OnePlus, after good sales of the OnePlus Nord smartphone, decided not to stop at one place and presented several inexpensive, mid-budget smartphones. I can include two more smartphones to this list – OnePlus Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100.
In this review, I will tell you about the Nord N10, where you can find out about all the main features, advantages and also disadvantages. In addition, I will compare the inexpensive model with its main competitors and in the conclusions, you will find out whether this model makes sense or not.
If we talk about the cost, the lowest price for OnePlus Nord N10 5G was about $ 300. But that’s not the final price yet, during Black Friday, you can use additional coupons and specials and grab the device for $270. I will tell you more about it later at the end of the review.
Aliexpress.comNow I think many are interested in learning about the technical specs. So, the Nord N10 5G smartphone received a 6.5-inch IPS screen, a plastic case, and a new Snapdragon 690 processor with support for 5G networks. The device also boasts a main 64-megapixel camera and a good 4300 mAh battery and fast charging thanks to a 30W power adapter.
Therefore, I propose to start my full and in-depth review, where you can find out what materials the smartphone is made of benchmark tests, sample photos, and much more.
OnePlus Nord N10 5G: Specifications
| OnePlus Nord N10 5G: | Specs |
|---|---|
| Display: | 6.49 inches IPS with 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| CPU: | Snapdragon 690 5G Octa Core 2.0GHz |
| GPU: | Adreno 619L |
| RAM: | 6GB |
| Internal memory: | 128GB |
| Memory extension: | Up to 256GB |
| Cameras: | 64MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP main camera and 16MP front camera |
| Connectivity: | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band,3G, 4G, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC and GPS |
| Battery: | 4300mAh (30W) |
| OS: | Android 10 (OxygenOS 10.5) |
| Connections: | Type-C |
| Weight: | 190 grams |
| Dimensions: | 163 x 74.7 x 9 mm |
| Price: | $300 |
Unboxing and packaging
Like its big brother OnePlus Nord, the new Nord N10 5G smartphone comes in a black rectangular package. On the front, there is only the inscription N10, and on the back, there is a little information about the products.
I want to note that the box is made of fairly high-quality cardboard and it is very difficult to call the package a budget one. Inside the package, I found – this in an envelope with documentation and a SIM needle, a smartphone in a protective shipping film, as well as a 30 W power adapter and a Type-C cable.
In general, I liked the package bundle, it is made of high-quality materials and does not look cheap at all. But there were some drawbacks. For example, I didn’t like that the smartphone doesn’t even have a transparent cheap silicone case in the kit, as is usually the case with smartphones from the Xiaomi line.
Design, build quality and materials
Most modern smartphones have a large screen and the OnePlus Nord N10 5G has a 6.49-inch screen. Therefore, it is difficult to call the phone compact and it will be problematic to use it with one hand. In this case, the dimensions were 163 x 74.7 x 9 mm and the smartphone weighs about 190 grams.
As for the quality of materials, everything here is on a budget. The body is made of glossy plastic and looks like glass. But this is only in appearance, when you take the device in your hands, you immediately realize that it is made of plastic.
In terms of build quality, the back panel flexes a little but doesn’t play. Also, I did not notice any creaks or other troubles. In general, I have no complaints about the assembly.
Externally, I liked the back panel. Since it shimmers beautifully and has a beautiful shiny appearance. OnePlus Nord N10 5G comes in only one color – it’s dark gray. As for me, this is a small minus, since the dark gray looks stylish, but for some people, it will be boring.
Since I already started talking about the back panel, let’s tell you what was installed here. On the upper left corner is a quad-camera with LED flash, and in the center, there is a fingerprint scanner. I have no questions about the operation of the scanner, it always works accurately and, most importantly, quickly.
On the left side, there is a slot for a SIM card and a hybrid format memory card. A little lower on the same edge, a volume rocker was installed. At the same time, there is only one power button on the right side.
At the bottom of the case, there is a Type-C port for charging, a microphone hole, a speaker, and even a 3.5 mm audio jack. It was a pleasant surprise for me to see the headphone jack in the smartphone body.
Now a little about the screen itself, as I said on the OnePlus Nord N10 5G, they installed an almost 6.5-inch screen with a Full HD resolution or 1080 x 2400 pixels. The aspect ratio was 20: 9 and the pixel density per inch was 406 PPI. At the top of the screen, there is a round cutout for the front camera.
