OnePlus Nord Review: Design, Software and Camera Quality

When OnePlus launched the Nord in July 2020, it was a return to the company’s roots. After years of climbing prices with each flagship, the Nord brought the fast, clean OxygenOS experience to a mid-range price, with a 90Hz Fluid AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 765G chip and 5G on board. This OnePlus Nord review looks at the phone the way a buyer in 2026 actually needs to see it: what still holds up, what has aged, and whether it makes sense as a cheap second phone or a first smartphone for someone on a tight budget.

The short version is that the Nord was one of the best-balanced mid-range phones of its year, and much of that balance survives. The screen is still smooth, the software is still pleasant, and the main camera still takes good daylight photos. The battery is smaller than what buyers expect today, the phone stopped getting major updates after Android 12, and the plastic frame shows its age. Anyone reading a Nord review today is almost certainly looking at the used market, so this article weighs the phone against what the same money buys now, not against the 2020 launch price.

What follows covers the design, the display, the software, the cameras, the performance, the battery and the full spec sheet, with a comparison against the Nord 2 and the later Nord CE models, plus the pros, the cons and an honest verdict. If you are deciding between the original Nord and one of its successors, the comparison section near the end is the place to start.

OnePlus Nord Design and Build Quality

The Nord design is classic OnePlus: a clean glass back, a slim body and the alert slider on the right edge that lets you switch between ring, vibrate and silent without waking the screen. At 158.3 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm and 184 grams, it is a comfortable size for one-handed use, noticeably lighter than the big flagships of its era and easy to slip into a jacket pocket. The Blue Marble finish was the launch colour, a glossy teal-blue that catches the light, joined later by Gray Onyx and Gray Ash. The Nord colours all share the same glossy glass, which looks good out of the box and picks up fingerprints within minutes, so most owners ended up using a case.

The frame is plastic, not metal, and that is the first compromise you notice when you pick the phone up next to a flagship. It is not a flaw in daily use — the phone feels solid, the buttons are clicky and well placed, and there is no creak or flex — but it is one of the ways OnePlus hit the price. The OnePlus Nord Gorilla Glass 5 durability story is a mixed one: the front and back glass resist scratches from keys and coins reasonably well, yet the phone has no official IP rating for water or dust resistance, so it should be kept away from rain and sinks. A good case and a screen protector are worth buying on day one, and the Nord accessories market is still well stocked with cheap cases, tempered glass and USB-C cables years after launch.

The alert slider deserves a mention because it is the kind of small detail that owners miss when they move to another brand. Sliding it down silences the phone instantly in a meeting or a cinema, with a clear physical click. The power button sits below it on the right, the volume rocker on the left, and the USB-C port, SIM tray and single speaker sit on the bottom edge. There is no headphone jack, which was already becoming normal by 2020, and the OnePlus Nord speaker quality and headphone jack question comes up often: the single bottom-firing speaker is loud enough for videos and calls, but it is mono, so music and games sound thin compared with phones that have stereo speakers. A pair of wireless earbuds or a USB-C adapter is the practical answer.

The in-display fingerprint sensor is optical, set low on the screen, and the OnePlus Nord in-display fingerprint sensor speed was decent for 2020 — a quick tap usually unlocks in under a second — though it is slower than the ultrasonic sensors on flagships and can struggle with wet or very dry fingers. Face unlock is the faster fallback and works well in good light. The Nord fingerprint setup takes a few minutes to register properly, and registering the same thumb twice is a trick many owners used to improve reliability. The Nord durability picture is fair overall: the glass can crack from a hard drop like any glass phone, the plastic frame absorbs bumps better than metal, and replacement parts are still available because the phone sold in large numbers.

OnePlus Nord 90Hz Display Review

The display is the Nord’s best feature, and it is the main reason the phone still feels good in 2026. The 6.44-inch Fluid AMOLED panel runs at 1080 x 2400 pixels with a 90Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support and a punch-hole camera in the top-left corner. The Nord display is bright, colourful and smooth in a way that 60Hz mid-range phones of the same year simply were not. Scrolling through a feed, swiping between home screens and opening apps all feel immediate, and once you have used 90Hz it is hard to go back to 60Hz.

