we take the North 2 and we start again (better)

OnePlus is back with a new iteration of the Nord which is more of an evolution of the Nord 2: the OnePlus Nord 2T. There are small improvements at all levels and above all a nice fast charge of 80 W. We were able to take it in hand, here are our first impressions.

The OnePlus Nord 2T takes up what had been the strengths of its big brother the OnePlus Nord 2: fast charging (improved here), its overall fluidity, but also its ever more assumed design. As a reminder, the Nord range is aimed at young users, who wish to consume content throughout the day; in short, a smartphone you can count on, with the added bonus of a photo part that does not lose its bearings. This Nord 2T is positioned in flagship killer with 80 W charging as on the OnePlus 10 Pro and three photo sensors.

The model we took in hand is the OnePlus Nord 2T version 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, Jade Fog color.

Design

This Nord 2T takes up what made the Nord 2 in terms of design in particular. Despite the fact that the photo block is quite imposing, the phone stays in place posted on a table, at least if you don’t go too far to the top left of the screen with your finger. If OnePlus announces that these two models do not take fingerprints, in reality it is a little more complicated. On the finish gloss jade green, the fat cannot be seen… if there is no light on the back. As soon as there is a little light, fingerprints are visible.

The photo block is quite prominent, and the flash (located at the top) and the light sensor (at the bottom) actually take up quite a bit of space. But the two round and dark parts catch up and give a certain charm to the phone. What is perhaps embarrassing here is the lack of consistency between the large rectangular photo block and the fully round sub-blocks.

To finish on the design, the finishes are really good: nothing sticks out, nothing is missing. Let’s be teasing for a sentence and say that there is a slight play on the buttons, which in no way disturbs their use. To ensure the solidity of the whole, the OnePlus Nord 2T is equipped with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and on the back.

Getting started

In hand, the phone holds well, does not slip and its few 190 grams are well distributed. The 6.43-inch screen gives this smartphone a format just large enough to be able to reach the upper part of the screen, which is often lost beyond 6.7 inches. In addition, the buttons are easily accessible, even the sliderwhich toggles between ring mode, vibrate mode, and silent mode.

This mid-range phone has a fingerprint sensor that is quick to set up and quite responsive. It is not off-putting to use. But we can notice a slight slowness on this sensor; it feels slower to me than other OnePlus phones that have an under-screen fingerprint sensor, like the 8T. You can also unlock it using facial recognition: a mode that is just responsive enough to unlock the smartphone while you read a notification, that’s perfect.

screen

If we had regretted the absence of a refresh rate of 120 Hz on the big brother of the Nord 2T compared to its price range, OnePlus has not changed its recipe: we are always with 90 Hz. colors, with the default options this OLED screen is pretty and the colors are slightly cold (normal, it comes from the North! Do you have it?).

The 20:9 ratio works well, the Full HD+ definition of 2400 by 1080 pixels also (i.e. 449 ppi). The bezels are thin enough on the sides and top, but the bottom of the screen has a chin that’s a little too big considering the price of the OnePlus Nord 2T; the edging goes up a little too high when it goes to the sides.

Software and performance

The OnePlus Nord 2T runs with the OxygenOS 12.1 interface, based on Android 12. Needless to say, OxygenOS is still just as convincing, both in terms of its overall performance and the phone’s customization options. In short, as always with OnePlus, the user experience is always fluid and it’s a joy to use. We know for now that this model will receive two years of major updates and three years of security patches.

On performance, the overall experience is quite fluid, even in game. However, the phone will tend to heat up and it feels in the hands. This is what happened to us Rocket League Sideswipe in high graphics and 60 fps. The MediaTek Dimensity 1300 SoC does the job, accompanied by the ARM Mali-G77 MC9 GPU chip.

Connectivity and charging

The OnePlus Nord 2T offers Wifi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and 5G: it’s flawless. It charges via a USB-C port: no jack on this model.

A recharge of the 4500 mAh battery which can be done with a maximum power of 80 W. A priori, this would allow you to recover a day of autonomy in just 15 minutes (probably if you keep the brightness at a minimum and you do not nothing with it, but that’s it). OnePlus treats fast charging with a full charge in 27 minutes.

Photo

The OnePlus Nord 2T also does some great things in photography. The various modes work well, the ultra high definition mode is useful, as is the macro mode (which is equivalent to 2 times optical zoom). Regarding the selfie lens, it is also quite good; portrait mode works relatively well, except on certain hair that is not smooth enough. It is improved compared to the previous version, since we are moving to a 32 Mpx sensor now. Beware perhaps of the ultra-wide-angle lens which may not reproduce colors as well as the main sensor. Main sensor which is also the same as on the Nord 2.

On the video, OnePlus offers on this phone a mode slow motion up to 960fps at 720p and video up to 4K at 30 FPS. We therefore find:

• The main sensor: a Sony IMX766 of 50 Mpx, f/1.8
• The ultra-wide-angle sensor: 8 Mpx, f/2.2, 120°
• The depth sensor: 2 Mpx, f/2.2
• The selfie sensor: a Sony IMX615 of 32 Mpx, f/2.4

This last sensor allows you to make video in 1080p up to 30 frames per second.

Price and release date

The OnePlus Nord 2T is therefore released today and is available in two versions at different prices:

• Version 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage: 429 euros
• Version 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage: 529 euros

Two colors are available: a pastel green jade color with a coating glossy and a matte black finish.