OnePlus Nord N10 5G Review: Budget 5G Phone With Some Compromises

Apart from the high-end OnePlus series, OnePlus has also released a more-affordable product line called Nord. After launching the first offering in the Nord family in August, the brand continues with two even more affordable, namely OnePlus Nord N10 5G & OnePlus Nord N100.

While the N100 only supports 4G connectivity, the Nord N10 5G is an affordable 5G smartphone than the OnePlus Nord, thanks to the Snapdragon 690 chipset. In this OnePlus Nord N10 5G, we would like to share our view on the phone.

OnePlus Nord N10 5G: Display & Design

For now, the handset hasn’t made its way to India yet, so we have no idea about the OnePlus Nord N10 5G price in India. To recall, the handset was announced in Europe for a price of around Rs. 32,000, but it should be lower if the phone launches in India. 

The N10 5G and Nord share several similarities, and you can say that the N10 5G is a downgraded model of the Nord. On the front, its display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, but its back panel and mid-frame are all made from plastic. Despite having a plastic back, the Nord N10 looks pretty good with the high-gloss finish, meant to mirror glass. However, you will instantly feel the plastics when picking the phone. 

Moving to the display department, the Nord N10 5G doesn’t have an AMOLED panel like the Nord, but it still has a 90Hz refresh rate. The 6.49-inch display on the front features the punch-hole style, meaning the front-facing camera is placed inside a small cut-out, which is placed on the top left corner. You will also notice a slightly thick bezel at the bottom.

As for the display, it is certainly sharp and bright, but I feel like the colours appear to be a bit muted and the display could be more vibrant and punchier. That being said, having a 90Hz refresh rate certainly helps.

OnePlus Nord N10 5G: Performance

The OnePlus Nord N10 5G specs are not really that impressive: Snapdragon 690 Soc, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage (can be further expanded up to 512GB).

That is certainly not comparable to the OnePlus Nord specs, which include a Snapdragon 765 and 8GB RAM. With this setup, the Nord N10 5G is definitely expected to be not as powerful as other mid-range smartphones with a Snapdragon 765 chipset, like Nord, Pixel 4a 5G. However, surprisingly, the handset’s performance in basic benchmarks are actually better. It scored 1,847 points on Geekbench 5, in comparison to the Pixel 4a 5G with a score of 1,614 points.

Whether using it for heavy gaming or consuming media, the Nord N10 5G didn’t fail me. It is the first 5G smartphones we have reviewed with the Snapdragon 690 SoC and we initially didn’t have high expectations for it. However, it turns out to be a surprise as we only see very few hitches when switching between apps.

OnePlus Nord N10 5G: Battery

Under the hood, it is fueled by a 4,300 mAh battery, which is bigger than the 4,115mAh unit on the OnePlus Nord and exceeds the 3,885 mAh battery on the Pixel 4a 5G. However, it is still way behind some other phones like Motorola One 5G (5,000mAh). 

You can expect the OnePlus Nord N10 5G to last at least a full day before having to charge it. I spent a few hours of gaming as well as browsing the internet and watching videos in between. Not only having a good battery life but the Nord N10 5G also charges pretty fast thanks to the 30W fast charging support. You can use the WarpCharge 30T fast charging included in the box to charge from 0 to 55 percent in just 30 minutes.

It is certainly not as fast as the 65W adapter of the OnePlus 8T, but you won’t be able to find a fast charging rate in any other smartphones at the price point. Sadly, you can’t use a wireless charger to charge this phone.

OnePlus Nord N10 5G: Camera

The OnePlus Nord N10 5G’s rear camera setup includes a 64MP main camera with an f/1.8 lens, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a 119-degree viewing angle, and two 2MP cameras for portrait and macro shots.

Photos taken by the primary and ultra-wide cameras are quite good. They look crisp and clean with on-point exposure. Colours seem to be boosted a little bit and there is a bit of over-sharpening as well. 

As for the macro camera, it also performs pretty decently. In order to take macro shots, you have to turn that on manually in the camera app. You will be able to take very closeup photos (the recommended range is from 1.0 to 1.5 inches from the object) and the outcomes are pretty sharp.

You will also have a 2MP monochrome camera that can be used to take native black&white photos, but you will have to go into the filters to find it. The camera also doubles up as a depth detector for capturing portrait shots. 

Moving to the selfie camera, its performance is decent at the price point. I could get usable selfie and self-portrait shots. The background fall off was not that severe and edge detection was actually quite solid. The colour also looked great and the white balance was accurate as well.

Here are some camera samples taken by the Nord N10 5G:

OnePlus Nord N10 5G price: around Rs. 22,000

OnePlus Nord N10 5G price in India: Unavailable

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