Colour reproduction is strong out of the box, with vivid default settings and a natural mode in the display settings for people who prefer accurate colours. The panel covers the DCI-P3 colour space, blacks are truly black because each pixel lights itself, and contrast is excellent. Viewing angles are wide, with only a slight colour shift at extreme angles, and outdoor visibility is good for a 2020 mid-ranger — the screen stays readable in bright sunlight, though it is not as bright as the panels on phones from 2023 onwards. The punch-hole camera is small and sits out of the way, and most people stop noticing it after a day.

The 90Hz refresh rate is not adaptive in the way later phones handle it; the phone switches between 60Hz and 90Hz depending on what is on screen, which saves some battery, but some apps still lock to 60Hz. Even so, the smoothness in the system interface, the browser and social apps is a real, everyday benefit, and it is the single feature that makes the Nord feel newer than its age. Anyone writing a OnePlus Nord 90Hz display review has to say the same thing: the screen was ahead of its price class in 2020, and it remains pleasant to look at now.

There are two small caveats. First, the display is flat, which some people prefer and others find less premium than a curved edge, but flat glass is easier to protect and cheaper to replace. Second, the always-on display is not a feature here — the Nord shows notifications on the lock screen when you lift or tap the phone, but there is no true always-on clock. The Nord unboxing experience, for anyone buying a sealed unit even now, includes a pre-applied screen protector and a clear case in the box, both of which were generous touches at this price, plus the Warp Charge 30T charger.

OnePlus Nord Software: OxygenOS and Android Updates

OxygenOS was the biggest reason to buy a OnePlus phone in 2020, and it is still the Nord’s strongest selling point. The Nord software is close to stock Android, with a clean launcher, no duplicate apps, no heavy skin over the top, and a handful of genuinely useful additions such as the alert slider controls, a reading mode, a gaming mode and a dark mode that works across the system. The interface is fast because there is very little bloat to slow it down, and the animations are tuned to feel snappy rather than showy.

The Nord launched with OxygenOS 10.5 on top of Android 10, and the OnePlus Nord OxygenOS Android 12 update arrived as its last major platform upgrade, bringing OxygenOS 12. The OnePlus Nord software update history OxygenOS tells the story of a phone that was well supported for its first two years and then left behind: it received two major Android version upgrades (Android 11 and Android 12) and regular security patches during that window, and the Nord update cycle then wound down, with security patches becoming irregular and eventually stopping. That matters for a 2026 buyer. The phone still works fine, but it no longer receives new Android versions, and some newer apps may eventually require a newer Android version than the Nord can offer.

In daily use, OxygenOS on the Nord holds up well. The shelf on the home screen gives quick access to widgets and recent tools, the gestures are smooth, and the settings are laid out logically. The Zen Mode, which locks you out of distracting apps for a set time, is a nice touch for anyone trying to cut screen time. App permissions and privacy controls are the standard Android 12 set, which is good enough for everyday use. The one thing to check before buying a used Nord is that the phone is on its final OxygenOS 12 build and that it has been factory reset — a phone stuck on an old build with the previous owner’s account still signed in is a headache you do not need.

There is also a practical point about apps and storage. The Nord has no microSD slot, so the storage you buy is the storage you keep: 128GB on the base model and 256GB on the higher model. With photos, videos and a few large games, 128GB fills up faster than people expect, so the 256GB version is the better pick on the used market if the price gap is small. The OnePlus Nord 256GB storage variant price was higher at launch, and on the used market it still commands a small premium, usually worth paying for the extra room. Cloud backup for photos is the other half of the answer, and Google Photos or a similar service is worth setting up on day one.

OnePlus Nord Camera Quality: Quad Rear and Dual Selfie

The camera system is where the Nord shows both its ambition and its price. The rear setup is a quad array: a 48MP main camera with the Sony IMX586 sensor and optical image stabilisation, an 8MP ultrawide with a 119-degree field of view, a 5MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro camera. The front has a dual setup that was rare at this price in 2020: a 32MP main selfie camera and an 8MP ultrawide selfie camera with a 105-degree field of view. The OnePlus Nord camera quality question has a two-part answer: the main camera is genuinely good in daylight, and the supporting cameras are useful but clearly a step down.

