OnePlus Nord 2T 5G hands-on review

Introduction

The OnePlus Nord 2T 5G is the latest entry in the company’s series of mid-range smartphones. It’s the first smartphone in the Nord series to have the T branding, which was previously reserved only for the mainline OnePlus phones.

As we have seen in the past, the OnePlus T models represent only a modest upgrade over the non-T model and aren’t meant to be a full-blown successor. However, the Nord 2T 5G arrives almost a full year after the launch of the Nord 2 5G, so you’d be forgiven for thinking this would be a more significant upgrade, which it isn’t.

OnePlus Nord 2T specs at a glance:

• Body: 159.1×73.2×8.2mm, 190g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame.
• Display: 6.43″ AMOLED, 90Hz, HDR10+, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 409ppi.
• Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 1300: Octa-core (1×3.0 GHz Cortex-A78 & 3×2.6 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G77 MC9.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
• OS/Software: Android 12, OxygenOS 12.1.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.2.
• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.8µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120/480fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS.
• Battery: 4500mAh; Fast charging 80W, USB Power Delivery.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; stereo speakers.

The Nord 2T 5G has three notable changes over its predecessor. It has a slightly altered appearance around the back, with two new colors and finishes. The new model also comes with the latest MediaTek Dimensity 1300 chipset. And lastly, the fast charging has been upgraded to 80W.

Aside from that, we are looking at largely the same smartphone as the Nord 2 5G. With that out of the way, let’s get on with the review.

Unboxing OnePlus Nord 2T

The Nord 2T 5G packaging includes the phone, the new 80W Super VOOC fast charger, and a USB 2.0 cable. The cable has a USB-A port on the end that plugs into the charger.

The 80W Super VOOC charger only supports fast charging for OnePlus and Oppo devices. There is no USB-PD support as was found on the 65W charger provided with the Nord 2 5G.

Aside from that, there’s also a clear silicone case inside the box. The Indian packaging also gets Nord branded stickers and OnePlus’ Red Cable Club membership card.