OnePlus Nord N20 5G render leak reveals a familiar design

By Abdul Q November 15, 2021

OnePlus introduced the Nord N10 5G last year as part of its mission to deliver phones with premium features at a lower price — even lower than the already affordable OnePlus Nord. Well, it’s almost time for its successor, and we now have unofficial renders that give us a pretty good idea of what we can expect from the OnePlus Nord N20 5G.

The images come from Steve Hemmerstoffer, who goes by @OnLeaks on Twitter and is a source with a good track record of accuracy. A caveat here is that there is a slight possibility that we’re looking at the OnePlus Nord CE2 5G rather than the N20 5G, but the consensus seems to be that it’s the latter.

oneplus nord n20 5g

One of the first things to note is the completely flat and sharp edges that give the phone a boxy look, similar to what Apple has done with the iPhone 13 models this year. This is a big departure from the Nord N10 design, and it makes us wonder if OnePlus will adopt this element on other devices in the Nord series in the future.

The triple camera remains on the rear of the phone, although it’s arranged a bit differently. The fingerprint reader isn’t visible on the back this time around, so we think OnePlus might be employing an in-display module starting with this model.

Thankfully, the 3.5mm headphone jack stays, as does the hole-punch cutout, making the front almost identical to the previous generation. In terms of dimensions, they are 159.8 by 73.1 by 7.7mm, roughly the same as the OnePlus Nord N10 5G. It also seems that OnePlus doesn’t plan to add its signature alert slider to this line anytime soon. Overall, there’s not much separating the Nord N20 from its predecessor.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Abdul can be tagged as a true blue smartphone enthusiast. As part of his professional career, he has contributed to a number…

Mobile

The OnePlus 11 Concept steals the Nothing Phone’s best trick

OnePlus shows off a OnePlus 11 with rear LED lighting.

OnePlus has teased a new special concept phone based on the OnePlus 11. The Oppo subbrand highlighted a slew of LEDs around the back of the phone as a standout feature. The LEDs were reminiscent of the approach used by Nothing, another phone brand built by former OnePlus CEO Pete Lau.

The company sent out a teaser of its concept phone showing off what appeared to be LED lightning around the back in a very striking image. “The images show the engineering breakthroughs of the OnePlus 11 Concept by highlighting the icy blue pipelines which run through the entire back of the phone, almost like OnePlus 11 Concept has its own series of blood vessels. OnePlus 11 Concept’s pipelines are housed inside a bold and futuristic unibody glass design inspired by the calm stillness and vast power of a glacial lake,” OnePlus said, as reported by The Verge.

Mobile

How I learned to love the OnePlus 11’s controversial software

The OnePlus 11's screen.

When I picked up the OnePlus 10 Pro, I missed the old OxygenOS immediately. Gone was the fluid and feature-light software that made OnePlus phones such a great experience, replaced by the heavy, slower, and more annoying ColorOS-inspired software few liked as much. I liked it even less on the OnePlus 10T, and I wasn’t the only one.

I really like the OnePlus 11, but I wasn’t expecting to like OxygenOS 13 much. My early impression of ColorOS 13 was good, but I didn’t trust the newly Oppo-ified OnePlus enough to think it would carry over. But after using, and loving, the OnePlus 11 for several weeks, I no longer feel any animosity towards OxygenOS. Have I simply become used to it, or has the software actually got better?
What’s the problem with OxygenOS?

Mobile

This is the cheaper (and cooler) OnePlus 11 you wish you could buy

OnePlus 11R, a cheaper OnePlus 11, at the Cloud 11 event in India.

The OnePlus 11, in many ways, attempts to do over the shortcomings of the previous OnePlus flagships. While the OnePlus 11 feels closer to OnePlus's once-revered form, the company's strategy to launch flagship killers in niche markets such as India and China still keeps older OnePlus users attracted to the brand, despite its evolution in recent years. The OnePlus 11R — a $200 cheaper OnePlus 11 — is the latest phone that fits the picture that OnePlus purists long for.

OnePlus has spent the last few years facing the odds. By pivoting into the budget segment with its Nord series, OnePlus has been able to sell more units but at the cost of losing its grip on the "never settle" identity. OnePlus, which once enjoyed a cultdom for its clean software and hardware portraying parsimony, has attempted to keep fans in price-conscious markets (especially in Asia) with its R suffix series.