The Nord camera in daylight is the phone’s photographic strong point. The 48MP sensor uses pixel binning to produce 12MP photos with good detail, natural colours and decent dynamic range, and optical stabilisation helps keep shots sharp in slightly dim conditions. Photos have the typical OnePlus look — a little saturated, a little sharpened — which flatters landscapes, food and street scenes. Autofocus is quick, the shutter is responsive, and the camera app is simple to use, with nightscape, portrait, panorama and pro modes all easy to find. The OnePlus Nord camera samples daylight tests from the launch period consistently showed clean, detailed images with good exposure, and that still describes the phone today.

Daylight photos and the ultrawide camera

In bright light the main camera is hard to fault at this price. Detail is strong in the centre of the frame, colours are pleasing, and the dynamic range holds up in high-contrast scenes such as a bright sky over a shaded street. The ultrawide camera is the fun one: it captures much more of a scene, which suits architecture, group shots and landscapes, but it is an 8MP sensor with a smaller aperture, so its photos are softer, noisier and less detailed than the main camera, especially towards the edges of the frame. That is normal for ultrawide cameras at this price, and the right way to use it is for composition — a wide shot that the main camera cannot get — rather than for fine detail.

Getting the best daylight shots

Tap to focus on the subject, keep the lens clean, and let the phone choose its exposure rather than fighting it. HDR is on by default and does a good job of balancing bright skies against darker foregrounds. The 48MP full-resolution mode is there in the camera app, but the binned 12MP mode is the better default: it gives cleaner images with smaller files and better low-light behaviour. The Nord ultrawide is at its best in bright, even light; in shade or indoors it gets noisy quickly, so switch back to the main camera when the light drops.

Night mode and low light photography

The OnePlus Nord 48MP main camera night mode, called Nightscape, is the phone’s best low-light tool. It takes several exposures and merges them, which brightens dark scenes, pulls detail out of shadows and keeps highlights from blowing out. In a dim restaurant or a street at dusk, Nightscape produces usable, shareable photos where a single normal shot would be dark and noisy. It needs a steady hand and a couple of seconds, and moving subjects will blur, so it suits still scenes rather than people walking. The Nord night mode is genuinely useful, but it cannot match the night modes on later phones with larger sensors and better processing — expect a good photo for social media, not a clean large print.

OnePlus Nord low light photography tips

Hold the phone with both hands and brace your elbows, use Nightscape for still scenes, and avoid the ultrawide and macro cameras after dark — their small sensors struggle badly in low light. Clean the lens before a night shot, because a fingerprint smear turns every street light into a flare. If the scene is very dark, a small amount of ambient light, such as a shop window or a street lamp, will do more for the photo than any setting. These OnePlus Nord low light photography tips sound basic because they are, and they make a visible difference on a sensor of this size.

Portrait mode, macro and video

Portrait mode uses the 5MP depth sensor to help separate the subject from the background, and the OnePlus Nord portrait mode edge detection is decent in good light — hair and glasses can still confuse it, as they do on most phones at this price, but the blur looks natural and the bokeh level is adjustable after the shot. The 2MP macro camera is the weakest part of the system: its resolution is low, it needs very bright light, and the results are usually softer than a cropped photo from the main camera. It is a feature that exists on the spec sheet more than in daily use.

Video is a pleasant surprise. The OnePlus Nord 4K video recording stabilisation is electronic, working with the optical stabilisation of the main camera, and it produces steady 4K footage at 30 frames per second and smooth 1080p at 60 frames per second. Walking while filming gives usable, watchable footage, and the ultrawide camera can also record video, though without the same stabilisation. The front camera records up to 4K at 60 frames per second, which was unusual for a mid-range phone in 2020 and still stands out. Video quality is good in daylight and acceptable indoors; in low light it gets noisy, like most phones of this generation.

Dual selfie camera

The OnePlus Nord dual selfie camera ultrawide setup is one of the phone’s most distinctive features. The 32MP main selfie camera takes detailed, well-exposed selfies with good skin tones, and the 8MP ultrawide selfie camera fits a whole group into the frame without a selfie stick. The Nord selfie quality is strong for video calls as well as photos — the wide angle is genuinely useful on a call with two or three people in front of the phone, and the 4K front video makes it a capable tool for vlogging. The ultrawide selfie camera is softer than the main one, so use it for groups and switch to the 32MP camera for a single portrait.

