Is it worth the extra money?

2020 was an interesting year for OnePlus. The company has significantly expanded its traditionally small annual portfolio. The phones now range from premium flagships to flagship killers to budget phones.

Despite the multitude of options, the constant improvements in the premium medium-sized segment have made one thing clear – – Devices like the OnePlus Nord are more than enough for most, and the user experience always tops a datasheet. To me this has never been as clear as when using the OnePlus 8T.

There is a growing feeling that OnePlus may be releasing too many models and blurring the lines a little too much. With the OnePlus 8T, the company now seems to be more inspired by the mid-tier option than targeting the premium segment.

I talked about this issue earlier this year when OnePlus launched the Nord and how it compares favorably to the vanilla OnePlus 8. These topics of conversation sound a lot truer on the OnePlus 8T.

The OnePlus 8T seems closer to the North budget than the flagship 8 Pro.

The company’s latest offering appears to be a half step forward and a step back. OnePlus may have only slightly widened the gap between the Nord and the OnePlus 8T when compared to the OnePlus 8, but the fact remains – – The OnePlus 8T is closer to Budget North than the flagship Pro.

Android Authority Ryan-Thomas Shaw noted in his OnePlus 8T review that the OnePlus Nord could offer better value for most buyers because the experience is similar between the two phones. For this article, I want to dig a little deeper to see how close the two phones are and whether or not the OnePlus 8T is worth the extra money, while also briefly looking ahead at how the brand new Nord N10 fits into the puzzle of the US -Market.

Is the OnePlus 8T really worth the additional 170 euros?

To better understand where the two phones stand in relation to each other, it is important to know what the prices are like. The OnePlus 8T starts at £ 549 (~ $ 708) in the UK and at Rs 42,999 (~ $ 585). The high-end version with 12 GB RAM / 256 GB storage costs £ 649 (~ $ 837), Rs 45,999 (~ $ 626). Unfortunately, the US is only getting the high-end version priced at $ 749.

In the meantime, the OnePlus Nord starts at a significantly cheaper price of € 399 (~ $ 469), £ 379 (~ $ 488) and Rs. 27,999 (~ $ 375) for the 128GB model with 8GB of RAM. It goes up to € 499 (~ $ 587), £ 469 (~ $ 604) and Rs. 29,999 (~ $ 401) for the high-end model with 256GB and 12GB of RAM. India is getting an even cheaper model with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for just Rs. 24,999 (~ $ 340) making it an absolute bargain. Unfortunately, the OnePlus Nord is not available in the USA.

I will make it easy for you. If you want all possible specs, $ 170 isn’t a huge premium.

Yes, the OnePlus 8T’s Snapdragon 865 is definitely more powerful than the Nord’s 765G, as we found in our in-depth comparison of the Snapdragon 865 and 765. In fact, the chipset in the north is closer to a Snapdragon 845 from two years ago than Qualcomm’s premium silicon from 2020.

The 120 Hz display of the OnePlus 8T is also smoother. Charging at 65W is almost twice as fast as the Nord’s maximum charging speed. The real question, however, is how much of it really matters. After all, a data sheet is not the be-all and end-all of a smartphone.

There are numerous cases where even top-notch specs weren’t enough to save a smartphone. Clean, well-optimized software and overall execution are much more important to the user experience. As it turns out, OnePlus is spot on with Google to make sure Oxygen OS is one of the fastest versions of Android.

In 2020, the aim was to build smartphones that embody the “OnePlus experience”. With the development of the Nord, a phone that offers a fast, clean, and intuitive user interface on a budget, OnePlus has made recommending its high-end smartphones a lot harder.

There’s more to a phone than just specs, and the experience between OnePlus Nord and OnePlus 8T doesn’t differ that much.

In the past few months, with over 300 apps installed on my phone and dozens of them being played through every day, I’ve never encountered any problems with the Nord. The phone has been a constant companion as a secondary device since launch. It kept up with everything I threw on the hardware.

My anecdotal evidence was supported by Android Authority Testing earlier this year. The Nord and its Snapdragon 765G chipset beat the Snapdragon 855 OnePlus 7T Pro with sustained performance. That’s more than enough power for the vast majority of smartphone buyers, and the difference in everyday usability is nowhere near enough to justify the price hike.

See also: OnePlus 8T Vs Older OnePlus Phones – Should You Upgrade?

In the meantime, the OnePlus 8T is powered by exactly the same processor and RAM combination as the OnePlus 8, instead of the Snapdragon 865 Plus, which is optimized for gaming. A strange change in strategy considering the 7T series phones actually brought the Plus variant of the Snapdragon 855.

