You might not be that familiar with OnePlus and their brand of Samsung-killing Android smartphones but that should change. The OnePlus Nord is one of the best smartphones going in our testing and definitely the best midrange Android smartphone on the market right now.
If you were just to look at the OnePlus Nord, you wouldn't see many differences from its high-end, flagship rivals: there's a 6.44-inch display, Android 10, a quad-camera array on the back, and up to 256GB internal storage. If you're interested in having a big Android smartphone for cheap, the Nord is absolutely ideal.
As we found during testing, the OnePlus Nord isn't the perfect smartphone but the areas that it excels in – performance, camera, battery life, design, display – are likely the most important areas for most people. Day to day, you're unlikely to notice the difference between the Nord and Samsung's Galaxy S21.
Now that Google is turning away from making truly budget Pixel smartphones, OnePlus has stepped up with the Nord and delivered an exceptional midrange smartphone that goes toe-to-toe with its pricier rivals on everything that matters.
The best OnePlus Nord deals (US)
OnePlus Nord (5G) | 128GB | Dual-SIM | 6.49-inch
$342 $327 from Amazon
The OnePlus Nord covers all of the bases that matter: big, beautiful display, fast internals, loads of storage, space for two SIMs, the latest version of Android, and so on. And it does all of that while costing just over $300.
The best OnePlus Nord deals (UK)
OnePlus Nord (128GB) | Three | 24 months | 12GB data | £0 upfront | £25/month from Three
If you're in the UK, Three is offering a stunning deal on the OnePlus Nord with 12GB data – a very reasonable allowance when we're all stuck at home – and no upfront costs. £25/month for a Samsung-beating Android smartphone is pretty incredible.
The OnePlus Nord is, without a doubt, the best budget smartphone on the market and we say that with a lot of confidence. If you're in the market for a new smartphone but think Samsung's are a bit expensive, it's well worth giving the OnePlus Nord a decent look.
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Max Slater-Robins has written for T3 now on and off for over half a decade, with him fitting in serious study at university in between. Max is a tech expert and as such you'll find his words throughout T3.com, appearing in everything from reviews and features, to news and deals. Max is specifically a veteran when it comes round to deal hunting, with him seeing out multiple Black Friday campaigns to date.
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