Want a premium-looking phone with decent specs and a cheap price? OnePlus Nord N100 review will help you decide whether this is your dream phone.
OnePlus Nord N100 smartphone was released in November 2020. This is a budget phone from the manufacturer with a good amount of surprises. The brand has always been popular as a manufacturer of good-quality handhelds at a cheaper price.
This particular model boasts a 6.5-inch display, a big battery, and a triple camera. The design also instantly strikes us with its very thin edges.
It also promises speedy performance with its Snapdragon processor and 4GB RAM. OnePlus Nord N100 is an entertainment-focused device. However, don’t worry about the price, it won’t put a hole in your pocket.
Learn more about the phone in this OnePlus Nord N100 review. Everything about this phone sounds promising. But to make sure, let’s take a look more deeply into its specs.
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Key Specs
OnePlus Nord N100 specifications:
- Weight: 188g
- Dimensions: 164.9 x 75.1 x 8.49mm
- OS: Android 10
- Screen size: 6.5-inch
- Resolution: 1600 x 720
- CPU: 1.8GHz Octa-core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 460
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Battery: 5,00mAh, Non-removable
- Rear camera: 13MP + 2MP + 2MP
- Front camera: 8MP
Design
OnePlus Nord N100 is a tall and slender phone measuring 164.9 x 75.1 x 8.49mm. It weighs 188g. The design adopts OnePlus’ more expensive smartphone with almost no bezels but a thin frame surrounding the display. OnePlus has also begun staying away from notches. Instead, you get a punch-hole camera in the top left corner.
OnePlus is a brand that gives the same build quality across its phones, whether it’s a flagship or a budget. This one also comes from a similar principle. OnePlus Nord N100’s may not be made from metal, but it’s equally sturdy. The display area is made with glass with Gorilla Glass protective coating.
As a result, we got a premium-looking design that could be easily mistaken as a flagship. We especially like its infinite display, the angular edges, and the midnight frost back cover. The back cover houses the easily recognizable OnePlus logo, the fingerprint sensor, and the camera. This phone is beautiful all around.
There are several things to pay attention to. It’s not a big concern, but a minor suggestion. On the back, the cameras are slightly protruding. They will need a case to protect them from a bump. On top of that, OnePlus Nord N100 is also eerily slim. A case is needed for better grip, especially if you are the type who is easy to have a sweaty hand.
Read also: OnePlus Nord N100 User Manual
Display
The screen on OnePlus Nord N100 will blow you away for its 6.5-inch size, but not so much when it comes to resolution. At 1600 x 720 pixels (HD+), we see it as average size by today’s trends. Some people would argue that it’s pretty low.
OnePlus Nord N100 is still a budget phone at heart. Therefore, cutting corners is expected to maintain the low price. Size-wise, we like the massive screen. It provides an immersive viewing experience just like how the phone is advertised.
The brightness is fairly okay, although you need to turn it up to the maximum level when outdoors. We had no problem with color reproductions and spotted no rough pixels.
However, some users may easily spot its lack of vividness if they have been accustomed to better displays. OnePlus Nord N100 is not for users who think that display quality matters. But if you think you can live with an HD+ screen, you can overlook this situation. It’s still an overall fine display and other areas of the phone would compensate for this particular weakness.
Another good thing about the display is that it comes with protection. Due to its size, it only makes sense to coat the screen with Corning Gorilla Glass. That way the screen is more durable and scratch-proof.
Camera
OnePlus Nord N100 carries three cameras on the back, consisting of a 13MP main lens, 2MP macro lens, and 2MP depth lens. Meanwhile, the punch-hole on the front hosts an 8MP camera. The phone also didn’t forget to attach an LED flash on the back.
These are decent camera setups for OnePlus Nord N100. It’s no denying that more cameras don’t always mean better pictures. In this case, the supporting cameras have only small resolutions. However, it still provides phone-owners with many possibilities.
You can get beautiful photos by making the most of what’s available. For example, the depth lens gives an object more focus by blurring the background. The best pictures are produced when the lighting condition is the most supportive.
The front camera is also worthy of your attention. It comes with an HDR. Now you won’t need to worry about washed-out background when taking selfies. The HDR is very helpful when you are traveling and want to take a selfie with an attraction in the background.
Video recording is also an aspect where OnePlus Nord N100 is doing well. Both the back and front cameras can record 30fps Full HD video. Specifically for the back camera, gyro-EIS image stabilization is available to get you steady recordings.
