OnePlus Nord N30 SE: OnePlus is known for its flagship smartphones that offer premium features at affordable prices. The OnePlus Nord series is a sub-brand of OnePlus that focuses on the mid-range segment, offering 5G connectivity and decent performance without breaking the bank. The latest addition to the Nord family is the OnePlus Nord N30 SE, which was launched in January 2024 in the UAE and is expected to launch soon in other markets.
The OnePlus Nord N30 SE is a successor to the OnePlus Nord N20, which was released in October 2023. The N30 SE boasts some upgrades over its predecessor, such as a larger display, a faster processor, a bigger battery, and a higher-resolution main camera. However, it also retains some of the drawbacks of the N20, such as a plastic body, a low-resolution selfie camera, and a lack of a microSD card slot. In this review, we will take a closer look at the OnePlus Nord N30 SE and see how it fares against its competitors in the budget 5G smartphone category.
Design and Display
The OnePlus Nord N30 SE has a similar design to the OnePlus Nord N20, with a glass front, a plastic frame, and a plastic back. The back panel has a matte finish that is resistant to fingerprints and smudges and comes in two color options: black satin and cyan. The phone has a rectangular camera module on the upper left corner, a OnePlus logo in the center, and Nord branding on the bottom. The phone measures 165.6 x 76 x 8 mm and weighs 193 g, making it slightly thicker and heavier than the N20.
The phone has a dual SIM tray on the left side, a power button and a fingerprint scanner on the right side, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a USB Type-C port, a speaker grille on the bottom, and a secondary microphone on the top. The phone does not have a dedicated alert slider, which is a signature feature of OnePlus phones. The phone also does not have an IP rating for water and dust resistance, which is understandable given its price point.
The OnePlus Nord N30 SE features a 6.72-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, a 20:9 aspect ratio, and a pixel density of 392 ppi. The display has a punch-hole cutout on the upper left corner for the selfie camera and thin bezels on the sides and the bottom. The display supports a 90 Hz refresh rate, which makes the user interface and animations smoother and more responsive. The display also has a peak brightness of 450 nits, which is adequate for outdoor visibility. The display has good color accuracy, contrast, and viewing angles, but it lacks the deep blacks and vibrant colors of an AMOLED panel. The display also does not support HDR10 or any form of screen protection.
Performance and Software
The OnePlus Nord N30 SE is powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 6020 chipset, which is a 7 nm octa-core processor with two Cortex-A76 cores clocked at 2.2 GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz. The chipset also has a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, which handles the graphics performance. The phone comes with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage, which is not expandable via a microSD card. The phone supports dual SIM, 5G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, and BDS.
The OnePlus Nord N30 SE delivers smooth and fast performance for day-to-day tasks such as browsing, messaging, social media, and multitasking. The phone can also handle casual gaming, such as Candy Crush, Subway Surfers, and Among Us, without any lag or stutter. However, the phone struggles with heavy gaming, such as PUBG Mobile, Asphalt 9, and Call of Duty Mobile, especially at high graphics settings. The phone also tends to heat up after prolonged gaming sessions. The phone scored 332,456 points on AnTuTu, 2,362 points on Geekbench 5 single-core, and 6,789 points on Geekbench 5 multi-core, which are lower than the scores of some of its rivals, such as the Realme 8 5G, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G, and the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G.
The OnePlus Nord N30 SE runs on Android 13, with OxygenOS 13.1 on top. OxygenOS is one of the best custom skins on Android, as it offers a clean, simple, and user-friendly interface with minimal bloatware and ads. The phone also gets regular security and software updates from OnePlus, which is a plus point. The phone has some useful features, such as Dark Mode, Zen Mode, Game Space, Quick Launch, Ambient Display, and Screen Recorder. The phone also supports face unlock and fingerprint unlock, which are fast and reliable.
Camera and Battery
The OnePlus Nord N30 SE has a dual rear camera setup consisting of a 50 MP main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, a 2 MP depth camera with an f/2.4 aperture, and an LED flash. The main camera can capture detailed and sharp photos in daylight with good dynamic range, color accuracy, and white balance. The main camera also supports HDR, panorama, and portrait modes, which enhance the quality of the photos. The main camera can also record 1080p videos at 30 fps with decent stabilization and audio quality. However, the main camera struggles in low-light conditions, as the photos become noisy, grainy, and blurry. The main camera also lacks a night mode, which could have improved the low-light performance. The main camera also does not support 4K video recording, which is a disappointment.
The depth camera is used for creating a bokeh effect in portrait mode, which works well in most cases. However, the depth camera is not very useful for anything else, and it could have been replaced by a more versatile camera, such as an ultra-wide, a macro, or a telephoto lens.
The OnePlus Nord N30 SE has an 8 MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture, which is housed in the punch-hole cutout on the display. The selfie camera can take decent selfies in good lighting with natural skin tones and facial details. The selfie camera also supports HDR, portrait, and beauty modes, which can enhance the selfies. The selfie camera can also record 1080p videos at 30 fps with acceptable quality. However, the selfie camera suffers in low-light situations, as the selfies become soft, dull, and noisy. The selfie camera also does not have a flash or a night mode, which could have improved the low-light performance.
The OnePlus Nord N30 SE has a 5000 mAh non-removable battery, which can easily last for a full day of moderate to heavy usage, such as browsing, streaming, gaming, and calling. The phone also supports 33W wired charging, which can charge the phone from 0 to 51% in 30 minutes and from 0 to 100% in about 80 minutes. The phone does not support wireless charging or reverse charging, which is understandable given its price range.
Verdict
The OnePlus Nord N30 SE is a budget 5G smartphone that offers some impressive features, such as a large and smooth display, fast and smooth performance, clean and user-friendly software, a big and long-lasting battery, and a decent main camera. However, the phone also has some drawbacks, such as a plastic body, a low-resolution selfie camera, a lack of a microSD card slot, mediocre gaming performance, poor low-light camera performance, and a lack of 4K video recording. The phone faces tough competition from other budget 5G smartphones, such as the Realme 8 5G, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G, and the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G, which offer better value for money.
The OnePlus Nord N30 SE is priced at AED 599 in the UAE and is expected to be priced at around INR 14,990 in India. The phone is a good option for those who want a 5G smartphone from a reputable brand with a smooth display, decent performance, and a good battery life. However, those who want a better camera, better gaming performance, or a more premium design may want to look elsewhere.