge it more than once during the day. The good news is that a 33W charger is included with the Nord N20, so you won't have to spend extra money on a separate charger, making it a convenient and cost-effective option.

Endless Connectivity Features

Connectivity options in the OnePlus Nord 20 5G are quite comprehensive, ensuring you stay well-connected in various ways. First and foremost, the phone offers support for 5G connectivity across multiple bands which means that you can expect to enjoy 5G speeds in most areas where 5G networks are available.

In addition to 5G, the device is equipped with Wi-Fi 6, the latest standard in Wi-Fi technology. Wi-Fi 6 provides faster connection speeds and improved overall performance compared to previous Wi-Fi standards, providing a smoother online experience.

Bluetooth 5.2 is another noteworthy feature, offering enhanced speed and extended range compared to earlier versions of Bluetooth. This is particularly advantageous for faster and more reliable wireless connections with various devices.

NFC (Near Field Communication) support is also on board, making it possible to use your phone for contactless payments and a range of other convenient features that rely on this technology.

Furthermore, the OnePlus Nord 20 5G includes a sturdy set of connectivity features, making it well-equipped with 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC capabilities to cater to your diverse connectivity needs.

Enhancing User Experience With Android 12

The OnePlus Nord 20 5G comes loaded with an extensive array of Android 12 features, all meticulously crafted to elevate the user experience while prioritizing security and privacy.

One of the highlights is the Material You design language, which represents a significant shift towards a more dynamic and personalized approach compared to earlier Android versions. Material You seamlessly weaves together colors, shapes, and animations to create an engaging and user-friendly interface. What sets it apart are the innovative features it brings to the table.

For instance, users can now extend their device's theme to their apps, allowing automatic adaptation of app colors and shapes to match the device's theme. Dynamic colors are introduced to breathe life into the user interface, with the ability to change the color of elements like the status bar, navigation bar, and app icons. Moreover, adaptive animations ensure a smooth and fluid user experience, enhancing the interactions with elements such as buttons, menus, and transitions. In essence, the OnePlus Nord 20 5G leverages Android 12's Material You design to offer a more personalized, vibrant, and intuitive smartphone experience.

Pricing And Availability

The global launch of the OnePlus Nord 20 5G took place on April 28, 2023, followed by its release in Pakistan on May 12, 2023. It comes in two appealing color options: Blue Smoke and Gray Shadow.

For prospective buyers in Pakistan, the OnePlus Nord 20 5G is available at varying price points depending on the configuration you choose:

The variant with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is priced at 74,999 PKR.

If you opt for the model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, it will cost you 79,999 PKR.

For those seeking more storage capacity, the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage model is priced at 84,999 PKR.

You can conveniently acquire the OnePlus Nord 20 5G from authorized retailers in Pakistan, though it's important to keep in mind that prices may fluctuate based on the retailer and the timing of your purchase.

Should You Consider Buying It?

The OnePlus N20 5G offers a fantastic deal, particularly if top-notch camera quality isn't your primary concern. In such cases, it proves to be a highly enjoyable device to use. The display is vibrant and detailed, the performance is commendable, the fingerprint scanner functions swiftly, and the wired charging capabilities are remarkably rapid.

Within its price range, the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G is typically the go-to recommendation. While the N20 doesn't quite surpass it, it presents a compelling alternative. The A32 features an additional ultrawide camera and supports 4K video recording, making it a superior choice if photography quality ranks high on your list of priorities. Despite being nearly a year old, the A32 continues to receive security updates for another three years. It's already running on Android 12, showcasing its software advancement.

On the other hand, the N20 shines out for those who value a superb screen and a more refined software experience. It embodies the essence of OnePlus at its finest, delivering an experience that feels more premium than its price tag might suggest, making it a worthwhile choice for selective users.