Design is just as important. The OnePlus Nord has improved its design with a smaller display and cut corners with the polycarbonate midframe. Still, it could have got the ball rolling in terms of design language at OnePlus.

The premium look of the 8T has been replaced with a color that is heavily inspired by the pastel blue hue of the Nord. The enamel-like finish shifts the colors from blue to green and looks nice, but I wouldn’t put it in the same premium league as the OnePlus 8 Pro.

With the OnePlus 8T, the company has brought the 120 Hz display of the OnePlus 8 Pro to the 8T and at the same time lowered the resolution to Full HD. Elsewhere, the phone even takes over the flat screen from the north.

Here is the deal – – Switching from 90Hz to 120Hz is nowhere near as obvious as upgrading from a 60Hz screen. I’m not saying that it serves no purpose, but if the vast majority of our readers are to be believed, 90 Hz is more than enough. In fact, in a recent survey, just under 47% of readers said that a high refresh rate ad wasn’t even the key to their buying decision.

Personally, in everyday use, I just can’t tell the difference between 90Hz and 120Hz displays unless I actively look for it. Using my smartphone, I have to jump into apps to reply to messages, complete to-do lists, or check social media and emails – – None of them particularly benefit from a 120 Hz panel.

This is not intended to affect the high refresh rate display. Indeed, smartphone gamers will enjoy the OnePlus 8T’s screen. However, calling it a must see is a must.

On the picture side, the Nord and OnePlus 8T have practically the same camera setup. Sure, the ultra-wide sensor gets an upgrade to 16 MP, but the OnePlus Nord’s two front-facing cameras are way more versatile day by day. In all honesty, I was hoping to find an updated version of the dual camera setup on the OnePlus 8T as it offers additional flexibility. A definite win for the north.

The ultra-fast charging is incredible, but the Nord’s economical chipset and large battery last longer.

And that brings me to the next big feature – – 65W charging. I have to give it to OnePlus, the ability to charge your phone in half an hour is amazing.

But do you know what I would rather have? A phone that lasts longer. It should come as no surprise to anyone that the Snapdragon 765G is more economical with lower performance. Together with a battery that is almost as large, it lasts just as long as the OnePlus 8T, if not longer. When using both phones and under similar workloads, the Nord has consistently overtaken the OnePlus 8T by a small margin.

OnePlus 8T vs OnePlus Nord: Which Would You Prefer?

I’m not saying the OnePlus 8T doesn’t bring any quality of life improvements. However, for the vast majority of buyers, the Nord is more than enough. In addition, the OnePlus 8T looks more like a Nord Pro than a flagship killer between the flat screen, very similar camera cutouts and the not quite as high-quality color scheme.

However, the situation in North America is strange. Nord’s main phone just isn’t available, and the only OnePlus 8T out there is the top-of-the-line 12GB variant. At $ 749, the OnePlus 8T competes against alternatives like the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE or even the Google Pixel 5. Both phones offer added value in the form of drastically better cameras, an IP protection class, wireless charging and at least in this case the Pixel, faster software updates.

Continue reading: OnePlus 8T Alternatives: 5 More Phones to Check Out Before Buying

The OnePlus Nord is the real winner in the company’s 2020 lineup. The OnePlus 8T has used the design elements to make it clear how close the two phones really are. Sure, it’s valuable to pay for extras. However, almost none of them are a must for everyone except speed freaks and hardcore OnePlus fans.

A $ 400 OnePlus Nord would have been a surefire winner in the North American market. The $ 749 OnePlus 8T has enough competition, and the lack of market awareness won’t make it any easier.

What about the OnePlus Nord N10?

All of this is of course even more complicated when you look at the Nord telephones are Coming the USA – the North N10 and North N100. The latter is an ultra-budget phone trade for only 179 euros in Europe, with which OnePlus is included in the entry-level segment for the first time. The N10 is an interesting addition to the OnePlus portfolio.

At 329 euros (~ 389 euros), the Nord N10 slashes the original Nord in terms of processor, overall design, display, and selfie camera, but has a headphone jack, microSD card slot, and a primary solution with a higher resolution camera. The slightly more expensive Vanilla Nord seems to be the better buy on paper in regions where it is available.

We’ll have to wait for official pricing and pick up the N10 to see if it can compete with the OnePlus 8T in the US market. What is certain, however, is that our first analysis of the regular OnePlus Nord is still true. By making the phone so cheap, the company has simply made it way too difficult to justify the extra money on a half-hearted update like the OnePlus 8T.