OnePlus Nord N10 5G is now the cheapest 5G phone around at $299

(Image credit: OnePlus)

Since the OnePlus Nord shipped last summertime, U.Due south. phone shoppers accept looked enviously at Europe where the mid-range phone with premium features was bachelor, wondering when such a device might reach their country. That time is hither, OnePlus announced today.

The OnePlus Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord were both unveiled in the fall, with the hope of a U.Due south. debut. According to OnePlus, those phones will get on sale January 15 at a price that makes the await worth it.

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Specifically, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G is debuting at $299. That's the lowest price we've seen so far for a 5G capable-phone, even as prices began to drop down toward the terminate of 2020. Prior to Nord N10's arrival, the cheapest 5G phone bachelor was the TCL ten 5G UW, a Verizon-exclusive that brought 5G connectivity for just $399. OnePlus' latest telephone undercuts that toll by $100.

As for the other new OnePlus phone, the OnePlus Nord N100 doesn't offering 5G compatibility, but it volition tempt budget phone shoppers with a depression price. The Nord N100 volition cost $179 when it goes on sale on January 15.

Merely as significant as their depression prices, both OnePlus Nord models will be available through a wireless carrier in the U.South. That's key as most shoppers buy their devices directly from a carrier as opposed to ownership an unlocked phone.

In the case of the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and N100, T-Mobile and Metro past T-Mobile volition offer both devices. It'll be the kickoff time a OnePlus phone is sold through a prepaid carrier.

OnePlus launched its Nord phones last year as a way to get back to its disruptive roots. While OnePlus' flagship phones yet cost hundreds less than comparable handsets from Apple and Samsung, the prices of high-end models like the OnePlus 8 Pro have been creeping upward in recent years. With the Nord lineup, OnePlus tin even so offer high-stop features similar fast refreshing displays and — in the case of the N10 5G — 5G connectivity, while saving on costs by turning to a less powerful chipset.

	OnePlus Nord N10 5G	OnePlus Nord N100
Price	$299	$179
Screen size	6.49-inches (2400 x 1080; 90Hz)	six.52-inches (1600 x 720; 90Hz)
CPU	Snapdragon 690	Snapdragon 460
RAM	6GB	4GB
Storage	128GB	64GB
MicroSD?	Yes	Yes
Rear cameras	64MP principal (f/1.eight); 8MP ultrawide (f/two.25); macro lens; monochrome lens	13MP main (f/two.2); macro lens; bokeh lens
Front camera	16MP (f/ii.05)	8MP (f/2.0)
5G connectivity?	Yes	No
Battery size	4,300 mAh	v,000 mAh

OnePlus Nord N10 5G: What you need to know

In the case of the OnePlus Nord N10 5G, that's a Snapdragon 690 organization-on-scrap, which is much less powerful than the Snapdragon 8 series chipsets found in flagship phones. Even the Snapdragon 765G powering the regular OnePlus Nord packs more of a punch.

Nevertheless, in our OnePlus Nord N10 5G review last twelvemonth, we found that the phone held upwards well when performing everyday tasks and could even run some demanding games, even if graphics weren't as crisp as they appear on more powerful phones.

Nosotros were more impressed past the 90Hz refresh rate for the N10 5G'southward 6.49-inch LCD screen and by its long battery life. The Nord N10 5G lasted 11 hours and 48 minutes on our battery test featuring continuous spider web surfing over a cellular connection, placing it on our best phone battery life list. Back up for OnePlus' Warp Charge 30T engineering ways the phone will charge quickly too.

Other OnePlus Nord N10 features include four rear cameras, though 2 of those are monochrome and macro lenses that struck us every bit superfluous. The 64MP master photographic camera and 8MP ultrawide lens held their own in our testing when the lighting was adept, but you lot tin can find better photographic camera phones while paying simply a trivial more than the new Nord's asking price.

Nevertheless, the $299 toll of the OnePlus Nord N10 5G is hard to trounce, and it will give a lot of bargain hunters a good reason to make the spring to 5G.

OnePlus Nord N100: What you need to know

The specs on the OnePlus Nord N100 aren't virtually as impressive, explaining that phone'due south $179 price. The well-nigh noteworthy line on the Nord N100'due south spec sheet is that its 6.52-inch screen too sports a 90Hz refresh rate despite initial reports that the phone wouldn't offering that feature. A v,000 mAh battery should aid the phone last a long time on a accuse.

Otherwise, the OnePlus Nord N100 looks very much like a budget phone, with a Snapdragon 460 chip that's a downgrade from the more powerful chipset of the Nord N10 5G. Yous'll get a 13MP primary photographic camera along with bokeh and macro lenses on the back of the N100.

Pre-orders for both the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and OnePlus Nord N100 begin this Friday (Jan 8) at Best Buy, Amazon and B&H. The phones officially launch a week later, and OnePlus says it will host a launch effect to mark the North American debut for its Nord lineup. (The N10 5G and N100 are coming to Canada, too, priced at $389 and $239 Canadian, respectively.)

Philip Michaels is a senior editor at Tom's Guide. He has potent opinions about Apple tree, the Oakland Athletics and sometime movies. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.