OnePlus Nord N10 5G review: big phone, low price

The OnePlus Nord N10 5G does something unique: bring 5G to a $ 299.99 phone without cutting too many corners. That’s $ 200 less than other budget-oriented rivals like the Google Pixel 4A 5G and Samsung Galaxy A51 5G. Along with its lower-tier N100 sibling, it’s the first mid-range North Series phone from OnePlus to arrive in the US, available from T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, and unlocked at OnePlus.com. and other retailers.

It’s worth noting that the N10 5G will bring 5G to the under $ 300 market. But at least for now, 5G isn’t something most people should care about, let alone pay more. Fortunately, the N10 5G has more to offer. It has a large screen with high refresh rate, high aspect ratio that could make it easier for people with smaller hands to use and OnePlus’ light grip on Android.

So what sacrifices did OnePlus make to create a $ 300 phone? The fast version is this: it offers an LCD screen rather than an OLED display, uses a less rugged processor than mid-range and flagship phones, and doesn’t include any water resistance. And you won’t find more and more common features on mid-range devices, like wireless charging and telephoto lenses.

The question for the N10 5G is whether you’d be happy with a decent all-round device that doesn’t shine in any particular area, or if you should look to one of its low-budget rivals who go all out for a functionality like battery. life or photo quality.

As you would expect from a $ 300 phone, the back of the device is plastic – a glossy stain-resistant panel. The phone itself is heavy enough, and while it doesn’t scream “ flagship, ” it doesn’t look too cheap, either. I actually like the plastic finish a bit; I feel like it’s a bit easier to grip and not as prone to slipping as glass. There is a fingerprint sensor on the back which was fast and reliable in my testing. Overall, it was quite comfortable to hold and use, despite what its dimensions initially suggested to me.

A little unusual, the N10 5G offers a very large 20: 9 aspect ratio on its screen. It’s a 6.49 inch 1080 x 2400 LCD display, making it a device with a generous screen that doesn’t feel too bulky in your hand. Personally, I like a small phone, but it feels like a bigger phone that I could actually use. I don’t feel like I’m straining to like an Instagram post when I’m holding it in one hand. It’s a tight fit in my coat pocket but I could live with it.

This display offers a refresh rate of 90Hz faster than the 60Hz typically seen at this price. This allows for smooth scrolling through apps and makes the phone a little more enjoyable to use than you might think for $ 300. However, the display uses LCD technology, which lacks the rich contrast of OLED panels you’ll find with many competitors that cost a bit more. It’s good enough for everyday use and it’s visible in direct sunlight, but it’s not your best option if you watch a lot of low-light period drama on your phone.

The N10 uses a Snapdragon 690 5G processor, one of Qualcomm’s budget 6-series chips, which supports the phone’s title feature: 5G. It’s worth noting that the 690 supports low and mid-band 5G frequencies, but doesn’t offer mmWave connectivity (it’s the super-fast but hard-to-find variety of 5G). It’s also a good time to remind yourself not to buy a new phone just for 5G. But if you have to, be sure to check your carrier’s coverage map before opting for this or any 5G phone, and temper your expectations.

The N10 5G comes with Android 10 which is a version behind the very latest update. OnePlus has said it will give the N10 and N100 an update to Android 11, but that’s it for major updates – users will have to settle for two years of security updates. It’s not uncommon at this price point, but it’s an important point to consider. If you plan on paying it off in installments and upgrading it in a few years anyway, that’s not a big loss. If you’d rather enjoy a solid few years out of your device, the N10 won’t be your best option.

OnePlus’ Oxygen OS brings a fairly clean implementation of Android to the N10 5G. You can customize the font and theme, and choose between full gesture control or a navigation bar with fixed controls for home, back, and recent. It’s not the pure experience of a Pixel phone, but it doesn’t feel too crowded for my liking. I don’t like the OnePlus-themed clock widget on the default home screen, but it’s thankfully removable, as are the handful of OnePlus-specific apps like Community that I’m not sure I can. ‘would use.

