OnePlus Nord 2 5G (UK) - 8GB RAM 128GB SIM Free Smartphone with Triple Camera and 65W Warp Charge - Blue Haze [UK version]

If you know what features you do or do not need on a phone, and you think this may fit the bill - it will. I paid £299 for the 8GB / 128GB version. I wouldn't pay more for the 12 / 256 as the 8GB is plenty fast.Almost flagship quick processor. A good camera for the price, although I'm comparing it to a pixel 4 where the camera is exceptional, so a little unfair. Good all day battery life and mega quick recharging - 0 to 100% in 30 mins, but you have to use the included charger AND the cable. Colour is grey but with a blue tinge, maybe this is what Sierra means....Screen is lovely to use....don't use the Samsung internet browser, as this isn't compatible with a smooth 90HZ refresh rate that this phone has.Fast and responsive 2D face recognition and fingerprint reader.The glass back feels more like plastic, but I still like it. Overall the phone is stylish and in my opinion looks better than the mid range product it is.Screen brightness could be better in direct sunlight but it's perfectly useable......No IP rating, but it does have OIS on the camera. And a bit heavier than I would like.But if you're as geeky as I am you probably already know these things!Comparing this to my ageing "top spec at the time" Pixel 4, I'm impressed and prepared to miss out on the features I really want for this price.

After running with the Huawei P30 for a year and a half I thought about OnePlus when it next came time to upgrade. I then started to look at their phones and research OxygenOS and liked what I saw.I then discovered the Nord series - midrange handsets with near flagship level features/specs and started investing more time into it. I found out the latest Nord model would release. So after weeks of mulling it over and directly comparing the P30 against the Nord 2 I decided to take the plunge.I took delivery of the phone the next day and set about unboxing and setting it up. I was like a kid at Christmas. The phone came in a nice looking black box with simple blue lines down the side and the OnePlus Nord branding imprinted on the front. When you shine light on the Nord lettering and look from a certain angle you can see a multi-colour reflection.I then unboxed the phone which came with a screen protector preinstalled and a clear rubber case (when you set the phone down on a flat surface with the case on and turn on the torch the entire thing lights up around the edges and looks pretty snazzy) Also included is the 65w charger, red USB-C cable, SIM removal tool, documents and a very nice letter from OnePlus.Holding the phone in my hand without the case, I have to say it feels amazing, it's a really comfy phone to hold and unlike any phone I've held before, because of the materials it's made from. It's kind of hard to explain but it just feels nice in the hand. It's almost like a silky smooth texture with very slight roughness for grip.Anyway, I powered on and set up the phone, logged in with my Google details, ran all the system software updates and installed all my apps. I then went to settings to do some tinkering and customise the OS to a look and feel of my liking. Everything is easy to find in the settings and there's a respectable amount of things to customise for the OS (colours, AOD, fonts, wallpapers, horizon light for notifications etc)As for OxygenOS itself I like it - very fresh, clean and simple. And it'll only get better once 12.0 releases. It's currently 4 April 2022 as I'm writing this and I'm still waiting for 12.0 so hopefully it'll be here soon. A Theme store and more new features will be getting added, as far as I'm aware. Just search OxygenOS 12 to see the new additions.The MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset is as good as any on-par Qualcomm Snapdragon and can handle graphic intensive games like COD Mobile with ease - No overheating. No lag. Nothing of the sort that I've noticed. The MediaTek is a solid performing chipset and the glue that holds everything together. Great levels of performance with no noticeable frame drops or dips during gameplay or in general daily usage.As for the refresh rate the Nord 2 might only have 90Hz capability and not the 120Hz of some flagship models but it's obviously better than 60Hz and is pretty much the sweet spot, as battery life would suffer under 120Hz. You can have it in either 90Hz or 60Hz mode but sometimes the phone will switch between modes depending on the scenario. I leave it on 90Hz for the most part and it's fine.The FHD+ Fluid AMOLED display with HDR10+ makes for impressive viewing - sharp looking details, vibrant & true to life colours which pop nicely (you can change vividness in settings) and overall just a nice, big, bright, crystal clear viewing experience - games, TV series, movies and YouTube all look amazing!The 4500mAh battery with 65w charging is a godsend and will get you out of a jam, for example if you're short on time. I've put the Nord 2 on charge at around 15%, gone away then come back about 25 minutes later and it's already at 100%. They weren't lying about the charging speed.Awesome camera, too! Shots with the built-in Sony IMX766 Exmor sensor look sharp with nice accurate colour and detail, however some shots do look washed out. Night shots look decent but not the best and can look overprocessed and grainy due to the AI scene recongition mode. I'll admit I've been spoiled by the P30's Leica AG camera though (one of the best smartphone cameras ever produced) so the experience might be different for you depending on what phone you're coming from.As for Audio, I do miss the baked in DolbyAtmos audio from the P30 which gave rich, detailed and crystal clear sound across the board with several scenario based modes to choose from, despite only having the one loudspeaker. The Nord 2 has arguably worse audio on balance but it does have the benefit of two loudspeakers which does claw back some of that loss.All in all, there is more than enough with the Nord 2 to warrant it as a truly worthy near-flagship upgrade from whichever device you're using now, like me with the P30 for example (I know, the standard P30 isn't a flagship)Nord 2 is a very capable device and has something for everyone with its impressive spec sheet and range of apps and features. I've had the 8GB RAM model for 7 months now and its still hitting the high notes like the day I got it. I can imagine the 12GB RAM variant is basically Nord 2 on roids. I fully recommend you to get this phone, you won't be sorry!Thanks for taking the time to read this. I might come back with edits from time to time.

The Nord 2 is a fantastic phone for it's price. For a mid range phone it is priced very well. The Oxygen OS is slick, customizable and easy to use. The phone itself (8GB Ram) is plenty fast enough for most users. Fingerprint is fast, facial recognition is fast, charging is genuinely fast. Like silly fast. Like you almost feel bad how fast it charges.However, the phone does have some drawbacks. The main camera (50mp) is good, don't get me wrong. But, it does come with some flaws. The 50mp lens is just that. No optical (this is advertised) but it also cannot digital zoom. You cannot change any settings (AI etc) on the 50mp lens, just focus/Auto focus. It does take good pictures but it will not be the default when you open up the camera app. If you're in a rush trying to take a picture of something, you will have to manually change it to the 50mp lens every time you open the camera app (unless you keep it open constantly in the background). So you are stuck with the 8mp digital zoom lens which is okay but I want my 50mp lens to atleast have a digital zoom.Coming from a OnePlus 6 with notification LED, I really did not realize how good a feature that LED is. I miss it a ridiculous amount which is hilarious and saddening at the same time. Downloaded an app for the always on display to mimic but it just isn't the same and does drain battery.Overall, a really good phone. More phone than most people need these days. It isn't a "flagship killer" but it definitely is worth the money, especially when there is an offer on.And also as an FYI, the phone does come with its own clear OnePlus case (actually a decent case, see myself using it until it's properly worn out) in the box which isn't advertised. Would be nice to know this before ordering a seperate case to just end up returning after opening the box.