OnePlus Nord N20 SE

OnePlus Nord N20 SE Review

Design

The OnePlus Nord N20 SE features a plastic construction, measuring 163.8 mm in height, 75 mm in width, and 8 mm in depth. It weighs 187 grams. The phone is available in two colors: Blue Oasis and Celestial Black. The fingerprint sensor is side-mounted. The device is not foldable.

Display

The phone utilizes a 6.56-inch IPS LCD display with a 720 x 1612 pixel resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio, resulting in a pixel density of 269 ppi. The display is rated for 480 nits of typical brightness and 600 nits in high brightness mode (HBM). It features a water drop notch, DC dimming, and is scratch-resistant, with capacitive multi-touch. The screen is frameless and does not offer HDR support. Refresh rate is standard at 60Hz.

Performance

The Nord N20 SE is powered by a Mediatek MT6765G Helio G35 (12 nm) chipset. The CPU is an octa-core setup, consisting of four 2.3 GHz Cortex-A53 cores and four 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53 cores. Graphics are handled by a PowerVR GE8320 GPU clocked at 680MHz. The device includes 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and offers storage options of 64GB or 128GB of eMMC 5.1 storage, with no option for expandable storage via SD card. The phone achieved an Antutu v9 score of approximately 221000.

Camera

The rear camera setup consists of a 50MP primary sensor (Samsung S5KJN1, ISOCELL, f/1.8 aperture, 0.64µm pixel size, 1/2.76" sensor size) and a 2MP depth sensor (f/2.4). The primary sensor uses 4-in-1 pixel binning for improved low-light performance. The front-facing selfie camera is an 8MP shooter (Omnivision OV08D10, PureCel, f/2.0 aperture, 1.12µm pixel size, 1/4" sensor size). Video recording is limited to 1080p at 30fps. The camera features include digital zoom, dual camera setup, digital image stabilization, autofocus (including PDAF and CDAF), touch focus, continuous shooting, panorama, HDR, face detection and various white balance, ISO, and scene mode settings. There is no Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) or slow-motion video capture.

Battery Life

The device is equipped with a 5000 mAh Li-Polymer battery that supports 33W fast charging. Wireless charging is not available. The battery is non-removable.

Software

The OnePlus Nord N20 SE runs on Android 12. There is no mention of future Android version upgrades.

Pricing

The 4GB RAM/128GB storage variant of the OnePlus Nord N20 SE is priced at $149.99.

Connectivity

The phone supports dual SIM (Nano SIM) with dual standby. It includes Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band), Bluetooth 5.3 LE with A2DP, APT-x, LDAC, SBC and AAC codecs, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, QZSS, and Galileo. Network bands include 4G LTE, 3G, and 2G. It has a USB Type-C 2.0 port with OTG support but no display port.

Sensors The device features the following sensors: accelerometer, proximity, compass, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. The device does not include a gyroscope sensor.

Audio The device features stereo speakers, and a noise cancellation microphone.

Overall Verdict

The OnePlus Nord N20 SE is a budget-friendly device with a focus on battery life and basic functionality. Its 50MP primary camera and fast charging capabilities are decent for its price range. However, its HD+ display resolution and the Mediatek Helio G35 chipset limit its overall performance for demanding tasks. The lack of expandable storage and no gyroscope sensor are also points to consider. The phone offers a capable media experience with stereo speakers and modern Bluetooth capabilities. It appears best suited for users with light to moderate daily needs and for those primarily concerned with battery performance.