OnePlus Nord Performance: Snapdragon 765G and Gaming

The Snapdragon 765G is a 7nm chip with an octa-core CPU and the Adreno 620 GPU, and it was the right choice for this phone. It is not a flagship chip, but it is fast enough for everything most people do, and it brings 5G without the price of a flagship processor. The OnePlus Nord Snapdragon 765G performance in daily use is smooth: apps open quickly, switching between apps is fast, and the 90Hz display makes the whole interface feel quicker than the chip alone would suggest. The Nord performance story is really about balance — a capable chip, clean software and a fast screen working together.

Multitasking is handled well, especially on the 12GB model, and the OnePlus Nord 8GB RAM multitasking review experience is also good: eight gigabytes is enough to keep a dozen apps in memory, so returning to a browser or a messaging app does not force a reload. The 12GB version adds headroom for heavy users and for keeping large games in memory, but most buyers will not notice the difference day to day. Storage is UFS 2.1, which is fast enough for app installs and photo saving, though not as quick as the UFS 3.0 storage in OnePlus flagships of the same year. The Nord benchmarks tell the same story: scores land in the low-300,000s in AnTuTu, roughly half of a 2020 flagship, and squarely in the upper mid-range of its time. Benchmarks are only a rough guide, but they match the experience — fast, not record-breaking.

Gaming is where the “G” in 765G earns its keep. The OnePlus Nord gaming performance test results from the launch period showed popular games such as PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile running smoothly at medium to high settings, with stable frame rates and good touch response. More demanding games run best at medium settings, and the phone handles long sessions without severe throttling. The OnePlus Nord overheating during gaming sessions is a question that comes up often, and the honest answer is that the phone gets warm after 30 to 45 minutes of heavy gaming, particularly while charging, but it does not get uncomfortably hot and it does not throttle aggressively. Playing without a case helps, and keeping the phone out of direct sunlight matters more than any setting.

Connectivity is a strong point. The OnePlus Nord 5G network support covers sub-6GHz 5G, which was the standard in most markets at launch, plus Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC for contactless payments and dual SIM. The 5G modem is integrated into the chip, which helps efficiency. There is no mmWave 5G, which only matters in a few cities, and the phone’s 5G bands were chosen for the markets where it was sold, so a used import may not support every band on a different carrier — worth checking before buying an imported unit. The Nord teardown coverage from the launch period showed a well-organised internal layout with a standard battery and modular components, which is part of why repairs and battery replacements are still feasible and affordable.

OnePlus Nord Battery Life and Warp Charge 30T

The battery is a 4,115mAh unit, which was average for 2020 and small by the standards of 2026, when many phones carry 5,000mAh or more. The OnePlus Nord battery life test results at launch showed a full day of moderate use — roughly six to seven hours of screen-on time — with lighter users getting into a second day. Heavy users, especially those gaming or using 5G heavily, will need a top-up in the evening. The 90Hz display costs some battery, and switching to 60Hz in the settings adds a little endurance if you need it, though most owners keep 90Hz on because the smoothness is worth the trade.

Battery ageing is the real issue for a 2026 buyer. The OnePlus Nord 4115mAh battery drain overnight on a used phone depends on how the previous owner treated it, and a five-year-old battery will not hold a charge like a new one. If the phone loses more than a few percent overnight with the screen off, the battery is tired, and a replacement is worth budgeting for — it is a relatively cheap repair on this model. The Nord battery behaviour on a fresh unit is respectable, but anyone buying used should treat the battery as a wear item and check its health before paying.

Charging is where the Nord punches above its weight. The OnePlus Nord Warp Charge 30T charging time is the headline: the included 30W charger takes the phone from empty to about 70 percent in around 30 minutes, and a full charge takes a little over an hour. Warp Charge works by keeping the heat in the charger rather than the phone, so the handset stays cool while charging quickly, and the Nord charging experience is one of the best parts of owning the phone — a ten-minute top-up while you get ready in the morning adds a meaningful amount of battery. There is no wireless charging, which is expected at this price, and the phone charges over USB-C with the included cable and brick.

Power management in OxygenOS is sensible, with an optimised charging mode that slows the final part of an overnight charge to protect the battery, and a battery saver that kicks in at low levels. The practical advice for a used Nord is simple: charge with the original 30W brick or a good-quality equivalent, avoid leaving the phone on charge at 100 percent for days at a time, and replace the battery if a full charge no longer lasts a normal day. With a fresh battery, the Nord is still a comfortable one-day phone for most people.

