OnePlus has seen success with its line of affordable flagships. Now, the company is rumored to be working on a new phone called the OnePlus Nord 3. This new device looks to be positioned as a mid-range option and could be a great choice for budget-minded consumers. The phone is expected to have a 6.7-inch display and four rear camera setups. It may also come with a MediaTek Dimensity 8100 processor, up to 12GB of RAM, and a 4,500mAh battery. Here is what we know about and what we expect for OnePlus Nord 3.
Leaks and Rumors of OnePlus Nord 3
Design
The OnePlus 3 is expected to have a sleek design like the Nord 2. It may build solidly with a robust plastic frame. The phone may also come with Gorilla Glass 5 panels. While the Nord 2 has 3 cameras, the new version may offer four rear cameras in the rear panel. The Nord 3 may follow a similar design to the previous version. However, we may see some improvements inspired by OnePlus Nord CE 2.
OnePlus Nord 2 was available with a Pac-Man edition that had dot-patterned in the rear that also glowed in the dark. So, Nord 3 may come with such design variation to grab the attention.
Read Samsung Galaxy F23 5G: Review with Price
Apart from these, the phone may come with an on screen fingerprint sensor along with face unlock. However, Nord 3 may not offer a 3.5 mm headphone jack option. But it will surely offer a Bluetooth headset option.
Higher display refresh rate
Display refresh rate is the number of times per second a smartphone's display updates. In years past, 60Hz (60 times per second) was the standard, but devices with higher refresh rates are becoming more common. Some phones even support refresh rates of up to 144Hz.
Currently, most of the budget and mid-range to premium phones come with at least a 120Hz refresh rate. However, the OnePlus Nord series have been stuck to 90Hz. So, OnePlus Nord 3 is expected to have at least a 120Hz refresh rate to outrank the competitors. When a refresh rate is higher, the motion looks smoother, which is beneficial for streaming content or playing games. This makes it easier to swipe between menus and home pages. Hence, Nord 3 might be faster than Nord 3 if they work on the refresh rate.
Read Apple iPhone SE 3: Leaks, rumors about release date, price, Specs
Hasselblad camera tricks
OnePlus has partnered with camera company Hasselblad to optimize the cameras on their flagship devices. The Nord series could benefit from this partnership as well, with improved photography features.
OnePlus' 10 camera modes include a Hasselblad Pro Mode, which is similar to the Pro Mode on your standard smartphone camera. However, this mode captures in a higher color profile and saves in a version of RAW that takes up less space. Besides, there is another more Pro equivalent that allows changing settings when you are shooting. None of the Nord series phones come with these features. And it is expected that Nord 3 may comply with these features.
Although the Nord 3's mid-range specs may not allow for flashy or intensive camera effects from Hasselblad, the phone may include some competent features that set it apart from similarly priced competitors.
Read Samsung Galaxy M23: Is it worth waiting for this device?
Nord 3 may offer a 50 MP primary camera along with an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera. A macro camera will definitely be there and it could be 2 MP. It's possible that the main 50 MP camera could be the same as the one found on the OnePlus 9 Pro, which uses the Sony IMX766 sensor. The front-facing selfie camera is expected to come with 32 MP.
Battery and charging
According to the latest AndroidCentral report, the upcoming Nord 3 will come with 150W fast charging. This will make it one of the fastest-charging smartphones on the market. According to several reports, Nord 3 will have a 4,500mAh battery in it.
No app throttling
OnePlus was in the news in mid-2021 when users discovered that its OxygenOS software throttled popular apps. It means that the phone puts restrictions on some specific apps about using the processing power. But OnePlus issued a statement saying that the throttling was intended to improve overall system performance, but many users were not satisfied with this explanation.
Read Tecno Pop 5 LTE Review: Durable phone under affordable price range
So, OnePlus will not make the mistake again for sure. Hence, the Nord 3 will certainly get rid of the hidden throttling feature.
Range of colors
The OnePlus Nord 2 was available in blue, gray, or green, but not all versions are available in all regions. For example, Indians get to use the green color while the blue was more accessible for the UK users with certain memory configurations.
OnePlus Nord 3 may improve upon their product lineup by embracing more color, which Samsung did very successfully with the Galaxy S20 FE. It offers a wide range of vibrant colors. So, rumors suggest that we may get to see different color variants for this mid-range phone.
Read OPPO Find X5 Pro: Review of the latest flagship device
Memory and hardware
The phone may be equipped with up to 12 GB Ram. Further, there is a possibility that Nord 3 will feature MediaTek Dimensity 8100 processor with four Cortex-A78 cores. In addition to that, the chipset may support LDDR5 RAM as well as UFS 3.1 storage. The internal memory may offer up to 256GB.
Final Words
The OnePlus Nord 3 is expected to get released in the second quarter of 2022. So far, nothing has been confirmed about the OnePlus Nord 3. The company has not released any information and has no pictures or specs. However, if the OnePlus Nord 3 is anything like its predecessors, it will definitely be worth the wait. With its powerful processor and large storage capacity, it could be one of the best mid-range phones on the market.
Read Walton Primo H10 Review: Affordable Smartphone with Moderate Features