OnePlus Nord 3 vs Nord 2T: What’s the difference?

• OnePlus / Pocket-lint

  OnePlus Nord 3

  Our top pick

  New kid on the block

  Always popular, OnePlus is pushing up to 16GB RAM, a 5000mAh battery, and more in the Nord 3.

  Goodness

  • Expensive
  • 16GB of RAM
  • A great show

  evil

  • You don’t know about the camera
  • Limited availability in the UK

• 

  OnePlus / Pocket-lint

  OnePlus Nord 2T

  A good way

  The test is true

  One of the best phones you can find at this price point, it performs like a model, for a fraction of the cost.

  Goodness

  • Under $400
  • Well made
  • 80W fast running

  evil

  • Antique furniture
  • The OS update is already complete

The recently announced OnePlus Nord 3 and OnePlus Nord 2T they are cut from the same cloth, but there are differences that make the Nord 3 more interesting, the least of which is that it goes on sale this month.

The Nord 3 has a better display, updated internals and what is guaranteed to be better battery life, making it hard to beat compared to the Nord 2T. However, if you’re looking for a phone that will do the job, do it right, and save you money while doing it, the Nord 2T is worth a long look. Don’t take our word for it, though. Here is a breakdown of what each phone offers.

Price, availability and specifications

We’re still waiting to see where the OnePlus Nord 3 launches, but a pre-order page for Ireland is currently available, while the US and UK are said to be coming soon. It’s a price on €499.00 in Ireland, down from €549.00 as a promotional order until July 31. The full price of €549 is expected to be the full price of the Nord 3 with 16GB of memory and 256GB of storage at launch.

The OnePlus Nord 2T, however, is available on Amazon, albeit in the US, and is currently priced at $389, or thereabouts. £330 if you buy through Amazon UK.

• 	OnePlus Nord 3	OnePlus Nord 2T
  Color	OnePlus	OnePlus
  SoC	MediaTek Dimensity 9000	MediaTek Dimensity 1300
  Show it	6.74-inch, 120Hz Super Fluid AMOLED, 2772 x 1240 pixels	6.43-inch, 90Hz Super Fluid AMOLED, 2400 x 1080 pixels
  Ram	8GB or 16GB	8GB or 12GB
  Storage	128GB or 256GB	128GB or 256GB
  Battery	5000mAh, 80W Supervooc	4500mAh, 80W Supervooc
  Ports	USB 2.0, Type-C	USB 2.0, Type-C
  Operating system	OxygenOS 13.1 based on Android 13	OxygenOS based on Android 12
  Front camera	16MP	32 MP
  Rear cameras	50MP main, 8MP Ultra-wide, 2MP macro	50MP main, 8MP Ultra-wide, 2MP mono
  Dimensions	162.6 x 75.1 x 8.1mm, 193.5g	159.1 x 73.2 x 8.2mm, 190g
  Species	Tempest Gray, Misty Green	Gray Shadow

Design and construction

The OnePlus Nord 3 has a design similar to the one we saw with the OnePlus Nord 2T. It has a warning screen (wow!), the volume rocker on the left side of the housing, with the power key on the right (next to the slider). The OnePlus Nord 3 is similar to the Nord 2T, too. The former measures 162.6 x 75.1 x 8.1mm, while the latter is 159.1 x 73.2 x 8.2mm so the OnePlus Nord 3 is slightly bigger but only slightly. The weight of the two phones is also the same, with the Nord 3 weighing 193.5g, while the Nord 2T weighs 190g.

It feels like OnePlus has changed a few things in the design of the Nord 2T, called it better and put all its work into optimizing the internals. Color options, with the OnePlus Nord 3, you can choose between Misty Green or Tempest Gray colors. The Nord 2T has color options in Gray Shadow and Jade Fog.

The only major noticeable design change involves the rear camera panel. On the OnePlus Nord 2T, there is a bump on the back of the phone that houses the camera lens. However, on the Nord 3, the drawing element does not exist. In fact, the entire back of the phone looks smooth, except for the camera lens.

Show it

On paper, the main difference between the Nord 3 and the Nord 2T is the display, with the Nord 3 receiving what we would consider to be a significant upgrade to the display. OnePlus Nord 2T has a 6.43-inch AMOLED display, with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, with maximum refresh rate of 90Hz and is HDR10+ certified.

OnePlus Nord 3, however, has a 6.74-inch Super Fluid AMOLED display with a resolution of 2772 x 1240, 40Hz to 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, touch response of 1000Hz, and 10-bit color depth, in addition to HDR10+ support.

Not only does the increase in overall resolution help improve performance, but the increased flexibility will equate to smoother movement and game play across the board. Not saying the Nord 2T display is perfect, but if given the choice, the Nord 3 display is the one we’d go with.

Hardware and software

OnePlus Nord 2T has a MediaTek Dimensity 1300 processor, 8GB or 12GB of memory and 128GB or 256GB of storage. You’ll also get a 4500 mAh battery that supports OnePlus’ 80W Supervooc charging. There is a USB-C 2.0 port on the bottom of the phone for charging and data transfer.

The OnePlus Nord 3 gets a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor, 8GB or 16GB of memory and 128GB/256GB storage options. The Dimensity 9000 offers improvements in performance, but where you should see the biggest improvement is in terms of battery life.

Of course, this is partly due to the slightly larger 5000mAh battery that also supports 80W fast charging. It is Nord’s first device with 16GB of memory, which should go a long way in supporting multimedia and gaming.

As for software, both Nord 2T and Nord 3 will work Android 13both are based on Oxygen OS 13. However, the Nord 3 will come with OxygenOS 13.1, adding new features and capabilities that the Nord 2T did not receive.

Additionally, OnePlus has said that the Nord 3 will receive three OS updates and four years of security updates. OnePlus 2T will stop receiving major updates after the second OS update.

Cameras

OnePlus Nord 3 has dual cameras on the back. The main camera is a 50-megapixel shooter with OIS support, and a focal length of 24mm. The main camera on the Nord 3 is 8MP, with a 112-degree field of view. It also has a large shooting mode at 2-megapixels. The Nord 3’s front camera is 16-megapixels.

The OnePlus Nord 2T has the same camera setup, with the main camera also coming in at 50-megapixels, but with an older, smaller sensor. The main camera is 8-megapixels, with a 120-degree field of view. There is also a monochrome camera that measures 2-megapixels. The front camera is 32-megapixels.

Although the core specifications look similar, there are significant differences between the two phones and their camera setups. For example, the Nord 3 zoom ranges from 0.6x to 20x, while the Nord 2T offers 0.6x to 10x zoom.

Then there is the monochrome camera on the Nord 2T which has been replaced by the macro camera on the Nord 3. What you will find most useful comes down to your taste, but we have to think that the macro camera will be the best here. . Anyone can take a picture and apply a monochrome filter afterwards, but getting close to your subject isn’t all that phones can do. In this case, Nord 2T.

It’s hard to know what to expect until we have the Nord 3 in our hands, and we can confirm that the camera has performed as well as we’d hoped.

Which one is right for you?

OnePlus has upped its game with the Nord 3, bringing some of the latest to the mid-range phone. The Nord 3 should offer solid performance, long battery life and a decent camera. In addition to the fact that it will have four years of major OS updates, it is for this reason that we recommend the Nord 2T.

For those who don’t want to wait for the Nord 3 to start shipping, or you just want to save a little money and don’t mind using a phone with older hardware, the OnePlus Nord 2T is a worthy alternative.