Full Specifications

Here is the complete OnePlus Nord full specifications sheet, covering every major detail of the phone. The Nord specs are worth reading in full before buying, because the details — the storage type, the lack of a microSD slot, the camera sensors, the charging standard — are what separate it from other mid-range phones of its era.

A few notes on the spec sheet. The Snapdragon 765G is the heart of the phone, and it is the reason the Nord can do 5G and smooth gaming at this price. The UFS 2.1 storage is a step below flagship storage, but in practice the difference is small — apps install quickly and photos save without delay. The camera list looks long, but only the main and ultrawide cameras do the heavy lifting; the depth and macro sensors are supporting players. And the 4,115mAh battery, while modest, is paired with efficient hardware and very fast charging, which is the combination that makes the phone workable day to day.

OnePlus Nord vs OnePlus Nord 2 and Other Nord Phones

The Nord family grew quickly after the original, so a buyer in 2026 is usually choosing between the original Nord and one of its successors. The OnePlus Nord vs OnePlus Nord 2 question is the most common: the Nord 2, launched in July 2021, replaced the Snapdragon 765G with a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chip, upgraded the main camera to a 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor with better low-light performance, and increased the battery to 4,500mAh with faster 65W charging. The Nord 2 is faster and takes better night photos, and on the used market it usually costs only a little more, which makes it the better buy for most people — though the original Nord is still the cheaper option if the budget is tight. Read the full OnePlus Nord 2 Review: Build Quality, Software and Daily Speed to see how the successor compares in daily use.

The Nord 2T, which followed in 2022, kept the same basic formula with a Dimensity 1300 chip and 80W charging, and it is another step up in speed and charging. The OnePlus Nord 2T Review: Cameras, Performance and Battery Life covers its camera and battery in detail, and it is worth reading if the price gap between the 2T and the original Nord is small in your market. The Nord 3, launched in 2023, is a bigger jump: a 6.74-inch 120Hz display, a Dimensity 9000 flagship-class chip and a 5,000mAh battery, which puts it in a different league for performance and endurance. The OnePlus Nord 3 Review: Photo Quality, Video and Performance shows how far the line had come by then, and a used Nord 3 is often the best value in the whole family if your budget stretches that far.

The Nord CE models are the budget branch of the family, and the OnePlus Nord vs OnePlus Nord CE 5G comparison is worth understanding: the original Nord CE 5G, launched in June 2021, kept the Snapdragon 750G and the 90Hz AMOLED display but dropped the ultrawide selfie camera and the alert slider to hit a lower price. Later CE models, such as the Nord CE 4 and the Nord CE5, continued that pattern of strong displays and good battery life at lower prices, with the CE 4 offering a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip and a large battery. The OnePlus Nord CE4 Review: Photo Quality, Video and Performance and the OnePlus Nord CE5 Review: Daily Performance and Key Features are useful references if you are weighing a cheap CE model against the original Nord — the CE phones are newer, but the original Nord’s dual selfie camera and alert slider are features the CE line never matched.

The pattern is clear: each generation adds speed, battery and camera quality, and the original Nord’s advantage is price. If the Nord 2 or 2T costs only slightly more than the original Nord in your market, it is the better buy. If the original is much cheaper, it remains a sensible choice, especially with a fresh battery. The Nord price picture on the used market changes constantly, so compare a few listings before deciding, and check the battery health and the software version on any unit you buy.

OnePlus Nord Pros and Cons: Who It Is For

The OnePlus Nord pros and cons are easy to sum up after five years on the market. On the plus side, the 90Hz Fluid AMOLED display is still smooth and pleasant, OxygenOS is clean and fast, the main camera takes good daylight photos, the dual selfie camera is genuinely useful, and Warp Charge 30T remains one of the best fast-charging systems at this price. The phone is light, comfortable and well built, the alert slider is a small delight, and 5G support keeps it usable on modern networks. On the minus side, the battery is small by current standards and will be tired on most used units, software support has ended at Android 12, the ultrawide and macro cameras are weak, there is no headphone jack, no wireless charging and no official water resistance, and the plastic frame feels less premium than the glass back suggests.