Read also:
- T-Mobile REVVL 5G Review: Top Performance, Amazing Camera
- T-Mobile REVVL 4 Plus Review: An Affordable Pro Phone
Storage
Storage configuration on OnePlus Nord N100 consists of 64GB internal storage and an SD card slot. For external storage, you can add up to 256GB SD cards. In this OnePlus Nord N100 review, this is one of the phone’s aspects we have no complaint over.
The 64GB is plentiful for a budget phone. Gone are the days where manufacturers offer a mere 32GB on their products. OnePlus Nord N100 is apparently following the suit. With this capacity, you can install a lot of apps from the Play store without getting a memory full notification, at least not too soon.
For everything else, up to 256GB is an abundant option for external storage. It’s best to store photos you have taken and more multimedia files here. For large files, the internal memory will not be enough.
Performance
OnePlus Nord N100 runs on a 1.8GHz Octa-core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor, and 4GB RAM. The chipset choice is categorized as low-end when compared to flagships. However, on a budget phone like this, it just works wonderfully. The RAM size, meanwhile, also lies within the average area among its peers.
We found this configuration to be decent on OnePlus Nord N100. It’s a fairly fast phone. Most people won’t notice milliseconds of difference during a launch time. This phone opens commonly used apps without any recognizable lag. Whether you are answering emails or watching movies, there’s no particular delay we are concerned about.
It’s a phone not for power users. When you begin using OnePlus Nord N100 for gaming, for example, that’s when you may spot some waiting time during launch. In another case, you may be limited to “low” when choosing the graphic setting. It’s recommended to keep things to basic with this phone.
Although this phone runs on Android 10, the operating system is repackaged with OxygenOS 11. It is the custom skin by OnePlus and is famous for its clean and intuitive design. We like the UI design that seems to complement the phone’s exterior design. It makes the phone look very refined.
If you are new to OnePlus, you might need some time to get familiar with the unique features and the shortcuts. Don’t worry, once you get the gist of how things work here, the user interface can be an instant favorite.
On its more expensive models, the OnePlus puts the fingerprint sensor embedded into the screen. Unfortunately, it doesn’t apply to OnePlus Nord N100. The reader lies on the back cover instead. On top of a fingerprint sensor, this phone also offers face recognition as another locking method.
Additionally, this phone packs Accelerometer, Gyroscope, and Compass. It’s also a hearing aid compatible device with a rating of M3/T3.
Connectivity
This phone still runs on 4G LTE, despite many OnePlus phones now moving to 5G. Well, we didn’t expect 5G on a budget phone. Moreover, 4G LTE will still be fast for average users. You won’t get that additional bandwidth like in 5G, but casual users will hardly know the difference.
Additionally, you’d still have Wi-Fi for more network options. This phone connects to Wi-Fi fast, and sometimes, browsing using it is faster too. Users will also get Bluetooth on this phone, along with GPS for location-related activities. But sadly, there’s no NFC present here.
OnePlus Nord N100 uses USB Type-C for its charging and data transfer port. The phone still provides a 3.5mm jack for wired headphones. Additional features include wireless screen mirroring and HD voice.
Battery
One of the highlights of the OnePlus Nord N100 is its 5,000mAh battery. The Li-Po non-removable battery promises all-day use and even more. Talk time is dubbed at 31 hours. Meanwhile, you can let the phone on standby for 9 days before it runs out of its juice.
Real-life battery durability varies depending on how an owner uses the phone. Overall, we got a long-lasting battery right here. This battery also comes with an 18W fast charging to keep up with today’s busy lifestyle. This fast charging can recharge 50% of the battery in under 40 minutes.
Is the OnePlus Nord N100 a good phone?
OnePlus Nord N100 is an interesting budget phone to have. At $180, there is one thing to consider. The HD+ display quality may feel like a bummer at that price. If the display is really important to you, you can consider paying a bit more for better quality.
Otherwise, OnePlus Nord N100 is a phone to snag. It has decent performance and a price that makes sense. It won’t disappoint you with its premium-looking design. The big battery will also carry you through the day with ease. Our OnePlus Nord N100 review is largely positive because the phone has a lot of advantages compared to its downside.
OnePlus Nord N100 Pros
- Big battery
- Fast charging
- Beautiful design
- Decent performance
OnePlus Nord N100 Cons
- Average display quality
- Average camera