Right, take a seat, because I’m here to tell you something.
I’ve been reviewing phones for a while now and, just recently, things have gone a bit nuts.
A few years ago, if you didn’t want (or couldn’t afford) to spend a fortune on a new smartphone, you’d end up with a budget, entry-level or “mid-range” phone. This, a little while back, was usually not a great experience and you’d end up looking enviously at those £800 – £900 handsets.
Recently though, things have changed quite a bit. We’ve reviewed phones in that traditional “mid-range” section which even the most hard-core smartphone geek would be happy with.
OK, perhaps you – like many others – went for the top-end instead. You’ve got one of those flagship phones in your hand right now and you’re happy. These phones are undeniably brilliant but, because they’re pretty pricey, you’re probably locked into a two or three year contract with your network. This is because they’re a lot of money to buy out-right.
The OnePlus 8 Pro with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage is £899. The iPhone 11 with the same 256GB storage is £879. The Samsung Galaxy S20 (with less storage – 128GB) is £899. The Huawei P40 Pro with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage is £899 and the Sony Xperia 1 (II) with 256GB storage is a massive £1,099.
Something is happening though. Phones in the sub-£500 segment are getting a whole load better. Spear-headed by the likes of Honor, OnePlus, Xiaomi and others, we’re now seeing the specifications and the quality of these phones getting closer than ever to phones costing almost double the price. There’s less and less of a reason to spend nearly £1,000 on your next phone.
This, then, is why there’s such a lot of interest in the new aggressively-priced OnePlus Nord. We’re expecting a lot from this phone and the pre-orders have almost broken the OnePlus website.
A third and final round of Nord pre-orders goes live tomorrow at 9AM UK time. The last rounds sold out in less than a second, so it’s fair to say people will need to be quick. As before, everyone who pre-orders will also receive limited edition Nord merch.
To get in on the action, head to https://www.oneplus.com/nord/pre-order and pay just €20 to pre-order the phone. You’ll get the phone and limited edition OnePlus Nord merchandise.
The phone wil be launched on July 21st, and we’ll be all over it as normal. We’re expecting big things.