OnePlus Nord 3 review: Should you buy it?

The OnePlus Nord 3 is a predictable, albeit welcome improve over the corporate’s 2022 iteration — the OnePlus Nord 2T. Not like the whatever-is-in-the-parts-bin strategy of prior years, OnePlus has made an effort to convey the Nord 3 according to expectations from a 2023 mid-ranger. In reality, the Nord 3 is likely one of the extra important updates to the OnePlus Nord line lately and options enhancements in all the required locations. OnePlus is retaining it aggressive by upgrading the first digicam sensor to the identical flagship module because the OnePlus 11. The telephone is constant in its premium mid-range leanings, be it by means of the selection of processor or the standard of development. Glancing on the spec sheet would possibly level in direction of a comparatively boring smartphone, but when our expertise is something to go by, the OnePlus Nord 3 makes up for it with consistency.

That’s to not say that the OnePlus Nord 3 ought to be dismissed as one other generic mid-ranger. The moderately obnoxious digicam module from the OnePlus Nord 2T is gone, and the Nord 3 employs a a lot easier and, resultingly, refined design. The glass again is available in shiny and matte finishes, and the squared-off mid-frame is coated in an equally pleasing matte end for higher grip. It’ll survive a splash or two due to its IP54 ranking, although it received’t survive immersion in water just like the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G and Pixel 7a. You’ll, nonetheless, discover niceties just like the quintessential OnePlus alert slider and an IR blaster on the high that may management TVs and different home equipment.

The entrance is the place you’ll observe extra dramatic modifications. The display screen dimension is drastically bigger at 6.74 inches, with an equal enhance in decision to 1.5K. The unique OnePlus Nord was amongst the primary telephones to convey a excessive refresh charge panel to the mid-range phase. This time, the Nord 3 is upgrading the refresh charge to 120Hz to match the competitors.

It’s no LTPO panel; the bottom you’ll be able to anticipate from the display screen is a 40Hz refresh charge to preserve battery life. That stated, I’ve had no gripes with the show high quality. I discovered it completely seen each beneath brilliant daylight and overcast skies. Out of the field, shade accuracy veers on the facet of oversaturation. It’s not garish; the truth is, I fairly loved the punchy colours. Nonetheless, switching to a extra impartial tone is a cinch utilizing one of many built-in professional modes. HDR assist has been a bit hit and miss on latest OnePlus {hardware}, however I’m blissful to report that the Nord 3 does properly right here. The Grand Tour, in all its HDR glory, seemed moderately incredible, nevertheless it made the imbalanced stereo speaker output very evident.

In fact, the largest improve right here is within the chipset. Glorious efficiency in your cash is, for higher or worse, the corporate’s schtick, and the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 doesn’t disappoint. There’s as much as 16GB of RAM to again up that efficiency, however extra importantly, Oxygen OS lastly behaves properly with the way it handles background apps. I didn’t encounter errant pressure closes throughout my week with the telephone. Equally, video games work simply in addition to you’d hope, and I spent extra time than I ought to have testing out Name of Obligation Cell cranked as much as the max. After a couple of intense classes, the telephone obtained noticeably heat to the contact, however I didn’t observe any thermal throttling when taking part in indoors. The telephone cools down lots quick as properly.

Since it is a OnePlus telephone, there are a couple of errant bugs. This was most evident within the typing expertise, the place I persistently noticed a touch of latency. It wasn’t sufficient to hamper typing, nevertheless it did take me a second or two to get used to it. I’d anticipate OnePlus to repair this with a post-release bug repair. As for updates, the OnePlus Nord 3 is promised three main upgrades and 4 years of safety patches, which is a stable sufficient dedication at this worth tier.

