OnePlus Nord revolutionised the mid-segment and is going to do so again on April 28

It changed the rules of the smartphone game introducing the concept of a flagship killer smartphone back in 2014. It then turned the premium segment on its head showcasing features like display refresh rate displays. Never Settling brand OnePlus then decided it was time the mid-segment received some attention – it launched the Nord .
Back in 2020, when OnePlus was truly on top of its flagship game, the brand decided to make its legendary OnePlus experience more accessible, more affordable. It launched the first OnePlus Nord. Before the OnePlus Nord hit the market, the mid-segment used to be the Land of Phone Compromises. Mid-segment phones would come with one or two USPs at most. You often had no choice but to pick a phone that came with a certain strength, but with many weaknesses too. It could have a great main camera but poor overall performance, a good display but disappointing battery life, lots of RAM but a cluttered OS, and so on. Before the Nord series, there was no mid-segment phone that did it all and did it all well.
“North”, the direction a compass always points in, a word that symbolises growth and success was the inspiration behind naming the series Nord. The smartphone series has done just that – it has been a success and made the mid-segment grow. It did it from the get-go as well. The very first Nord, set the tone for what was to follow in the series. It proved that flagship level performance did not have to come with a premium price tag.
Launched at Rs. 24,999, the first OnePlus Nord was packed in a premium design package, something which was a rare sight in the mid segment. Before the OnePlus Nord, glass backs were considered a premium-phone-only feature but the Nord broke the norm and brought the premium glass back design to the mid segment in a trademark blue shade, the official colour of the Nord series. The OnePlus Nord came with an AMOLED display with high refresh rate, dual cameras on the front, aquad camera set up on the back where the main sensor was equipped with OIS, huge battery which came with support for fast charging, and OxygenOS which is basically what makes a OnePlus device stand out of the crowd offering a smooth, clutter-free experience. All of this backed a mighty processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 paired with plenty of RAM and storage with support for 5G. Yes, it offered 5G support two years ago!
When OnePlus had first started its smartphone journey, it had invented a new smartphone segment called the ‘flagship killer.’ With the Nord series, OnePlus again created a new segment: the “premium mid-segment.” It was for mid-segment phones what the flagship killer was for premium phones all those years ago– premium specs and design but at a very competitive price tag.
That was just the beginning. The brand threw the mid-segment smartphone rulebook out the window yet again with the launch of the OnePlus Nord CE in 2021. Many brands try to remain exclusive and often climb up the price ladder once they build a strong standing in the market. But not OnePlus. The Nord CE was released to make the OnePlus brand even more accessible. The CE in the phone’s name represented “Core Experience” and came with an aim to redefine the mid-segment smartphone experience. With a price of Rs. 22,999, the phone brought features that were not expected of a device at that price (in best OnePlus tradition). It came with tall, bright AMOLED display, triple camera setup on the back, a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor, ample RAM and storage, and support for 5G, big battery with support for fast charging topped with OxygenOS. It even had a 3.5 mm audio jack and a design that was all things premium.
A very similar approach was followed the OnePlus Nord 2 and the OnePlus Nord CE 2 which again went on to become bestsellers, proving that great prices and compromised performance do not go hand in hand. While most brands launched special edition phones for their flagship devices, the Never Settling brand also took the design game up another notch with the launch of special edition OnePlus Nord 2. It released the OnePlus Nord 2 PAC-MAN edition and brought the element of whimsy to the design of an already good-looking smartphone.
The Nord revolution is no means over yet. To take the Nord legacy forward, OnePlus is now adding a new smartphone to the Nord family. At the “ More Power to You” event scheduled on April 28, OnePlus will be launching the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite. As the name of the event suggests, it is likely to be even more affordable than the Nord phones we have seen so far. But because it is a OnePlus Nord phone, you can still expect it to come with power-packed features. It is expected to come with a 64 megapixel main camera sensor, support for 5G, and OxygenOS, all in a stunning Blue Tide design. After defining the premium mid segment and the core mid segment, it seems OnePlus is now turning its attention to yet another part of the most popular price segment in the market. And going its track record, the Nord will revolutionise this one as well. The event will also see the launch of the OnePlus Nord Buds, the first Nord branded hearable, placing another stone in the Nord ecosystem foundation.
You can follow the next step in the Nord revolution live at https://www.oneplus.in/launch?tab=oneplus-nord-ce-2-lite-5g from 7 PM on April 28, 2022.