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

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.

I bought this phone as a replacement for a Redmi Note 10 Pro that was stolen. I've been using it for about three weeks. I have done little tweaking other than changing the theme, so my review is based on how the phone is 'out of the box.' There are plenty of thorough technical reviews on the web, so these are just my real-world experiences.I've got to say I love this phone. It's definitely a step up from the Redmi Note 10 Pro, even though the screen is a little smaller and isn't 120 Hz. The display on the Nord 2 is also AMOLED and looks great.The camera takes much better pictures than the Redmi. They are crisp and sharp even though I've left all the settings at default.The sound is also significantly louder than the Redmi; in fact, it's louder than most phones. I have no problems listening to podcasts in the shower - OnePlus doesn't claim that it's waterproof, though, so don't actually take it in the shower!I found the Redmi Note 10 Pro would go 'strange' on me every few days. The screen image would be too big for the screen, and the only way to fix it was to reset the phone—no problems with the OneNote. I have not had to reset it a single time.I have two SIM cards in the phone (BT and Lycamobile), and they both work fine together.I live in an area without 5G, so I can't comment on that. Occasionally I have travelled into an area that is supposed to have some 5G, but I haven't seen the icons change from 4G to 5G. That said, I wasn't paying much attention. If 5G is important to you, see what other reviewers say.I paired the phone with a 32nd Classic Series 2.0 - Real Leather Book Wallet Flip Case Cover For OnePlus Nord 2 5G. It fits perfectly and looks great. Together they have a solid, reassuringly heavy feel in the hand.And finally, battery life is excellent. At the end of the day, I still have 60-70% charge left, so I'm sure it could easily last two days. Even better is the 'warp' charging. In the evenings, I can top up that 30-40% to take it up to 100% in 5-10 minutes. Even a full charge takes half an hour or less. It's very impressive. You do need their charger and cable though. I tried charging it with their charger and a longer, good-quality cable, and charging was back to average speeds.I don't have any complaints at all with this phone. I love it. If I were unlucky enough to lose this one as well, I'd buy another Nord 2. Buy with confidence!