Performance

You can’t build a $ 300 phone without compromising, and a cheaper processor is one way to do it. The Snapdragon 690 at the heart of the N10 is a newer chip for low budget devices, and in my use it has given decent performance. Every now and then, I noticed it stuttered as I quickly walked past screens that were very rich in images and video, and the camera app sometimes took a few seconds to open. In the camera app itself, I saw slowdowns in the preview image when panning quickly.

But for the most part, I streamed videos, used Google Maps, played games, ordered coffee, and scrolled through Instagram with no problem. Speed ​​is certainly an area where OnePlus has had to make concessions, and while performance has been noticeably delayed at times, I wouldn’t call this a deal breaker for most people considering the N10 5G.

The N10 5G is configured with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage with a MicroSDXC slot for even more space. These three specs are more generous than many comparable devices at this price point, and for some, may make up for the relative pain of the slow processor. Both speakers provide stereo sound for videos, but the audio quality is not great. Wired headphones are an option though, as the N10 5G includes a true live headphone jack. (OnePlus aficionados should know, however, that there is no ringer switch here.)

The N10 5G isn’t all about the battery like the N100 and Moto G Power batteries are, but its 4,300mAh battery delivers a good day of use – and often more than that. I typically get about a day and a half of moderate use on a full charge. OnePlus includes a 30W fast charger in the box, which is also rare at this price, and it’s really fast: it took the device from 7% to 50% in 20 minutes in my experience.

Camera

You’ll find four cameras (plus a flash) on the rear camera bump of the N10 5G. Here’s a quick look at the phone’s cameras:

• A 64-megapixel main camera with f / 1.79 lens and without optical stabilization (electronic only) that produces 16-megapixel images
• An ultra-wide 8 megapixel with f / 2.25 lens
• A 2 megapixel f / 2.4 macro
• A 2-megapixel f / 2.4 monochrome camera
• A 16-megapixel f / 2.05 front-facing selfie camera

It seems like a lot of cameras, especially since two of them are unlikely to be used frequently. The monochrome camera only kicks in when shooting in black and white, accessed by scrolling through the filter options to the very last one. Likewise, the macro camera is activated through the main shooting screen by tapping the flower icon. It’s pretty fun to play with, but even with decent lighting the picture quality is pretty bad. Images from the ultra-wide camera are a bit soft if you look closely, but it’s not visible enough to ruin an Instagram post.

The good news is that the main camera does very well in decent lighting – well, even, considering it’s a $ 300 phone. Colors are on the punchy side without getting lost in oversaturation, and detail is generally acceptable even in low-light conditions, such as a well-lit interior. Things get a bit noisy and hazy in low-light conditions, but the 64-megapixel sensor (which triggers 16-megapixel images) does a good job of clinging to at least some detail. Nightscape mode brings back an impressive amount of light in darker situations, but you can’t get away with shooting in near darkness like you can with the Pixel’s Night Mode.

I’ve found it struggling to find focus at times, and it’s certainly not up to the task of capturing moving subjects in low-light conditions, like pets and children. It also lacks a true telephoto lens and will instead use digital zoom if you switch to the telephoto setting on the main shooting screen. The resulting images are very smooth and have an unpleasant, over-processed digital look.

Overall, it’s a camera that doesn’t try to overdo it, which is a good thing. If you shoot mostly static scenes and don’t push too hard, you can expect images to look perfect on social media. But if you’re looking for modest zoom or top-notch low-light performance, you’d better look elsewhere.

Bottom line: This is a very inexpensive 5G phone with a big screen and decent overall performance. OnePlus made some smart sacrifices to hit that $ 300 price tag, and the result is a device with a lot of cool attributes but without major functionality. If you prioritize a particular feature on your phone, like multi-day battery life or an above-average camera, you can do better for about the same price or a little more.

If you can live without 5G right now (and we think you probably can!), You can get a phone with that little extra something for about the same price. For great autonomy, you can turn to the N100 or the Moto G Power. For an above-average camera, check out the Google Pixel 4a. This phone is also a good candidate if the longevity of the device or better performance is important to you.

If you want a super cheap 5G phone that doesn’t have any flaws, the N10 5G is. Even if you’re not into 5G, which most people probably aren’t, this $ 300 device still offers some big pluses: a good screen, decent performance, a good enough camera, and decent battery life. Not bad at all.

Photograph by Allison Johnson