Pros:

• 90Hz Fluid AMOLED display that still feels smooth and looks great.
• Clean, fast OxygenOS with the alert slider and very little bloat.
• Good 48MP main camera with optical stabilisation, plus a useful dual selfie camera.
• Warp Charge 30T fills the battery to about 70 percent in around 30 minutes.
• 5G support, NFC and a light, comfortable body at 184 grams.

Cons:

• 4,115mAh battery is small by 2026 standards and will be worn on most used phones.
• Software updates ended at Android 12, so no new Android versions are coming.
• Ultrawide and macro cameras are noticeably weaker than the main camera.
• No headphone jack, no wireless charging and no official IP rating.
• Plastic frame and a single mono speaker.

Who it is for: the Nord suits a buyer who wants a cheap, reliable second phone, a first smartphone for a teenager, or a backup device with a great screen and clean software. It suits someone who mostly uses messaging, browsing, video and social apps, takes photos in daylight, and charges every night. It does not suit a heavy gamer who plays for hours, a photographer who needs strong night shots, or anyone who wants years of software updates — those buyers should look at a newer Nord or a different phone entirely. Anyone searching for the OnePlus Nord price in 2026 will find that it is a bargain-basement price now, and at that price the compromises are easy to accept, provided the battery is healthy. The Nord variants to look for on the used market are the 8GB/128GB base model for the lowest price and the 12GB/256GB model for more storage and smoother multitasking; the higher model is the better pick when the gap is small. The Nord cases and screen protectors are cheap and widely available, which is a small but real advantage of buying a phone that sold in huge numbers. The Nord audio experience is the weakest part of the package — a single speaker and no headphone jack — so budget for wireless earbuds if music matters to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is OnePlus Nord worth buying in 2026?

It depends on the price and the battery. The question is OnePlus Nord worth buying in 2026 is answered yes when the phone is cheap, the battery is healthy or freshly replaced, and you need a reliable daily phone rather than the latest features. It is answered no when the price is close to a used Nord 2 or Nord 3, which are faster, have bigger batteries and take better night photos. Check the battery health, confirm the phone is on OxygenOS 12, and compare prices before you pay.

Does the OnePlus Nord still get software updates?

No. The Nord received Android 11 and Android 12 as its two major upgrades, and its security patch support has ended. The phone still runs its apps normally, but it will not receive new Android versions, and over time some apps may require a newer Android version. If long-term updates matter to you, buy a newer phone.

How good is the OnePlus Nord camera in 2026?

The main 48MP camera still takes good daylight photos with natural colours and solid detail, and Nightscape helps in dim light. The ultrawide camera is usable in bright light but soft, and the macro camera is weak. The dual selfie camera remains a real advantage over many newer budget phones. For social media and everyday memories, the camera is fine; for serious night photography, a newer phone is better.

How long does the OnePlus Nord battery last?

A new battery gives a full day of moderate use, roughly six to seven hours of screen-on time, and Warp Charge 30T refills it quickly. A five-year-old battery will last noticeably less, and if the phone dies before evening on a normal day, the battery should be replaced. Budget for a replacement when buying used, and the phone becomes a comfortable one-day device again.

Does the OnePlus Nord support 5G?

Yes. The Snapdragon 765G has an integrated 5G modem supporting sub-6GHz 5G, plus 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1 and NFC. Check that the specific unit you buy supports the 5G bands used by your carrier, especially if it is an imported model.

The OnePlus Nord long term reliability after five years is the real test of this phone, and it passes better than most of its 2020 rivals. The screen is still smooth, the software is still clean, the main camera still delivers, and the fast charging still impresses. What has aged is the battery, the update support and the secondary cameras, and none of those are surprises — they are the normal costs of buying a five-year-old phone. With a fresh battery and a fair price, the Nord is still a good phone for everyday use, and its balance of screen, software and charging is why people still ask about it.

The Nord verdict is simple: buy it cheap, check the battery, and enjoy a phone that was designed around the things people actually notice — the screen, the speed and the charging. If the price creeps up towards a Nord 2 or Nord 3, buy the newer phone instead. And if you do buy the original Nord, set it up properly on day one: update it to its final OxygenOS 12 build, fit a case and a screen protector, turn on cloud backup for your photos, and keep the 30W charger in the box rather than a slow generic one. Do those four things and the Nord will serve you well as a daily phone, a second phone or a first smartphone, long after most of its 2020 rivals have been forgotten.