OnePlus Nord N10 and Nord N100 unveiled: Price, release date, specs and more

When the OnePlus Nord was released earlier this year, it quickly topped many best budget smartphone lists. The problem? The phone wasn't available in the U.S. Fortunately, OnePlus is bringing a new model stateside in the form of the OnePlus Nord N10 5G. While not an exact copy of the critically acclaimed version, the Nord N10 5G takes the premise of an affordable phone with premium specs to the next level. 

Selling for just £329, or about $430, the Nord N10 5G has a 6.5-inch, 90Hz display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 chip, a 64-megapixel camera and 5G compatibility. On paper, the Nord N10 5G is an affordable phone with a blend of mid-tier and premium specs, making it a compelling option for those on a budget.

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Those looking to save even more money should consider the Nord N100, also unveiled by OnePlus today. Starting at £179, or $233, the N100 is a true budget smartphone, though in price alone. Again, OnePlus stretches the meaning of budget, packing the N100 with a 6.52-inch display, a 13MP main camera and a large 5000mAh battery. 

We hope to publish a full review of these new OnePlus Nord phones in the coming weeks. Until then, here is a full breakdown of the Nord N10 5G and Nord N100. 

OnePlus Nord N10 5G and N100 price and release date 

The Nord N10 5G and Nord N100 launch today in Europe starting at £329 and £179, respectively, in the U.K. The phones will launch in the U.S. at a future unspecified date. 

OnePlus Nord N10 5G and N100: Specs

OnePlus Nord N10 5G and N100: Design 

I haven't seen the new Nord models in person yet, but press images sent by OnePlus show what looks like a pair of premium smartphones. 

The Nord N10 5G and N100 include certain elements found on the latest flagships, including narrow bezels on all sides of the display except the bottom. Also, on the front of the phones is a hole-punch webcam, effectively eliminating the top bezel. On the rear of both phones, above a OnePlus logo, is a fingerprint sensor next to which you'll spot an oblong camera module.  

Apart from a slightly thinner bottom bezel, the Nord N10 5G has an advantage over the Nord N100 with a four-camera setup instead of a triple camera array (more on those cameras below).

OnePlus Nord N10 5G and Nord N100: Display 

The Nord N10 5G has a 6.49-inch, 2220x1080-pixel (FHD+) display with a 90Hz refresh rate. We're checking with OnePlus on whether the Nord N10 uses an LCD or OLED panel. 

While short of the industry-leading 120Hz, the 90Hz refresh rate should make animations look smoother than they would on a 60Hz panel. 

The more budget-friendly phone, the Nord N100, has a larger 6.52-inch, HD+ LCD display. It doesn't get the benefits of OLED or the 90Hz refresh rate, but remember, the N100 is the least expensive model OnePlus sells. 

OnePlus Nord N10 and Nord N100: Performance 

While they don't come with the flagship specs you'd expect from a OnePlus phone, the Nord N10 and Nord N100 should still punch above their weight class. 

When it comes to performance, the Nord N100 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 chip and 6GB of RAM. Storage on the Nord N10 starts at a generous 128GB and goes up to 512GB.

A notch below the Snapdragon 765 in the Google Pixel 5, the Snapdragon 690 is the cheapest mobile chip with 5G support. The X51 5G modem within supports only sub-6Ghz 5G, not mmWave, so you'll get wide coverage on some networks but not the fastest available speeds. 

As for the Nord N100, this cheaper device uses an octa-core Snapdragon 460 chipset with 4GB of RAM. This SoC does not support 5G, so the N100 is limited to 4G LTE. That won't matter for most users as 5G expansion is still in its early stages, but it could be a missing feature down the road. 

Storage on the N100 starts at 64GB but can be expanded via a microSD card slot, a feature not found on the original Nord.

OnePlus Nord N10 and Nord N100: Cameras 

One major difference between the Nord N10 and the Nord 100 is the camera setup. 

On the Nord N10, you get a 64MP main camera along with a 119-degree ultra-wide-angle lens and another pair for monochrome (black-and-white images) and macro (close-up) photos. There is also a 16MP front-facing camera for taking selfies. 

You get three lenses on the Nord N100, starting with a 13MP main camera. There is also a bokeh lens for taking portraits with background blur as well as a dedicated lens for macro, or close-up shots.

OnePlus Nord N10 and Nord N100: Battery life

You can expect a full day of endurance out of the Nord N10 and Nord 100 thanks to their large batteries.

The Nord N10 has a 4,300mAh battery (the Pixel 4a 5G has a 3,800mAh battery) and supports Warp Charge 30T, a technology that charged the OnePlus 7T to 70% in only 30 minutes. 

The cheaper Nord N100 has a significantly larger battery than the Nord N10, at 5,000mAh. We expect such a massive cell to keep the phone charged well into a second day of use, although we'll need to find that out ourselves once we get a review unit. The N100 supports 18W charging so you at least get some form of fast charging.

OnePlus Nord N10 and Nord N100: Outlook 

OnePlus quickly gained popularity by selling flagship phones at more affordable prices. Now the company is poised to deliver value at even lower price brackets with the Nord N10 and Nord N100. 

Both phones have large displays, multiple cameras and sizeable batteries. For £329, the Nord N10 has a Snapdragon 690 SoC with 5G support, a quad-camera array, a 6.5-inch FHD+ display and 4,300mAh battery. If you prefer to spend even less, the Nord N100 relies on 4G LTE but has a 6.52-inch HD+ display and a massive 5,000mAh battery for only £179. 

We'll need to see how the Nord N10 and Nord N100 perform once we get them in for review. For now, they look to be compelling budget and midrange options that could give the Google Pixel 4a (and Pixel 4a 5G) as well as the various bang-for-your-buck Moto phones a serious run for their money.