OnePlus Nord N300 review

Introduction

Though the flagship OnePlus Nord series does not arrive to North American shores, the entry-level Nord N series has been successful in capturing some of the budget segment over at Metro by T-Mobile and T-Mobile Prepaid customers. The OnePlus Nord N300 5G is only available in the US, but it is a rebranded Oppo K10 5G with a couple of tweaks and Oxygen OS instead of Color OS.

Compared to its predecessor (the Nord N200 5G), the N300 drops a 2MP macro camera. OnePlus touts its Nightscape feature on the N300, which should pair decently with the 48MP main camera.

The large 90Hz display and side-mounted fingerprint scanner make for an attractive entry-level product. Fast charging, NFC, and 5G support all sweeten the deal. In the phone's slim profile is a hefty 5000 mAh battery, and we expect to see excellent battery life.

OnePlus Nord N300 5G specs at a glance:

• Body: 163.8x75.1x8.0mm, 190g; 2.5D glass, plastic frame, plastic back.
• Display: 6.56" IPS LCD, 90Hz, 1612x720px resolution, 20.15:9 aspect ratio, 269ppi.
• Chipset: MediaTek MT6877 Dimensity 810 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Arm Mali-G57 MC2.
• Memory: 64GB UFS 2.2, 4GB RAM LPDDR4X, expandable up to 1TB via dedicated microSD card slot.
• OS/Software: Android 12, OxygenOS 12.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), PDAF; Depth sensor: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.0.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p/720p video at 30 fps; Front camera: 1080p/720p video at 30 fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; SuperVOOC Fast charging 33W (11V@3A).
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted, optical); NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Face Unlock

The N300 5G brings a trendy new design with flat edges. It isn't quite like an iPhone, but the inspiration is clearly there. The all-plastic build does look nice, with a texture made to look like metal on the frame, and a shiny-matte finish on the back panel. The dual cameras are supported by dual LED flashes - yup, there are two of each.

We are expecting to see some performance gains with the N300. The N300 switches from using a Snapdragon 480 on the N200 to a beefier MediaTek Dimensity 810. There's also faster charging this time, with a SuperVOOC 33W charge adapter included in the box.

Unboxing

Like OnePlus' other midrange and entry-level devices, the Nord N300 comes in a standard two-tone box with shiny embossed lettering along the side of the box. There isn't much plastic inside the packaging, except the plastic wrap that the device comes enveloped on.

Inside the box, you'll find a cardboard document pack, which does have a SIM removal tool and quick start guides. Beneath that is the device, USB-C to USB-A cable, and a USB-A SuperVOOC 33W charge adapter.

In typical OnePlus fashion, the charging cable is red, and it is proprietary for the device and adapter to support SuperVOOC speeds. The wall adapter will output 5V @ 10A, or 5-11V @ 3A.