OnePlus rules the mid-range market, and I think their latest phone proves that

OnePlus has been on our radar for a while now, but in the past few years, the quality of its devices has skyrocketed. 

Arguably, their mid-range offerings have caused the biggest stir. They’ve proven once and for all that you don’t need to spend the same amount on your next smartphone as you would on a good quality laptop. 

That’s not to say OnePlus doesn’t make fantastic flagships, because they do. The OnePlus 10 Pro is one of my favourite smartphones released so far this year, so much so that it took one of the top spots in T3’s guide to the best phones you can buy. Before that, the OnePlus 9 Pro made a serious impact as well, partly down to its very successful collaboration with camera manufacturer Hasselblad. 

But the big problem for OnePlus’s high-end phones is that they have some huge competition to contend with, a couple of which are undoubtedly the very best in the business, like the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The world of the flagship isn’t an easy one. 

Targeting the mid-range market has been working very well for OnePlus. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that OnePlus rules that world because their devices have been game-changing. As smartphone tech advances, it becomes cheaper which means the hardware can drip down into the more affordable end of the market, but OnePlus takes things above and beyond that.

It all started with the OnePlus Nord, which we called the ‘ultimate mid-ranger' in our review. At the time, we were so impressed with it that we awarded it a coveted 5-star rating, and that set the precedent for what was to come. 

The OnePlus Nord 2 was just as impressive, if not more so, with improvements in a few key areas including its chipset, battery and camera system. We are now a year on from that and a new evolution of it has just landed - the OnePlus Nord 2T.

If I were to pick one standout feature from it, it would have to be its new super-fast-charging. OnePlus has actually included the same 80W SUPERVOOC power adaptor in the box as they did with the OnePlus 10 Pro. 

When I tried it out, it charged the OnePlus Nord 2T from flat to full in about 30 minutes. That is remarkable by any standards. You’ll never have to worry about not having enough time to charge your phone because you can get enough juice for the day in as little as 15 minutes.

This phone also boasts one of the most powerful mid-range chipsets in the world, the MediaTek Dimensity 1300, and alongside that you get speedy 5G as well as the latest Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. While it won’t be record-beating, this phone does feel much quicker to use use than most other similarly priced phones I’ve tried out. If you need a new smartphone, you’re on a budget and you tend to use a lot of different apps each day then this is probably going to be your best bet.

Almost everything about the OnePlus Nord 2T is excellent, and that includes its screen. It has a 6.43-inch FHD AMOLED display with HDR10+ support so it's good for streaming video content and online clothes shopping. Plus it's smooth to scroll, swipe and tap on as well. While it doesn’t reach 120Hz refresh rate like some mid-rangers, it does have a respectable 90Hz which is plenty.

Elsewhere, the camera system has just as much to boast about. It’s made up of a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide lens, a 2MP monochrome lens and a 32MP front camera. The result was clear, bright photos that looked good across a whole host of situations, whether I was snapping pictures in the park, of buildings or even a cheeky selfie or two.

So all in all, the OnePlus Nord 2T offers one of the best Android phone packages there is, and while it may not match up to the top high-end flagships, you won’t have to make too many sacrifices when it comes to features and functionality. It’s excellent value for money.

You can buy the OnePlus Nord 2T starting from £369 in the UK on the 24th May 2022.