The Nord 2T leaves quite an impression with flagship features and affordable price

THE newly launched Nord 2T 5G is a strong contender among mid-range smartphones, giving “household” models a run for their money.

This phone supports OnePlus’ 80W SUPERVOOC charging, which is the fastest in the Nord range. This technology is also used in the Chinese brand’s flagship 10 Pro model.

Keeping with the “fast” theme, the Nord 2T 5G, which runs on MediaTek’s latest generation Dimensity 1300 chipset, should be really fast and smooth, especially with the chipmaker’s new HyperEngine 5.0 technology.

I didn’t find any major issue with the Nord 2T as I went about my day. But then again, I don’t run graphic-demanding applications on my phone, but I do run a lot of applications.

If I were to add to my collection of middle names, “multi-tasking” is definitely one because I run so many applications at a time due to the nature of my work. And this did not cause the Nord 2T to auto-shutdown or go blank, which is a good sign.

To be fair, I can’t exactly say if the phone is fast (or not) simply because I don’t have a benchmark to compare it with other devices as this is my first time trying it out.

Plus, I can’t totally disregard the fact that this phone that I’m using has 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of storage, which allows tasks to be processed smoothly compared with a low-memory device.

So, if you ask me, do I feel that it is fast? My answer is, yes — applications didn’t freeze, and were neither jumpy nor did they automatically shut down while in use.

The Nord 2T 5G also comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

SMOOTH OPERATIONS

The Nord 2T comes with a 6.43-inch 90Hz FHD+ AMOLED display, apparently the same as its predecessor, the Nord 2.

Having a HDR10+ support display is always a welcome spec, because I don’t want to settle with less.

The low — well not exactly low but if you like gaming highly demanding titles — refresh rate is good but not great for mobile gamers. But for me, who plays simple games that don’t result in lost “lives” because of a lag, the screen rate is good enough.

On top of watching videos saved on the phone, I find that the phone also works fine when streaming educational content online with good Internet connectivity. I appreciate the hole-punch feature as I can maximise my viewing without too much distraction.

The phone is also equipped with ambient light sensors on the front and rear to intelligently adjust the display’s brightness based on the surrounding environment.

Is the display smooth? My answer is yes, it is smooth indeed (to the extent of my content).

CAMERA

Any smartphone review won’t be complete without a look at its camera.

The Nord 2T comes with a 50MP artificial intelligence (AI) triple camera that works in tandem with the Dimensity 1300 chipset to produce AI enhanced photos and HDR videos that are bright, clear and colourful.

Altogether, the rear camera sports a 50MP Sony IMX766 image sensor with a large f/1.8 aperture, an 8MP ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view for “bigger” group shots, and a 2MP mono lens.

This 2T model sports a decent 32MP front camera, the same as the OnePlus 10 Pro. The sensor has electronic image stabilisation (EIS) and an AI de-blurring algorithm to make sure that unsteady hands or selfies on-the-move come out clear.

When it comes to slow motion videos, the Nord 2T supports slow motion videos at a blistering 960 fps, which is great for taking fast-action videos.

CONCLUSION

The OnePlus Nord 2T 5G runs on OxygenOS 12.1 with two major Android updates and three years of security updates. It comes in two colour options — Gray Shadow and Jade Fog.

Generally, this phone is an all rounder. It has a mixture of specifications that is perfect for a mid-range phone.

Price: RM1,899 (8GB RAM 128GB ROM) in Jade Fog

NST