This is a standard IPS LCD screen, which is not as rich in color gamut as AMOLED. But I can’t call the screen bad on the Nord N10 5G. It has good viewing angles, good color reproduction with natural tints, and even a high level of brightness.
As a bonus to the screen, I can note that this is a 90 Hz response frequency. This will allow you to get a smoother picture with a smoother ride and playing games will be a comfortable experience. The last thing worth mentioning is the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen protector. Of course, it’s not a Gorilla Glass 5 screen protector, but it’s also good for protecting against scratches or other annoyances.
Performance, benchmarks tests, and OS
A Snapdragon 690 processor has installed onboard the mid-budget OnePlus Nord N10 5G smartphone. This is the first time I come across this chipset model. But I can note that the new Snapdragon 600 series has support for 5G networks. Also, this processor received 8-nanometer technology and has a maximum operating frequency of 2.0 GHz.
In terms of performance, the Nord N10 5G smartphone received similar results as the Snapdragon 765G. And when using the new processor, you will not notice a strong difference between the Snapdragon 690 and Snapdragon 765G. Therefore, I will leave the benchmark results in the album below and you can compare them with your smartphone.
As for the gaming capabilities, the Adreno 619L is responsible for the graphics accelerator. In heavy games with high graphics, you can play calmly and not feel severe discomfort. That being said, I didn’t notice any dropouts or freezes in the frame rate.
If we talk about the amount of memory, then the smartphone from OnePlus uses 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory in UFS 2.1 format. Of course, it’s not UFS 3.1 like on flagship smartphones, but the memory speed isn’t bad either. I also liked the ability to expand the memory thanks to the hybrid slot.
Now it’s worth talking about the OxygenOS 10.5 user interface, which runs Android 10.0. It is a completely clean operating system that has many useful functions and features.
For example, you can set a dark theme for the user interface, use the owner’s face recognition function, and many other features. But the most important thing for many users will be the availability of NFC contactless payment, which has been very popular lately.
Other functions of wireless communication include the presence of Bluetooth 5.1 version, support for stereo sound, high-quality GPS signal, and much more.
Camera and sample photos
OnePlus Nord N10 5G received quad-camera modules on the back of the case. The main sensor received a resolution of 64 megapixels with an aperture of f/1.8. Day and night photos are good quality for an average budget smartphone.
The second camera module is designed for ultra-wide shots and has a resolution of 8 megapixels with a 119-degree view and an aperture of f/2.3. At the same time, the quality of photos is obtained with a warm shade when compared with the main sensor.
The third and fourth sensor has a resolution of 2 megapixels with an f/2.4 aperture. Each of them serves for macro and portrait photography. Both modes work well, but I don’t see the point of a very large sense from the macro sensor.
The front camera has a 16-megapixel resolution with an f/2.1 aperture. As for its quality, photos for Facebook or Instagram will be good.
Overall, I liked the camera performance on the OnePlus Nord N10 5G. You can see the quality and examples of photos in the album below.
Battery and run time
Inside the case, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G uses a 4,300mAh battery with fast charging capability. This is not the largest battery capacity I have seen, but not the smallest either.
For example, the battery life at maximum screen brightness while watching a video on Youtube was about 9.5 hours. This is a very solid indicator, so, on average, for one hour of operation, the smartphone was discharged by 11-12%. During games, the device was discharged in one hour by about 17-18%.
At the same time, full charging time using a Type-C port and a 30 W power adapter was about 55 minutes. It is very fast for an inexpensive smartphone.
Conclusion, reviews, pros, and cons
The OnePlus Nord N10 5G is a modern smartphone that is virtually indistinguishable from any flagship device, aside from benchmark results.
But in real life, you won’t notice much difference between the flagship processor and the Snapdragon 690. Both devices will do their job well.
In addition, I liked the quality of the screen with a refresh rate of 90 Hz and a round cutout for the front camera. Camera tests have proven that the 64-megapixel main module takes good quality photos.
Of the minuses, I can note that this is not the most premium quality of materials, and the battery capacity is not the highest compared to competitors.
Price and where to buy cheaper?
Now you can buy the OnePlus Nord N10 5G smartphone at a rather interesting price of $269.99, including all discounts and the use of special coupons.
I will leave a link to the store with the lowest price below. But on my own, I want to note that the Nord N10 5G smartphone is worth your attention, it received a well-optimized user interface and a large number of interesting functions.
