OnePlus is having a pretty impressive 2023, and we're only about halfway through. Between the high-profile releases of the OnePlus 11 and the OnePlus Pad, the company has also shown off the wild OnePlus 11 Concept with Active CryoFlux cooling. Let's not forget there's still the OnePlus V Fold still to come! But even with all of that flash and excitement around the high-end releases and upcoming devices, the budget sector hasn't been forgotten about — until today. OnePlus is opening preorders for the new Nord N30 5G for $300 in the US and $380 in Canada.
It's a midrange phone that OnePlus North American CEO Robin Liu told XDA is about "making our premium tech accessible" at a more affordable price in North America.
"We have a focus on key factors with this specific form factor at this price point," he said. "We want to bring favorite key specs like camera, battery, and also charging. Also, for these midrange phones, we will continue to be more competitive in the pricing and bring premium flagship specs. OnePlus will continue to work to outperform our competitors in bringing key premium specs to this price point."
The midrange market is a space that many brands are bringing an increased focus to and Liu agreed. "For the midrange, you can see every brand, including Samsung and Pixel, have some phones like the Samsung A14 and A54 in the market as the main competitors for the Nord N30 5G," he explained. So, OnePlus is quite aware of the completion it is facing to gain market space in among the best budget phones available.
The Nord lineup has previously been available through multiple channels, including Best Buy, Amazon, and other retailers. While the phones have mostly worked on all major providers in the U.S., T-Mobile was the only carrier to sell them directly. Unfortunately, at this time, we don't have a complete list of where you can purchase Nord N30 5G aside from OnePlus.
When I asked Liu how carrier partnerships affect the development process for devices, he told me that it'll come down to feedback. "OnePlus is a user-driven brand for every single device," he said. "We will collect all the feedback from the market, our partners, and also from the community on what kind of features they really want all the next product. We did this for the N30 5G as well."
This device is a reworked model of the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G, which was originally only available in India, but has since expanded to parts of Europe. While we aren't able to fully disclose the entire spec list for the new Nord N30 5G, much of the phone's design and internals will likely mirror that of its sibling. For example, you can see in the image above that it has a dual camera setup on the back.
What we can say is that it has a 108MP main camera sensor, which is quite impressive for this price point. As for why OnePlus chose to put such a high-end piece of hardware in a budget phone, Liu said that it was added as a way to separate it from other midrange competitors as the market gets more "crowded."
"This is also a very good benefit for the people using it to get a better camera experience," he said. "It is the value and one of the biggest key differentiators for our device against our competitors, especially at this price segment."
The OnePlus Nord N30 5G is ready to make a splash
As we've seen from previous devices like the OnePlus 11, the company is working to offer higher-end specs at lower price points. While we'll withhold our judgments on whether that will happen with the Nord N30 5G, if the devices already available for 2023 are any indication, this phone could be a very enticing device for those looking to save some money.
As part of the preorder sale, OnePlus is offering some pretty great deals, so you can save money and get some nice accessories. If you decide to purchase the Nord N30 5G between today and June 14, you can get a set of the new One Plus Nord Buds 2 for free, get half off a case, get an extra $30 off with your trade-in, and even save an additional 10% if you're a student.
OnePlus Nord N30 5G
The OnePlus Nord N30 5G brings the expected fast and smooth experience of a OnePlus phone along with an impressive 108MP camera at a great price.