OnePlus Nord 2T review

Design, build quality, handling

The OnePlus Nord 2T is a good-looking smartphone no matter whether you get the glossy (Jade Fog) or the frosted (Gray Shadow) model. While it uses mostly the same components as the Nord 2, the back and the camera island were redesigned, and they are the easiest way to tell which phone this is.

The new Nord 2T has a larger camera island with bigger black circles. And of course, the paintjobs of the rear panels are different.

Both the glossy and the frosted version are beautiful in their own way, and we liked them both. The grip is hardly perfect on either though, with the glossy Nord 2T having a slight edge. Both versions were designed to be smudge resistant - meaning fingerprints do eventually stick, but it takes longer, and they are easier to clean.

Beyond the finish the OnePlus Nord 2T was built follwing a well proven formula - two Gorilla Glass 5 panels and glossy plastic frame in between. The front glass is flat, while the rear glass and the frame are slightly curved towards the edges.

Again, there is no official ingress protection rating for the OnePlus Nord 2T, but we saw rubber insulation on the SIM slot, so it's fully exposed.

The OnePlus Nord 2T has the same 6.43-inch Fluid AMOLED as the Nord 2 and it is as gorgeous. It offers 90Hz refresh rate, support HDR10+, and its bezels are quite reasonable.

The panel has a perforation at the top left for the 32MP selfie camera. Above the screen you can notice a thin grille, which hides the earpiece that also doubles as a second speaker in the stereo setup.

There is also an optical fingerprint scanner beneath the screen, and it turned out to be quite fast and reliable.

The back is rather clean aside from the large camera island. It has two noticeable black circles - the top one houses the primary 50MP camera, while the bottom one has the 8MP ultrawide cam and the 2MP depth sensor. Outside, you can see the dual-LED flash and a transparent sensor cover.

The camera island is jutting out of the back, so naturally the phone wobbles when left lying on a desk.

The glossy frame provides almost no grip whatsoever. It is thinner across the sides and thicker on the top and bottom.

The volume control is alone on the left side.

The left side houses the three-step silencer and the power/lock key.

A lonely microphone is noticeable at the top of the Nord 2T.

The bottom is overcrowded - here you can see the dual-SIM tray, the primary microphone, the USB-C port, and the second stereo speaker's outlet.

The OnePlus Nord 2T measures 159.1 x 73.2 x 8.2 mm and weighs 190g - about the same as the previous Nord 2 and in line with phones that feature 6.4-inch or so screen panels.

The Nord 2T is surely not a compact phone, but it does make enough of a difference compared to the popular 6.67-inchers to make it more attractive for those tired of huge phones. It is also quite beautiful and unique, and you can choose between two different finishes for the back cover.

The grip of the Nord 2T is hardly ideal, though the provided case helps a lot. If you plan on using this phone naked, we'd suggest getting the glossy Jade Fog model as its overall handling experience is slightly better.

Anyway, we liked the OnePlus Nord 2T just as we liked the original one. We have no complaints about its build quality, even if we wish for better grip and an official IP rating.