For those seeking for a budget phone with flagship features, look no further as the OnePlus Nord N10 5G is the best mid-ranger phone up to the task.
The phone crosses between a flagship phone line and a mid-ranger that has a $299 price point, going on par against the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G.
The OnePlus Nord N10 5G is also the first mid-range phone from the company to arrive in the U.S. and is available from T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, and unlocked from OnePlus.com and other retailers. So what makes this phone so unique?
OnePlus Nord N10 5G: The Best Budget Phone in the Market
Consumer Reports hailed the OnePlus Nord N10 5G as the best budget phone of 2021.
According to The Verge, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G offers less pay for more hardware found in a flagship phone in the market. It has a sleek and functional design and displays a 90Hz refresh rate from its 6.4-inch LCD screen with a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Scrolling down with mobile apps on the phone will be a breeze and smooth, making the device friendlier to use.
Both front and back of the OnePlus Nord N10 5G are made from glossy plastic that can easily collect finger smudges from the user. It may seem a letdown for some people, but they can always put a case on it. Also, the phone does not scream flagship, but it does not look cheap either. The phone features 6.42 x 2.94 x 0.35 dimensions, which is not too big from the hand and weighs about 190 grams, a hefty one.
The OnePlus Nord N10 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 690 chipset that is Qualcomm's best budget 6-series processor and includes support for the phone's headline feature: 5G. It is essential to note that the 690 supports low and mid-band 5G frequencies but does not offer mmWave connectivity.
The Snapdragon 690 processors offer 6GB of RAM for the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and 128GB UFS 2.1 storage on board, with about 104GB available out of the box. The device also has a dedicated microSD slot, which users can use to expand the mid-range phone's memory.
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Other than that, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G has a 4,300mAh battery that can hold throughout the entire day with continued use of the device. PCMag noted that using the handheld for watching HD videos over Wi-Fi at full brightness, it lasted for 10 hours and eight minutes.
For its charging capabilities, the OnePlus variant doesn't fall behind by giving its users a 30W fast charging adapter out of the box. However, wireless charging is not supported.
For the camera department, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G has a quad-camera setup at the back that features a 64MP primary shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor and macro lens. The phone performs excellently in good lighting conditions with good depth of field and color accuracy in taking pictures.
Although there is also some acceptable detail loss with both lenses in the OnePlus Nord N10 5G, it is more prominent on the ultra-wide lens. Overall, the device can take incredible shots for a budget phone. However, the camera suffers from low light conditions as it is inconsistent between shots, even with the Night Mode on.
The front camera of the OnePlus Nord N10 5G features a bezel-less free display with a corner hole punch for a selfie camera the features a 16MP that can capture HDR photos and record 1080p videos at 30/60/120 fps.
As Consumer Reports noted, however, it is not water resistant unlike its bigger competitors.
Final Thoughts About the OnePlus Nord N10 5G
In conclusion, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G is still a budget phone that lacks the specific hardware to operate as a flagship device. It has better battery life than other mid-range phones and a powerful chipset that can support 5G. However, this is one of the models that is designed with mid-range camera qualities. For people looking for a phone with better cameras, this is not the device for them.
Even when the OnePlus Nord N10 5G is 5G capable, it supports only the slower, low-and mid-band frequencies. The faster millimeter wave technology is not included, as Consumer Reports stated.
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