The Nord N20 SE is OnePlus's newest budget smartphone and a cheaper alternative to the Nord N20 5G. Here's how the two smartphones differ.
OnePlus has quietly announced the Nord N20 SE as the newest smartphone in the Nord series, but how does it compare to the Nord N20 5G? The Nord N20 5G is a North American-exclusive smartphone sold by OnePlus. When it first launched, it was only available on T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile. However, a few months later, it became available to purchase unlocked.
Now OnePlus has followed it with an even more affordable model, although it hasn't said if this will be sold in the U.S. OnePlus is also expected to launch another affordable 5G smartphone in the form of the Nord N300. The new phone will launch as a successor to the Nord N200 5G.
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OnePlus has designed the Nord N20 SE to look very different from the Nord N20. Save for the flat frame on both phones. There isn't much that they have in common. The Nord N20 SE's display has a waterdrop notch and a protruding rectangular camera housing on the back with two cameras. On the other hand, the Nord N20 5G's display has a punch hole at the top left corner, while its back is home to a triple camera array. None of the two phones have any form of dust and water resistance. While the Nord N20 5G is available in only one colorway, Blue Smoke, the Nord N20 SE can be purchased in Blue Oasis and Celestial Black.
The Nord N20 SE is the bigger of the two phones with its 6.56-inch HD+ display. The screen is an LCD panel, and it refreshes at 60Hz. In contrast, the Nord N20 5G has a 6.43-inch AMOLED display with an FHD+ display. The N20 SE is a 4G smartphone, and MediaTek's Helio G35 processor powers it. The 12nm chip has eight Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.3GHz and is paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and a MicroSD card slot is present so users can add up to an additional 1TB of storage. Inside the Nord N20, 5G is the 6nm Snapdragon 695 chip, and it is paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It also has a card slot so users can expand the memory, but it maxes out at 512GB. The Nord N20 SE has a 50MP f/1.8 primary rear camera. It doesn't have OIS, but there is EIS to provide some stabilization when recording and taking photos. OnePlus has also added a 2MP macro camera as the secondary camera while the front-facing camera is an 8MP sensor. The Nord N20 5G's camera configuration isn't significantly better either. While its primary camera has a 64MP resolution, the other two sensors are 2MP macro and monochrome cameras. The two phones have a fingerprint scanner, but while it is on the side of the Nord N20 SE, the Nord N20 5G has its own under its display. There is also support for Face Unlock.
In addition, the two OnePlus phones have NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band Wi-Fi and an audio jack. However, the Nord N20 5G has a single speaker, while the Nord N20 SE has stereo speakers. OnePlus has placed a 5000mAh battery inside the Nord N20 SE, while the Nord N20 5G has a smaller 4500mAh battery. Both phones support 33W fast charging and come with a charger in the box. The Nord N20 SE ships with OxygenOS 12.1 based on Android 12 while the Nord N20 5G comes with OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11. Both phones are expected to receive only one OS upgrade, meaning the Nord N20 SE should be upgraded to OxygenOS 13.
At $199, the Nord N20 SE is a cheaper alternative to the Nord N20 5G. To arrive at this price, OnePlus has had to cut corners in multiple areas, including the display, cameras and processor. Notwithstanding, it still scores some points against the $299 Nord N20 5G with its more recent software, bigger battery and stereo speakers. The Nord N20 SE suffices for anyone who wants an inexpensive 4G smartphone. However, those who desire 5G support and a more capable processor are better off with the Nord N20 5G.
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Habeeb enjoys writing about the consumer technology space and has a keen interest in wearables, Android smartphones and tablets, and Chromebooks. When he's not writing, he's catching up on the latest TV shows and movies.