OnePlus is sticking to the quite common trifecta of a high-resolution main digicam, a middling 8MP ultrawide shooter, and a virtually ineffective 2MP sensor. Cribbing from the OnePlus 11’s characteristic pile, the Nord 3 packs the identical 50MP IMX890 sensor we noticed on the flagship and the newer Nothing Telephone 2. Whereas it skips out on the flagship’s Hasselblad tuning, that’s no large miss. OnePlus has opted for a barely punchy shade profile and does a moderately good job of retaining high-quality element and textures. The noise discount algorithms aren’t significantly aggressive, and also you don’t have any seen smearing, as we’ve seen on previous OnePlus telephones. I used to be significantly impressed by the sharpness intimately and wonderful management over highlights in HDR pictures. The portrait mode has additionally been upgraded, and the telephone excels at creating a sensible depth-of-field impact. The shutter lag, nonetheless, disappoints, and capturing a topic in movement is usually an train in frustration.

In comparison with the first digicam, the ultrawide shooter is a noticeable downgrade. The OnePlus Nord does properly at retaining sharpness and element, however the aggressive noise ranges are an apparent tradeoff. The macro digicam, in the meantime, is outright horrible as a result of low decision. You possibly can check out full-resolution OnePlus Nord 3 digicam samples by clicking by means of to our Google Drive hyperlink.

Should you’re an avid smartphone videographer, the OnePlus Nord 3 received’t be your first alternative. Whereas it provides as much as 60fps recording, there’s no stabilization in any respect at 4K resolutions. Dropping that right down to 1080p improves the state of affairs, however the flipside is an errant purple solid. The selfie digicam can also be restricted to 1080p at simply 30fps.

I had excessive expectations from the 5,000mAh battery on the OnePlus Nord 3, which didn’t precisely play out. My day would often begin with catching up on social media and popping on a playlist on Spotify. I additionally spent plenty of time reviewing my emails, looking RSS feeds on Readwise, and hours of music streaming. Lastly, I’d get in a number of Name of Obligation Cell rounds to wrap up the day. Most days, I needed to plug the OnePlus Nord 3 into the charger earlier than I went to mattress. Positive, my utilization was extra aggressive than most owing to the smartphone testing course of, however I not often, if ever, crossed six hours of display screen time. Fortunately, charging the telephone is fast at 80W, which takes about 35 minutes to take it to 100% from scratch.

The OnePlus Nord 3 instructions the next price ticket than final yr’s OnePlus Nord 2T however nets you much more {hardware} in your buck. Nonetheless, the phase is crowded with nice options.

• Google Pixel 7a ($477 at Amazon): Google’s budget-minded telephone brings a lot of what we love in regards to the flagship to a way more inexpensive worth level. It’s even obtained the identical Tensor G2 chipset, which isn’t fairly as highly effective because the OnePlus Nord 3’s chip, however does present some AI options which are unique to Pixel. Whereas the Pixel 7a‘s digicam sensors get a change as much as embody a 64MP main and 13MP ultrawide, image high quality doesn’t stray too far due to the superb software program processing.
• Samsung Galaxy A54 5G ($388 at Amazon): The Samsung A54 5G is an efficient Nord 3 different for many who care much less about efficiency and need a good all-around mid-ranger. The telephone provides an IP67 ranking, an awesome wanting 6.4-inch 120Hz Tremendous AMOLED show, and an IP67 ranking, plus an intensive software program replace coverage that covers the telephone for 4 years of Android OS updates.
• Nothing Telephone 1 (£399.99 at Amazon): Lastly, you may also wish to take into account the Nothing Telephone 1. The Snapdragon 778G Plus processor right here doesn’t have practically the identical quantity of energy. However what the Nothing Telephone 1 lacks in energy, it makes up for with fashion and an especially distinctive LED-based notification system. The telephone additionally has an IP53 ranking and additions like wi-fi charging assist. The Nothing Telephone 2 is a sharper improve, however the Telephone 1 is far nearer in worth to the OnePlus Nord 3.
• Poco F5 ($722 at AliExpress): Desire MIUI? The Poco F5 may be proper up your alley. The telephone prioritizes efficiency with its Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 chipset, a big 5,000mAh battery, and fast 67W charging. It’s even obtained a surprisingly succesful 64MP main digicam. Nonetheless, you’ll need to compromise with the sheer quantity of bloatware onboard and the lackluster secondary cameras.