OnePlus struck a great balance with the Nord 2. You can play top-end games with stereo sound. Photos turn out great, day or night. A Gorilla Glass back gets you away from the all-plastic build that Samsung and Google offer at the price. All of which only makes its relatively short battery life all the more annoying. If you can shrug off visits to the plug as a necessary chore of smartphone ownership, the OnePlus Nord 2 offers outstanding value. But if two-day battery life is a dealbreaker, this isn't the flagship killer for you.

Good value; A top-notch gaming phone; Vibrant primary camera; Ultra-fast charging; Classy design;

Battery life ain’t great;

The OnePlus Nord 2 is an exciting addition to the mid-range phone market, with some high-end specs and a great experience so far. Whether this will be the best phone at this price point remains to be seen, but so far it seems like a top choice.

Strong performance; Fantastic fast charging;

Only 90Hz screen; Lacklustre design

Great gaming performance; Near flagship-grade primary camera; OnePlus 9-beating selfie camera; Good value; Strong stereo speakers;

Mediocre battery life; No big screen updates; No IP rating, expandable storage or wireless charging;

On the whole the second-gen Nord feels very much like a case of picking up where the first device left off: there have been a few tweaks to the design, but it looks and feels very similar.

Powerful processor; Fast-charging battery; Flagship quality camera; HDR10+ display with 90Hz refresh rate;

Quite a chunky phone; More competition in the market than before; MediaTek still something of an unknown quantity;

The OnePlus Nord 2 is an exciting addition to the mid-range phone market, with some high-end specs and a great experience so far. Whether this will be the best phone at this price point remains to be seen, but so far it seems like a top choice.

Strong performance; Fantastic fast charging; A good camera experience;

Only 90Hz screen; Lacklustre design; No IP rating

Using the second-gen Nord as a daily device for a couple of weeks has left us with the feeling that very little else is required for a great phone experience. Aside from the cameras setup it feels virtually no different to using a proper flagship phone.

Fast performance delivered by powerful processor; Good battery life; Super-fast charging; Fluid and bright display; Attractive design;

Quite a chunky phone; More competition in the market than before; Ultra-wide camera is poor;

The Nord 2 makes a strong case for itself. The Dimensity 1200-AI chipset is one of the most powerful you’ll find for the price, the understated design remains appealing, and the main camera will outclass most rivals. While Xiaomi and Realme may deliver better value on paper, the OxygenOS software experience still gives OnePlus an undeniable edge.

Flagship processor; Impressive main camera; Understated design; Strong software;

Thick body; Only 90Hz display; Out-paced by rivals on value;

The return of the killer. The OnePlus Nord 2 5G also aims to embody the manufacturer's original aspirations: A budget smartphone that can keep up with much more expensive premium devices. This worked out quite well for the predecessor, but will the second attempt be convincing as well?

We had already liked last year's OnePlus Nord, and it achieved a score of 83%. OnePlus has made nume...

very fast storage; a lot of performance; fast Wi-Fi 6; very fast charging; long battery life;

no IP certification; no wireless charging; slightly inaccurate display colors in some cases; no gaming at 90 fps; strong throttling and thermal build-up; display without HDR support;

The OnePlus Nord 2 is a particularly important new smartphone because it’s the first time OnePlus has released a phone without a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip inside. The Nord 2 uses a customized version of MediaTek’s Dimensity 1200 flagship chip, and it’s arguably the company’s highest-profile partnership yet, at least outside of Asia. While OnePlus will obviously be looking for success, MediaTek will also be watching closely. Furthermore, it’s a big moment for the Nord range. The original Nord managed to return OnePlus to its value-based roots but lacked identity. OnePlus has given the Nord 2 identity, but oddly, by doing so, it has accidentally created another OnePlus 9 phone, leaving me questioning what the Nord range is all about. There’s plenty riding on the Nord 2, then, so what’s it like? I’ve spent four days with the phone, which is enough time for a detailed preliminary assessment but not quite enough for a final, in-depth review. I’ll return to this review after more time with th...

Compact design with a beautiful color; Very attractive screen; Reliable software with guaranteed updates;

No water resistance;

Good value; A top-notch gaming phone; Vibrant primary camera; Ultra-fast charging; Classy design;

Battery life ain’t great;