The OnePlus Nord N10 5G is a solid smartphone at a low price



[ad_1]

Photo credit: OnePlus
Photo credit: OnePlus

Best products

While the world is buzzing about Samsung’s latest Galaxy-branded line of smartphones, there’s one smartphone you’ve slept on: the OnePlus Nord N10 5G.

Most other budget phones have cut costs in the name of achieving affordability, but there’s not much to sacrifice with the N10 5G. The $ 300 device offers 5G connectivity, a large, fast-refreshing screen, long battery life, and fast charging.

Key specs

• 6.49-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 1,080 by 2,400 pixels; 406 dpi; 90Hz refresh rate
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G chipset
• 6 GB of RAM; 128 GB of storage
• 64MP main camera; 16MP selfie camera
• 4,300 mAh battery with fast wired charging technology
• Stereo speakers, headphone jack
• Android 10

I’ve been using the OnePlus Nord N10 5G for a few weeks now and I think you’d be hard pressed to find a better smartphone for its price. The device has its fair share of flaws (which we’ll get to shortly), but they are forgivable, especially since most modern 5G phones come in at as high as $ 1,000.

Here’s why the N10 5G is the best inexpensive Android phone to buy:

It has a big screen, but it’s easy to hold

Measuring 6 inches high, 3 inches wide, and 0.35 inches thick, the device is by no means small. It is even larger than an iPhone 11 Pro Max and has a 6.49-inch screen. However, the screen has an aspect ratio of 20: 9 which makes it easy to handle with one hand. Coming from my iPhone 12 mini, the device looks bigger, but it doesn’t feel bulky like other big screen devices I’ve tested before.

Photo credit: OnePlus
Photo credit: OnePlus

A large screen makes the phone much easier to use. I was able to edit Google Docs and respond to emails, and really appreciated the extra pixels for watching videos during my downtime. Since the device has a 90Hz refresh rate, scrolling is also much smoother. Some die-hard smartphone fans may scoff that it has an LCD display rather than an AMOLED, but I assure you most users couldn’t tell the difference.

Like the majority of budget phones, this one has a plastic back. Its glossy dark blue (or black) design looks polished, and I found the phone easier to grip and less slippery than glass-back phones, thanks to the phone’s rounded edges. However, I would like the back panel to be less susceptible to smudges and fingerprints. The device seems a bit cheap, but weighing almost 7 ounces, it has weight, which I appreciate.

It brings back fan favorite features

If you still squeeze your wired headphones like I did, you’ll be happy to know that the OnePlus Nord N10 5G has a 3.5mm headphone jack on board. It’s located on the underside of the phone next to its fast-charging USB-C port. So if you like to listen to music with your phone in your pocket, you can do it. The device still has Bluetooth for wireless audio and stereo speakers for playing music and videos aloud.

Photo credit: Brandon Carte
Photo credit: Brandon Carte

The phone is configured with a MicroSD card slot to expand its rather generous 128GB of storage. Even Samsung has done away with expandable storage, so I welcome the reintroduction of the memory card slot. More storage means more space for videos, apps, games, and your ever-growing library of content.

There is also a fingerprint sensor on the back of the smartphone. I’d much rather scan my fingerprint than my face to unlock my phone, especially in the age of wearing masks.

It offers excellent autonomy

I was quite impressed with the battery endurance of OnePlus’ budget 5G smartphone. The smartphone packs a 4300mAh battery, 37% larger than Google’s Pixel 4a. You’ll easily get a day and a half of moderate use before you need to recharge it.

Photo credit: Brandon Carte
Photo credit: Brandon Carte

While the N10 can’t be charged wirelessly, I was happy to see that OnePlus included a 30-watt fast charger in the box, which buyers don’t get even with phones that cost three times as much. Using the included charger, I was able to power the N10’s 5% battery to 60% in less than half an hour.

Some minor shortcomings

The Nord N10 5G is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 690 processor, which isn’t as powerful as the Google Pixel 4a’s Snapdragon 765 processor or the iPhone SE’s A13 chip. Fortunately, the Nord has 6 GB of RAM, which helps to make up the difference a bit.

I am the worst at closing Chrome tabs, but with this phone I never noticed slow performance. If you are planning on using your smartphone to edit videos, I think you’d better spend more on the Pixel 4a for its more powerful processor, but I really do believe the 690 chip is more than capable for most users.

Photo credit: Brandon Carte
Photo credit: Brandon Carte

Despite the fact that the N10 5G has four rear cameras – a 64MP main camera, an 8MP ultra wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP monochrome camera – I have never been impressed with their performance. That’s not to say the picture quality was bad, it’s just that other smartphone cameras are better. Photographers will be more satisfied with the Pixel 4a, which offers better low-light performance. The 16MP selfie camera worked great too.

Strangely enough, one of the things I didn’t like the most about my time with the Nord N10 was its lack of a ringer switch. I didn’t realize how much I relied on this underrated feature until it went away. I would also have liked to see some level of water resistance, but few phones this cheap are waterproof.

Wrap

The Nord N10 5G is a shining example of why you born need to spend over $ 1000 on a smartphone. For much less, you get a capable smartphone with 128GB of storage space, a reliable battery, a headphone jack, a microSD card slot, a large display, and decent cameras.

Is the OnePlus Nord N10 5G the best smartphone? Certainly not, but he is the best budget Android phone and well worth its asking price of $ 300. Sometimes the phone goes on sale for as little as $ 250, which is a steal.

BUY ONEPLUS NORD N10 5G

Read more:

These inexpensive smartphones provide a great user experience for a lot less

100 gadgets we cannot recommend enough

Find the best Samsung smartphone for your needs and budget

Follow BestProducts.com on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest!

You might also like



[ad_2]

Source link